Truss build worksheet and data tag

[Wood]

Two part question:

 

Part one. I have a worksheet that summarizes each truss system's type, overall length etc. 

Using the ='TrussItem'.'Length' input I get a row for each piece of the truss line, and then summarizing items by ='TrussItem'.'TrussSystem' gives me the overall length, and =COUNT gets me total number of pieces. What's missing is the summarize items groups ALL of the truss pieces together, regardless of individual stick length. I need it to display a break down of each piece size, eg. a 57' system would break down as one row each for 5@10', 1@5', and one@2'.

 

The second part of the question is integrating this output into a data tag, that would autofill based on the truss line it was attached to. I wasn't able to find the 'TrussItem' field in my data tag field options. What am I missing? In an ideal world I would drop the tag onto a truss system, and it would display Truss type, number of pieces (per piece length), Overall length, and trim. 

 

Example of a tag attached, but this is just a symbol referenced to a worksheet that I manually enter the data into.

 

 

Thanks! 

[Pat Stanford]

You should just be able to SUMmarize on the .'Length' column and get what you want.

 

Trying to get multiple subtotals out of a single database is challenging. So if you want to have a separate count and total length for each truss subsystem you might be better off creating a separate database row for each truss system and use the .'TrussSystem' field value as part of the criteria to isolate just that one system.

 

You could then pull the total length and count by using the values in the cells in the database header row. If you want the header row turned off, you could just use an equals formula (=B3) in a spreadsheet cell to pull the values for each system.

 

Ask again if you need more help. Any maybe post a simple file with your worksheet and a few truss pieces in different systems so we can see exactly what you are trying to do.

[Wood]

Thanks for the tip on making separate rows, that may be a solution. I'll play around!

 

I hadn't tried summarizing both system AND Length together before for some reason, but I tried again and I now get a row for each stick length as desired. Perhaps using a Cell reference to those together I can get a total length in addition. 

 

I'll post a simplified file once I get this show out the door. 

 

Thanks Pat!

[Pat Stanford]

You might also try two columns with the length field.  SUMarize on the first one. Check the Sum Values box in the second one and you should get the total of the lengths of those pieces without having to do the multiplication.

 

And the reason for the multiple database rows is that the only cells in a database that you can directly reference are in the header row. Everything else is too dynamic (sort, sum, add objects, delete objects all change the exactly subrow that times are reported in).

[spettitt]

I'm particularly interested in the second question as well - I'd really like to have a data tag be able to display the total length of a truss system, but couldn't find a way to reference the right thing to integrate it.

[Pat Stanford]

Data Tags are really only able to report on a single object in the drawing. There is no good way (currently) to get them to report a total.

 

The only possibility I can think of would be to have a script attach a record to each truss object. Every time you run the script it would update the field value to be the total length of truss in the system.  You could then have a data tag report the value from the record.

 

But if you change the truss and don't run the script then the data tag will be out of date.

 

 

[Sam Jones]

Something like

 

[Sam Jones]

The downside and the upside is that they are not data tags.  They are AutoPlot Truss Tags.  Their script code can poll all the objects and enter Hanging Positions, enter Groups, and enter Groups inside Hanging Positions.  The code can count symbols and/or truss objects in order to count truss pieces and calculate length.