[Solved] Customizing Device Labels

[elc]

I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around the concept of device tags.

 

In this thread the process of customizing device labels (dev_label) is outlined but I can't figure out, where I would assign a data field to my custom text to pull info added to the device (e.g. power or user1).
 

Quote

The text at the top of these device labels is auto generated from parameters in the record named "dev_rec". You can use these records to make any parameters associated with this device appear.

Okay, but dev_rec is not listed as a data source in the info tab and there is no checkbox to make my text field pull it's info from a database. Not even the default tags show this (e.g. DEVICE TAG). (Sorry, German version, but I guess you get the idea. 😉 )

The checkbox "ConnectCAD linked text" only appears in my device symbol, but not when I edit the device label.

 

This is also outlined in the vectorworks help. But again there is no mention of adding text fields to the device label, which I would like to change (dev_label_custom instead of dev_label_generic)

 

Edit:
just to be sure as I am new to ConnectCAD and vectoworks: the device labels are just symbols nested inside device symbols, right? or are devices (=what I would create with the device builder) not yet symbols?

 

 

What am I missing?
Or should I use data tags?


Thanks for any hints.

 

Best

George

Edited February 11, 2022 by elc
marked as solved, added tags

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Hello @elc,

 

1 hour ago, elc said:

ust to be sure as I am new to ConnectCAD and vectoworks: the device labels are just symbols nested inside device symbols, right? or are devices (=what I would create with the device builder) not yet symbols?

- Yes, device labels are just symbols inside of the device objects.

 

If you want to have a custom data field appear in the device graphics, the easiest way to go for this would be to use the ConnectCAD linked text, while editing a device's layout. If you attach your custom record to the device you will be able to see it in the field popup too. Keep in mind that this change is only getting applied to the device that you currently edit. If you want to have this change apply to all newly created devices, you can edit the Basic Device symbol and make this change to the device there. That way newly created devices will have this change too.

 

As for the device label symbol, you can use only the dev_rec record data in there and if you want to have additional fields to this record you will have to manually fill them. That is why I think that the suggestion from above to use ConnectCAD Linked Text is better.

 

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

 

Best Regards,

Nikolay Zhelyazkov

[elc]

...please delete

Edited February 8, 2022 by elc
double post

[elc]

 Thanks @Nikolay Zhelyazkov,

 

Quote

As for the device label symbol, you can use only the dev_rec record data in there and if you want to have additional fields to this record you will have to manually fill them.

 

But the issue (well, one of many) was that I could't figure out, how to add those field. Finally I found this reference in the help docs (german, sorry).

 

 As far as I understood, not using the device labels to add info to my device blocks means, that I can't easily change the arrangement of the info by switching the respective symbol (e.g. from dev_label_generic to dev_label_custom01). Therefore I would probably prefer the second method. But then again, only the second method allows me to access data for individual devices (e.g. it's serial number). So, that's the way forward, I guess.

Still trying to figure out how all the available data is connected. But I'm getting there. Thanks for your help. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Hello @elc,

 

As for the User fields in the Device, you can check the Did you know section and find a how to on them, so that you can learn how to use them. You can have up to 8 custom fields as User1...User8 which you can name in any way that you want and which can be visible in the OIP and linked in the device label symbols (They are automatically transferred to the dev_rec's user fields), so actually they might be just the thing that you are looking for.

 

Let me know if you need any help with that.

 

Best Regards,

Nikolay Zhelyazkov

[elc]

Hi @Nikolay Zhelyazkov,

a. Custom Field in device label
thanks, did everything according to the Did you know...Custom Fields in 2020, but the last step, user1 field shows up in OIP does not work. No additional fields are shown. 🤷‍♂️

b. Symbol definition

Also, when I try to do my changes in the symbol stored in the ressource manager, VW wants to open the 3D definition (in which the device symbel is nested), the 2D symbol is empty and I can't find the "root"-symbol of the device.
Aren't devices stored as symbols? Isn't there any ressource available on how this is all connected?

 

I'm totally lost. 😄

 

edit:
think the Did you know documents might be outdated anyway, as (1) the custom fields can be changed in the dev_rec and (2) connector types (next Did you know post) can be changed in the ConnectCAD Settings menu?

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by elc

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Hello @elc,

 

2 minutes ago, elc said:

a. Custom Field in device label
thanks, did everything according to the Did you know...Custom Fields in 2020, but the last step, user1 field shows up in OIP does not work. No additional fields are shown. 🤷‍♂️

- I would need to see what are you doing and why isn't it working. Can you make me a screen recording showing your CustomParams.txt file in the user folder and its contents and then showing what you see in VW?

 

3 minutes ago, elc said:

b. Symbol definition

Also, when I try to do my changes in the symbol stored in the ressource manager, VW wants to open the 3D definition (in which the device symbel is nested), the 2D symbol is empty and I can't find the "root"-symbol of the device.
Aren't devices stored as symbols? Isn't there any ressource available on how this is all connected?
I'm totally lost. 😄

- Devices can be stored in symbols. Sometimes they are stored in the 3D components of the symbols so you have to edit them in order to edit the device itself. The device label symbols however are separate symbols that are used in the device's graphics. They are usually 2D symbols with just some graphics/text objects in them.

As far as I can understand you want to enter the device label symbol and add some linked texts to the user fields right? If this is the case you can simply locate the device label symbol in the resource manager by using its name to find it. Then you can edit its 2D components and add the new linked text in it.

If you still have issues with this, can you make a screen recording showing your workflow so that I can see where is the problem?

 

Best Regards,

Nikolay Zhelyazkov

[elc]

hi @Nikolay Zhelyazkov,
1. Custom Field 

On 2/9/2022 at 11:02 AM, Nikolay Zhelyazkov said:

I would need to see what are you doing and why isn't it working. Can you make me a screen recording showing your CustomParams.txt file in the user folder and its contents and then showing what you see in VW?

 
the CustomParams.txt looked the same as before. as I was using the second method in the "Did you know" pdf only requiring changes within VW. (since I have to ask an admin to make changes to the files in the plugin-folder.)
but I did ask the admin this morning to allow me to make changes to the plugin txt file and the first three lines look like this:

Object	Param	LocalName	(ChoiceList)
Device	YA_ID
;Device	user2	Choice2	a;b;c;d

restarted VW (do I have to do that? no mention in the pdf. 😉 ), but with no luck either. still don't have any custom parameters when selecting a device with a adjusted device_label.

 

2. Symbol definition

On 2/9/2022 at 11:02 AM, Nikolay Zhelyazkov said:

Devices can be stored in symbols. Sometimes they are stored in the 3D components of the symbols so you have to edit them in order to edit the device itself.

2.1. what do you mean bei "sometimes"? what determens wheither it is a 2D or a 3D device? plus, the devices only show up as symbols in my resource manager, when I add them as symbols. but then I have a symbol (connectCAD device) in a symbol (samle device), which seems odd.

2.2. the reason I am asking this is:
what, if I want to make a change to a device? right now changes to the symbol definition do not change the already used symbols, which obviously is a bit annoying. (guess I was expecting an AutoCAD block like behaviour, where a change to the block/symbol definition adjusts all other blocks/symbols in the drawing without touching the attribute/linked text information)

 

 

wow. that's a long post. sorry! and thanks for having made it to this last line. 🙂

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

Here is a demo video on how to use the User params. I hope that it is clear enough to understand the workflow:

 

 

 

2 hours ago, elc said:

2.1. what do you mean bei "sometimes"? what determens wheither it is a 2D or a 3D device? plus, the devices only show up as symbols in my resource manager, when I add them as symbols. but then I have a symbol (connectCAD device) in a symbol (samle device), which seems odd.

- If you create the symbol from Modify->Create Symbol with the device selected and select Convert to Plugin object option, then the result symbol will be with the device in the 2D components. There might be a problem with the Save as Symbol option in the device OIP that I will look into.

 

2 hours ago, elc said:

2.2. the reason I am asking this is:
what, if I want to make a change to a device? right now changes to the symbol definition do not change the already used symbols, which obviously is a bit annoying. (guess I was expecting an AutoCAD block like behaviour, where a change to the block/symbol definition adjusts all other blocks/symbols in the drawing without touching the attribute/linked text information)

- Yes, in VW device is not a symbol. These are 2 separate concepts. If you want to have changes that apply to all devices you should make all these devices have the same symbol in them and then editing the symbol will update all devices using it. You can also use the Pick up attributes and Apply attributes mode of the Device tool to copy changes from one device to another.

 

Best Regards,

Nikolay Zhelyazkov

[elc]

14 hours ago, Nikolay Zhelyazkov said:

Here is a demo video on how to use the User params. I hope that it is clear enough to understand the workflow:

Eureka.
Thanks a lot for the screencast! of course I made the wrong edits to the txt-file. 😕 Regarding accessability: Makes sense to have that info in the user app data. But since I can't see the file location in the status bar in your video, it took a bit of searching for the right location to copy the file to. For anyone having the same problem (Windows):

copy from...
C:\Program Files\Vectorworks 2022\Plug-Ins\connectCAD_Data
to...
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Nemetschek\Vectorworks\2022\Plug-Ins\connectCAD_Data

 

Might be worth putting this kind of info in the actual help section of Vectorworks? 😉
 

14 hours ago, Nikolay Zhelyazkov said:

- Yes, in VW device is not a symbol. These are 2 separate concepts. If you want to have changes that apply to all devices you should make all these devices have the same symbol in them and then editing the symbol will update all devices using it. You can also use the Pick up attributes and Apply attributes mode of the Device tool to copy changes from one device to another.

 

Okay, you losing me again, I am very sorry (and feel a bit dumb). 😄
1. the device_labels are symbols used inside devices

2. devices are (intelligent?) objects. or rather there is one object "device" which all used devices are based on

3. storing a device as a symbol to the library does not mean that I can change the library symbol to update all devices in the drawing

4. for global changes I would have to add symbols inside devices (other then device_labels), but these would apply to all devices

 

reg. 3. why would I then want to store a device as a symbol in the library, if I don't have a central location to edit?

plus, when I edit the newly created "device symbol" in the ressource manager it turns into a group (light blue text)

(on the left is a device created with the "device builder", which you are saying is not a symbol but a device object.)

 

reg. 4. I don't understand how I can do that. plus, when I say all devices I should have correctly said "all devices of the same make and model". maybe I forgot to add an output to the above Crestron NVX and want to add it later, I was hoping to just update the device definition in the ressource manager and be done with it. but you are saying that that doesn't work and I have to use the Pick Up tool instead. (having to possibly select 1000 blocks spread out over the schematic depending on the device)?

 

 

 

thanks so much for your patience and help

 

[Nikolay Zhelyazkov]

9 minutes ago, elc said:

But since I can't see the file location in the status bar in your video, it took a bit of searching for the right location to copy the file to.

- Open VW Preferences dialog, go to User Folders tab and find the Explore button to directly go to the user folder location.

 

11 minutes ago, elc said:

Okay, you losing me again, I am very sorry (and feel a bit dumb). 😄
1. the device_labels are symbols used inside devices

2. devices are (intelligent?) objects. or rather there is one object "device" which all used devices are based on

3. storing a device as a symbol to the library does not mean that I can change the library symbol to update all devices in the drawing

4. for global changes I would have to add symbols inside devices (other then device_labels), but these would apply to all devices

- This is all correct. More about 2 - Devices are PIOs - Plug-In Objects or parametric objects. These are objects in VW that store data in them and have some graphics (this is the short and simple explanation). ConnectCAD has the abiliti to connect Devices (Device PIO) with circuits (Circuit PIO). That is why you use devices on the drawing, because these are the smart objects that can be connected up and store the relevant data in them.

Some more about 4 - you can use the labels symbol for this too, no need to add new symbols. It just depends on what do you want to add - extra texts or extra graphics or both.

 

14 minutes ago, elc said:

reg. 3. why would I then want to store a device as a symbol in the library, if I don't have a central location to edit?

plus, when I edit the newly created "device symbol" in the ressource manager it turns into a group (light blue text)

(on the left is a device created with the "device builder", which you are saying is not a symbol but a device object.)

- Here is the workflow for using devices as symbols in the library. You create your device with all the sockets and graphics you want in it. You save it as a symbol and then you can easily drag&drop it from the RM to place it on other places in the drawing. (Or you can use the Device tool with the Symbol insertion mode for that instead of drag&drop).

 

I think that you are confused by what symbols are. Symbols are objects that are stored in the resource manager. You can place multiple instances of the same symbol in the drawing, but all of them share the same graphics, the ones of the symbol definition located in the resource manager. Symbols are not Devices. They cannot be connected with circuits. There are different types of symbols. The red and blue ones get converted to graphics/PIOs when insterted in the drawing. Therefore, once they are inserted the link between the object in the drawing and the symbol definition is lost -> when you change the symbol definition the object on the drawing will not be changed. The black symbols get inserted into the drawing as Symbols (Symbol instances) and they keep the link with the symbol definition.

 

20 minutes ago, elc said:

reg. 4. I don't understand how I can do that. plus, when I say all devices I should have correctly said "all devices of the same make and model". maybe I forgot to add an output to the above Crestron NVX and want to add it later, I was hoping to just update the device definition in the ressource manager and be done with it. but you are saying that that doesn't work and I have to use the Pick Up tool instead. (having to possibly select 1000 blocks spread out over the schematic depending on the device)?

- Well there is no fast way to make such change to such a phase in the design if you have not made it in the very beginning before you have started inserting the devices and connecting them. However, you can use the Device Tool Pick Up and Apply attributes modes. Here is the workflow - you add the missing socket to only one of the devices. Then you select the Device tool with Pick up mode active and click on that device. Make sure that in device tool preferences Make and Model are selected for applying the change only to the devices with the same make/model. Select all devices and you will notice that when you hover over one of them with the Device tool in the Apply attributes mode, all with the same make/model as the picked up device will be highlighted in red. Once you click on one of them, all of them will get the change applied (aka the newly added socket).

 

Hope this helps. Please try to get to know with symbols in the VW help to understand them better. 🙂

[elc]

Thanks @Nikolay Zhelyazkov

that was a lot of very valuable info.

 

5 hours ago, Nikolay Zhelyazkov said:

Hope this helps. Please try to get to know with symbols in the VW help to understand them better. 🙂

... I sure will. 🙂



Thanks again.