Collections

The Collections window is used to group data into collections and display Search Results. You can then implement operations on all the items in a collection in one action.

The Collections window allows you to generate collections of database elements which you need to work on. Each time you access the Collections window, in any of the modules that use it (Draw, Model and SPOOL), the data collections generated is displayed enabling elements to be easily transferred between these modules.

The contents of Collections persists between applications and module switching, as well as between sessions. The data stored is per user, per project in the AVEVA_DESIGN_USER directory, for example, in Model you can add elements to Collections and then switch to Draw to use the same data.

Note: If the AVEVA_DESIGN_USER directory is shared between users, the users are able to view the same data.

The Collections window consists of two parts:

• The top part of the window is the Collections grid and displays the Collections folders.

• The lower part of the window is the Contents grid, which displays the status of each item in the collection currently selected in the Collections grid. The Contents grid can be customized. Refer to Search Results for further information.

When you do a search, the upper pane is minimized to show only Search Results. Click Show All Collections to display more collections and if you want to show only the current collection, click Current Collection. Relative size of each pane can be adjusted to display more or fewer collections.

To save search results as a collection

• Rename Search Results using the right click menu. A new Search Results will be created when a new search is run. New collections are created on right click menu.

Create and Rename a Collection

1. To create a collection, right-click on a folder in the Collection grid and select New > New Collection from the right click menu. A new collection is then created and displayed in the Collections grid with a default name, for example NewCollection1.

2. To change the name of a collection, right-click once on the collection name and select Rename enter the new name.

   Note: Collection names must be unique.

Add Elements to My Collections

3. To add elements to a collection, use any of the following methods:

4. Select the required element in the Model Explorer and either right-click and select Add to Collections from the menu, or drag and drop the element into the Collections grid or the contents grid.

   If you have used the Add to Collections or Add Members to Collections menu option, the element is added to the current collection.

   If you have dragged and dropped the element from the Model Explorer, the element can be dropped directly onto a Collection in Collections list in order to include it in that collection. If the element is dropped outside the list of collections a new collection containing the element is created.

   If the element was dropped onto the contents grid and a collection is currently selected, the element is added to that collection. If no collection is selected, elements cannot be dropped into the contents grid.

5. Alternately, select the required element in the Drawlist, and proceed as described for the Model Explorers.

   Unlike the Model Explorers, multiple elements can be selected in the Drawlist, and added to the Collections grid.

6. From the Drawlist window right-click Add to My Data. A new collection is automatically created containing the selected elements.

Remove Elements from Collection

7. To remove an element in a collection from the Collections window, select the item row, then right click and select Remove Selected Rows from the displayed menu. To remove a collection, right-click on the collection and select Delete from the displayed menu.

Commands

You can give commands that act on the current list: type the command into the text box, commands can be applied to all contents in a collection (including Search Results) through the text box in the middle of the Collections window. Refer to Data Model Reference Manual.

Drag and Drop

The contents of one collection can be added to another by dragging one collection on top of another. Elements can be dragged from the Explorer directly into collection by dropping them in the contents grid. Elements can be dragged to the 3D view from the contents grid. Collections can be copied between My Collections and System Collections through drag and drop.

Move and Copy to and from Collections

8. To move an element from one collection to another, select the item in the contents grid of the source collection. You can then either drag the element onto the destination collection in the Collections grid.

9. To copy elements between collections, right click on an element, select Copy and then right-click on the Collection and select Paste.

   Note: Orphaned elements can be copied or moved into a collection, except that the elements are selected from the Collections grid. Elements in collections cannot be added to the Collections grid as orphaned elements.

Navigate to an Element

10. An element in a collection can be navigated to (for example in the Model Explorer) and made the current element, select the element from the contents grid, right-click and select Navigate To.

Perform Actions on My Collection Elements

Several different actions can be performed on My Collections elements. You can:

Current Collection

The Current Collection is selected by double-clicking on a collection and will be indicated with an asterisk icon in the Collections pane.

Shared Collections

You can create Shared Collections in the Shared Collections folder, which will create Groups and Groupsets in the Model Explorer, both of which are created through the right-click menu.

Refer to Shared Collections (Groups) and Secondary Hierarchies for further information.

A dynamic collection can be created for shared collections which is a collection that does not have a fixed scope but evaluates its contents based on defined selection criteria. Right click on a shared collection element and select Edit Scope Selection to create a dynamic collection. Refer to Create Dynamic Collections for further information.

System Collections

System Collections are read only and are the following:

• Drawlist

• Claimlist

• Current Selection

Add to Collections

You can add elements from the Model Explorer to the Collections window, right click on an element and select ADD CE To Current Collection or ADD CE Members To Current Collection, which will add the selected element to the current collection.

Note: You must double-click on the collection to make it active before adding elements.

Create Dynamic Collections

A dynamic collection is a collection that does not have a fixed scope but evaluates its contents based on defined selection criteria.

Note: This requires an understanding of writing PML expressions.

A dynamic collection can be created from a shared collection.

Right click on a shared collection element and select Edit Scope Selection to display the Expression Editor window.

The Expression Editor window uses a PML expression to select elements.

• OK – Saves the PML expression results and closes the Expression Editor window.

• Cancel – Discards any changes and closes the Expression Editor window.

Scope Selection

For example, to collect all SCTN and GENSEC elements with an owning SITE with purpose STL. The scope selection is stored in the SCOSEL attribute of the GPSET.

Collect Items modified after a Certain Date

To create a collection of all items modified after a particular date, set the comparison date on the command line, for example:

SETCOMPDATE 1 Jan 2017

Then use the MODIFIED()syntax in the scope selection.