Setting a Template Reference in a Specification

We will now enter the Catalogue Construction module, PARAGON, and modify an existing Specification by adding a new Specification Component. We will then set the TMPREF of this SPCO to point to our newly created design template.

Exercise continues:

1. If you are still in Design, select Design > Modules > PARAGON... to change to PARAGON. If you have left Marine, log back in to project SAM as user CATS, but this time load module PARAGON from macro files. You will see the PARAGON General Application menu bar and the Members List.

   The PARAGON graphical user interface does not include facilities for modifying specifications, so select Display > Command Window to display a Command Input & Output window.

   Using the Catalogue Explorer, we will navigate to the existing SELE in which we will create the new SPCO

2. Go to the SPWL /STRUCT/PENI/SPEC.

   From the main menu bar, select Query > Attributes to list the attributes of the current Specification World within the Query form. Note that the Description is set to Structural and the Purpose is set to STL (Steel), showing that these specifications are intended for use in structural designs.

3. Go to the SPEC /PENH/PIPE/PFIT.

   This specification is intended for panel fittings which represent penetration holes through which pipes can pass.

4. Go to SELE 1 (there is only one SELE under this SPEC).

5. Go to SELE 3.

   You will see that this SELE already holds two SPCOs:

   /PEN/PFIT/PENH/FITT/RECT

   /PEN/PFIT/PENH/FITT/RECT2

   Go to either of the SPCOs and query its attributes (if you still have the Query form on display the SPCO’s attributes will automatically appear within it, otherwise select Query > Attributes again). Note that its Catalogue Reference (Catref) is set to point to a catalogue component (/PENH/FITT/RECT or /PENH/FITT/RECT2), while its Template Reference (Tmpref) is not set (Nulref or =0/0).

6. To create a specification component for selecting the kickplate template, type (on the command line)

   NEW SPCO /TMPL/SAMPLE/KICKPLATE

7. To set its Template Reference, type

   TMPREF /Kickplate-1

   (this is the name which we allocated to the template in Copying Design Geometry into a Template).

   Query the attributes of the new SPCO, checking that its Catref is set to Nulref (or =0/0) and its Tmpref is set to /Kickplate-1.

8. Save your catalogue changes and exit from PARAGON. You can either change back to Design if you want to continue with the exercises, or leave Marine if you want to take a break.

That completes the first introductory exercise for the creation of a design template. The template now exists in the Design database and a new specification component, pointing to the template, has been added into the Catalogue database.

If you want to see the effect from a designer’s point of view, enter the Design Panels & Plates application and create a Panel Fitting by selecting the kickplate from the available Fitting specifications. Refer to Structural Design User Guide, for further information.

The next chapter will introduce some additional concepts, illustrating them with a more complex example.