Change Highlighting via Model Changes Add-in

A new Add-in has been introduced to provide a general mechanism for exploring change and highlighting changed elements in the 3D graphical view. The Model Changes Add-in is activated and de-activated via menu option Query > DB Changes. This replaces the previous DB Changes option, though this function is still available via Utilities > DB Listing: see below. The Add-in is shown in its default layout below:

The Model Changes Add-in has two vertically split panes. The top split contains a Design Explorer; the lower split contains a tabbed pane and controls, as shown below:

Model Changes Add-in tabs and controls

The tabbed pane condenses the following displays (see over):

Model Timeline

Every session for every Design database in the current MDB, ordered chronologically.

Stamps

Details of every stamp that records session numbers for all of the Design databases in the MDB.

Element History

Details of every database session in which the selected (current) element has changed.

Key

Static tree control with images, colour and text explaining annotation of changes in the Explorer.

Model Timeline pane

Element History pane

Explorer Annotations Key pane

The Element History and Key panes are for information only; the Model Timeline and Stamps panes allow selection of a session or stamp upon which to base the display of changes in the Explorer pane, and optional highlighting of changes in the 3D view. Once a session or stamp is selected, changes can be highlighted by clicking the Refresh button at the bottom left of the Add-in (see above).

Two modes of change reporting are supported, according to the current selection in the drop-down list in the bottom right of the Add-in:

Only Changes At...

Shows only the changes that were made when the highlighted session was created. This may have been a Savework or as the result of an extract operation, such as a flush or refresh, as indicated by the Reason column in the Model Timeline table. Note that highlighting in the Explorer pane and in the 3D view is always with reference to the current state of the model; it is possible that no changes from a previous session will be visible, for example if all changes were made to elements that have since been deleted.

All Changes Since...

Shows all changes that have been made in all databases in the MDB between, but not including, the selected session or stamp, and the current state of the model. This does include any unsaved changes. Note that for large models this change analysis can take some time.

When the Refresh button is clicked and the change analysis operation is complete the explorer tree is updated with annotations which highlight the changed elements in detail. An example is shown overleaf:

The annotations are as described in the Key pane; in this example, we can see that:

• The World element and SITE element /ATEST are not themselves changed but have changed descendants. This helps navigation to the changed parts of the element hierarchy;

• ZONE element /ZONEEQUIP_FROM_A has member list changes only. Since no new or re-ordered elements are displayed, it can be inferred that all child elements have been removed;

• CONE element /CHANGETYPE_UDET_CONE_A has been modified (its type has been changed);

• EQUI element /MOVE5_A_VESS1 has been moved from the child list of /ZONEEQUIP_FROM_A into the child list of /ZONEEQUIP_TO_A;

• EQUI element /CREATE_A_VESS1 has been created under ZONE element /ZONE1.EQUIP, thereby changing its member list.

Annotated Explorer

Clicking the highlight checkbox at the bottom middle of the Add-in (see Model Changes Add-in tabs and controls picture above) has an immediate effect on all 3D graphical views if changes are currently displayed in the explorer tree. Any changed elements that have graphical representation and are in the drawlist for any active view are highlighted in colour. This uses the same customisable colour used by the "Highlight element" function available via right-click menu in the standard Design Explorer Add-in. Unchecking the checkbox returns the graphical display to normal colouring.

All panes of the Model Changes Add-in are updated and Explorer annotations and 3D graphical highlighting are reset in the following circumstances:

• further element changes

• Savework, Getwork, and Refresh

• User or MDB switch

Following any of these operations, the Refresh button must be clicked again in order to update the change highlighting.

Former DB Changes Dialog

The functions of the Query > DB Changes dialog in earlier versions of Hull & Outfitting are still available via Utilities > DB Listing. This dialog is very similar, the only difference being the initial mode setting. This mode can be changed using the Control menu on the DB Listing dialog as shown below: