Use Custom Aspects

You can use AVEVA Information Standards Manager to create custom Aspects. The application provides a list of out-of-the-box enumerations. However, you can use the custom Aspects to extend the capabilities of Configuration Schemas. For information on defining and using a Configuration Schema, see Implementing Configuration Schemas.

Step 1: Creating Custom Aspects

You can create Custom Aspects by using Enumerations and inserting the "Enumerations.<customAspect>" in the Aspect field.

To create custom Aspects, ensure that you have the Creator privilege and have the Standard locked for editing. The following example shows you how to create a custom Aspect:

1. In Enumerations, right-click and select Add List.

2. Create a look-up list by adding an identifier, name and description. For example, "Nutrients". The identifier field is mandatory and does not auto-increment.

   Note: Do not add any spaces while entering the identifier.

3. Open the list. In the Aspect field, on the Details tab, enter "Enumerations.<Your custom Aspect>" (without the quotes). For example, "Enumerations.Nutrients".

4. Then, click the Add () button. This adds the enumeration to the Nutrients list. See the Aspect field in the following:

   

5. Right-click the lookup list, and then select Add List Item. Enter the identifier, name and description for the list item. To continue to add list items, repeat this step. In this example, right-click the "Nutrients" lookup list to add "Proteins", "Vitamins" and "Minerals". The list items are shown in the Items tab in the following screenshot:

   

Step 2: Associating the Custom Aspect with the Configuration Schema

Note: Before you associate the custom Aspect with the Configuration Schema, ensure that you have a Property created within a Group. For details on creating Properties, see Defining Configuration Schema.

To associate a custom Aspect, "Nutrients" in this example, with a Configuration Schema, ensure that you have the Creator privilege and have the Standard locked for editing:

6. In Configuration Schema, browse for and open the required Schema.

7. Navigate to the required tab (or Section). Then, from the Group, click on a Property. This opens the Edit Property Settings window.

   

8. Go to to the Valid Values tab.

9. From the Select List Category dropdown, select the Enumeration Lists with Unique Aspect option. See the following screenshot for reference:

   

10. In the Enumeration Lists with Unique Aspect section, on the Edit Property Settings window, select the required custom Aspect.

    In this example, Nutrients. The Filter by Aspect field populates the "Enumerations.<custom Aspect>" value, which you entered while creating the custom Aspect. In this case, "Enumerations.Nutrients", in Step 1. The table populates the list items with their names and descriptions.

11. Click Save.

12. In the browsing area, right-click your selected Configuration Schema and select Consolidate Schema and Instances.

    

    The Configuration Schema is now consolidated with your database instance.