Create transfer templates

Create and configure transfer templates to ensure consistent definitions for transfers in your asset structure.

1. In the navigator, click Library.

2. In the Library browser, click Transfer Templates.

3. To create a new transfer template, choose one of the following actions:

   • On the toolbar, click New Template.

   • In the Transfer Templates pane, click New Template.

   • Right-click Transfer Templates and click New Template.

4. In the General tab of the Transfer Template Properties window, enter a unique name and a description for the transfer template in the Name and Description fields.

5. Adjust settings on tabs to configure the transfer template. PI System Explorer provides defaults for all required settings, but you can configure settings yourself. The settings include:

   Option	Description
   Base Template	You can base the template on an existing transfer template, which you select from the list. For more information on base templates, see Base and derived templates.
   Categories	Optional. Organize transfer templates by grouping them into element categories. To browse available categories or to create a new category, click .
   Default Attribute	Optional. After you have created attributes for the template, you can select a default attribute from the list. For more information, see Default attributes.
   Naming Pattern	Optional. You can enter a text string, or click to choose from the following substitution parameters to define a naming pattern. %TIME:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.fff% The current local time of the object using the specified formatting. If no formatting is specified, the default formatting is used. The formatting uses standard format strings supported by the DateTime.ToString method, as described in Format strings for time substitution parameters. %UTCTIME:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.fff% The current Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time of the object using the specified formatting. If no formatting is specified, the default formatting is used. %STARTTIME:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.fff% The current local start time of the object using the specified formatting. If no formatting is specified, the default formatting is used. %UTCSTARTTIME:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.fff% The current Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) start time of the object using the specified formatting. If no formatting is specified, the default formatting is used. %TEMPLATE% The name of the object's template. %@Attribute% The value of the object's attribute template, represented by the path. %SOURCE% Name of the source element for the transfer. %DESTINATION% Name of the destination element for the transfer. You can also use other naming pattern substitution parameters. For a complete list of naming pattern substitution parameters, see Naming patterns. Each transfer derived from the template will have a unique, identifiable name. To ensure that new transfers created from the template have an incremental number, enter * at the end of any pattern you enter here. Naming patterns are re-evaluated on a transfer when the Start time is modified after it has been created. It will not be re-evaluated when loaded from another application. To force a transfer to re-evaluate its naming pattern, right-click the object and click Reevaluate Naming Pattern. Some substitution parameters may not be applied when a derived transfer is created. To ensure a derived transfer's name fully reflects the naming pattern, right-click the transfer and click Reevaluate Naming Pattern. Note: The name generated by the naming pattern must be less than the maximum name length of 260 characters. If left blank, PI System Explorer uses the name of the transfer template and the current date: %TEMPLATE%yyyyMMdd
   Allow Extensions	Select this check box to enable additional attributes to be defined for a transfer, beyond those defined in its template. For more information, see Learn about extensions. Note: Categories are not affected by whether the Allow Extensions check box is enabled.
   Base Template Only	Select this checkbox to assign the Base Template Only (BTO) property to a transfer template. BTO templates can only be used to create derived templates. Transfers cannot be created directly from BTO templates. For more information, see Base and derived templates.
   Extended Properties	This link is an advanced feature. For more information, see Storage of application-specific information.
   Reason	Click this link if you wish to set up a reason attribute trait for the transfer template. For more information, see Set reason attribute traits.
   Security	Click this link if you wish to set up custom access permissions to the transfer template beyond those already established at the server and database level. For more information, see Configure security for objects.

6. Use the Attribute Templates tab to create an attribute template for each property or data item for the template. See Create attribute templates.

7. Optional. Use the Ports tab to define additional ports that define end-points for connections between transfer elements, or to modify the default In and Out ports. See Create transfer ports.