Electrical Design Software | Elecdes Design Suite by Scada Systems Ltd

Naming Sequencer: Introduction

General

The EDS Naming Sequencer is a tool used to program formulae for Tagname defaults. For any data field, on any Paneldes component, OR any Elecdes attribute you can define a formula.

A formula you define will cause EDS to offer default values, for that data field/attribute, based on the formula.

Formulae can contain text, numbers, delimiters (e.g. '-'), incrementing numbers and incrementing letters. If any EDS function offers you the option to increment a data field/attribute, the naming sequencer formulae will be used for this incrementation.

If any EDS function asks you to fill in data for a symbol [or component] to be inserted [or constructed], the naming sequencer formulae will provide the default value offered.

The Name Sequencer provides logical tag incrementation for contiguous project devices etc.

The formulae are open for customisation by a user. The formulae are referred to as SEQUENCES from now onward.

The name sequencer can build your tagnames using the following drawing based data; the name of a ZONE to which you inserted the symbol, the name of the current LAYER, the name of the layer of the line (LINELAYER) you inserted on to, the sheet name or PAGE you have entered in your titleblock.

Using the Naming Sequencer

EDS provides default formulae for all relevant Tagnames [and some other attributes].

The files names*.dbf contain the SEQUENCES for Tagname formulae. Paneldes and Elecdes use the same template names*.dbf files.

The files are located in the <EDS>\ELECDES directory.

For each project, the appropriate template names*.dbf file is copied automatically to the project directory and named after the project, <ProjectName>Names.dbf.

You can open an editor to modify the <ProjectName>Names.dbf file directly from the Elecdes and Paneldes menus during drawing sessions.

IEC and ANSI / IEEE standards

The file namesIEC.dbf contains formulae which comply with the IEC naming conventions. The file named namesANSI.dbf conforms to the ANSI / IEEE naming conventions. The selection is made on the preferences tab of the Setup module.

You can customise

  • The format of the defaults provided (numbers, text, delimiters and leading zeros).

  • Increment and decrement sizes.

  • The incrementing and decrementing facilities provided by the Naming Sequencer are powerful and flexible. To achieve the flexibility required by electrical users, the sequence for each data field is a detailed formula.

  • Once a sequence is defined EDS can determine:

  • The first text value used.

  • The next text value used.

  • How to increment or decrement a text value.

  • If you have entered an erroneous value for a Tagname or location.

  • If an attribute has a relationship to a ZONE.

  • If an attribute has a relationship to a PAGE (the sheet name in your titleblock).

  • If an attribute has a relationship to the current LAYER name in your CAD session.

  • If an attribute has a relationship to a LINE LAYER - the LAYER name of the LINE on to which you inserted a symbol.

Name Sequencer: Customisation

Notes

  • Once a sequence is defined you should adhere to that sequence for all relevant Tagnames or locations. This ensures consistency AND enables you to make use of the Naming Sequencer's powerful incrementation and decrementation features.

  • You may define generalised sequences if you wish to use a random (inconsistent) naming system for some components. These will operate correctly. However they are less likely to produce suitable defaults.

Sequences and Specifications

A Naming Sequence has two parts:

  • A sequence that provides the formula to build a Tagname default.

  • A specification that defines: which components and which of their data fields/attributes will use the above sequence.

The sequences and specifications are defined in the file names*.dbf.

The file contains a record for each sequence and the last few fields of each sequence record contain a specification.

For Tagnames and data fields that do not have a sequence specified, default sequences may be used. You may define a default sequence by giving it the name DEFAULT or use the system default sequence.

Zones

The Sequences and Specifications may refer to ZONES.

A Zone is a user defined rectangular area of a circuit diagram WITH A TAGNAME. Zones are commonly used with ladder diagrams to identify RUNGS as locations of reference. Zones are reported in cross referencing AND can be used to build Tagnames when placing components on a drawing.

e.g. A relay inserted in a zone with a tag of "100" , may be tagged as "K100".

Components, with zone tags automatically included as part of their own Tagname, must have special sequences set up to define the inclusion.

A ZONE part included in a component attribute sequence MAY be width specified (e.g. ZONE.3). This helps EDS decode a sequence when it is complicated and width specified Zones are recommended.

Page and Layers

The Sequences can refer to LAYER, LINELAYER and PAGE for part of an attribute being created or checked.

All of these sequence parts are extracted from the current drawing when required for creation of an attribute.

PAGE is extracted from the current drawing's title block[s] and will be the contents of the title block's attribute PAGE (and if that does not exist the attributes SHEETNAME, DRAWINGNO and SHEET will be used, in that order). If none of these are found a PAGE name will be regarded as not present and a sequence without a PAGE part included will be favoured for use.

LAYER is extracted from the current drawing's current layer name. This always exists in a drawing session. IF you use LAYER in a sequence then it is very likely to be the dominant and frequently used sequence used for that type of component.

LINELAYER is extracted from the layer name of the line you are inserting on or rolling over with your mouse. This always exists in a drawing session when you are inserting your symbol on on a line, however if you insert a symbol off a line then LINELAYER will be regarded as not present and a sequence without LINELAYER will be favoured for use.

A PAGE, LAYER or LINELAYER part included in a component attribute sequence MAY be width specified (e.g. PAGE.4 LAYER.3 LINELAYER.7). This helps EDS decode a sequence when it is complicated and width specified PAGE, LAYER or LINELAYER are used.

Priority of Zones, Pages and Layers

If a component (e.g. a wire symbol) has multiple sequences and each sequence has a single part consisting of either a ZONE, a LAYER, a LINELAYER or a PAGE then;

If a ZONE is present at the insert point then the sequence including ZONE will be used first and have priority over the LINELAYER sequence.

If a ZONE is not present or there is no ZONE sequence then the LINELAYER sequence will be used before and have priority over the LAYER sequence.

If a Line is not present or there is no LINELAYER sequence then the LAYER sequence will be used before and have priority over the PAGE sequence.

If there is no LAYER sequence then the PAGE sequence will be used.

 

If 2 parts are present in a sequence and those parts are present at the insert point then the sequence with 2 parts will take priority over a sequence with 1 part. Similarly 3 parts will take priorty over 2 parts etc.


NOTE: Sequences with LINELAYER, LAYER or PAGE will almost always find their prerequisites and therefore be used, therefore the sample sequences have been disabled in the default name sequence files. The BLOCK1 column of these sequences is set to "Sample entry. Set to * to use this sequence.", a value that will not match any real block name.

To enable one or more of the sample sequences that use LINELAYER, LAYER or PAGE: change their BLOCK1 column to contain "*".

Name Sequence Key

In some circumstances a specific component should use a specific name sequence that would not be automatically identified from the component type and the data fields / attributes. A good example is the various styles of cable core/conductor names. In this case a value in the catalog record for the component can specify exactly which sequence should be used, for example the catalog entry for a particular cable can specify the name sequence to use for its cores / conductors, while other cables specify other appropriate sequences.

For a catalog entry to explicitly specify a name sequence, the field NSQ_KEY in the catalog record should contain the attribute name followed by an '=' sign followed by the unique key for the sequence. For example, if the NSQ_KEY field in the catalog entry for a cable contained "corename=COLORS_Core" then the cores of that cable would be named by the sequence with the key "COLORS_Core".

Name sequence customisation...

For more information on Tagname Formula customising and names*.dbf see Name Sequencer: Customisation.