Dialog Parts management

In this dialog you manage the master data of your parts databases. The parts management contains both the technical and commercial parts data as well as personal data (for customers and manufacturers / suppliers) and other record types such as accessory list, drilling pattern, etc.

Overview of the main dialog elements:

The data to be managed is displayed in a tree, a list or combination display in the left-hand area of the dialog. In the tree view configuration of the displayed hierarchy is possible for the parts via the Tree configuration.

If the Expand tree view with linked objects setting is activated, the linked objects of a part or a variant are displayed in the tree view below a part or a part variant. These linked objects are identified by the icon.

Note:

If you select a part node in the tree view and edit the part, only the data of the first part variant is changed by default. If all part variants of a part are to be considered and changed together during this action, you have to activate the Edit part variants of a node together setting in the user settings for the parts management.

Toolbar:

You can specify the display of the data by means of the following buttons:

Button	Meaning
(Tree view)	Shows the data in a hierarchical tree structure. Individual part numbers or, if available, the designation of the part variants is displayed as the last hierarchy level.
(List view)	Shows the parts arranged one below the other in a list. A list view is not possible for record types such as accessory list, drilling pattern, etc.
(Combination)	Shows the parts in a combined view of tree and list. The parts of the node selected in the tree are displayed in the list. A combined display is not possible for record types such as accessory list, drilling pattern, etc.
	Toggles between the last selected filter scheme and the unfiltered view.

You can influence the nodes / hierarchy levels which are shown for a specific record type in the tree view in the tree configuration under [Extras] > Settings.

Displaying the Eplan Data Portal in the parts management

If you have signed in to the Eplan Cloud and the Display Data Portal node setting is activated in the user-specific part settings, the "Data Portal" icon is displayed in the tree and combination view above the main node for the parts.

If you click the icon, the Eplan Data Portal is displayed as a tab in the right-hand section of the parts management in a browser window. Here you can select and download part master data.

This icon only serves to display the Eplan Data Portal. It can neither be configured via the Configure representation popup menu item nor via the tree configuration. The icon does not exist in the list view and in the combination view.

Further information on the Eplan Data Portal can be found here.

Filter:

This drop-down list displays all the available filters. A selected filter is automatically activated and is applied to both the tree and the list view. The "- Not activated -" entry deactivates the filter and causes an unfiltered display of the data. Click [...] to open the Filter dialog. Here you can create, edit, delete, copy, export, import, and manage filters.

The popup menu of the Filter drop-down list contains the following entries:

Deactivate: This popup menu item is available if a filter has been set: Resets the filter setting to the "- Not activated -" entry.
Activate <filter name>: This popup menu item is available if the filter setting is "- Not activated -": Reactivates the last active filter.

This allows you to toggle rapidly between the unfiltered representation and a representation filtered in accordance with your requirements.

By means of the filter criteria Function template in the part it is now possible to filter the parts according to function definitions and other data of the function templates (e.g. technical characteristics). As the result of such a filter only those parts are then displayed at which the property values or the function definitions of the function templates stored there match the set criteria.

<Quick input>:

Use this field, via Quick input, to adjust quickly the value of a filter criterion for a defined and activated filter. Multiple quick inputs are possible. A separate row is displayed for every filter criterion. Enter a value for the filter criterion in the respective cell next to the displayed property.

Find:

Enter the text that is to be found into this field and confirm with [Enter].

By default only the most important properties (such as Part number, Type number, Manufacturer, etc.) are taken into consideration during the search. If the search is to be carried out via other properties, use the [...] button to branch to the dialog Configure search. There you can use a scheme to specify the properties and the order in which the search is to be carried out.

Otherwise the search behaves exactly like the Search in the Insert center. You can use the same operators and placeholder characters.

If nothing is found during the search, the search is continued - if possible - in the Eplan Data Portal. If the part is found there, it is displayed in the Eplan Data Portal. To this purpose, the Eplan Data Portal is opened, if necessary.
During the search in the Eplan Data Portal, operators, placeholders and the properties specified during the configuration of the search are not taken into consideration.

Popup menu:

The popup menu provides - depending on the field type (e.g. date, integer, multilingual) - the following menu items that are, depending on the situation, available for influencing the table or editing the values in the fields. You can find an overview of these popup menu items in the section Popup menu items.

In addition, the following dialog-specific popup menu items are available:

Menu item	Meaning
New	Creates a new part / record below the selected part / node.
New variant	Only available for parts. Opens the New variant dialog for the creation of a part variant.
Paste data	Opens the Paste data dialog with which you can specify which data of a copied part is to be transferred to the selected parts / variants.
List with preselection (tree only)	Reduces the number of elements displayed in order to allow for a faster orientation in the list view. If this option is activated, the list view is called with an automatic filter (selection) containing the elements that are currently selected.
Select in tree (list only)	Displays the marked object in the tree view.
Configure representation	Opens the Configure representation dialog, where you define which properties are to be displayed in the list and tree view.
Upload to Eplan Cloud	Only available if an Eplan database is set as the data source. Opens the Upload parts data dialog in which you can specify whether the selected parts and/or records are to be uploaded into a new or into an existing Eplan Cloud database.
Export	Opens the Export records dialog for the selected records, where you can determine the name and type of export file. If the current selection in the tree view contains nodes, all the records under those nodes are taken into account.
Export data	Offers the possibility via the Edit externally dialog to export the data of selected records (parts, addresses, drilling patterns, etc.) for external editing. If the current selection in the tree view contains nodes, all the records under those nodes are taken into account.
Summarize function templates	Only available for assemblies and modules with subparts. Combines the function templates of the subparts for the selected assemblies and/or modules and enters them into the Function templates tab of the assemblies or modules. The manual summary of function templates only makes sense if the Summarize function templates automatically user setting is deactivated and the summarizing does not take place automatically. Selected modules are supplemented at the uppermost position with a function template for a device box. In the case of modules from the "Prefabricated" cable product subgroup, a function template for a cable definition is added instead. The device box or the cable definition are respectively required as grouping elements and receive the part number of the module when the module is inserted.
Assign function templates	Allows you to generate still missing function templates automatically from the stored macros for the highlighted records. Note that the Undo command is not available for this functionality! Therefore always back up the parts data before major changes.
Run check (tree only)	Opens the Run check dialog, in which you can run the check for the marked parts on the basis of the current or other settings. After performing a check run, a message window with the number of generated check run messages is first shown and the Messages tab is then displayed for the "Part" main node. If you select one or more parts, the check run messages for the selection made are displayed in the Messages tab.
Go to (tree only)	Only available for linked objects (icon ). Jumps to the marked object in the tree view of the parts management.

The respective information on the records (e.g. parts, accessory lists, customers) which you have marked on the left-hand side are displayed on the right-hand side of the dialog. If you have selected a main node (parts, accessory list, etc.), the Info tab on the right-hand side is displayed. Which other tabs are shown to you here in addition to the Properties tab, when you select a subnode, depends on the respective record type.

Compare (0-10/10):

Only available for parts at the lowest hierarchy level in the tree or for an entry in the list. If this check box is activated, the respective part or part variant is selected for the parts comparison. Multiple selection is not possible.

A maximum of ten parts can be selected. Once the maximum number has been reached, the check box can no longer be activated for further parts. The text shows how many parts are already selected for comparison (e.g. "Compare (2/10)" for two selected parts).

You open the dialog for the parts comparison via [Extras] > Compare parts.

When the parts management is closed, the Compare check boxes are deactivated again for the selected parts and part variants.

[Extras]:

Menu item	Meaning
Import	Opens the Import records dialog, in which you specify the file name and type, and select how the records to be imported should be handled.
Export	Opens the Export records dialog, in which you specify the file name, file type, and extent of the export.
Edit properties externally	Offers the possibility via a sub-menu to export the data of parts, addresses drilling patterns, etc. and import them again after external editing.
Translation	Opens a submenu with options for automatic translation.
Summarize function templates	Combines the function templates of the subparts for all the assemblies and modules and enters them into the Function templates tab of the assemblies and modules. The manual summary of function templates only makes sense if the Summarize function templates automatically user setting is deactivated and the summarizing does not take place automatically. The modules are supplemented at the uppermost position with a function template for a device box. In the case of modules from the "Prefabricated" cable product subgroup, a function template for a cable definition is added instead. The device box or the cable definition are respectively required as grouping elements and receive the part number of the module when the module is inserted.
Assign function templates	Allows you to generate still missing function templates automatically from the stored macros for all records. Note that the Undo action is not available for this functionality! Therefore back up the parts data before major changes.
Compare parts	Only available if the Compare check box has been selected for at least one part or part variant. Opens the Compare parts dialog in which the properties of the selected parts or part variants are compared with each other.
Optimize database	Optimizes the parts database for properties that are used in filters already defined and in the tree configurations. Which properties are optimized and which not, are displayed in the subsequent query. Note: If you only use the filters and tree structures supplied by Eplan, optimization of the parts database is not required. We recommend optimizing the parts database if the frequently used filters and tree configurations were centrally specified, standardized and distributed in your organization. Optimization also has an accelerating effect for filters and tree configurations that are defined later, if these use the previously optimized properties.
User-defined properties	Using the submenu items, you can perform different actions for user-defined properties: Configure properties: Opens the Configure properties dialog in which you create and configure user-defined properties for parts. Configure schemes: Opens the Configure schemes dialog in which you create schemes for assigning user-defined properties for parts. Globally assign properties: Opens the Assign user-defined properties dialog in which you assign the user-defined properties from the scheme to all parts in the parts management by selecting a scheme. Migrate free properties: Opens the Migrate free properties dialog in which you can convert the outdated, free properties to user-defined properties for parts.
Configure write protection for properties	Opens the Configure write protection dialog in which you can configure a write protection for part properties.
Settings	Opens the Settings: Parts (user) dialog in which you select a parts database which already exists or create a new parts database. In this dialog you also specify the general settings for working with the parts management.
Delete check run messages	Deletes the check run messages for the part master data from the parts database.
Display system messages	Opens the System messages dialog. There you can, among other things, view the system messages that were output at different actions in the parts management, for example during the selection of macros and macro variants.
Save and synchronize with Eplan Cloud database	Only available if an Eplan Cloud database is set as the data source. Saves the changed data of a local copy of the Eplan Cloud database and synchronizes the data with the source database in the Eplan Cloud after a prompt.
Delete local Eplan Cloud data	Only available if an Eplan Cloud database is set as the data source. Deletes all downloaded Eplan Cloud parts data. This may be necessary, for example, if an Eplan Cloud database no longer exists online and the local data is to be cleaned up.