Working with
components
New
components can be created using any one of the following
methods (they all assume you have at least one database
open):
1)
Drag and drop the component from the component
palette onto one of the following:
a)
The database main interface
b)
The component listing window
c)
The assembly listing window
d)
The hydraulic schematic portion of an assembly window
2)
Click the New icon on the context
sensitive toolbar
3)
Select File > New
Method 1
opens the appropriate component dialog box where component
properties may be entered. Enter the desired component
properties and press the green check mark. To cancel press
the red cross
Figure 6
The second
two methods open the Create new item dialog box. This is
shown below:
Figure 7
Select the
desired component type and press the green check mark to
accept. As in method 1 above, the appropriate component
window opens and allows you to enter component properties.
The general structure of the component dialog box is
explained below:
Figure 8
All
components have at least a name and comments associated with
them. Immediately below the name and comments fields are the
component intrinsic properties' fields. Depending on the
number of component properties, the dialog box may span
several pages. Users may "flip" through the pages by
clicking the tabs directly below the comments' box.
Components
that are added to assemblies may have an extra set of
properties. These are called "project properties" because
they may change from project to project as opposed to
intrinsic properties that are constant for a component
definition.
Examples
intrinsic properties are:
·
The OD of a particular type of tubing
·
The empty volume of an accumulator
·
The bulk modulus of a fluid
Examples
project properties are:
·
The length of a tube
·
The initial conditions of an accumulator
·
The temperature of a fluid
Project
properties are show below the component's intrinsic
properties, and like intrinsic properties, these may span
several pages. "Flip" pages by clicking the second set of
tabs (if present). As a visual aid, project properties are
always presented inside an embossed rectangle.
This section explains how to modify the
basic definition of an existing component. To modify
components within an assembly refer to
working with assembly components
Open the
component listing by pressing the Components button
on the main database interface. Find the component you want
to modify (see
Finding components) then double-click it to open the
appropriate component dialog box. Because it is the actual
component definition that is being edited, only the
intrinsic properties will be shown. (i.e., the project
properties' area, if the component can have one, will not be
visible)
Edit the
desired properties and accept by clicking the green check
mark. Cancel by clicking the red cross. Some component
properties are required and others are optional. CSI will
not accept component definitions with incomplete data. If a
required field is left blank or its data is invalid, CSI
will highlight the aforementioned field and prompt the user
to enter valid data.
Users may select an array of different
units to specify component properties. The typical component
property field is depicted below:
Figure 9
The
component property field is composed and behaves as follows:
·
Field name: Shows the name of the property to
be edited. A short explanation of the property is shown as a
tool-tip text (place the mouse over the field name to view
the tip)
·
Field value: The property value is entered
here. This text box behaves as follows:
·
When first activated (via a mouse click or the
tab key, for instance), the numeric value gets automatically
selected (if separated from the units by a space)
·
Double-click it to select the complete entry
·
Numeric values must be separated from units by
at least one space
·
Entries are NOT case sensitive (2000 psi is
the same as 2000 PSI)
·
Unit conversion button: When clicked, CSI
displays a popup menu with the property value converted to
all other defined units (if they can be converted).
Otherwise it displays a list of the available units for the
property with a numeric value of zero. An entry may be
selected directly from the menu or the menu may be displayed
for reference only. Some properties accept entries of
different types such as an outer diameter or an area. CSI
will not attempt to convert values between such dissimilar
types.
For more
information about the units used by CSI see
Working with the units database
This section explains how to delete
existing component definitions. To modify components within
an assembly refer to
editing assembly components
Open the
component listing by pressing the Components button
on the main database interface. Find (see
Finding components)
and select the component(s) you want to delete and simply
press the delete key or click the delete button on the main
toolbar.
CSI provides
different ways to duplicate components. This feature becomes
very useful if a component similar to an existing one must
be defined. The user can duplicate the component then simply
modify the desired properties. Proceed as follows:
·
Find the desired component in the components'
listing window (for more information see
finding components) and select it.
Right click on the desired component
and select Duplicate on the resulting popup menu. CSI
creates a copy of the selected component called Copy of
ComponentName where ComponentName is the name of
the original component.
From the database main interface, press
the Components button. This will open the components
listing window show below:
Figure 10
This
interface has the following controls:
·
Filter type: Filters the component list by
type of component
·
Auto update: This is useful with large
databases. If this is deselected, the user is required to
select the “Reload” button for the filters to be applied;
otherwise, the list is updated every time the filter
selections change. This option is selected by default.
·
Clear all: Clears all the component Type
filters so that all components are displayed
·
Invert: Inverts the component Type
filter selection
·
Select all: Applies all of the component
Type filters. Since not selecting any Type filter
is the same not filtering at all, “Select All” has the same
effect as selecting none.
·
Filter dates: Use this filter to further
narrow the show list by component creation or modification
date.
·
Send selection to Excel (icon shown below):
This option copies the selected cells to an Excel sheet.
Figure |
Home
