Mandatory Attribute Support

This section shows you how to define attributes to be copied on attribute synchronization on saving designs to ENOVIA. The Global Configuration Object IEF-CADToMxMandatoryAttrMapping attribute is used to provide the mapping.

Support of Mandatory Attributes allows the following:


  • Allows the System Administrator to provide mandatory attributes a value that should be used irrespective of the value that exists on the CAD tool.
  • Allows the System Administrator to provide a value that can be overwritten by the Collaborative Product if required.

One of these steps is always applicable to a mandatory attribute.

The format of the CAD to ENOVIA Mandatory attribute name is,

attributeName,attributeValue,attributeType

Each section of the mapping signifies,

attributeName: The name of the attribute. Example: $$Comments$$

attributeValue: The value of the attribute. Example: Microstation File.

attributeType: The type of the mandatory value. The following values can be specified for attributeType:

  • mandatory: This implies that the value specified in attributeValue should be used as the value of the attribute. Collaborative products ignore the value of such attributes, as it exists in the File Summary Properties or the File Custom Properties. The System Administrator MUST provide a value in attributeValue as mandatory attributes cannot be blank.
  • default: This implies that the value specified in the attributeValue can be used as the value of the attribute or the CSE can choose to overwrite this value with a value of it’s own based on some criteria. The System Administrator MUST provide a value in attributeValue as mandatory attributes cannot be blank.
  • null: This implies that the collaborative product should search this attribute in File Summary Properties or File Custom Properties and use the value to synchronize it with Designer Central attribute. If a file or custom attribute is specified as null, then that property should contain a value as mandatory attributes are intended to have a value. The System Administrator should not provide a value in the attributeValue, as it will not be used by the collaborative product

Rules for Mandatory Attributes

This section lists some rules / information regarding mandatory attributes:

If an attribute to be declared mandatory then it should be present in the IEF-CADToMxMandatoryAttrMapping as well as in the MCADInteg-CADToMxAttribMapping.

All mandatory attributes are must have a value.

  • If System Administrator sets attributeType as mandatory or default then system administrator should provide a value in the attributeValue and MUST NOT leave it empty. If it is empty then an error message prompts the user saying mandatory attributes cannot be empty.
  • If System Administrator sets attributeType as null, then the CAD user must ensure that the attribute, if it exists in File Summary Properties or File Custom Properties, should hold a value and is not empty. If it is empty then an error message prompts the user saying mandatory attributes cannot be empty.

These mandatory attribute rules are applied while saving the designs to ENOVIA.

Known Limitation in Relationship Attributes

The 4 attributes on the "Attached Reference" relationship are, "Must in Structure", "Quantity", "Relationship Modification Status in ENOVIA" and "Renamed From". Thus OOTB, there are no attributes to store the transformation.

MicroStation does not support transfer of relationship attributes (which indicate the position matrix of a child within the parent in a parent -> child structure).

ENOVIA Collaborative Design for MicroStation does not support any transformation related operations using the Navigator page.

The exception to this behavior is Replace Revision by "CAD Revision Manager" on or after finalization state since Replace Revision does not involve any changes in the transformation matrix on the parent -> child relationship.