Rule Point Reference

Rule Points

Expressions

This is a high level category containing other specific rule points. All of the rule points under this category are Expression/Value based rule points. This means that all of the rules defined under this category will evaluate to a value. The subrule points correspond to the value types which are returned. Rules defined under the Expressions category and sub-categories are designed to create reusable subrules which define expressions and logic to be reused throughout all of the other rule points. Rules defined under Expressions are not typically called directly by the application, but are instead a library where you can define common logic and expressions.

Boolean

All Boolean subrule points define expressions which evaluate to a Boolean, true/false value. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema. Use this rule point to define true/false subrules for common tests. For example, you might define a named subrule for the Pole feature class called “Has Guying” which evaluates to true or false, depending on whether any guying is attached to the pole.

Integer

All Integer subrule points define expressions which evaluate to an integer numeric value. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema. Use this rule point to define standard expressions which evaluate to a count of features. For example, you might define a named subrule called “Secondary Positions” which evaluates to the number of secondary cable positions required for a LinkBox or other Device.

Real

All Real subrule points define expressions which evaluate to a decimal, floating-point value. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema. Use this rule point to define any non-integer numeric values which may result in fractional values. For example, you might define a named subrule for the Conductor feature class called “Total Length” which adds together various lengths using ratio factors and other math operators and functions.

Text

All Text subrule points define expressions which evaluate to text values. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema. Use this rule point to define any special text needed for reuse in the application, based on particular features and data. For example, you might define a named subrule for all electric feature classes called “No Primary Error” which defines a standard error message including special attribute and text concatenation and is reused in many different validation rules.

Feature Identifier

All Feature Identifier subrule points define expressions which evaluate to text values. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema.

The Feature Identifier rule point is called explicitly by the application to generate an identifier which is used in most places where a feature is identified by name. For example, in the Quick Info panel or the Material List, the text used to describe the feature uses this rule point to generate the displayed text. If no rule is defined for a particular feature, the system uses an internal default which displays the feature class caption, the FID, and the model group or model name of the feature. By specifying a rule here, you can override the system default and format a custom identifier using any number of additional feature attributes or other text concatenation.

Validation

Many rule points are directly related to Design Validation and Auto Validation. Validation rule points that generate messages, warnings, and errors are located in the Validation and Material sections of the Rules Configuration dialog box and in the Validation sections for each analysis operation.

Automatic validation is controlled in AutoCAD Utility Design Options.

If Auto Validation for a particular operation is set to "Block On Alerts", any errors or non-ignored warnings displayed in the Validation Results panel of the Dashboard prevent the application from running further auto validation functionality on the problem feature. The "Enabled" setting indicates whether the Auto Validation will be run at all.

Note:

To run Validation rules, you must enable General Validation in the Options dialog box.

If a "Report error" rule is defined for a feature in rules configuration, the output of that rule might block subsequent Auto Validation if "General Validation" is set to "Block On Alerts".

For more information, see To Specify Application Options.

The Validation rule point is called by the Auto Validation system for the "General Validation" item. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema.

This is a sequential/action rule point and the various report-related rule activities can be used to generate Validation Results messages, warnings, and errors, as well as resolution workflows.

Material

The Material rule point is called by the Auto Validation system for the "Material" item. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema.

This is a sequential/action rule point and the "Add material" rule activity can be used to generate material list items. Also, the various report related rule activities can be used to generate Validation Results messages, warnings, and errors, as well as resolution workflows. However, it is recommended that validation logic be defined in the Validation rule point if possible.

Material Costing

The Material Costing rule point is used by the material system to generate a value for the "Cost" attribute for material list items. The subrule points are organized by the categories present in the material catalog. The costing rule applied to each category is used to calculate the Cost for corresponding material list items for each category.

Annotation

The Annotation rule point is used by the Insert Callout feature by choosing a specified callout. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema.

This is a sequential/action rule point and the “Choose callout” rule activity can be used to select a callout for Insert Callout function. The available callouts are configured in the Industry Model Configuration dialog box. For more information, see To Configure a Callout.

Sizing

The Sizing rule point is used to generate the list of valid model names displayed as resolution items in the Validation Results panel. It is also used for analysis and other application functionality to leverage the sizing rules in order to filter out a valid set of models for a feature. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema.

The Sizing rules are sequential/action rules, but the actions consist of various Add Filtering rule activities. Each Add Filtering rule activity appends a new query criteria which is then used to query/filter the Model table for a given feature. It also provides a Match Section rule activity which specifies explicit Or/And concatenated operations. It allows the nesting of Add Filtering activities which can be used to generate grouped sets of Where clause operations using a specified operator: Or/And.

Style

The Style rule point is used for applying a style to a specified feature. The subrule points consist of a full hierarchy of the utility domain class schema.

This is a sequential/action rule point and the Choose Style rule activity can be used to select specified style which is configured in the Industry Model Configuration dialog box. For more information, see About Styling Feature Classes.

Analysis

The Analysis rule point is a high level rule point category that contains many analysis-specific rule points for each separate area of analysis functionality. There are two types of anaylsis rule points:

• Equations—Expression/Value rule points that evaluate to a formula or mathematical expression used within a particular analysis calculation.
• Validation—Validation rules, similar to the Validation rule points, but specific to analysis operations.

Rules

The following section provides explanations of the rule activities or sets of rule activities in the application. Each rule section describes the following aspects of the rule:

Rule Information

Type	Expression/Value or Sequential/Action
Context	The rule points and/or contexts within a rule in which the rule activity is available
Section	The expandable section in the Rule Editor selection popup that contains the rule
Arguments	The arguments to the rule
Description	General description of the rule

Add Filtering

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Sizing rules
Section	Rules
Arguments	Add Filtering type: Required or Recommended Model attribute: The attribute in the Model table to be matched Comparison operator: The operator to use when matching Match value: A runtime expression that is evaluated and matched against the model attribute
Description	This is the primary operation in a Sizing rule. It generates an additional match or query clause against the feature's Model table.

Add Sorting

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Sizing rules
Section	Rules
Arguments	Model attribute: The attribute in the Model table on which the resulting set of queried models will be sorted Sort order: Ascending or descending
Description	In a sizing rule, this action indicates which attribute(s) should be used when sorting the results from the feature's model table. Use multiple Add sort attribute rules to sort on multiple attributes.

Add Material

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Material rules
Section	Rules
Arguments	CU: the Model Name in the Model table or a particular catalog item from Material Catalog configuration table Quantity: quantity of generated material Status: the status of generated material Set Attribute: This rule is used to set other material attribute values. Material List attribute: the attribute defined in the Material List Configuration dialog box. Set value: a runtime expression you might use to set for the attribute value.
Description	Generates material items for features and displays them in the Material Editor panel of the Dashboard.

Add Note

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Material rules
Section	Rules
Arguments	Note number: The attribute in the Model table on which the resulting set of queried models are sorted. Note value: expression/value displayed in the work location
Description	This rule is used for creating a note. It is invoked at the same time as the Add Material rule. “Note Number” is used to filter specific notes.

Choose Callout

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Annotation rules
Section	Rules
Arguments	Callout Name: The callout names defined in the Industry Model Configuration dialog box.
Description	This rule is used for selecting a specified callout for a feature. Callouts are defined per feature class on the Callout tab or the General Callout tab in the Industry Model Configuration dialog box.

Choose Style

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Style rules
Section	Rules
Arguments	Style name: The style names defined per feature class on the Style tab in the Industry Model Configuration dialog box.
Description	This rule is used to apply styles to features. Styles are defined per feature class on the Style tab in the Industry Model Configuration dialog box.

Comment

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Rules
Arguments	Comment: A string to describe the rule.
Description	An explanation of the rule.

If

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All Sequential rule points (Validation, Material, Sizing)
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Condition: The true/false expression indicating whether to execute the 'Then' or 'Else' sequence. Then: the set of rules to execute when the Condition is true. Else: the set of rules to execute when the Condition is false.
Description	If and Match are the primary control flow rules for all sequential/action rules. Use the If rule to create conditional branching based on conditional expressions. If the conditional branching is mutually exclusive and involves many separate branches, consider using the "Match" rule instead.

Match Section

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Sizing
Section	Rules
Arguments	Match Operator: Any, All Match Results: Add filtering activities
Description	The Match section rule allows a nesting of match results and Add Filtering activities which can be used to generate grouped sets of where clause operators using a specified operator: And/Or.

Prompt for Model Name

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All validation rule points (Validation [preferred], Material)
Section	Operators
Arguments	Type: Indicates whether the generated validation error is a Message, Warning, or Error. Message: A concatenated text expression which will be displayed to describe the error message in the Validation Results panel.
Description	This rule is an extended version of the basic "Report" rule. It generates an entry in the Validation Results panel. See the description for the "Report" rule for details concerning the main error message. In addition to the error message, this rule will automatically generate a set of resolutions which correspond to each potentially valid model applicable to the feature. By default, this will list all of the models which have the same model group as the processed feature. If the model group of the feature is not set, the set of resolutions will be the full set of all models for the feature. Sizing rule integration: If a Sizing rule is defined for the feature, the sizing rule will be used filter the feature's Model table in order to select a smaller subset, or perhaps even a single, model.

Prompt to Set Attribute

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All validation rule points (Validation [preferred], Material)
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Type: Indicates whether the generated validation error is a Message, Warning, or Error. Message: A concatenated text expression which will be displayed to describe the error message in the Validation Results panel. Attribute name: The attribute of the feature which should be prompted to set when the resolution is selected in the Validation Results panel.
Description	This rule is an extended version of the basic "Report" rule. It generates an entry in the Validation Results panel. See the description for the "Report" rule for details concerning the main error message. In addition to the error message, this rule will automatically generate a single resolution which, when selected by the user in the Validation Results panel, will display the Quick Info editor for the feature with the indicated attribute selected. Use this rule when an attribute value has been determined to be incorrect and to prompt the user for setting a valid value for the attribute. If the rule simply needs to prompt for an attribute which has not yet been set, use the explicit, simpler "Prompt to set attribute when not set" rule.

Prompt to Set Attribute When Not Set

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All validation rule points (Validation [preferred], Material)
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Attribute name: Feature attribute to be prompted to set when the resolution is selected in the Validation Results panel.
Description	This rule is a simplified version of the "Prompt to set attribute" rule. Similar to the other report based rules, it generates an entry in the Validation Results panel. Unlike those rules, it automatically generates the message as well. This makes the rule specification simpler for the common case where a required attribute is not yet set and the user must be prompted to set the attribute.

Report

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All validation rule points (Validation, Material)
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Type: Indicates whether the generated validation error is a Message, Warning, or Error. Message: A concatenated text expression which will be displayed to describe the error message in the Validation Results panel.
Description	This is the most common error reporting rule. It generates an entry in the Validation Results panel using the specified type (message, warning, error) and message text. Specifying an error will block any subsequent Auto Validation for the feature on which the rule point is being executed. Specifying a warning will block subsequent validation unless the user selects to ignore the warning. Specifying a message will not block any subsequent validation or analysis.

Report and Fix

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All validation rule points (Validation, Material)
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Type: Indicates whether the generated validation error is a Message, Warning, or Error. Message: A concatenated text expression which will be displayed to describe the error message in the Validation Results panel. Resolution: Defines a series of resolutions which will be displayed in the Validation Results panel. Resolution Description: A text description which will be shown as the identifier of the resolution in the Validation Results panel. Resolution Detail: An optional detail diagram to be shown as part of the resolution description. Resolution workflow: A sequence of rules that are executed when the user selects the resolution in the Validation Results panel.
Description	This rule is an extended version of the basic Report rule. It generates an entry in the Validation Results panel. In addition to the error message, this rule also enables you to define any number of named resolution workflows. These named workflows are then available in the Validation Results panel when you select to resolve an error. You can define custom rule sequences for each resolution. The resolution workflows can include actions such as updating properties of the feature being processed by the rule or inserting additional features in the design.

Select Case Where

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	All Sequential rule points (Validation, Material, Sizing)
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Match Value: An expression that will be matched against all of the Case entries. Match Operator: An equality operator that specifies how to perform the matching (equals, less than, and so forth.) Case Value: For each case defined, this value is matched against the Match Value using the Match Operator. Case Sequence: For each case defined, this sequence of actions is performed for the first case in which the Case Value matches the Match Value using the Match Operator. Otherwise Sequence: If none of the cases match, this sequence of rules are executed.
Description	Match and If are the primary control flow rules for sequential/action rules. Match should be used when several mutually exclusive branches exist in the rule logic. If a single set of mutually exclusive cases exist, a simple If/Then/Else may be preferred. To match ranges: In situations where the various cases correspond to numeric ranges, the Match should leverage one of the operators other than 'equals'. For example, to create a 'table of ascending ranges' the 'is at most' operator could be used. To match a series of conditional expressions: In some situations, rather than use a series of "If" rules to handle mutually exclusive conditions, the Match rule can be used with a "True" Match Value.

Set Attribute

Type	Sequential/Action
Context	Material rule points
Section	Rules
Arguments	Map Material attribute to Catalog attribute
Description	Sets an attribute. Set attribute [Labor Cost] to [Catalog Labor Cost]

Literal Values

Literal (Text and Values)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Literal values
Arguments	Value: A literal value
Description	Specifies a literal text, numeric, or other value not based on a runtime determined or feature derived property. Use a literal value to specify error messages, numeric values for matching, or other specific values like matching group names, and so forth.

AUD Variables

AUD Variables

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	AUD Variables
Arguments	Variable: The variable to be evaluated. Unit: An optional unit override to which the value will be converted.
Description	Specifies a particular configuration variable. The expression evaluates to the value of that variable at runtime. The variable values are specified in AutoCAD Utility Design in the Variables section. In the Rule configuration, these can be accessed through the AUD Variables section, where they are displayed with their full descriptions. Unit override: As with most property based expressions, a unit override is available that converts the value into a particular unit, if a unit other than the default system/configuration unit is needed.

Document Properties

Document Properties

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Document Properties
Arguments	Property: The drawing document property which will be evaluated.
Description	Specifies a particular drawing document property. The expression evaluates to the value of that property at runtime. Document Properties correspond to the custom drawing properties available when you create a new design and on the Custom tab in the Drawing Properties dialog box. (Use AUDDESIGNNEW or DWGPROPS command to display.)

Subrules

Subrules

Type	Expression/Value or Sequential/Action (depending on context)
Context	General subrules available in all Expression contexts. Rule point specific expression subrules only available in corresponding rule point expressions. Subrules defined for Sequential rule points are only available from Sequential context within those sequential rule points.
Section	Subrules
Arguments	Subrule: the particular expression subrule that will be executed
Description	Executes the indicated subrule. If specified in an Expression context, the subrule will evaluate to the value of the subrule. If a Sequential subrule is specified, the sequential flow will be passed to the subrule. This is generally only used to organize sequential rules into separate sections for organizational purposes (for example, New, Existing and Removal subrules).

Feature Attributes

Feature Attribute

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	FeatureClass Attributes (where FeatureClass is the feature class for which you are defining the subrule.)
Arguments	Attribute: The attribute of the feature to evaluate. Unit: An optional unit override to which the value will be converted.
Description	Specifies a particular attribute of the feature. Almost all rule points implicitly use a primary feature as the context of the rule. In some cases, multiple features are made available to the rule. In that case the various additional features have their own separate attribute sections. When specifying conditional expressions for rules that reference other features, such as the "number of connected" rule, the feature attributes available are based on the feature class specified in the nested rule. As with most property based expressions, a unit override is available that converts the value into a particular unit, if a unit other than the default system/configuration unit is needed. This is only available for numeric attributes that have a particular unit type.

Operators

Operators (Logical)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Operators
Arguments	Left and right or single operands
Description	The logical operators evaluate to true or false, based on the operand arguments. Boolean (true/false) binary argument logic operations: and, or, exclusive or, not (single boolean argument) Numeric comparison operations (with typical expression language equivalents): equals (==), not equal (!=), is less than (<), is more than (>), is at least (>=), is at most (<=)

Operators (Arithmetic)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Operators
Arguments	Left and right or single operands
Description	The arithmetic operators perform the basic arithmetic operations: + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), / (division)

Functions

Functions (Attribute is not set, Attribute is set)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Attribute name
Description	Evaluates to true or false, depending on whether the indicated attribute is set: attribute is set: true if the attribute is present on the feature and not null. attribute is not set: true if the attribute is missing from the feature or null.

Functions (Conditional number)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Conditional expression Expression where condition is true Expression where condition is false
Description	Evaluates to either the true expression or the false expression, depending on whether the conditional expression is true or false. Use Conditional number to provide If/Then/Else logic within expressions. This rule works the same as the ternary operator in most programming languages. value < 1 ? 0 : 1

Functions (Choose value where)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Match Value: An expression which will be matched against all of the Case entries. Match Operator: An equality operator which indicates how to perform the matching (equals, less than, and so forth.) Case Value: For each case defined, this value is matched against the Match Value using the Match Operator. Case Sequence: For each case defined, this sequence of actions is performed for the first case in which the Case Value matches the Match Value using the Match Operator. Otherwise Sequence: If none of the cases match, this sequence of rules are executed.
Description	Use this to provide Match logic within expressions. It is useful when several mutually exclusive branches exist in the rule logic. If a single set of mutually exclusive cases exist, a simple “Conditional Number/Text” might be preferred.

Functions (Number of connected/contained)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Feature class to search for Conditional expression to match against searched features
Description	Evaluates to the number of features that match the conditional criteria. number of connected number of connected at end number of connected at start number of contained number of contained connected number of contained siblings number of downstream connected

Functions (There is a container, There is upstream connected)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Feature class to search for Conditional expression to match against searched features
Description	Evaluates to true if a matched container or upstream/downstream connected feature can be found, otherwise false.

Functions (Enumerable)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Enumerable functions: first, last, maximum, and so forth. Functions: range, values from, grouped values, values from intersecting features. Searched features: Contained/connected/container features (only for the “values from” and “grouped values from” functions). Feature class Expression: Expression match against searched features. Filter: Search condition. Group by: group the Expression values (only for the “grouped values from” function) Distance: the buffer distance to intersect the buffered geometry (only for “values from intersecting features” function). Delimiter: separate the values (only for the “concatenate values” function).
Description	The enumerable functions are: Average – the average of all expression values Concatenate values – concatenates all the expression values Equality – evaluates to true if all expression values are the same, otherwise false First – the first expression value Last – the last expression value Maximum – the largest expression value Minimum – the smallest expression value Sum – the sum of all expression values Total number – the number of features that match the filter Value at index – the expression value at the given index of the filtered features Values from features Range (start, end) Examples: The sum of a range from 1 to 100 returns the result of 1 + 2 + 3 + … + 100. The average of a range from 1 to 100 returns the average value of 1,2,3, …, 100. The total number of values from Connected Features of type Transformer (expression: [FID], filter: True) returns the number of all connected Transformers. The maximum of values from Sibling Features of type Pole Head (expression: [Voltage] filter: True) returns the maximum [Voltage] value of all other Pole Heads on the same pole.

Functions (Feature class caption)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	None
Description	Evaluates to the feature class caption of the primary implicit feature argument to the rule point.

Functions (Is Null, Is Not Null)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Attribute name
Description	Evaluates to true or false. Is Null: True if the attribute of the feature is set to null. Is Not Null: True if the attribute of the feature is not set to null.

Functions (List to Text)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Searched features Expression: Attributes used for group by Filter List expressions Delimiter type: Comma, NewLine, Tab, Semicolon, Ampersand, Dash
Description	This function is used to show a list of values. It is mainly used for work locations. The searched features are of two types: Work Location: Associated features and materials Features: All containers, connected features, connected features of contained features, contained features, contained materials, container's connected features, direct containers, directly contained features, materials. For an example, see To Configure Material List Annotation.

Functions (math)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Left and right or single operands
Description	These functions represent the corresponding standard mathematical operations: Abs, Acos, Asin, Atan, Atan2, Ceil, Cos, Cosh, Exp, Floor, Ln, Log, Mod, Power, Remainder, Round, Sign, Sin, Sinh, Sqrt, Tan, Trunc.

Functions (Nonprintable characters)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	None
Description	Nonprintable characters can be used in string expressions, null values to be assigned to attributes, and known math constants to be specified without requiring literal numeric values. These functions are: E, exp, newline, null, pi, tab

Functions (String)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Left and right or single operands
Description	These functions represent the corresponding standard string operations: concat contains ends with format left length pad left pad right replace right starts with substring to lower to upper trim trim chars

Functions (Table Lookup)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Table Names: The table name to look up. Add Filtering: Match condition. Value From: All attributes from the selected table. Order By: Ascending or Descending. Default Value: The table schema value to show.
Description	Looks up a value from a specified table. For an example, see To Configure a Table Lookup Rule.

Functions (Table Lookup Range)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Functions
Arguments	Table Names: The table name to look up (range). Add Filtering: Match conditions. Value From: The attributes of interest from this table. Range from: The referenced attribute in the table. Range value: The actual value in the design.
Description	Use a Table Lookup Range rule to calculate an unspecified value using linear interpolation.

Catalog

Catalog (Name of Catalog Material Model)

Type	Expression/Value
Context	All Expression contexts
Section	Catalog
Arguments	Catalog Item Name: The name (CU code) of a particular catalog item.
Description	Specifies a particular catalog item, referenced by the name of the catalog item. This rule evaluates to a text value corresponding to the catalog item name shown. Functionally, this is no different than specifying a Literal text value of the catalog CU code, but by using this explicit rule the system can identify the value as a catalog CU and provide internal validation of the rule entry (which would not be possible with a plain text literal). When specifying this rule expression, an actual entry from the material catalog is used and the rule configuration indicates the description and presence of the catalog item. This can be useful to check if catalog items have been renamed or removed from the underlying material catalog, as well as identify the catalog item more easily by the description tooltip if the CU code is not readily identified.