To View or Modify Content Center Family Tables

You can modify a read/write family to adjust the data to your company standards, add, delete, or modify family members, or add family properties. You can change appearance of the standard parts, and specify properties stored in a standard part file.

To view or modify a family table

Do one of the following:

• Open from the Graphics Window
  1. In an assembly file, right-click box on a Content Center part.
  2. Select Component Edit/View Family Table.

  The Content Center Editor dialog box opens to the location of the family table in the Content Center library. Here you can view a read-only family table or view and edit a read-write family table.

• Open from the Content Center Editor
  1. On the ribbon, click Manage tab Content Center panel Editor.
  2. On the Content Center Editor dialog box, use the Category View mode or Search to locate the family to edit.

Tip:

• To edit a family that is contained in a read-only library, copy the family to a Read/Write library.
• To display the Family Table dialog box, right-click the family, and click Family Table.
• Edit the family data. Use context or toolbar commands to work with the data.
  Note: Rows in the family table represent family members, columns represent family properties. Color indicates a value type. Evaluated expression values are blue, static values (including expression overrides) are black.

Set Properties for a Column

You can assign an expression and other properties to a column.

1. On the Family Table dialog box, right-click a column header, and select Column Properties. The Column Properties dialog displays.
2. View or edit the Column Name and Caption. The Column Name is editable only for new columns, must start with a letter, and can contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
3. Select the type of data (available only for new columns) and units.
4. To define an expression, select Expression and Expression Column. Then create the expression in the edit field. Click to add a family parameter to the expression.
5. To create a custom column, select Expression and Custom Column. Click next to the edit field, and specify settings for the custom column. See the Create a Custom Column in a Family Table procedure for more details.
6. To map the column to a specific Autodesk Inventor iProperty, select a property from the Map to Inventor Property list.
7. Click OK to close the Column Properties dialog box.
8. On the Family Table dialog box, click OK or Apply to confirm changes.

Create a Custom Column

Define custom family parameters to modify a family member on placement. The following types of custom parameters can exist in the family table: Range of numeric values, sequence of numeric values, or Boolean.

Tip: Create custom Boolean columns that control visibility or suppression of features.

1. On the Family Table dialog box, click Add Column.
2. Insert the column name and caption.
3. Set the type of data as Real, Integer, or Boolean.
4. Select Expression and Custom Column.
5. Click next to the edit field to display the Specify Range dialog box. Then specify settings for the custom column:
   • To define a numeric column of the Range type: Select the ≤ (less than) sign from the list on the left and specify the Minimum value. Select the ≥ (greater than) sign from the list on the right and specify the Maximum value. If appropriate, specify the Default value.
     Note: The Default value displays in the Family dialog box on family member placement. If the Default value is not defined, the Minimum value becomes the default.
   • To define a numeric column of the Sequence type: Select the ≤ (less than) sign from the list on the left and specify the Minimum value. Select the ≥ (more than) sign from the list on the right and specify the Maximum value. Then specify the Increment value. If appropriate, specify the Default value.
     Note: Only numbers that belong to sequence are accepted in the Family dialog box as valid values for the custom parameter. (Example: Minimum, Minimum + Increment, Minimum + 2*Increment, and so on.)
   • To define the default for a Boolean custom column, insert 0 or 1 in the Default field.
6. To map the column to a specific Autodesk Inventor iProperty, select a property from the Map to Inventor Property list.
7. Click OK to close the Column Properties dialog box.
8. On the Family Table dialog box, click OK or Apply to confirm changes.

Modify Key Columns

Key columns specify parameters of a family member to insert in an assembly or part file.

1. On the Family Table dialog box, toolbar, click Key Columns.
2. On the Key Columns Options dialog box, set key columns:
   • To add a Table Column to the Key Columns list, select the table column, and click the right arrow. The maximum number of key columns is 8.
   • To remove a key column from the Key Columns list, select the key column and click the right arrow.
   • To reorder key columns, select a key column, and click the Up and Down arrows.
3. Click OK to close the Key Columns Options dialog box.

Add a Family Member

You add a member to a family by adding a row to the family table. We recommend that you to copy the data from an existing row to the new row, and then edit the parameters for the new family member.

1. On the part family table, select a row that best matches the new family member. Right-click the row, and select Copy.
2. Select a row in the table, right-click the row header, and then select Insert Copied Row(s).
3. Edit parameters in the new row.
4. Click Apply to verify the new family member.
5. Click OK to close the Family Table dialog box.

Tip: To add more family members at the same time, select several rows, right-click, and select Copy. Right-click a row header, and select Insert Copied Row(s). Then edit parameters for the new family members.

Delete a Family Member

1. On the part family table, select the row that corresponds to the part you want to delete from Content Center Library.
2. Right-click and select Delete Row from the menu.
3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
4. Click Apply in the Family Table dialog box to save the change in the library.

Suppress a Family Member

Suppressed members are not displayed in Content Center, but remain in Content Center Library, and if necessary, can be unsuppressed.

1. In the part family table, select the row which corresponds to the part you want to suppress.
2. Right-click and select Suppress from the menu. The selected part is displayed in gray color in the table.
3. Click Apply in the Family Table dialog box to save the change in the library.

Modify BOM Settings for a Content Center Family

1. Use Open from Content Center to create a part file for a family member. Save the part file to a location outside the Library folder so the part file can be modified.
2. Change BOM document settings and save the part.
3. Click Manage tab Content Center panel Editor to open Content Center Editor
4. Locate the family.
5. Right-click the family, and select Replace Part Template.
6. In the Open dialog box, select the part file you previously created, and click Open. The part file is checked to determine whether it meets the criteria to become the new part family template.

Edit a Family Table in a Microsoft Excel

1. Open the family table, and click Edit via Spreadsheet on the toolbar.

   A Microsoft Excel session is started and the family table is exported into a sheet in a new .xls, .xlsx, or .xlsm file.

2. Edit the family table data, and then click Save.
3. Close the Microsoft Excel session. Your edits are imported into the family table in Autodesk Inventor. All edited table cells are marked yellow.
4. Review the edits and then click Apply in the Family Table dialog box to save the edits in the library.

Notes:

• When you export the family table in Microsoft Excel, the first row and first two columns are hidden. They include data used to import the table. Do not delete or edit the hidden cells.
• You can add or remove columns and rows in Microsoft Excel. Key columns and columns used in an expression cannot be deleted, and are restored in the table during import. Rows are deleted without any restrictions.
• You can rename columns. If a column name is duplicated, an index is added as a suffix to the column name during import.
• Save your edits before you close the Microsoft Excel session. Not saved edits are discarded.
• If the imported edits are not correct, click Cancel in the Family Table dialog box to cancel the edits and restore the original data.
• A blank row and column border the imported table. If you add a blank row or column inside the table, you change the size of the imported table. Some rows or columns are then removed from the family table on import to Autodesk Inventor.
• You can create a template file CC Family Edit Template.xlt (.xltx, or .xltm). If the template file exists it is used to edit the family tables.