Once you create a BOM, you can edit BOM data from the BOM dialog box.
Typical editing operations include:
- Sort a BOM
You can sort the entire BOM or selected rows only. You can provide up to three sort criteria.
- Change the Item number and the increment value.
In a BOM, each item gets an item number based on the order in which the parts are created. You may want to change the item number that was automatically assigned. You can change the item number of a single item or a group of rows, or renumber the entire BOM to reflect a particular sort order.
- Change the value of multiple cells in the same column.
You can SHIFT-click to select a range of cells in a column and change their values simultaneously with the Set Values toolbar button.
- Add or remove user-defined BOM items.
In some cases, you may want the BOM to contain items that are not shown in the drawing. In such cases, manually add rows to a BOM.
- Enter or edit a formula in a cell
The ability to edit a formula in the BOM dialog box is useful for cases when you need to round off a value for one part only. You can edit the formula directly on the formula bar, or you can invoke the expression builder and create the formula in an environment where the system assists you to build the formula.
- Exclude a part from parts lists
In some cases, you may need to remove a part or assembly from a Parts List temporarily. In this case, it does not make sense to remove the item from the BOM in case you will reintroduce it later. BOM items that are excluded from parts lists are removed from all parts lists, but remain in the BOM.
- Exclude a part from BOMs
In some cases, you may want to remove an item from the BOM itself; typically parts and assemblies that have been included in the drawing to provide context. If you use mechanical structure, you can set such parts as Reference Components and they are removed from all BOMs. If you do not use mechanical structure, you can delete the corresponding Part Reference. You can also use the Delete toolbar button to delete BOM items. In this case, the item is removed only from the current BOM, but continues to remain in other BOMs.
There are some editing operations that are relevant only if you are using Part References. For example:
- Merge rows
Sometimes, parts marked with the identical Part References show as two separate parts in the BOM. You can merge the rows manually. The system validates the rows being merged and prevents you from merging two different parts (Part References that do not have identical data). It is also possible to split the merged rows.
- Add parts
Sometimes, you want to include a Part Reference that is located outside a drawing border, in a Border BOM, or you want to add a Part Reference that was deleted previously. You can manually include the Part Reference by clicking the
button on the toolbar of the BOM dialog box and picking the Part Reference.
There are some editing operations that you can perform on the entire BOM. For example:
- Delete a BOM
When you delete a BOM, all parts lists and balloons derived from it are deleted as well. Although deleted, you can recreate the BOM. The BOM picks up all the appropriate part and assembly information from the drawing and populates automatically. However, if you manually added BOM items to the BOM you deleted, it is necessary to add them again.
- Rename a BOM
Border BOMs are named BORDER, followed by a number. You can provide a more intuitive name to identify the BOM quickly. Even when you use mechanical structure, you can choose to rename the BOM. For example, when you rename a component or an annotation view, you can rename the BOM to match.