Manage User-Defined Properties

When files are checked into the vault, only the properties that are set enabled are automatically extracted and indexed by default. All the extracted properties being tracked by the vault can be managed using the Property Definitions dialog box. The Property Definitions dialog box lists:

Property Name	The name of the property as it appears in the interface. The display name can be edited by the vault administrator.
Data Type	The type of data represented by the property. The data types are: text, number, date, and boolean.
Usage	Indicates the number of files currently using the property. Use this information to determine which properties are used more than others, to help decide which properties can be removed from the vault.
State	Indicates whether or not the property is enabled for indexing and visible to the user. Enabled If a property is set to Enabled, the property is indexed and extracted from files when they are added or checked into the vault. Disabled If a property is set to Disabled, it is not indexed and it is not extracted from files when they are added or checked in to the vault. Administrators can clean up unwanted properties by marking them Disabled.
Associations	Lists the entity class that can use the property. Classes are files, folders, items, custom objects, and change orders.
File Categories	If the property is associated with a file category, the category name is displayed. Category values will override property values if the property Override attribute is enabled.
Item Categories	If the property is associated with an item category, the category name is displayed. Category values will override property values if the property Override attribute is enabled.
Folder Categories	If the property is associated with a folder category, the category name is displayed. Category values override property values if the property override attribute is enabled.
Custom Object Categories	If the property is associated with a custom object category, the category name is displayed. Category values override property values if the property override attribute is enabled.
Basic Search	Indicates if a string property is searched when using the basic search feature. The possible values are: Searched: the property is included in the basic search. Not Searched: the property is excluded from the basic search. No Allowed: the property is not a string value and therefore cannot be included in the basic search.

Important: When a new user-defined property is created, it does not have to be associated with any categories. However, even if the property is associated with an entity (file, folder, custom object, change order, or item) and is not associated with any categories, it will not appear in the properties grid for that entity type.

When migrating an existing vault database, all existing properties set to Enabled are migrated. However, any new properties default to Disabled. To improve indexing performance, all properties without mappings are not created unless specified by the administrator.

Renaming

The display name of a property can be edited to make it more meaningful. Both system-defined and user-defined names can be changed by selecting Edit on the Property Definitions dialog.

Changing the State

The state of a property determines whether or not the property is included in the vault index.

You specify which properties to include in the vault by setting the state to Enabled. Marking properties Enabled lets administrators clean unused properties from the vault. When a property is not in use, it is no longer associated with any files and it is removed from the index. This makes searching more efficient overall because there are fewer properties. You cannot search on a property that is not in use. You cannot display an unused property as a column in a grid. You cannot map properties to unused file properties. Unused properties can be re-associated with files by changing the state back to Enabled and then using the server console to re-index the properties. For more information on re-indexing, see the Autodesk Server Console Help.

Note: Changing the state of properties requires that the vault be re-indexed using the server console. For more information on re-indexing a vault, see Autodesk Server Console Help.

Examining Usage Count

The usage count of a property tells you how prevalent the property is throughout the vault. The number in the Usage column is the number of files with which the property is associated. When a property is Disabled, its usage count is set to 0.

To view the usage count of a property, select the Get Usage Counts button in the Property Definitions dialog.

Specifying Searchable Properties

The Basic Search setting for a property determines whether or not that file property is available for searching when performing a basic search. The Basic Search setting applies only to the basic search and not to searches using the query builder or the Find dialog. Only string type file properties can be set to Searched.

String type file properties that are set to Searched are available for the basic search. Properties set to Not Searched are not currently available for the basic search. By setting unused file properties to Not Searched, you can increase search performance. Properties set to Not Allowed are not string type properties and are not available for the basic search. A property set to Not Allowed cannot be changed to any other setting.

When the state of a property is set to Disabled, the basic search setting is automatically set to Not Searched. If that property is later set to Enabled, the basic search setting remains Not Searched. In order for the property to be available for basic search, the administrator must manually set the property to Searched.

Note: All item and change order string type properties are set to searched and are always included in the basic search.

Manage User-Defined Properties

Select Tools Administration Vault Settings.
In the Vault Settings dialog, click the Behaviors tab.
In the Properties section, click Properties.
You can:
- Click New to create a user-defined property.
- Select a property and then click Edit to modify a property definition.
- Select a user-defined property and then click Delete to remove the user-defined property.
Click the Settings tab to view the settings for the selected property. The settings displayed in the tab vary depending on the type of property selected.

Create a User-Defined Property

Create new user-defined properties (UDP) to help customize property mapping and write back preferences. You must have administrative access to perform these tasks.

Click Tools Administration Vault Settings.
On the Vault Settings dialog box Behaviors tab, click Properties.
In the Property Definitions dialog box, click New.
In the New Property dialog box, enter a name.
In the Type list, select the property type.
Assign the UDP to one or more categories by selecting the category check boxes in the Associations drop-down list. Categories can be pre-selected in this list based on the filter previously selected in the Property Definitions dialog box. You can select or clear categories as needed.
When a UDP is created, it does not have to be associated with any categories. However, if a new UDP is not associated with any categories, it will not appear in the properties grid for that file, item, or change order.

Important: A property will only appear with an entity (file, folder, custom object, item, change order) when the property is either in the same category or manually associated. To manually associate a property with a category, see Add or Remove Property.

On the Settings tab, some property settings are populated with values determined by the Name and Type entries from the previous steps.

Define List Values

On the Settings tab, select the Initial Value row. Depending on the type of the property, the cell on the right becomes a modifiable field, a drop-down list with existing values, or a drop-down list with values you can add.

Perform one of these tasks:
- If the property is type text, enter a value and proceed to the last step.
- If the property is type boolean or date, select the appropriate value and proceed to the last step.
- If the field is a drop-down list for which you can create values, Click (...) and proceed to the next step.
In the List Property dialog pane, click in the List Values list enter a name for the new value. Continue to add values to complete the list.
Do any of the following:
- Select a value in the list, and then select Set as Default. If you do not select a default list value, the last value entered becomes the default value.
- Click Add, leave the Value blank, and then click Set as Default to begin the list with a blank value. The end user will then have the option of selecting nothing from the list.
- Insert a new value anywhere in the list. Select a value and, then click Add to insert a blank value row above the selected value. Enter a name for the value.
- Insert a new value anywhere in the list. Select a value and click Add to insert a blank value row above the selected value. Enter a name for the value.
- Select a value and click Remove to remove the value from the list.
- Select a value and click Move Up or Move Down as needed to arrange the order of the values in the list.
Click OK to close the List Property dialog box and return to the New Property dialog box.
Click OK on the New (Property) dialog.

Note: Once a property definition is created, the name and data type cannot be modified.

Add or Remove a User-Defined Property

A user-defined property (UDP) can be added or removed from a file, folder, or item. You must have administrative access to perform these tasks. The steps below apply to all 3 entity types.

Add or remove a property

Select one or more files, folders, custom objects, change orders, or items.
Note: The Add or Remove Property command is only available on one entity at a time. The menu item will not be available when selecting more than one entity type in a selection.
Click Actions Add or Remove Property.
In the Add or Remove Property dialog box, select the property from the Property list.
From the Action value of the property select Add or Remove as from the drop-down list.
- Add. The property is added to the selected object using the default value. If the property is already assigned to a selected object, no action is taken.
- Remove. The property is removed from the selected object or objects. If the property is not assigned to a selected object(s), no action is taken.
Click OK.

Note: If a property is assigned by means of a category, it cannot be removed from a file. Removing the association to the category will allow the remove operation again.

Note: If any restrictions occur with a selected object, the property is neither added nor removed and an error message is displayed.

Delete a User-Defined Property

A user-defined property (UDP) can be deleted only if it is not associated with a category and not being used by any Vault objects (i.e., file, folder, item, change order, or custom object). You must have administrative access to perform these tasks.

Click Tools Administration Vault Settings.
On the Vault Settings dialog box Behaviors tab, click Properties.
In the Properties Definitions dialog box, select the property definition from the Property Name list, and then click Delete.
In the Warning Deleting Property Definition dialog box, click Yes.
If the property cannot be deleted due to restrictions, an Error Deleting Property Definition dialog box appears.
Click Print Preview to create a document of the error report that can then be printed, exported, or distributed via email.