Adding a Setup Option—Using List Mode to Access a Lookup Table
This section contains an example of adding a setup option that allows the user to select from a list of values that are based on a lookup table. The example uses the custom process, AbrasiveJet Cut, which is copied from Laser Cut, and is almost identical to Waterjet Cut (see
Adding a New Process to a Process Group). Following Waterjet Cut, this new process will include a setup option,
nozzleType, that allows the user to specify a the type of nozzle in use for the current part. The nozzle characteristics affect part cost, and are contained in a lookup table (see
Adding Lookup Tables). The lookup table is accessed by the process taxonomy module.
Follow these steps to create the setup option:
1 In the navigation pane, double-click AbrasiveJet Cut; in the editing pane, click the Process Setup Optoins tab.
In this example, the process is new, and so is editable without an explicit override. For inherited objects, you must select
Override Object from the
Edit menu, or click the override icon,
, in the toolbar.
2 Scroll to the bottom of the editing pane, and click
. Text boxes and a table for a new setup option appear.
The table will define the end-user input mode, LIST mode, which provides a list of alternative values from which the user can choose. The alternatives are specified by a select expression (that is, a CSL query expression--see
CSL Language Overview in the chapter
Working with Cost Model Logic) that queries a lookup table. There will be one alternative for each lookup table entry.
3 Add a line to the table, specifying the following column values:
o Mode Name: UserOverride
o Type: List
o Display Text: Nozzle Type
o Expression: select k.nozzleType from tblAbrasiveJetAbrasiveNozzle k order by k.nozzleCost asc
o Default Value: ‘Mid-Life Composite Carbide’
4 Enter the following information into the text boxes:
o Name: nozzleType
o Default Mode Name: UserOverride
5 Select
Save from the
File menu, or click
in the toolbar, to save your changes.
6 To incorporate your changes into the cost model, select
Publish Cost Model and VPE from the
File menu, or click
in the toolbar.
For more information on CSL, see
CSL Language Overview in the chapter
Working with Cost Model Logic.