Standard Command Tools

Catalogues and Specifications Reference Manual

Document Conventions : Standard Command Tools

Command Tool is a generic term covering command arguments (or atoms) and command parts. Both classes of command tool fit into ordinary commands and provide different ways of stating a particular requirement. Command tools may be AVEVA E3D™-wide or module-specific. This section describes the standard Command Tools that may be used in PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON. They may be one of the following:

•

Standard Command Tools - which fit into ordinary commands

•

External Macro Facilities - which can be used in a stored macro file and which control the behaviour of the macro when it is executed

•

Standard Concepts - which apply globally within PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON

Some of the main command tools (or the PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON variations of them) summarised for convenience:

Command Arguments

Command arguments are also called atoms because they cannot be broken down any further. They are individual units which PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON can recognise as constituents of a complete command. They usually need to be separated by spaces so that they are individually distinguishable. Command arguments are distinguished from the other command parts by being written in lower case italics. The principal command arguments are:


integer	a positive or negative whole number, e.g. 2 -5 25
value	a signed number with or without a decimal point, e.g. 2.5 5 -3.8
letter	a single alphabetic character
word	a sequence of up to four letters with significance to AVEVA E3D™
text	a string of alphanumeric or symbol characters, which may include spaces, enclosed between single closing quotation marks ’...’ or \|...\| characters. This is normally used to add descriptive material to an appropriate attribute. For example, DUTY ’Low Pressure’. (Note that paired quotation marks ‘...’ will not work.)
space	the space bar (not usually specified unless of special significance)
name	a sequence of characters preceded by a / character and representing a AVEVA E3D™ Element name, e.g. /VALVE1.
filename	an external file name of the format /filename
varid	an identifier (for use with the VARIABLE command within macros) of the format !name, where ‘name’ is a text string. For example: !COUNTER !height
comma	the , character, which can be used to concatenate PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON commands; for example: NEW UNIT, BUNI INCH, DUNI FINC
plus minus	the +, -, * and / characters, which can be used within
star solid	expressions, for example: (1 + 2), (1 - 2), (1 * 2), (1 / 2)

Note:

There must be a space before and after each of these command arguments.

Command Parts

Command parts are subsets of the general command syntax which are used frequently within other command sequences. The following command parts are summarised here:

Expressions

Any mathematical, logical or alphabetical expression whose result replaces it in the command syntax.

Dimensions

A physical dimension entered using default or explicit distance units.

Catalogue Element Types

A word used to represent a specific type of element in the Catalogue database hierarchy.

Element Identifiers

Methods for specifying which database element you want your next commend to act upon.

Cursor-picking Identifier (<sgid>)

This command part defines the most general method of identifying an Element. The command is completed by picking an element using the cursor in a graphical view.

Expressions (<eval>)

If a value given within a command needs to be calculated from other known values, you can enter an expression from which the required result is to be evaluated by PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON as it executes the command. Such an expression must be enclosed between parentheses (...) to identify where it begins and ends.

Full details of the expression syntax are given in the Software Customisation Guide and Software Customisation Reference Manual, and are also available as on‑line help.

Dimensions (<uval>)

Once the working units have been specified, all dimensions input subsequently will be assumed to be in those units unless you override them. (Note that these are simply specific examples of the use of ‘real’ expressions. You can include explicit units of measurement when entering a value in any expression.)

Examples


5	5	in current working units
5.5 EX 3	5500	in current working units
5.3/4	5.75	in current working units
5’	5 feet	(only use when working units are FINCH)
5’6	5 feet 6 inches	(only use when working units are FINCH)
5’6.3/4	5 feet 6.75 inches	(only use when working units are FINCH)
5 INCHES	5 inches	(regardless of current working units)
5 M	5 metres	(regardless of current working units)
5’6.3/4 IN	5 feet 6.75 inches	(regardless of current working units)

Note:

On output, values are rounded by default as follows:

•

millimetres to the nearest millimetre

•

inches to the nearest 1/32 or 0.1 inch.

•

However, rounding on output may be controlled by using the PRECISION command. Within PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON, values are stored as accurately as the host computer will allow.

Catalogue Element Types (<snoun>)

This command part refers to an element type in the Catalogue hierarchy.

Catalogue administrative elements:


WORLd	CATAlogue	SECTion	STSEction
CATEgory	STCAtegory	TEXT

Piping Components:


SCOMponent	COMPonent number

Profile Components:


SPRFile	PROFile number

Joint Components:


SJOInt	JOINt number

Fitting Components:


SFITting

Note:

FITTing number is not a valid option)

3D Geomset elements:


GMSEt	SBOX	SDIsc	SDIsk
SCOne	LSNout	SDSH	BOXIng
SSLCylinder	SSPHere	LCYLinder	SCYLinder
LINes	SCTorus	SREVolution	SRTorus
TUBe	LPYRamid	SEXTrusion	SLOOp
SVERtex

Negative 3D Geomset elements:


NGMSet	NSBOx	NSCOne	NLSNout
NSDSh	NSSLcylinder	NSSPhere	NLCYlinder
NSCYlinder	NSCTorus	NSREvolution	NSRTorus
NLPYramid	NSEXtrusion	SLOOp	SVERtex

Structural Geomset elements:


GMSSet	SRECtangle	SANNulus	SPROfile
SPVErtex

3D Pointset elements:


PTSEt	PTAXi	PTCAr	PTMIx

Structural Pointset elements:


PTSSet	PLINe

Dataset elements:


DTSEt	DATA

Detailing Text elements:


SDTExt	DTEXt number

Material Text elements:


SMTExt	MTEXt number

Bolt Table elements:


BLTAble	BLISt	SBOLt	LTABle
MBOLt	MBLIst	DTABle

Connection Table elements:


CCTAble	COCO	COCDES

Units elements:


UNIT	MSET	MTYPe	ATLIst
USECtion	UDEFinition

Group World elements:


GPWL	GROUp

Part World elements:


PRTWLD	PRTELE	GPART

Specification World elements:


SPWL	SPECi	SELEc	SPCOm

Table World elements:


BRTAB	NOMTAB	TABWLD

Specific Element Identifier (<gid>)

This command part identifies a specific element either explicitly or by reference to its relative position in the database hierarchy.

Examples


/VALVE10	Named catalogue element
SAME	Previous element accessed
OWN	Owner of Current Element
NEXT 2	2nd element in member list order at same level
4	4th member of Current Element
LAST 3 MEM	3rd last member of Current Element
END	Next element up in hierarchy
SECT	Section above Current Element
CATE 3	3rd Category

Cursor-picking Identifier (<sgid>)

This command part defines the most general method of identifying an Element. The command is completed by picking an element using the cursor in a graphical view.

Examples


ID @	Lowest level element hit by cursor
ID SBOX @	Box primitive hit by cursor
ID SCOM @	Piping Component hit by cursor