SpoolFab allows for up to 21 user-definable parameters to be stored in a drawing. This is In addition to all the regular parameters like Control No., Spool No., Priority, etc. We refer to these user defined parameters as Extra Drawing Information. Each of these parameters can be up to 40 characters long, and you can arrange for some or all of them to be written to the status table each time a drawing is saved. You can also arrange for the extra parameters to appear on the drawing. But be aware that because of limited space, you cannot expect to put everything on the drawing. Note that even if you arrange for parameters added by this method to be written to the status table, any edits made directly in the status table will not transfer back to the drawing and will be overwritten next time the drawing is saved. To edit these parameters, you must enter them via the drawing and then resave the drawing.

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How to Enter Extra Drawing Information

When you save a drawing by using the Save As dialog, you can access the Extra Drawing Information items via the button as shown. <cf>

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This brings up the Extra Drawing Information dialog as shown: <cf>

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Writing the Information to the Status Table

Given the above, if the fabrication status headers defined in your master files include an entry for “Paint”, this will cause “AAAA” to be written to the Paint column in fabrication status. Similarly, an entry for “Insulation” will cause “BBBBB” to be written to that column as shown below.

Before You Start

Adding extra drawing parameters requires edits to the layout. It is recommended that you first get acquainted with layouts by reviewing Layouts and How To Modify Them.

Worked Example of Adding a User-Defined Parameter

Let us suppose that the layout you are using includes only these two items of Extra Drawing Information, namely Paint and Insulation. You have another parameter called DwgEntry1 that you want to add to the fabrication drawings for a particular job, and you want to enter the information via the drawing rather than via the status table.

Use NotePad to edit the Template.asl as found in the job’s fabrication folder and find the section on Extra Drawing Entry. Because it uses a fixed format, you will need to use a monospaced font such as Courier.

Add the new parameter as shown below.

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Save your edits to Template.asl, get into Fabrication Drawings, and load a drawing. Select File, Save As, then click on Extra Drawing Information. Now you have three Extra Drawing Information parameters which you could edit as shown below.

If you hit OK and save the drawing, the new parameter will appear on the Status Table as shown below.

Adding the New Parameter to the Status Table

If you want the new parameter to be written to the Status Table, it is just a matter of adding it to the list of Status Headers. Select Edit, Master Files, Fabrication Status, and click on Show Unused Rows.

Hit Save & Close, then resave the drawing. Get into fabrication status and scroll to the right to see the custom headers:

Limits

The maximum number of custom headers in the status table is 60.

The maximum number of Extra Drawing Information entries is 21.