Editor for Specification Texts

You can store descriptive texts for Innovator elements as specifications; these can then be used e.g. in model documentation. Types can be configured for texts so they can be categorized.

Prerequisites

If model elements are selected in the interface, you can use the Start>Editing>Specification Text command to open the editor for editing specifications of these model elements.

Structure

All of a model element's specification texts are shown as tabs in a window in the Document area. The text styles shown there are taken from the model configuration.

Creating Specifications

You can edit specification texts if Edit mode is activated for the respective model element.The text editor has the following functions you can run via the context menu or the Text ribbon:

• Format characters

• Format paragraphs

• Insert links

• Insert model references

• Spell checker

• Printing

If a specification text is deleted, it is reset to the configured default setting.

Model References

You can insert a reference for a model element in the specification text by dragging the element from another window, e.g. the model tree or a diagram and dropping it on the text. The text shown is the element's name. This is also maintained in e.g. the Properties areas in the specification text when it is renamed. If the text is open when you are renaming, you may need to reload the text from the server into the interface before you can see the new name.

Placeholders

Specifications can contains placeholders; these are then replaced by actual values when the text is integrated into a documentation upon generation This expansion also occurs if the respective model element is in read-only mode.

Specifications can contain the following placeholders:

• $(model_name) is replaced by the name of the model.

• $(name) is replaced by the name of the element.

• $(creator) is replaced by the user who created the element.

• $(creation_date) is replaced by the date the element was created.

• $(modifier) is replaced by the name of the user who last modified the element.

• $(modification_date) is replaced by the date the element was last modified.

• $(history) is replaced by the usual history entry; this contains information about the date and time of creation and last modifications made by the respective user..

• $l(label) is replaced by the value of the label entered for the element.

• $(label) is replaced by a text which contains all assigned labels with their values in the form name : value.No Labels is generated if no labels are assigned.