PDMS Basics

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Getting Started withPDMSVersion 11.6SP1

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PLEASE NOTE:

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information contained in this document may be subject to change without notice.AVEVA SOLUTIONS MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD TOTHIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIEDWARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULARPURPOSE.

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AVEVA Solutions Ltd, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HB, UK
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Revision History

Date Version Notes

October2003

11.5 New manual at this PDMS version

Sept 2004 11.6 Updated for this release.

June 2005 11.6SP1 Minor corrections and updates.

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Revision History

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Contents

1 The scope of this guide................................................................................1-11.1 What it includes .......................................................................................................... 1-11.2 What it excludes ......................................................................................................... 1-11.3 Who it is meant for......................................................................................................1-1

1.3.1Assumptions......................................................................................................1-2 1.4 How the manual is set out ..........................................................................................1-21.5 Text conventions.........................................................................................................1-22

PDMS functions ............................................................................................2-1

2.1 PDMS and what it can do for you ............................................................................... 2-12.2 Using PDMS in the Plant Design process .................................................................. 2-32.3 PDMS modules...........................................................................................................2-3

2.3.1Design modules.................................................................................................2-32.3.2Drafting modules ............................................................................................... 2-42.3.3Catalogue and specification management modules..........................................2-62.3.4Project administration modules ......................................................................... 2-7

3 Finding out more the user documentation and the online help ............3-13.1 The User Documentation............................................................................................3-1

3.1.1Accessing and using the documentation...........................................................3-13.1.2The content of the documentation.....................................................................3-2

3.2 The online help ........................................................................................................... 3-63.2.1Accessing and using the help............................................................................3-63.2.2The help icons................................................................................................... 3-7

4 The PDMS databases ...................................................................................4-14.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................4-1 4.2 The database types .................................................................................................... 4-1

4.2.1The Project ........................................................................................................ 4-14.2.2DESIGN database.............................................................................................4-24.2.3PADD database.................................................................................................4-24.2.4

ISOD database..................................................................................................4-2

4.2.5CATALOGUE database.....................................................................................4-34.2.6LEXICON database...........................................................................................4-34.2.7PROPERTIES database....................................................................................4-34.2.8SYSTEM database............................................................................................4-34.2.9COMMS database.............................................................................................4-44.2.10 MISC database............................................................................................... 4-44.2.11 TRANSACTION database .............................................................................. 4-4

4.3 PDMS project structure...............................................................................................4-44.3.1Other projects....................................................................................................4-5

4.4 The relationships between databases........................................................................ 4-54.5 Multiple databases (MDBs).........................................................................................4-6

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5 How PDMS data is stored ............................................................................5-15.1 The Design database element types .......................................................................... 5-2

5.1.1WORLD............................................................................................................. 5-25.1.2SITE ..................................................................................................................5-25.1.3ZONE ................................................................................................................ 5-25.1.4EQUIPMENT (EQUI).........................................................................................5-25.1.5SUB-EQUIPMENT (SUBE) ............................................................................... 5-35.1.6PRIMITIVES...................................................................................................... 5-45.1.7STRUCTURES (STRU).....................................................................................5-45.1.8FRAMEWORK (FRMW) ....................................................................................5-45.1.9SUB-FRAMEWORK (SBFR) ............................................................................. 5-55.1.10 STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS..................................................................... 5-55.1.11 PIPE................................................................................................................5-5 5.1.12 BRANCH (BRAN) ...........................................................................................5-65.1.13 PIPING COMPONENTS.................................................................................5-6

5.2 Attributes in PDMS ..................................................................................................... 5-75.2.1NAME................................................................................................................ 5-85.2.2TYPE ................................................................................................................. 5-85.2.3LOCK.................................................................................................................5-8 5.2.4OWNER.............................................................................................................5-8 5.2.5POSITION ......................................................................................................... 5-95.2.6ORIENTATION................................................................................................5-10 5.2.7LEVEL ............................................................................................................. 5-105.2.8OBSTRUCTION .............................................................................................. 5-105.2.9HEIGHT...........................................................................................................5-11 5.2.10 DIAMETER ................................................................................................... 5-11

5.3 UDAs (User Defined Attributes)................................................................................5-116 Using PDMS ..................................................................................................6-16.1 Getting into PDMS......................................................................................................6-1

6.1.1Working in a module..........................................................................................6-26.1.2Changing to another module ............................................................................. 6-2

6.2 Getting out of PDMS...................................................................................................6-36.3 Internationalisation ..................................................................................................... 6-56.4 Customisation facilities; the programmable macro language ..................................... 6-67 Basic GUI features........................................................................................7-17.1 Using the mouse.........................................................................................................7-17.2

Using forms.................................................................................................................7-1

7.2.1Using text boxes................................................................................................7-27.2.2Using drop-down lists ........................................................................................7-2

7.3 Using menus...............................................................................................................7-2Select Position>At>Explicit means: ....................................................................7-27.4 Using the toolbars.......................................................................................................7-37.5 Using the status bar....................................................................................................7-37.6 More on using forms...................................................................................................7-3

7.6.1Using option buttons..........................................................................................7-47.6.2Using check boxes ............................................................................................7-47.6.3Using scrollable lists..........................................................................................7-47.6.4Using action buttons..........................................................................................7-47.7 Responding to alert forms...........................................................................................7-5

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7.8 Dockable Windows, Menu Bars and Tool Bars ..........................................................7-57.9 Using commands........................................................................................................7-5

7.9.1Why use command syntax? .............................................................................. 7-68 Basic operations in PDMS ...........................................................................8-18.1 Querying .....................................................................................................................8-18.2 Current element and current list position....................................................................8-28.3 Navigating to a given element ....................................................................................8-4

8.3.1The Design Explorer..........................................................................................8-48.3.2The Members List..............................................................................................8-58.3.3Other Explorers ................................................................................................. 8-68.3.4My Data ............................................................................................................. 8-6

8.4 Modifying the content of a database...........................................................................8-69 Interfaces to other systems.........................................................................9-19.1 VANTAGE Plant Enginerring (VPE) ........................................................................... 9-1

9.1.1VPE Workbench................................................................................................ 9-19.1.2Introducing the VPE Workbench user interface ................................................ 9-29.1.3VPE P&ID..........................................................................................................9-4

9.2 VANTAGE Plant Resource Management (VPRM) ..................................................... 9-59.2.1VPRM Interfaces ............................................................................................... 9-69.2.2VPRM Facilities ................................................................................................. 9-79.2.3VPRM Architecture............................................................................................9-89.2.4Introducing the VPRM user interface ................................................................ 9-8

9.3 VPE and VPRM Interfaces - Summary.......................................................................9-99.4 VANTAGE Plant Design Model Management ..........................................................9-10

9.4.1The Model Management System core facilities...............................................9-119.4.2Introducing the Model Management System GUI............................................9-119.5 VANTAGE Enterprise NET (VNET) .......................................................................... 9-12

9.6 VANTAGE Plant Design Global................................................................................9-129.6.1The Transaction database...............................................................................9-13

9.7 VANTAGE Plant Design Review .............................................................................. 9-139.8 The Data Exchange Interfaces ................................................................................. 9-14

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1 The scope of this guide

1.1 What it includes

This manual is designed to introduce you to PDMS as a system and how it fits intoAVEVAs VANTAGE product family. The manual gives an introduction to what PDMSdoes and how it does it, including introductions to:

the PDMS modules and what they do the PDMS databases the PDMS user interface

More detailed information, particularly on the PDMS modules and the databases theyuse, can be found elsewhere in the PDMS user documentation set. See Chapter 3.

1.2 What it excludes

This manual does not include information about:

Facilities which are related to the computer operating system from which PDMSis entered. For information about these, see your computer operating systemmanuals or ask your system administrator.

Facilities which apply only to a small proportion of PDMS modules. Forinformation about these, see the user documentation or online help for therelevant modules.

Detailedinformation on any of the PDMS modules or databases Facilities needed to create macros and use the Programmable Macro Language

(PML) to create intelligent macros, new interfaces etc. Youll find information onthese topics in the VANTAGE Plant Design Software Customisation User Guide

and Software Customisation Reference Manual.

1.3 Who it is meant for

The manual is written for a new user who is:

coming to a 3D Plant Design Management System (i.e. PDMS) for the first timeor

migrating from a similar 3D system

Both types of user will probably, but not necessarily, have attended a PDMS BasicTraining course.

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The scope of this guide

Typewriter text output to the screen, including text that you enter yourselfusing the keyboard. Also for text within a form

Note that this manual may refer to the PDMS online help, but it will not always providefull details of menus and forms associated with specific help topics. For this informationsee the relevant online help. Direct references may be made to topics within the onlinehelp, the following device being used to indicate such references:

: The Current Session Units form



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The scope of this guide

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2 PDMS functions

PDMS is part of AVEVAs VANTAGE suite of Plant Design products. PDMS can interactwith the other two principal members of the VANTAGE suite, VANTAGE PlantEngineering (VPE) and VANTAGE Project Resource Management (VPRM) (see Chapter9). Chapter 6 introduces the principles of using PDMS.

2.1 PDMS and what it can do for you

PDMS (the lant esign anagement ystem) enables you to design a 3D computermodel of a process plant. PDMS allows you to see a full colourshaded representation ofthe plant model as your design progresses, adding an extremely impressive level ofrealism to traditional drawing office techniques.

In the model you can store huge amounts of data referring to position, size, partnumbers and geometric relationships for the various parts of the plant. This modelbecomes a single source of engineering data for all of the sections and disciplinesinvolved in a design project.

All this information is stored in . There are many different output channels

from the databases through which information can be passed on. These range fromreports on data stored in the databases, fully annotated and dimensioned engineeringdrawings, to full colourshaded 3D walkthrough capabilities which allow you tovisualise the complete design model.

Different types of output from PDMS



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PDMS functions

Even with the advanced features of PDMS, the main form of communication betweenthe plant designer and the fabricator remains the . Without engineering

drawings the task of building a plant would be almost impossible. To meet thisrequirement, PDMS can produce numerous types of drawing, ranging from complex 3Dillustrations to fully annotated and dimensioned arrangement drawings and pipingisometrics.

All the data in a PDMS design would be of little value without the ability to ensure theof the design information. PDMS contributes to the quality of the design in the

following ways:

Ensures consistent and reliable component dataIn a design environment which uses only 2D drawing techniques, the size of eachfitting must be decided before it can be drawn. This is a time-consuming and

error-prone process, where often the design errors are only found during theerection stage of the project. With PDMS, all piping component sizes andgeometry are predefined and stored in a , which cannot be changed bythe designer. This ensures that all items are true to size and are consistentthroughout the design, no matter how many users there are on the project.

Adheres to definable engineering specificationsPiping specifications and steelwork catalogues, stating precisely the componentsto be used, are compiled for the purpose of ensuring consistent, safe and economicdesign. Design applications for Piping, Hangers and Supports, HVAC, Cabletrays and Steelwork all use specifications to assist component selection.

Ensures correct geometry and connectivityThere are many different ways of making design errors, such as incorrect fittinglengths, incompatible flange ratings, or simple alignment errors. PDMS cancheck all of these using data consistency procedures built into the system tocheck all or individual parts of the design model.

Avoids component interferencesDespite a wealth of skill and experience in plant design, traditional drawingoffice techniques are still subject to human error. Laying out complex pipe runsand general arrangements in confined areas using conventional 2D methods,inevitably leads to clashes between elements, which are trying to share the samephysical space. PDMS enables you to avoid such problems in two ways:

1. By viewing the design interactively during the design process, allowingvisual checks on the model from different viewpoints. Potential problems canthus be resolved as they arise.

2. By using the powerful clash checking facility within PDMS, which will detectclashes anywhere in the plant. This can be done interactively orretrospectively.

Annotation and dimensions obtained directly from the design databaseExtracted information from the PDMS database, such as arrangement drawings,piping isometrics and reports, will always be the latest available as it is storedonly in one source. Through the course of a project, information is constantly



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PDMS functions

changing and drawings need to be reissued. When this happens, drawings,reports etc can be updated and reissued with the minimum of effort.

2.2 Using PDMS in the Plant Design process

The sequence of operations (greatly simplified) in a new plant design project would be:

Create the project and set up administrative controls (using the PDMS Adminmodule).

Create the Catalogue and Specification data from which standard designComponents can be selected (using the Paragon and Specon modules).

Design the various parts of the plant, referencing items from the catalogues

(using the Design module). Check the design for errors and inconsistencies (Design). Document the design in the form of drawings (general arrangement,

construction, assembly, and isometric), reports and material lists (Draft andIsodraft modules).

You may also wish to transfer design data to or from other systems at various stages.

2.3 PDMS modules

PDMS is split into a number of which are used at different stages in the plantdesign process. Chapter 3 contains details of the PDMS , whichdescribes the PDMS modules and how to use them.

2.3.1 Design modules

Design

Design is the main, graphically driven constructor module within PDMS. Design enablesa full sized three-dimensional plant model to be defined in the Design database, withselected views of the current state of the design shown on the graphics screen as thedesign progresses.

All parts of the design (including equipment, and piping and structural steelworklayouts) can be created. Component selection is provided through Specifications thatdictate which Catalogue Components can be used. Each part of the design model can bedisplayed in colour-shaded solid colour-coded representations for ease of interpretation.

Design can check for interferences (clashes) between items created in the design. Thereis a very flexible reporting capability that can be used to produce a wide variety ofdesign documents - from bulk Material Take Off to detailed nozzle schedules.

Piping isometrics can be previewed in Design (without having to switch to the Isometricgeneration module, Isodraft).



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PDMS functions

A typical Draft annotated and dimensioned drawing

Isodraft

Isodraft produces automatically annotated and dimensioned piping isometric drawings,with associated material lists, of specified sections of the plant pipework. The contentand style of the drawings can be chosen to suit the needs of pipe fabricators and/orerectors and can include a wide range of optional features to suit local requirements.

Other facilities include:

Full material lists. Automatic spool identification. Automatic splitting of complex drawings. User-defined drawing sheets.



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PDMS functions

A typical Isodraft piping isometric

2.3.3 Catalogue and specification management modules

Paragon

Used to generate and modify , with facilities for catalogue componentconstruction with visual control (including 3D colour-shaded representations of the itembeing designed). The catalogues in PDMS serve a similar purpose to the manufacturerscatalogues, which you would refer to when using conventional design methods. The

PDMS component catalogue is used to specify the geometry, connection information,obstruction and detailing data of steelwork, piping, and HVAC and cable traycomponents.

It should be noted that, where the design data is specific to a particular design,catalogues and specifications may be specific to a company but general to a number ofprojects in that company. For example, the same catalogue component may also appearin other designs proceeding at the same time.



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PDMS functions

A typical Paragon catalogue component display

Specon

Used to create or modify the component specifications within the catalogue database.Specifications define the suitability of catalogue components for particular types of use.

Propcon

Used to create or modify the , which holds details of those propertiesof the components and materials which may be needed for stress analysis or safetyauditing of all or part of a design.

2.3.4 Project administration modules

Admin

Large plants designed using PDMS will usually be broken down into individual areas(either physical areas or design areas), depending on the physical size, complexity andconfiguration of the plant. On a large Project, the System Administrator will first agreewith Project and Design Management, the breakdown of the PDMS Project into sectionswhich:

Are relevant to the needs of project reporting and control. Form reasonable design subdivisions with sensible match-lines and design

content. Enable enough designers to work in parallel with simultaneous access to carry

out their design tasks.



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PDMS functions

In much the same way as in a design office (with its section leader, draughts people,etc.), PDMS has , the members of which are called . These can

consist of any number of and can be organised by discipline or physical workareas.

The main features are:

Access Control (Teams and Users) Databases Multiple Databases (MDBs) Database management functionality

Admin includes a database integrity checking utility, used to check for inconsistencies inthe contents of the databases and to derive statistical information about the use of thedatabase storage capacity.

Admin also allows the System Administrator to a project. This may benecessary:

to compact databases at intervals, freeing disk space to upgrade PDMS projects when the database structure changes to compare the contents of two similar databases; for example, to create a

modification record

Lexicon

Used by the System Administrator to set up . Attributes definedin this way are held in a Lexicon (or ) database and may then be assigned to

elements in other databases as required. UDAs allow additional information to be storedin the databases and extracted into drawings and reports.



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3 Finding out more the userdocumentation and the online help

PDMS comes with an extensive set of user documents and online help files. This chapterexplains how to access these resources and how to make the best use of them.

3.1 The User Documentation

3.1.1 Accessing and using the documentation

The user documentation is provided as a set of Acrobat .pdf files on the PDMS productCD. After installing PDMS, the user documentation may be found at (for example)C:\AVEVA\Pdms11.6\manuals\pdms116. This folder will contain a .pdf file callediindex.pdf, which is a contents list for the documentation set.

Provided you have the Acrobat Reader correctly installed on your workstation, double-

clicking on the will give a display something like:

Using the mouse to point at one of the documents in the list and clicking the left-handmouse button will display the selected document in the Acrobat Readerwindow. Fromhere it can be read on-screen, printed and searched through using the Acrobat Reader

facilities.



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Finding out more the user documentation and the online help

Title Description

Draft AdministratorApplication User Guide Describes how to set up the Libraries used by the PDMSDraft applications. For System Administrators.

AutoDRAFT UserGuide

Describes how to use the AutoDRAFT AutoCADapplication in conjunction with drawings produced byPDMS Draft and Isodraft.

Draft User GuideThe definitive Draft reference manual; mainly commandsyntax but with many illustrated examples; useful for thosewishing to customise the interface or write macros.

Drawing ProductionUsing PDMS

Tells you how to use PDMS to create 2D drawings; includesa hands-on tutorial exercise.

Isodraft User GuideIntroduces Isodraft, PDMSs isometric plotting facility.Explains the concepts underlying Isodraft and describeshow to tailor the options to meet your own requirements.

Isodraft ReferenceManual

Describes the command syntax available to control theproduction of isometric drawings; useful for those wishingto customise the interface or write macros. Also shows thedefault symbol keys (SKEYs) that are used to plot thedrawings, and gives examples of plotfiles.

Aimed at experienced PDMS users and systemadministrators.

Paragon ReferenceManual

Describes the command syntax available for designingcatalogue components; useful for those wishing tocustomise the interface or write macros.

Plant DesignConventions forCatalogues andSpecifications

Describes the conventions to be adhered to whenconstructing PDMS Catalogues and Specifications, if datainconsistencies within a project are to be avoided. Intendedfor specialists who are responsible for building up andmaintaining the standard Catalogue databases within aPDMS project team.

Admin CommandReference Manual

Describes the PDMS Admin commands for Standard (non-Global) and Global projects. Written for SystemAdministrators who are already experienced Admin usersand who wish to write macros or use command input ratherthan the GUI.

Admin User GuideDescribes how (using the GUI) to set up and administerPDMS projects. Written for System Administrators.

SAINT ReferenceManual

Describes, the PDMS Structural Analysis Interface module,an interface to the GTSTRUDL and STAAD-III packages,used for the stress analysis of structural steelwork.

Access Stairs and Tells you how to add access features to structural steelwork



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Title Description

Ladders User Guide created using PDMS; includes a hands-on tutorial exercise.

Data Access RoutinesUser Guide

Describes the use of a set of FORTRAN 77 subroutineswhich may be incorporated into user-written software forthe purposes of navigating and manipulating the data heldwithin a PDMS project. Can be used for the creation ofinterfaces to other software packages, e.g. material take-off, pipe stress, isometrics, etc.

Plot User Guide

Explains how to use the Plot stand-alone graphical plottingutility to interpret plotfiles in a range of pseudo-codeformats, as produced by a number of AVEVA (and thirdparty) programs.

Data Checker UtilityUser Guide

Describes how to allow data consistency checking softwarewritten in AVEVAs Programmable Macro Language (PML)to be added to PDMS Design.

Pipework SpoolingUsing PDMS

Tells you how to use PDMS to produce Pipework Spoolsfrom existing Pipework data; includes a hands-on tutorialexercise.

Introduction to PDMSDesign Templates

Tells you how to use the facilities provided in PDMS for thecreation of Design Templates; includes a hands-on tutorialexercise.

Design Graphical ModelManipulation UserGuide

Introduces the graphical facilities available in both theModel Editor 3D View and the Model Editor itself.

Design ReferenceManual Part 1

Describes general Design commands, which are used, forexample, for setting up the display, and querying andnavigating around the Design database. Useful for thosewho wish to write macros or use command input ratherthan the GUI.


Describes the commands for creating database elementsand setting their attributes.


Contains details of all the elements which can be created inthe Design database, their position in the databasehierarchy and their attributes.


Describes the Design Utilities for data consistency checkingand clash detection, and for exporting Design data toprograms such as Review.

Industrial BuildingDesign Using PDMS

Tells you how to use PDMS to carry out the design anddocumentation of interconnected walls and floors; includesa hands-on tutorial exercise.

Propcon Reference Describes the commands for creating and editing the



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Title Description

Manual Properties database.

Specon ReferenceManual

Describes the commands for creating used to create ormodify Specification (SPEC) elements in CatalogueDatabase.

Lexicon ReferenceManual

Describes how to create user-defined attributes (UDAs) foruse in the Design, Draft and Catalogue databases.

Plant Design SoftwareCustomisation Guide

Describes how to use PML, AVEVAs Programmable MacroLanguage. Should be used together with the Plant DesignSoftware Customisation Reference Manual.

Plant Design Software

CustomisationReference Manual

The Reference Manual for PML; intended for users who arealready familiar with PML.



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3.2 The online help

The online help exists to provide you with assistance with a particular feature of PDMSas you are using that feature, down to form level. (See Chapter 7 for more details offorms and menus.) The online help does not attempt to provide a structured narrative,although much reference material does exist within the help.

3.2.1 Accessing and using the help

Online help exists for all PDMS modules with a graphical user interface, namely Admin,Design, Draft, Isodraft, Monitor, Paragon and Spooler.

Most bar menus end with a Help option, which gives you the following choices from itssubmenu:

Help>Contents

This displays the Help window with the Contents tab at the front, so that you can findthe required topic from the hierarchical contents list.

Help>Index

This displays the Help window with the Index tab at the front, so that you can find alltopics relevant to a selected keyword.

Help>Search



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This displays the Help window with the Search tab at the front, so that you can searchfor instances of a keyword across all the help topics.

Help>About

This displays information about the current operating system on your computer andabout the versions of PDMS and its applications to which you have access.

Pressing theF1 key at any time will display the help topic for the currently activewindow.

The help attempts to provide you with information in a variety of ways:

How to help. Pick from a list of how tos. The how to will jump to a sequence ofsteps telling you how to perform the task you have selected.

Context-sensitive help. Provides help specific to the form you are using.

Index search. Finds all topics relevant to a selected keyword. Keyword search. Finds all topics which contain a user-specified word or phrase.

3.2.2 The help icons

not all of the icons listed below will necessarily appear in all PDMS helps

The symbol indicates a book with own content. This book does not containany help topics, but double-clicking the icon will bring up the content of the

book. The symbol indicates a book with own content andtopics. Double-clicking

the icon will bring up the content of the book and a list of the help topics(and/or other books) contained within that book.

The symbol is a normal book. Double-clicking the icon will bring a list ofthe help topics (and/or other books) contained within the book.

The symbol indicates an ordered steps topic (typically a How to topic). The symbol indicates a reference topic giving supplementary information. The symbol indicates an ordinary help topic.



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4 The PDMS databases

4.1 Introduction

The overall purpose of PDMS is the controlled creation of a complete threedimensionalprocess plant design model using computersimulation techniques. All informationwhich exists about a PDMS design project, whether administrative or technical, is

stored in a series of hierarchical . Use of the various PDMS modules allowsyou to create, modify and extract information from these databases.

This chapter describes

The purpose of each type of database How the detailed project information is held in each How the separate databases are related to each other

4.2 The database types

4.2.1 The Project

A PDMS consists of the complete collection of information which relates to asingle design project. This is identified by a three-character name, allocated by theProject Administrator when the project is first initiated. This name is used to identifythe project to the system whenever you wish to work in the project using PDMS. Thisallows access rights and use of system resources to be monitored and controlled. Forfurther details of these functions, see the VANTAGE PDMS Adminand MonitorReference Manuals.

There are 10 different types of database which can go to make up a complete Project:

Design and Drawing Databases:

DESIGN database PADD database ISOD database

Reference Databases:

CATALOGUE database DICTIONARY database PROPERTIES database

Administration Databases:



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SYSTEM database COMMS database

MISC database TRANSACTION database

(See section 4.4 for more background information on Reference databases)

Each PDMS module requires access to one or more specific database types, and entry tothe module may be prevented if appropriate databases do not exist or if you dont havethe appropriate . New databases can only be created by the ProjectAdministrator; see the PDMS Admin Reference Manualfor details.

The functions of each type of database are summarised in the following subsections.

4.2.2 DESIGN databaseThe Design databases contain all information needed to create a full-scale three-dimensional representation of the plant.

Each user is normally allowed to modify the Design databases which relate to hisfunction in the plant design team, and will often have permission to look at other Designdatabases so that his work is compatible with that of other designers.

Typical design functions, each of which may use a different Design database, include:

Equipment design (process vessels, storage vessels, pumps, heat exchangers etc.) Pipework design (the interconnecting pipes between the various equipment

items) Structural design (the columns, beams, walls, stairways etc. which support and

give access to the operational equipment and pipework) Hangers and Supports (specialised pipe support structures)

The compositions of the principal types of Design database are described in the PDMSDesign Reference Manual, Part 3.

4.2.3 PADD database

(PADD is an acronym for Production of Annotated and Dimensioned Drawings)

This type of database holds data about both the pictorial content of drawings and abouttheir annotation and dimensional information. It therefore holds a completespecification of the contents of a drawing. Its use is specific to the interactive drawingmodule .

For further information, see the PDMS Draft User Guide, Part 1.

4.2.4 ISOD database

The ISOD database holds pipework spool drawings generated by the module.See Pipework Spooling Using PDMSfor more details of Spooler.



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4.2.5 CATALOGUE database

This contains a catalogue of the standard components which you may select whendesigning pipework, ducting, hangers and supports or structural steelwork. It includes:

Dimensional details for each component Details of permissible connections between different components and of the bolts

needed to assemble flanged components Specifications of the components, which define the conditions of use for each type

(maximum pressure, temperature etc.)

A Catalogue database may contain a single universal catalogue, but it will morecommonly contain a general catalogue plus one or more specialised catalogues specific toparticular design functions.

4.2.6 LEXICON database

The Lexicon (or ) database is a projectspecific database which is used to holdthe definitions of user-defined attributes (UDAs). The UDAs are used to hold anyinformation, not allowed for by the standard attributes, about elements which arethemselves part of either a Design, Catalogue or Draft database.

For further information, see the PDMS Lexicon Reference Manual.

4.2.7 PROPERTIES database

This is available for storing data about material properties, which may be needed tosupplement Catalogue and Specification data for some design functions such as stressanalysis. Its use is specialised and will not be described further in this manual.

For further information, see the PDMS Propcon Reference Manual.

4.2.8 SYSTEM database

There is one, and only one, System database in each Project Folder. It holdsadministrative information about the composition and use of the project, including the

following: A list of databases of all categories which are usable in the project A list of all users, identified by name and password, who can legally access the

databases, and the operating Team(s) to which they are assigned A list of PDMS modules available for use in the project Access control data, which defines those databases which are accessible to any

specific user and whether he may modify them or only look at them



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The PDMS databases

4.2.9 COMMS database

The COMMS database stores the information about who is using which module andwhich databases are current. Each user has a separate area of the COMMS database,which can be accessed in write mode, and so can record module changes etc. Each userhas read access to the other users areas, and so can find out about other users in theproject.

4.2.10 MISC database

The MISC database is used to store inter-user messages, and inter-database macros.This database can only be opened in write mode by one user at a time, but many userscan read from it. All users need to be able to write to this database, but only when theyare sending messages or writing inter-database macros, or deleting messages andmacros. All users can read from the database at any time.

4.2.11 TRANSACTION database

To enable the System Administrator to monitor the progress of commands,PDMS Global stores details of issued commands in a TRANSACTION database.Transaction messages are generated in the database each time the progress of thecommand changes.

Transaction databases are only present when PDMS incorporates the product.

See Chapter 9 and the PDMS Admin Reference Manualfor details of Global.

4.3 PDMS project structure

A project is identified by a 3-character name. For example, the sample project suppliedwith PDMS is project SAM. The structure of the project folder is shown below:

4-1 Project SAM structure

sam000 The project directory. The files under sam000 are:

samsys The SYSTEM database.

samcom The COMMS database.

sammis The MISC database.



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samnnnn_sammmmm Database files which contain the actual model data. nnnnhas a maximum value of 8188.

samiso The directory which stores files needed by Isodraft.

sampic The directory which stores picture files produced by Draft.

sammac The directory which stores .

DFLTS The PDMS defaults directory.

4.3.1 Other projects

Besides SAM, your PDMS install CD will include the MAS and IMP projects:

MAS (Master) provides the sample project data in read-only databases. This datashould not be deleted or changed in any way, or the rest of the sample project willbecome unusable.

IMP is an (empty) project set to use Imperial units4.4 The relationships between databases

Although each type of database contains its own specific type of data, some of the dataitems in one database are derived from to data items in otherdatabases. It is therefore sensible, and sometimes essential, to build up the varioustypes of database in a logical order.

In particular you should note the following points:

A SYSTEM database must exist before you can access any other type of databasein which you wish to work. It is created (using the MAKE macro) when a newproject is set up; all other types of database are created using the ADMINmodule. See theADMIN Reference Manualfor further details.

DESIGN databases, particularly those containing piping or structural steelworkdesign data, derive information about the individual design components from theCATALOGUE databases. This information includes dimensional data,specifications for use, and connectivity data. A CATALOGUE database musttherefore be built up beforeyou try to work in a DESIGN database.

PROPERTIES databases, if used, are referenced by CATALOGUE and DESIGNdatabases.

PADD databases normally incorporate references to parts of the design model,for graphical representation, as well as selfcontained information for drawingannotation and administration. A DESIGN database, and hence a CATALOGUEdatabase, should therefore exist beforeyou try to work in a PADD database.

LEXICON (DICTIONARY) databases hold definitions which are referenced fromDESIGN, CATALOGUE or PADD databases.

Generally multi-discipline projects are executed using discipline-specific designers whowill use specific applications in PDMS to construct the model components for theirdiscipline. A project, therefore, may consist of a number of Design databases for eachdiscipline.



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The PDMS databases

When constructing the model, references are made to catalogue, property and user-defined attribute data that are held in different types of databases. As this data is

common to all users of each discipline, each user will refer to a common set of data forthe project. These databases are collectively known as databases.

In order that each user can see the required design components modelled by other usersand refer to the common catalogue, property and user defined attribute data, the Designand Reference databases are grouped together into a , or MDB. Seesection 4.5 for more details of Multiple Databases.

The cross-references that exist between the various types of database (excluding theadministration databases) are illustrated in Figure 4-2.

PROPERTIES DB

CATALOGUE DB

DESIGN DB

PADD DB

DICTIONARY

DB

ISOD DB

Relationships between the database types

4.5 Multiple databases (MDBs)

When a PDMS project is set up by the Project Administrator, groups of databases aredefined for particular purposes. For example, the members of any design team will needaccess to those databases containing the parts of the design data for which that team isresponsible plus some of the Catalogue and Drawing databases. Such a group ofdatabases is known as a or . There would usually be severalMDBs for a project, each defining specific groups of databases, for users with different

tasks to perform.



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The PDMS databases

The way in which an MDB is set up, in terms of its constituent databases and accessrights, is described in the PDMSADMIN Reference Manual.

Although an MDB may contain up to 1000 databases, only 300 of these may be accessedat any one time. These accessible databases are known as the databases; allothers within that MDB are said to be non-current or . Databases may betransferred between current and deferred status at any time.

Many users can access the same MDB, but in most situations it is recommended thatthere is one MDB per user. This allows the database with write access to be placed atthe start of the MDB. This is essential if new data is to be added to an empty database.An alternative approach is to have a single MDB for many users, and then use theMonitor module to move the required database to the front of the list.



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The PDMS databases



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5 How PDMS data is stored

Despite the huge power and potential of PDMS, the database is structured in a verysimple and logical form. The database is , a tree like structure, as illustratedbelow.

the hierarchy below illustrates the (simplified) Design database hierarchy, butthe Catalogue, PADD, ISOD, Lexicon and Properties databases also have ahierarchical structure.

The PDMS Design database hierarchy

In this hierarchical structure all the database are by other elements,with the exception of the WORLD. Elements that are owned by another element, e.g. aZONE is owned by a SITE, are said to be of the owning element, e.g. TheZONE is a member of the SITE.



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How PDMS data is stored

5.1 The Design database element types

5.1.1 WORLD

When the database is first built, it is empty except for a single element named the. Every database has its own WORLD element as the first element in the

hierarchy.

5.1.2 SITE

Below the WORLD, the second level of the hierarchy is the SITE. A SITE may be

considered as a significant collection of plant, whose size is not necessarily determinedby physical area, but by practical considerations. It may, for example be the wholeProject, or one part of a large Project. There can be as many SITEs within a PDMSproject as required for data organisation.

5.1.3 ZONE

The next level below a SITE is a ZONE. Again, a ZONE is not necessarily used to definea physical area, it is more likely to store similar types of item for easy reference, such asa piping system in one ZONE, related equipment in another, and so on. There can be asmany ZONEs owned by a site as required for data organisation.

SITE and ZONE elements are common to all disciplines. Below ZONE level thehierarchy is discipline dependent, i.e. the elements depend on which discipline you aremodelling.

5.1.4 EQUIPMENT (EQUI)

Equipment items are built up in PDMS using elements known as . Each pieceof Equipment can comprise any number of positioned to form the item.The primitives may be owned directly by the EQUI element or by a Sub-Equipmentelement. An Equipment would typically be a Pump, or a Vessel. The Box and Cylinder

primitives are clearly visible in the Pump Equipment shown in Figure 5-2.



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A Pump EQUI element

5.1.5 SUB-EQUIPMENT (SUBE)

A SUBE is an optional element to further sub-divide an EQUI. The SUBE can also ownprimitive elements.

A Vessel EQUI, with a SUBE



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5.1.6 PRIMITIVES

Primitives are the basic building blocks of PDMS. They are used by other disciplines tocreate catalogue components. There are many types of primitive, each with its ownfeatures, which when combined with other primitives can represent complex shapes.Examples of primitives are nozzle (NOZZ), box (BOX), cylinders (CYLI) and pyramids(PYRA).

5.1.7 STRUCTURES (STRU)

STRU elements are administrative elements, i.e. they exist to own FRAMEWORKelements, and allow the plant structures to be separated for ease of modelling andreporting.

5.1.8 FRAMEWORK (FRMW)

FRMW elements are used to store structural components in the model. A complexstructure can be divided into logical frameworks. Dividing the structure in this wayallows structural modelling, and also reporting, to be done more efficiently, e.g. bycopying a complete FRMW. Structural components may also be owned by a Sub-Framework element.

A pipe rack FRMW element



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5.1.9 SUB-FRAMEWORK (SBFR)

A SBFR is an optional element that can own structural components. Subframeworks areused to further sub-divide complex projects or for modelling sub-assemblies within aframework.

5.1.10 STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

Structural profiles are represented in PDMS by section (SCTN) elements. I-sectionprofile sizes are selected using a that references standard

data for section sizes complying with various national standards. Plates arerepresented by panel (PANE) elements and curved profiles are modelled using a generalsection (GENSEC) component.

5.1.11 PIPE

Pipes may be considered like lines on a flowsheet. They may run between several endconnection points and are usually grouped by a common specification and process.

A Pipe element, showing Branches



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5.1.12 BRANCH (BRAN)

Branch elements are sections of a pipe, which have known start and finish points. InPDMS the start and finish points are called the and . Heads and tails may beconnected to nozzles, tees or other Heads and tails, depending on the configuration ofthe pipe, or left open ended.

5.1.13 PIPING COMPONENTS

A BRAN can own a wide variety of components such as gaskets (GASK), flanges (FLAN),tees (TEE), valves (VALV), elbows (ELBO), etc. These form the shape and geometry ofthe BRAN and ultimately the pipeline itself.

Piping components are selected using that reference standardcatalogue data. For example, each time you want to use a 100mm bore elbow, PDMSalways accesses the data for it from the component catalogue. The data for this remainsconstant no matter how many 100mm bore elbows are used in the design.

A selection of piping components



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5.2 Attributes in PDMS

Every element in a PDMS database has a fixed set of properties known as its Some attributes are common throughout the range of elements while others differaccording to the type of element involved. For example, a cylinder (CYLI) has Heightand Diameter attributes whilst the size of a box (BOX) is determined by Xlength,Ylength and Zlength attributes, as illustrated below:

Cylinder and Box attributes

When you create an element, a set of appropriate attributes are entered into thedatabase. The attributes will vary according to the type of element but essentially the

process is the same. For example, a cylinder has the following attributes:

Attribute Default Value

Name Name if specified or hierarchy description

Type CYLI

Lock false (the element is not locked)

Owner the name of the owning element or its hierarchy description

Position N 0mm E 0mm U 0mm (relative to its owner)

Orientation Y is N and Z is U (relative to its owner)



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Attribute Default Value

Level 0 10 (this is a representation level setting)Obstruction 2 (it is a solid hard element for clashing purposes)

Diameter 0 mm

Height 0 mm

These are all of the attributes of a cylinder, and all cylinders in the database will haveprecisely the same number of attributes.

5.2.1 NAME

Every element in PDMS can be named. Whether named or not every element will have aunique system-generated . If a name is not specified, then a hierarchydescription will be displayed in the or (see section 8.3).Internally PDMS uses the reference number since this cannot change. A table of namesagainst reference numbers is maintained for this purpose.

All PDMS names begin with a forward slash character ( ), which is considered to be partof the name. In order to save you the effort of typing this, all of the forms you encounterwill add the forward slash for you when you press the Enter key after typing a name.The forward slash character is not shown in the Design Explorer or Members List. TheWORLD has a special name in PDMS,

Names cannot contain spaces and are case sensitive. For example, /E1302A is a differentname from /E1302a or /e1302A. Elements in a PDMS database are unique, i.e. theycannot have the same name or reference number.

5.2.2 TYPE

This attribute refers to the specific type of element it is, e.g. EQUI is an Equipmenttype.

5.2.3 LOCK

The LOCK attribute determines if an element may be changed or not. If an element islocked, its LOCK attribute is set to the value TRUE, preventing it from being modifieduntil unlocked. By default, LOCK is false.

5.2.4 OWNER

The different levels in the hierarchy are maintained by an Owner-Member relationship.An EQUI will have ZONE as its owner, while a CYLI might well be one of the EQUIsmembers. The owner is that element which is directly related to the current element atthe next level up in the hierarchy, as shown in the diagram below:



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A simple ownership structure

The element on the upper level is the Owner of those elements directly below it, e.g. theequipment (EQUI) owns the primitive (CYLI). The lower level elements are Members ofthe owning element, e.g. the EQUI is a member of the ZONE.

5.2.5 POSITION

Many items in a database have a POSITION attribute which is the position of theelement in relation to its owner. All primitives have a position attribute which relates toits point of origin. As each primitive has a different Point of Origin changing the positionattribute will have the effect of moving the cylinder to some other position with its pointof origin positioned on the new co-ordinates.



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Point of Origin of a CYLI

5.2.6 ORIENTATION

By default, a cylinder is created in a vertical direction; that is, with one of its ends facingup. The orientation attribute allows this to be changed to any angle on any axis.

5.2.7 LEVEL

PDMS can produce different of an item, depending on how it has beenmodelled and the representation levels used. The default level is 0 to 10 but levels canbe set beyond this range if needed.

For example, steelwork profiles can be represented by centreline (stick representation)only or by the full detail of the section profile. By manipulating level settings it is,therefore, possible to have simple or complex representation of elements for Design

display or Draft drawings.

5.2.8 OBSTRUCTION

The OBSTRUCTION attribute is used to declare whether an element is solid or not.Obstructions can be declared as Hard, Soft or No Obstruction, depending on the value ofthe OBSTRUCTION attribute. The default value of 2 results in a Hard obstruction, 1results in a Soft obstruction (used for walkways, maintenance access etc.) and 0 is for NoObstruction (used to save computing time when elements are enclosed in anotherelement which acts as an overall obstruction).



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5.2.9 HEIGHT

The height of the cylinder.

5.2.10 DIAMETER

The diameter of the cylinder.

5.3 UDAs (User Defined Attributes)

This type of attribute is defined and assigned to elements using the Lexicon module by

the System or Project Administrator. A is just like any other attribute but may bespecific to the company or the particular project. The setting of the UDA is up to theuser, although it may have been set to a default value. Changing this is the same aswith all other attributes. Their current values may be found by querying the itemsattributes. A UDA can be recognised by the colon placed in front of it:

(User Defined Attribute)

(Normal Attribute)



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6 Using PDMS

6.1 Getting into PDMS

Assuming PDMS has been correctly installed on your workstation, start PDMS byselecting (for example) Start>Programs>AVEVA>VANTAGE PDMS 11.6>Run PDMS; twocommand windows and a splashscreen will appear briefly. The VANTAGE PDMS Login

form that appears requires you to specify a number of details at the outset of yoursession.

To enter PDMS, you must first click on the PDMS Login form to make it active.

Project is the project you will be working on (for example, SAM). Type in, or selectfrom the pull-down list, pressing Enter in each case.

Username will have been allocated to you by your System Administrator. Type in, or

select from the pull-down list, pressing Enter in each case.Password will have been allocated to you by your System Administrator; type in.

MDB is the multiple database within the given Project that you wish to use. Typein, or select from the pull-down list, pressing Enter in each case. Make surethat you leave the Read Only box unchecked if you wish to modify thedatabase as you work.

Module is the PDMS module that you wish to use. Type in, or select from the pull-down list, pressing Enter in each case.



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Use Load from to specify which setup files to load at startup. You can choose either theapplication default settings (Load from Macro Files) or a customised

setup saved during an earlier session (Load from Binary Files).

The example below shows that user STRUC has entered PDMS to access MDB STRUCfrom the Design module, loading the initial setup from in-built macro files.

Click on the button to enter the Design module.

6.1.1 Working in a module

Once you have entered a module you can carry out any valid operations (normallyreading, adding to or modifying the data stored in the current databases; see Chapter 8)by using the GUI (see Chapter 7) or by using the command syntax for that module asdescribed in the relevant Reference Manual.

You can usually change the databases to which the module has access from within themodule. You can transfer data from PDMS to parts of your computer network which arenot part of the PDMS database, such as external files or hardware devices, and you canalso give non-PDMS commands directly the computer operating system, as described insection 7.9.

You can update your writeable databases at any time, so as to reflect any designchanges youve made while working in the current module.

6.1.2 Changing to another module

Each PDMS module has a Modules submenu enabling you to switch to any othermodule to which you have access rights. For example, for the Design module:



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An will be displayed asking you whether you wish to save the changes you

have made in the current module before entering another one.

6.2 Getting out of PDMS

You will normally leave PDMS directly from the application module in which you areworking. You may either save all work done in the current module before leaving or youmay quit directly without updating any databases.

All the modules have an Exit menu selection; the one shown below being for Design:



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Using PDMS

If you have made changes prior to selecting Exit (and if you have not carried out aSAVEWORK operation), you will be asked if you first wish to save your changes to theappropriate database:

Clicking YES at this point would be the equivalent of doing a SAVEWORK (and then aQUIT). If you have done a SAVEWORK (and made no subsequent changes), or if youhave made no changes at all during your Design session, then Exit will display amessage which merely asks you to confirm that you wish to leave Design:

In every case, when you leave PDMS you will be returned to the operating system at thepoint from which you entered PDMS.



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6.3 Internationalisation

Microsoft produces many localised variants of Windows. VANTAGE products aredesigned to work in English on all of these, though they do not currently support the useof all the local languages. At the time of writing, AVEVA provides limited facilities thatvary somewhat between products.

Users of PDMS need to enter data (text and names) using their local language andoutput the same onto deliverables such as drawings, reports etc. In some cases, there isalso a need to localise or translate the user interface. The same data are also required inother products such as VANTAGE Plant Design Review.

By default, your PDMS project can use any language whose characters are containedwithin the Latin-1 character set, comprising:

Danish Dutch English Faroese

Finnish French Icelandic Irish

Spanish German Norwegian Portuguese

Swedish Italian

PDMS can also support the following groups of languages:

Far Eastern, comprising:

Japanese Simplified Chinese

Korean Traditional ChineseLatin-2, comprising:

Albanian Czech English German

Hungarian Polish Rumanian

Serbo-Croatian Slovak Slovene

Latin-Cyrillic, comprising:

Bulgarian Byelorussian English

Macedonian Serbo-Croatian Ukrainian Russian

PDMS does not support any other character set/language, nor does it support the mixingof any of the above exceptthe mixing of one Far Eastern language with English.

PDMS must know if you are using a non-Latin-1 language in order to display characterscorrectly on drawings.

To use an alternative character set/language:

You must use an appropriate version of Windows and a suitable keyboard.

You must select the appropriate options from the Windows ,Regional Options.

For further details, see the PDMS Installation Guide, also the PDMSAdmin User Guide

for details of font families.



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6.4 Customisation facilities; the programmable macro

language

Most PDMS modules make use of a GUI to drive the software. The interfaces providedwith PDMS are designed to apply to a wide range of situations and business needs.However, as you become more experienced with PDMS you may wish to design aninterface which is more closely related to your requirements. You do this using AVEVAs

(PML).

There are two versions of PML, the older one, known as PML 1, and the newer one,known as PML 2. PML 2 has been specifically designed for writing and customising theForms and Menus of PDMS and other AVEVA products. Almost all the facilitiesavailable in PML 1 and the older Forms and Menus facilities are present in PML2.

Before you begin customising a GUI, you must have a good working knowledge of thecommand syntax for the module you are working with. The commands are described indetail in the reference manuals for the modules.

PML 2 has not completely replaced PML 1, and there are some tasks which are carriedout more efficiently using PML 1 facilities. In particular, the PML 1 expressionspackage, which is used within PDMS for writing rules and defining report templates.

The ability to customise individual Applications to suit your own specific needs gives yougreat flexibility in the ways in which you use your system. But it also introduces the riskthat your modified macros may not be compatible with future versions of the software,since they are no longer under AVEVAs control. Your own Applications may divergefrom future standard versions and may not take advantage of product enhancementsincorporated into the standard product. To minimise this risk, it is most important thatyour in-house customisation policies constrain any changes which you make to theApplications so that they retain maximum compatibility with the standard product atall times. Remember that AVEVA can give you full technical support only for productsover which it has control. It cannot guarantee to solve problems caused by softwarewhich you have written yourself.

For full details of PML, refer to the VANTAGE Plant Design Software CustomisationGuideand the Plant Design Software Customisation Reference Manual. If you need afull description of PML 1, for example if you are maintaining old code, you will need to

refer to previous versions of the Plant Design Software Customisation Guide. The lastone to describe PML 1 fully was dated October 1995.



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7 Basic GUI features

PDMS uses a GUI using (dialog boxes) and with which Microsoft Windowsusers should not be unfamiliar. This chapter describes those GUI features which arespecific to PDMS.

7.1 Using the mouse

You use the mouse to steer the pointer around the screen and to select or pick items byusing the mouse buttons. The buttons perform different tasks depending on the type ofwindow, and the position within the window, where the pointer is positioned. Theappearance of the pointer changes according to the type of display item that isunderneath it.

The left-hand mouse button has three functions:

On a graphical view, clicking the left-hand button with the pointer over a designelement results in that element becoming the current element (that is, the designitem on which you want to carry out the next operation).

In a sequence of menus, dragging with the left-hand button activates the

command represented by the highlighted menu option when the button isreleased.

On a form, the effect varies according to what you select.

The middle mouse button is used primarily to manipulate a graphical view; the right-hand button is used to access the menu options specific to the graphical view window.

7.2 Using forms

Forms can include any of the following:

text boxes drop-down lists option buttons check boxes scrollable lists action buttons.

Text boxes and drop-down lists are explained below; the remainder are explained laterin this chapter.



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7.2.1 Using text boxes

Text boxes are the areas where you type in alphanumeric data such as names ordimensions. A text box will usually have a label to tell you what to enter.

When you first open a form which contains text boxes, the first text-box on the form iscurrent and a text editing cursor (a vertical bar) is displayed in the box. A text-box oftencontains a default entry (such as unset) when first displayed. Some text boxes acceptonly text or only numeric data, and entries with the wrong type of data are not accepted.

To enter data into a text box:

Click in the box to insert the text editing cursor. Type in the required data, editing any existing entry as necessary. (You may

need to delete the existing entry first.) When you have finished, confirm the entry by pressing the Enter (or Return) key.

Any text box with an unconfirmed setting is highlighted by a yellow background.

7.2.2 Using drop-down lists

Drop-down lists let you choose one option from a multiple selection. The list will usually

have a label to tell you what you are setting and will show the current selection.They typically have the following appearance:

To change the setting, click on the down arrow or button face to reveal the full list ofavailable options, then pick the required option.

7.3 Using menus

Menu options in pull-down or pop-up menus can be in any of three formats:

Standalone options initiate an action immediately.

Options followed by three dots display a form.

Options followed by a pointer, display a subsidiary menu thatoffers a further range of options.

Throughout this guide, related selections from menus are abbreviated form using the >symbol as a separator. For example:

Select Position>At>Explicit means:



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Basic GUI features

1. Select Position from the bar men.

2. Select At from the resulting pull-down menu

3. Move the pointer to the right and select Explicit from the resultant submenu.

7.4 Using the toolbars

T are displayed immediately below the main menu bar in the applicationwindow. Some modules are provided with several toolbars. Toolbars contain a number of

icon buttons which let you carry out common tasks without searching for the options inthe menus.

The actions of the buttons are explained in the online help. If you hover the cursor overa button, a tool-tip pop-up box will remind you of the function of the button. To activatea button, you click on it.

Toolbars can be switched on or off by right-clicking on a tool bar or the menu bar.The names of all the toolbars available for the module will then be listed.Toolbars currently displayed will have a tick next to their names. Click on thename of a toolbar to add or remove it from the display as required.

7.5 Using the status bar

The displays messages telling you what actions the application is carryingout. You should look at it frequently, especially if the system appears to be waiting foryou to do something, since it will always prompt you for any input or action which isrequired to carry out the next step of your current activity.

If the prompt lets you repeat a task an unspecified number of times, such as picking aselection of items using the cursor, you must press the Esc key when you have finished

to indicate that you are ready to move to the next operation.

7.6 More on using forms

Forms are used both to display information and to let you enter new data. Formstypically comprise an arrangement ofbuttons of various types, text-boxes, and scrollablelists. Input to a form is usually via a combination of mouse and keyboard.

While you have access to a form, you can change a setting, return to the initial values,accept and act on the current data, or cancel the form without applying any changes,according to the nature of the form.



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7.6.1 Using option buttons

(sometimes referred to as radio buttons) are used to select one, and onlyone, from a group of options. The selection is mutually exclusive, so that selecting oneoption deselects others in that group automatically.

They typically have the following appearance:

Option selected

Option not selected

To change the selected option button in a group, click the required button.

7.6.2 Using check boxes

are used to switch an option between two states, typically set and unset.Unlike option buttons, they do not interact, so that you can set any combination of checkboxes at the same time.

They typically have the following appearance:

Set

Unset

7.6.3 Using scrollable lists

A is displayed as a vertical list of options within a form, with vertical and

horizontal scroll bars along its sides. To select an option, click on the line you want. Theselected line is highlighted.

Some scrollable lists let you make only a single selection, so that selecting any optiondeselects all others automatically. Other lists let you make multiple selections, with allselected options highlighted simultaneously. You can deselect a highlighted option in amultiple-choice list, by clicking on it again (repeated clicks toggle a selection).

7.6.4 Using action buttons

Most forms include one or more . You use these to tell PDMS what to dowith the details you have entered in the form.



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Basic GUI features

The common action buttons are:

Tells PDMS to accept the current form settings, and closes the form.

Cancels any changes you have made to the form, and closes the form.

Tells PDMS to accept the current form settings, and leaves the formdisplayed for further use.

Cancels any changes you have made to the form, and leaves the formdisplayed for further use.

Closes the form, keeping the current settings.

Some forms contain more specific types ofcontrol button which carry out particularcommand options. The action is indicated by the name of the button (such Add orRemove).

7.7 Responding to alert forms

are used to display information such as error messages, prompts andrequests for confirmation of changes. You should respond by carrying out the taskprompted for, or by clicking on the control buttons on the form (usually an OK orCancel button).

7.8 Dockable Windows, Menu Bars and Tool Bars

PDMS uses a number of Microsoft .NET forms where windows are dockable andundockable, and where other window manipulation facilities are available. For fulldetails of these facilities see the PDMS online help (for the graphical modules),Dockable Windows, Menu Bars and Tool Bars help topic.

7.9 Using commands

PDMS can be typed in when using PDMS via the Display>Command Linemenu selection, which gives the Command Window:



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To give a command, click in the Command> text entry box, type in the command, andpress Enter. The scrollable list shows the command(s) entered and any resulting outputfrom PDMS (including error messages).

Command editing aids are available:

Clicking on a line in the scrollable list area copies that line to the Command >box.

Command syntax in the Command> box can be edited using the Delete andBackspace keys in the normal way.

Highlighting some or all of the text in the Command> box and pressing the rightmouse button gives useful Windows editing commands (Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete,Undo).

7.9.1 Why use command syntax?

For most purposes you will want to use PDMS via the GUI. However, by usingcommands you may be able to streamline your methods of working and save you time onrepeated tasks. In particular, you may want to:

Create macros to automate repetitive procedures (see the Plant Design SoftwareCustomisation Guideand Reference Manual)

Design and create new forms and menus for your graphical user interface thatmatch your working needs precisely (see the Plant Design SoftwareCustomisation Guideand Reference Manual)

In some cases it can be slightly quicker to use commands rather than the GUI for simpleoperations. For example:

Q MEM - list the members of the current element

Q ATT - list the attributes of the current element

Note that you should always use the GUI to elements.



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8 Basic operations in PDMS

Work in any PDMS module is mostly about manipulating the elements and theirattributes in one or more databases; either to add, change, read or delete data. You musttherefore be able to tell PDMS:

which database(s) you want to access which elements in the database hierarchy you want to access what changes, if any, you want to make to the databases contents

This chapter tells you how to do these things

8.1 Querying

You will often find, when working in PDMS, that you need to check existing informationabout some aspect of the programs operations. For example, you may need to find outabout any of the following:

The current usage of the program in terms of users, modules and databases The unique code which identifies the process you are running and the station you

are running it from (useful for generating unique workfile names) The current setting of a command option The contents of part of a particular database; for example, the current setting of

an attribute or the list of member elements owned by a specific element The elements which match specific selection criteria entered by you

Each module incorporates a Querypull-down menuwhich allows you to ask about someof these topics, the scope of the facility being dependent upon the particular modulewhich you are using. For example, the Query pull-down menu for Design is:

The querying operations available from the GUI are fully explained by the online helpfor the module in question.



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Not all of the querying operations available from PDMS can be accessed using the GUI.For these other (general) options, the QUERY command must be used. See the PDMS

Design Reference Manual Part 1for details.

8.2 Current element and current list position

Chapter 5 explained the principles of database structures and the concept of owners andmembers. This section introduces two new concepts which apply to all aspects ofdatabase navigation when you are using a constructor module.

When you are working in any database, PDMS always considers you to be located at aspecific element in that database. This element is known as the .

The of any element comprises a list of pointers to those elements directlybelow it in the database hierarchy; that is, to those elements which it owns. Thesepointers have a definite order, identified by numbered positions in the list (see Figure8-1). In addition to being notionally at the Current Element, PDMS also considers you tobe at a specific point

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