Standard plug-in object styles with catalog options
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Command |
Path |
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Create Plug-In Style |
Tools Context menu |
Some plug-in object types include manufacturer catalogs; their use is optional. You may create a custom object without using the catalog options.
To create a plug-in object style:
Select an unstyled instance of the plug-in object in the drawing area.
Select the command, or right-click on the unstyled plug-in object and select New Plug-in Style from Unstyled Plug-in from the context menu.
The Select Folder dialog box opens.
Select the destination folder for the plug-in object style.
The <Object> Style dialog box opens, populated with the parameter values of the selected instance.
Enter the Style Name, which must be unique in the file.
Click Plug-in Style/Instance Settings.
The Plug-in Style/Instance Settings dialog box opens, with the Style Name displayed. Catalog controls are available; see Concept: Plug-in object styles and catalog items for an introduction to how plug-in styles and manufacturer catalogs interact. If a catalog item is already associated with the style, the text next to Select from Catalog describes the item.
To use a catalog item for the plug-in object style, select Use Catalog, and select a catalog from the list.
Click Select from Catalog.
The Catalog dialog box opens; the name of the current catalog displays in the title bar.
Select the catalog item to use for the plug-in object style, as described in Selecting catalog items for plug-in object styles.
Click OK to return to the Plug-in Style/Instance Settings dialog box.
Click the By Style/Instance button next to Select from Catalog to establish whether the catalog selection itself is by style or by instance.
Set the catalog item by style to ensure that all objects using that style use the same catalog item.
Set the catalog item by instance if greater flexibility is needed. For example, a project may require different sizes of the same cabinet type; this would require a different catalog item for each instance.
Regardless of whether the catalog item itself is a style or instance parameter, the individual parameters set by catalog are defined by the selected catalog item and cannot be changed by the project manager or designer.
The dialog box displays the Parameter Name list and a By Style/Instance toggle button next to each name. For each parameter that is not defined by catalog, click By Style/Instance next to each parameter name to toggle to the desired setting.
Click OK to return to the Plug-in Object Style dialog box.
Specify the parameter values. For style parameters, this value is fixed for every object that uses this plug-in object style and cannot be edited from the object’s settings, preferences, or properties dialog box. Instance parameter values set here are the default values for newly placed instances; they can be edited for each instance from the object’s settings, preferences, or properties dialog box, and from the Object Info palette.
For the settings or preferences dialog box accessed from the Preferences button on the Tool bar, changing the values of instance parameters sets a new default for subsequently inserted objects, but does not change the plug-in style’s default settings.
In addition to object-specific parameter settings, you can control some plug-in object style settings regardless of the object type, such as whether the plug-in object is a window or title block border.
To set visibility-related options including the plug-in style’s class and the 2D component and cut plane display, see Additional plug-in object style and instance options.
For plug-in object styles that use 2D components, you can define the components as part of the style; see Creating 2D components for symbol definitions and plug-in objects.
