The Duct connection editor shows all segments, ducts and cables present at a freely selectable point. A number of operations can then be performed: Segments and ducts can be separated at the selected point, new fittings can be added and existing fittings can be deleted; in addition, cable assignments of one duct can be canceled or transferred (via a fitting) to another duct. As such, the Duct connection editor combines several workflows in one. It is not possible to combine segments or ducts.
Procedure
Start the workflow in Workflow Explorer > Duct workflows > Duct connection editor by double-clicking it, from the context menu or by clicking the button in the lower right area of the workflow explorer:
or in the NET Planning tab:
In both cases, the workflow opens, listing selected options of the duct-connection editor. The selected options have been specified in the NET Setting or can be selected directly.
Clicking the button in the workflow opens the editor at a point on the network to be selected in the graphic.
The Duct connection editor can also be started from the form for a fitting. This will open the Duct connection editor with all segments, ducts and cables at the point of fitting.
Duct connection editor
The Duct connection editor is divided into the editor field (1), the toolbar (2), buttons for starting and closing the workflow (3) and the progress bar (4).
| Editor field | Segments, ducts, duct fittings and cables found at the selected point are displayed in the editor field. In addition, duct fittings are added and removed here, ducts and segments are separated and cable assignments are adjusted. (1) |
| Toolbar | The toolbar provides various options for customizing the Duct connection editor. (2) |
| Apply/close | The |
| Progress bar | The progress bar shows the current status when applying the changes made. The number of changes in the editor field is displayed to the right of the progress bar. (4) |
Editor field
In the editor field, a cross section through the segments, ducts and cables is given at the point of the Duct connection editor. These are arranged left and right and can be connected to one another or separated from one another in the region between them. A segment, duct or cable that does not end at the point of the Duct connection editor and is not connected to a fitting thus runs through the point and is therefore present both on the left and on the right side of the editor field. Colours and labels can be configured in the NET Settings.
| Segment | A segment found at the point of the Duct connection editor. Elements subordinate to the segment can be displayed or hidden via |
| Duct | A duct found at the point of the Duct connection editor. Elements subordinate to the duct can be displayed or hidden via |
| Cable | A cable found at the point of the Duct connection editor. (3) |
In the editor field, segments and ducts have a port that indicates whether they end at the point of the Duct connection editor, have a fitting or are not separated at all. The following ports can occur:
| Transparent port (free port) | The duct/segment ends at the point of the Duct connection editor without a fitting. A fitting may be added. Left-clicking on the transparent port starts a new connection to another port, whereby possible destinations are highlighted in green. | |
| Red port (occupied port) | The duct/segment has a connection (fitting or continuous duct/segment). The connection can be broken to create a new connection. Right-clicking on the red port displays the editing options. | |
| Yellow port (occupied port) | The duct/segment has a connection, but this is not visible because one of the connected elements is hidden in the editor field. Open the hidden, connected element by left-clicking on the yellow port. The ports become red and the connection can be edited. | |
| Blue port (occupied port) | The duct/segment has a connection that is not visible because the connected elements are on the same side of the editor field. By switching an element to the opposite side (more on this here), the ports become red and the connection can be edited. |
The connections between two elements of the editor field are displayed as follows:
| Black, dashed connection | The duct/segment is not separated and passes through the point of the Duct connection editor without a fitting. | |
| Black, continuous connection | The duct has a fitting to the connected duct at the point of the Duct connection editor. | |
| Orange, continuous connection | This connection can appear when you click on “Check cable” between visible cables that are not separated at the point of the Duct connection editor. If this connecting line appears, then the cable elements connected by it are identical and the cable is not separated. | |
| No connection | The duct/segment ends at the point of the Duct connection editor. A fitting may be added. |
The duct connections can be edited in the editor field. The following actions are available:
Separate segment or duct
In order to separate a segment or duct, both elements and their connecting line must be visible. The ports of the elements are then red and a small context menu is displayed when you right-click on one of the ports.
If you select “Split element”, the segment or duct and all higher-layer elements are separated at the point of the Duct connection editor. The connecting lines disappear and the ports become free . If “Split all child element” is selected in the context menu, all ducts that are assigned to the segment or duct are additionally separated.
Adding a fitting
To add a fitting to a duct with a free port , left-click on the free port. Then the port itself is highlighted, as are all duct ports opposite it that are suitable for a fitting (that is to say, they have a free port and correspond to the settings of the Duct connection editor). In addition, a dotted line follows the cursor. In addition, a dotted line follows the cursor.
Left-clicking on a highlighted port of an opposite duct creates a fitting between the ducts using the fitting model selected in the toolbar. Right-clicking anywhere or pressing the ESC key cancels the adding of a fitting. If “Also create fitting on higher-layer duct, if possible” or “Also create fitting on child duct, if possible” is selected in the settings, the fitting model of the fittings to be additionally created is queried in a separate window.
Removing a fitting
To remove an existing fitting, both ducts must be opposite one another and their connection must be visible. The ports of the elements are then red and a context menu with the entry “Remove fitting” is displayed when you right-click on one of the ports. Clicking on it will remove the fitting.
Remove cable section
In order to remove a cable section from a segment or duct, a right-click on the cable section is necessary. A context menu appears with the entry “Remove cable section”. Clicking on it cancels the assignment of the cable to the segment/duct as well as to all related segments/ducts up to the point of the Duct connection editor.
Assign cable section
In order to transfer the cable section of one duct also to another duct, both ducts must be connected by a fitting. A right-click on the cable section then provides a context menu with the entry “Assign cable section”, which also assigns the cable section to the opposite duct and all ducts connected thereto.
Toolbar
The duct-connection editor toolbar offers the following options:
| This highlights the point of the Duct connection editor as a blue-red star on the map. | |
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This refreshes the Duct connection editor display and reloads the editor field for the selected point. Previous changes that have not been applied will be discarded. |
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This allows you to select the fitting model for all fittings that are still being created. For automatically created fittings, a dialog opens to select the fitting type. |
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This displays all elements in the editor field. |
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This hides all elements of the editor field except for segments and outermost ducts. |
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This shows a connection between all visible cable elements when both cable elements represent the same cable. In this way, the correctness of the cable assignments can be checked. Click on any part of the editor field to hide the connections. |
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This specifies the action to be carried out when left-clicking on an element. |
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| This opens NET Help Center. |
A context menu is opened by right-clicking on an element of the editor field. This includes the following options:
1. This opens the form for the segment, duct or cable.
2. This moves the element and all its subordinate elements to the opposite side of the editor field. As a result, blue ports change to red ports
, allowing elements to be separated and fittings to be removed. Switch side is only available for elements that are not subordinate to any other element.
3. This moves the element up within the same layer in the editor plan if there are other elements on the same layer and the top position has not already been reached.
4. This moves the element down within the same layer in the editor plan if there are other elements at the same layer and the lowest position has not already been reached.
5. This highlights the segment, duct or cable in the graphic. Elements that have been separated in the editor field are still drawn in their original state without separation. Only when changes are applied will the elements be separated.
6. This highlights the segment, duct or cable in the map and zooms in. Elements that have been separated in the editor field are still drawn in their original state without separation. Only when changes are applied will the elements be separated.
7. The detachment of the assignment to the higher-layer duct/segment is only possible for cable sections. You can find out more about this here.
8. The assignment to a further duct is only possible for cable sections in ducts with a fitting. You can find out more about this here.