8.6.6. Editing Object Properties

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User's Guide | Chapter 8: Managing Repository Data | 8.6. Editing Objects |

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### 8.6.6. Editing Object Properties

You can use the (Edit) > Properties action to add or edit user-defined properties for an object.

All EKM objects have two built-in properties: Description and Image. Objects can also have any number of custom properties assigned to them.

When you select (Edit) > Properties, the Edit Properties dialog box appears (Figure 8.18: Edit Properties - Setting Property Values). This dialog box also appears if you have checked the Edit properties of added files/folders option when uploading files to an EKM repository.

All of the properties that you can edit will appear on the Set Property Values tab. See Setting Property Values. When custom properties are defined for a type, they will be listed in the dialog box according to their display order, if one is specified. Otherwise, properties will be displayed alphabetically, by name. See Defining Properties for a Custom Type in the Administration Guide for more details on defining custom properties.

You can add or remove user-defined properties on the Add/Remove User Properties tab. See Adding/Removing Properties.

If multiple files are selected, the Edit Properties dialog will have a third Select Editable Properties tab. All editable properties for all files are displayed on this tab, and you can choose which ones you want to be available for editing. This allows you to set the same property value for multiple files simultaneously if desired. If the selected object is a folder, an option on the Set Property Values tab allows you to apply the user-defined properties recursively to all of the objects in that folder. See Editing Properties for Multiple Files.

If a folder is selected, you have the option of applying the folder’s properties to the objects contained in the folder. See Editing the Properties of a Folder for details.

You can edit properties for an object only if the following conditions are met:

1. You have `Modify` permission on the object.

2. The object is checked out to you if it is under version control.

3. No other user has exclusive control of it.

#### 8.6.6.1. Setting Property Values

You can set user-defined properties for an object on the Set Property Values tab in the Edit Properties dialog box (Figure 8.18: Edit Properties - Setting Property Values). User-defined properties that have been defined for built-in or custom types will be displayed with their default value or the value that was set after upload. These properties cannot be removed but their values can be edited.

If the object has a custom date (or date and time) property defined, then refer to Using the Pop-up Calendar to Specify a Date for details on setting the date and time using the pop-up calendar tool.

If the object has a custom type defined with dependent properties, then if one property is changed in the Edit Properties dialog box, the property options for the dependent properties will change as well. Refer to the `propertyUpdateMacro` setting in the Defining Type Attributes for a Custom Type section in the Administration Guide for details on how to specify a macro that can enable dependencies across properties, and Creating Actions for a Custom Type for a sample macro.

To set property values:

1. Select the object and select (Edit) > Properties.

2. In the Edit Properties dialog box, select the Set Property Values tab.

   Figure 8.18: Edit Properties - Setting Property Values

   All of the user-defined properties for the object type will be listed in the dialog box. If custom properties are defined and a display order (for example, 1, 2, 3 and so on) is specified, then the properties will be listed in that order, with the lower number displayed first. Otherwise, properties will appear alphabetically, by name.

3. All EKM objects have built-in Description and Image properties. Optionally enter a description and attach an image to the object. For images, enter the full path or click Browse to select the image in the file system. The values will be listed under EKM Object Properties when you display properties.

4. Optionally set other built-in or custom properties that are defined for this type. In this example, the Engineering Data Database property is an optional property for the built-in Mechanical Database. You specify the database by entering the full path in the edit box or by clicking Browse and selecting the database file in the file system. An example of custom properties is shown in Figure 8.19: Edit Properties - Custom Type Example. See Editing a Custom Type in the Administration Guide for more details on defining custom properties.

   Figure 8.19: Edit Properties - Custom Type Example

5. Click OK. The Description, Image, and other properties you added or set will be shown when you display properties using (More) > Display > Details.

#### 8.6.6.2. Adding/Removing Properties

You can add user-defined properties to an object on the Add/Remove Properties tab in the Edit Properties dialog box. Property types include String, Integer, Real Number, Boolean, Reference, and Date. For example, you can create a dynamic reference in a simulation file to its associated geometry or mesh file. These references will then be displayed in the object's dependency diagram. Any property that you add can be used to help retrieve the object using EKM's search tools.

By default, if the object is a folder, any new properties that you add will apply only to the folder. However, you can choose to apply the properties recursively to all files within that folder if you wish. If you want to add properties to all objects of the same type, then you will need to extend the type as described in the chapter on Defining Custom Types in the Administration Guide for details.

You can select multiple files and add the same property to all of the files simultaneously.

To add or remove user-defined properties:

1. Select the object and select (Edit) > Properties.

2. In the Edit Properties dialog box, select the Add/Remove User Properties tab.

   Figure 8.20: Edit Properties - Adding/Removing Properties

3. In the Name edit box, enter the name of the new property that you want to add.

4. From the Type drop-down list, select the type of property that you are adding. Choices are described below. To see what each of these property types produces, see Figure 8.21: Edit Properties - Added Properties of Different Types.

   - String produces an edit box for entering a text string.

   - Integer produces an edit box for entering integers.

   - Real Number produces an edit box for entering real numbers.

   - Boolean produces a check box that can be enabled or disabled.

   - Reference produces an edit box with a Browse button so that you can create a reference to a file.

   - Date produces an edit box with a date picker so that you can accurately specify a date.

5. Once you have defined the property’s name and type, click Add. The new property will be added to the Added properties list and will also be added to the Set Property Values tab.

6. To remove a property, select it in the Added properties list and click Remove.

7. If the selected object is a folder, and you would like to apply the added properties to the objects within the folder, check the Apply properties recursively to children of folder(s) box. For more information see Editing Properties for Multiple Files.

8. When you have finished adding properties, select the Set Property Values tab to set the values of the properties you added as well as other user-defined properties.

   Figure 8.21: Edit Properties - Added Properties of Different Types

   Note:

   - For a `String` property, if you enter a URL in the edit box, the URL will be displayed as a hyperlink in the object's properties.

   - For a `Date` property, you cannot enter the date manually. See Using the Pop-up Calendar to Specify a Date.

9. Click OK. The properties you added will be listed under User Specified Properties when they are displayed using (More) > Display > Details, as shown in the example below.

Note: If you have removed a property, you cannot subsequently add a property with the same name while in the same dialog session. You must first click OK in the Edit Properties dialog box, and then relaunch it.

##### Using the Pop-up Calendar to Specify a Date

Certain settings and properties require that you specify a date (for example, when specifying `Automatic Deletion Settings`, when adding a `Date` property to an object, or when filtering by date in the file list window). In lieu of entering a date in a dialog box, you can use a pop-up calendar to specify the date.

Note: In some dialog boxes, such as the Automatic Deletion Settings dialog box, manual entry for the date is not allowed. You will only be able to specify the date using the pop-up calendar.

When you click the calendar icon next to a date edit box, a pop-up calendar appears. In dialog boxes where you are not allowed to enter dates manually, clicking inside the edit box will also display the pop-up calendar.

Important: When you click the calendar icon on an iPad tablet device, you will be asked to create a new contact or add to an existing contact instead of opening the pop-up calendar. Ignore this message.

The pop-up calendar has two variations: one for specifying the date only (for example, `Aug 11, 2018`) and the other for specifying date and time (for example, `Aug 11, 2018 14:47`), as shown below. The type of calendar displayed will depend on the setting that you are specifying a date for.

##### Specifying a Date Only

Some date settings require that you specify a date only. For example, if you are editing Automatic Deletion Settings, you must select an expiration date.

To specify a date only using the pop-up calendar:

1. Click the calendar icon next to the edit box to open the pop-up calendar. In dialog boxes where dates cannot be entered manually, you can also click inside the edit box to display the pop-up calendar.

   Figure 8.22: Calendar for Specifying a Date Only

2. To select a date, click > to advance to the next month or < for the previous month. Click >> to advance to the next year and << for the previous year. To select a day, click on the cell in the calendar.

3. To change the month and year simultaneously, click the month and year that is currently displayed at the top of the calendar (for example, August, 2018). This will pop up a separate dialog box where you can choose the desired month and year. Click OK to close.

4. To select today's date, click Today.

5. To clear the date currently displayed in the edit box, click Clean.

6. To close the pop-up calendar, click the X icon in the top right corner of the calendar.

##### Specifying a Date and Time

Some date settings allow you to specify both a date and time (for example, when you are adding a `Date` property to an object). In this case the calendar displays an additional time option, as shown below.

Figure 8.23: Calendar for Specifying a Date and Time

To specify a date and time using the pop-up calendar:

1. Follow the steps for specifying a date, as noted in Specifying a Date Only above.

2. To change the time, click on the time that is currently displayed along the bottom of the calendar. This will pop up a separate dialog box where you can choose the desired hours and minutes.

3. Click OK to close the pop up calendar.

#### 8.6.6.3. Editing Properties for Multiple Files

If multiple files are selected when you choose (Edit) > Properties, the Edit Properties dialog will have a third Select Editable Properties tab. All editable properties for all files are displayed on this tab, and you can choose which ones you want to be available on the Set Property Values tab for editing. This allows you to set the same property value for multiple files simultaneously if desired.

Figure 8.24: Selecting Editable Properties for Multiple Files

#### 8.6.6.4. Editing the Properties of a Folder

If the selected object is a folder, an Apply properties to folder contents option appears in the Edit Properties dialog box. This enables you to apply the user-defined properties recursively to all objects in that folder. This means that if a file in the folder has the same property that the folder has, the property value that you specify for the folder will be copied to the file as well. If you select this option, the Select Editable Properties tab will be displayed so that you can choose which properties you want to be available for editing on the Set Property Values tab.

Figure 8.25: Applying Selected Folder Properties to the Contents of a Folder

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