Strategies for working with alias files

The following are a few high-level tips and strategies about working with the alias file.

• Define a use case to work from.

Determine what will be selected and what you want to see in what type of asset.

When creating a template that will be used repeatedly, it is easier if the user can select a single object with which to populate all of the data in the work instruction.

Find an example of the data in the database that you can select, for example, a BOM. If possible, make it unique so you can find it easily in the PLM XML file.

Determine whether to use an existing alias or to add a new one to the Bind dialog box.

Determine what alias file to use. You can develop an alias file for this user or this use case only that is simple to use and contains only one transfer mode, or you can add to an existing alias file.

• Identify a suitable transfer mode.

Generate a PLM XML file by populating an asset with the transfer mode that you think will work.

Examine the resulting file and make sure it has the data that you want to expose in the asset. If it does not, you must find a better transfer mode, or you must modify the transfer mode’s closure rules to include your data.

In some cases, it makes sense to create a custom transfer mode whose closure rules are optimized to efficiently generate XML that supports only the assets in a single template.

• Examine the PLM XML file and identify the nodes that provide a path from the root ref to the data in which you are interested.

• Define an alias alternate that follows the node path. To save time, test the alias definition using the stand-alone test utility on the generated PLM XML file. The utility is described in the alias file header.

• Decide what other use cases need to be supported by your alias definition.

The data may be attached to the object in more than one way.

The user may start with a different populating object.

• Create a new use case and repeat this process.