Replace an in-context line or assembly with a new item type

You can replace a manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) or bill of equipment (BOE) line or assembly with a new item that has a new item type and retain the original line's or assembly's in-context edits. The procedure is similar to the File→New item command, but lets you retain in-context edits and also copy, reference, or exclude attachments from its original structure.

Since by default you cannot copy and paste items from the plant structure to the process structure as anything other than the type item, you can use the Replace Assembly with Any Item Type command to create a new item of a different item type and that type becomes the default paste option. For example, you could use the command to replace the item type as a resource (MEResource occurrence type) and the system lets you copy and paste items as resource by default.

Note

Cloning rules are defined by your administrator using the combined MEReplaceAssemblyInContextTemplates and Item.Item.ReplaceAssemblyInContext preferences. Your rules may not match the rules in this example.

Procedure

1. If you are editing in context, hide in-context editing mode.

2. In the MBOM or BOE Product or Workarea view, select the in-context line/assembly for which you want to change the item type.

3. Choose Edit→In Context→Replace Assembly with Any Item Type.

4. In the New Item dialog box, select the new item type and click Next.

5. In the ID and Revision boxes, type an ID and revision or click Assign.

6. In the Name box, type a name for the new item and click Next.

Properties from the in-context line or assembly for which you want to change the item type, such as name, description, and unit of measure, are prepopulated. Your administrator can map common item and revision properties between item types, and define custom item types and properties, using the MEReplaceAssemblyInContextAlignProperties preference.

If you click Next, the remaining prompts are similar to those in any New Item dialog box. You may click Finish at any time to accept defaults. Some attributes are prepopulated with the attributes of the original in-context line/assembly. Clicking Next lets you modify the defaults.

7. Click Finish.

Results

The selected line is replaced with the new item type, ID, revision, and name, with all in-context edits intact.

Now when you use the Copy, Paste, Copy As, or Paste As commands, the new item type is the default when you paste.