Activities and display objects, Process Flow objects and 3D objects attached to Process Flow objects can be added to user libraries. This topic will cover how to add these objects to a library. For more information on user libraries and how to modify them, see the Custom User Libraries topic.
External ReferencesWhen you add a Process Flow object or a set of activities to a user library, keep in mind that references that are external to your object or activities will not be saved in your library object. For example, if you have a user library object that includes a Create Object activity that references Processor4 in your model as its destination, when the library is distributed to other users, that reference will be null and be displayed as None.
One way to solve this issue is to reference the external object by name using flexscript. For example,
node("Processor4", model()). If you are creating a Process Flow user library object you can set the destination property to a
Process Flow Variable. When the library is distributed to other users, they only need to set up the user accessible Process Flow Variables for the object to function.
Add Activities and Display Objects to a User Library
- Select all of the activities and display objects you want to add as a single user library object by control clicking each object or by holding the shift key down, clicking on white space and dragging the mouse around all objects.
- Right click and select Add To User Library > New User Library.
A User Library will appear in the Library window. This library can now be saved and distributed to other users.
If you need to modify a library object once it has been added to a user library, drag and drop the object from the library into a process flow view, make the desired modifications and then add it to the user library. You can then delete the old object from the library by clicking on the down arrow to the left of the user library name and clicking Explore Tree.
Add a Process Flow Object to a User Library
- In the quick properties for the Process Flow Properties, click the
button next to the Process Flow Name field. - Select the user library to add to, or create a new user library.
- SelectAs Draggable Icon or As Auto-Install Component.
When a Process Flow object is added to a user library, any instances, or attached objects, will be removed. The exception is for the General Process Flow which has one instance, itself.
Once added, a Process Flow object can be updated by adding it to the user library again. This will overwrite the previous Process Flow with the new one.
Adding Attached Objects (Instances) to a User Library
When you add a 3D object like a Task Executer or Fixed Resource object to a user library that is attached to a Process Flow, the Process Flow object will automatically be added to the user library. By default, the Process Flow object is added as a draggable icon along side the 3D object that was added. The Process Flow object can be moved into an auto-install component if desired.
When the 3D object is dragged into the model, the library will check to see if attached Process Flow objects are currently in the model. If the Process Flow isn't in the model, the Process Flow object will be added. If it does exist, the object will be connected to the preexisting Process Flow object, but the Process Flow will not be updated. To updated the Process Flow, manually drag the Process Flow object from the user library into the model. Doing this will maintain all of the Process Flow instances.
User Libraries Compare Object NamesWhen saving to a user library and when creating an object from a user library, the Process Flow object's name is used to compare with what already exists in the model or user library. If a Process Flow object is saved to a user library with another Process Flow that has the same name, that Process Flow will be overwritten. When a 3D object is dragged into the model, it will check for a Process Flow object in the model with the same name as the attached Process Flow.
