Rename Terminal Block - Database Issue

Working in Promis*E Series 6 V8i (AutoCADe 2012):

Upon placing in a macro, often times the terminal strip number increases (undesired).  For example, I'm using TB1 throughout and in some places upon placing a macro it decides to enter them as TB2 or TB3 etc.  Using terminal pin plug manager, I rename TB2 to TB1.  I am then prompted to duplicate a terminal number in which case I select YES since I will be running automatic wire labels which will renumber them anyways.  (If I click NO to the prompt, terminal pin plug manager creates even more terminal strip numbers.

After terminal numbers are assigned via automatic wire numbering and all looks fine on the schematics, when I place Symbol by DeviceID on a panel layout, I have multiple [TB2]s listed.  If I place them, they are still there.  If I place them and delete them, they are still there.  If I validate and update each page and update project database, they are still there.  Under search, BOM explorer, or data manager, they don't exist.  They are only apparent in the Symbol by DeviceID list.

How do I get rid of them?

Parents
  • Hi Aaron.  I can reproduce this as well. 

    When placing a macro, the software seems to base the terminal device ID on the last used terminal ID.  For example, in a new project, I created a macro containing to terminals with TB1 for the tag.  Placing the macro without maintaining device IDs, the software uses TB1 for the terminals.  If I then insert a terminal with a tag of TB2 and then insert the macro without maintaining device IDs, the software uses TB2 for the terminals.  Avoidance: on the Insert Macro dialog, enable the "Maintain device IDs as created when inserting the macro" option.  But I understand that this is not always possible (desirable) due to the other devices that may be in the macro.  Separate macros of only terminals could be created in that case.

    When Terminal/Pin-Plug Manager is used to rename the strip, that is when the phantom [TB2] devices are created, or left behind.  This issue has been given bug number TFS 25146.  In light of that I'll have to recommend not using Terminal/Pin-Plug Manager to rename terminal strips to an existing device ID.  The "Device ID" tab of the Data Manager dialog might be a good alternative.

    To clarify the fix you found for other users, copying the project using Project Manager resolves the issue in the copy.  Copying project folders outside of Project Manager is generally to be avoided.



Reply
  • Hi Aaron.  I can reproduce this as well. 

    When placing a macro, the software seems to base the terminal device ID on the last used terminal ID.  For example, in a new project, I created a macro containing to terminals with TB1 for the tag.  Placing the macro without maintaining device IDs, the software uses TB1 for the terminals.  If I then insert a terminal with a tag of TB2 and then insert the macro without maintaining device IDs, the software uses TB2 for the terminals.  Avoidance: on the Insert Macro dialog, enable the "Maintain device IDs as created when inserting the macro" option.  But I understand that this is not always possible (desirable) due to the other devices that may be in the macro.  Separate macros of only terminals could be created in that case.

    When Terminal/Pin-Plug Manager is used to rename the strip, that is when the phantom [TB2] devices are created, or left behind.  This issue has been given bug number TFS 25146.  In light of that I'll have to recommend not using Terminal/Pin-Plug Manager to rename terminal strips to an existing device ID.  The "Device ID" tab of the Data Manager dialog might be a good alternative.

    To clarify the fix you found for other users, copying the project using Project Manager resolves the issue in the copy.  Copying project folders outside of Project Manager is generally to be avoided.



Children
  • Matt,
    The data manager tool seems to help greatly and is very powerful for modifying mass quantities of anything.

    In a similar note, I often encounter Device IDs remaining in the database after they have been deleted - not just pertaining to terminal blocks. For example, if a relay coil and all of it's children have been removed from the schematics, sometimes I will still find them when I go to place by device ID. It may be listed as a [CR213] or the like with brackets around the ID. It then seems to be a 50/50 shot if they show up in the BOM manager in bold or don't show up at all. Sometimes actually placing the device in the layouts and then immediately deleting will remove it from the place by device ID list, but sometimes not. A copy project will remove them on occasion, but sometimes they still remain. This type of bug seems to occur often in larger (10+ page) projects.
  • Aaron, you might be interested in the Remove Unplaced Devices article. As a promis.e for AutoCAD (SS6) user, the "remove unplaced devices using SQL scripts" section in particular might apply.