SIEMENS

Teamcenter 12.2

Classification
PLM00042 • 12.2
Contents

Getting started with Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Getting started with Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Classification interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Classification interface overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Classification buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Classification panes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Classification symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
What are perspectives and views? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Basic concepts about classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Viewing the class hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Creating an attribute dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Inheriting attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Creating groups, classes, views, and classification objects (ICOs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Basic tasks using Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Working with the classification hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Displaying the classification hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Change the display of the hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Display information in the Properties pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Display information in the Table pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Working with measurement units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Measurement units overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Change the active measurement system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Change the displayed units of measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Viewing the Unit Definition class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Searching in multi-unit classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Make the panes larger or smaller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
View the tree graphically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Viewing attribute values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Preview available attribute values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
View attributes applicable to a specific application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Displaying a subset of the hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Set a node as root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Store nodes for subsequent selection as root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Delete stored nodes from the list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Display a node as temporary root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Refresh the hierarchy tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
View library information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
View object properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Understanding show versus edit modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

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Contents

Working with classification objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Classifying workspace objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Create a classification object (ICO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Create an ICO by classifying a workspace object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Working with unique ICOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Solve conflicting attribute values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Classifying an object multiple times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Create multiple classification instances of an object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Modifying attribute values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Modify attribute values of a specific ICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Move ICOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Reclassify ICOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Delete an ICO from the database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Map ICOs from one class to another . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Map multiple ICOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Generating graphics for classification objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Graphics generation overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Understanding part family templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Understanding template parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Create part family members and graphics for a classification instanceCreate graphics for a
resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Update a graphic based on a template part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Refreshing versus re-creating a template part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Create graphics for multiple classification instancesCreate graphics for multiple
resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Update classification instances after modifying template in NX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Search for all member parts belonging to a specific template part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Create graphics using a Tcl macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Working with Resource Manager libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Using the Manufacturing Resource Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Using a tool vendor catalog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Import tool vendor product data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Import vendor 3D models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Understanding the linking mechanism for vendor data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Working with generic and need objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Create a need object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Associate an item to a class as a generic object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Searching the classification hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Searching the database for classified objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Search by object ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Search by type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Selecting a class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Use the quick search feature to select a class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Use the Search Class dialog box to select a class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Search all ICOs in a selected class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Search for classification ICOs by attribute value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Find an ICO in the source class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Apply a revision rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

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Saving queries using the Favorites command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Finding the most recently used search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Using relational operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Using wildcard characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Navigating the matches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Viewing search results in the Properties pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Use the Search Results box to display a specific ICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
View search results in the Table pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Select the desired ICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

Copying, printing, and saving data in the table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Copy table data to the system clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Table and copy display properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Printing table data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Printing display properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Print formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Print format settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Print table data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Open HTML files in a Web browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Print an HTML or text file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Save output to an HTML or text file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Save table data to a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Displaying associated data in the viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Displaying associated data in the viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Viewing class images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Viewing documents associated with an ICO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Attaching documents and images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Use revision rules with assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Suppress images in viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Exporting classification data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Exporting classification data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Export classification data to an external file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Specifying a transfer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Exporting translations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Caution using legacy XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

PLM00042 12.2 Classification 5

Chapter 1: Getting started with Classification

Getting started with Classification

Classification of your company's product data—standard parts, technology data, and manufacturing
equipment saves time by making component data easier to find and retrieve and reduces costs
by allowing you to reuse existing parts and consolidate or eliminate duplicate or outdated parts.
Classification is used to create and maintain a hierarchical classification structure based on the
attribute values of your workspace objects.
You can use Classification to:
• Add classification objects (ICOs) to the classification hierarchy.

• Classify workspace objects.

• Find classification objects.

• Modify the attribute values of Classification objects.

• Delete classification objects from the classification hierarchy.

You can classify objects using the rich client or Active Workspace. The procedures explained in this
help collection refer to the rich client interface.

Before you begin

Prerequisites Your classification administrator must have already created a classification
hierarchy in the Classification Admin application before you can use
Classification.
If you are using customized business objects (for example, customized item
types), your administrator must add the names of these to the values of the
ICS_classifiable_types preference.
Enable Classification does not need to be enabled before you use it.
Classification
If you have trouble accessing Classification, see your system administrator;
it may be a licensing issue.

Note
You can log on to Teamcenter only once. If you try to log on to
more than one workstation at a time, you see an error message.

Configure Before you begin using Classification, your Classification administrator must
Classification create the classification hierarchy.

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with Classification

Start Classification
Click Classification in the navigation pane.
If you are not licensed to run the application, you see an error message and
you are not able to perform any application functions.

Classification interface

Classification interface overview

1 Classification hierarchy Categorizes your company's data using groups and

classes.
2 Object ID search box Searches the entire classification hierarchy for the
specified object ID or part of the object ID.
3 Properties form Displays the values of attributes associated with a specific
classification ICO.
4 Class viewer Shows an image associated with a class.
5 Instance viewer Shows documents or images associated with the
classified workspace object (for example, item or item
revision) of the ICO.
This includes a multitude of data types, such as GIF
or JPEG images, JT image files, HTML files, Microsoft
Office documents, or NX part files.

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 Getting started with Classification

Classification buttons
Button Function Description
Soft Abort If enabled, allows you to terminate the current operation without
closing Classification or losing data.
Navigation Opens and closes the navigation pane.
Pane
Copy Replicates a workspace object reference in another Teamcenter
application.
Copy Append Appends an object to the clipboard, retaining its current contents.
Paste Moves a workspace object reference from the clipboard to the
selected location in the hierarchy tree thereby classifying it.
Create a new Adds a new ICO to a class.
Instance
Edit current Changes the mode of your Classification session allowing you
Instance to edit attribute values and add images.
Save Saves the information entered for a selected ICO.
Cancel Clears the Properties pane and terminate the Classification
editing session.
Delete Deletes the selected ICO from the classification hierarchy.
Export Objects Exports objects to your file system using PLM XML or XML.
Create Part Creates part family members from an ICO.
Family Member
Import Catalog Imports 3D data from a vendor catalog for the currently selected
3D Model component.
Import Vendor Imports vendor product data for the selected class and child
Product Data classes.
Map ICO Maps an ICO to a different class.
Refresh Refreshes access privileges to an ICO.
Privileges
Add Image Displays the File Selection dialog box to select images to
associate with ICOs.
Delete Image Deletes image associated with ICO.
Favorites Opens the Favorites pane where you can manage saved
queries.
Library Provides information about the project associated with a class,
Information the name of the parent class, and the library in which the class
is found. This information is useful when working with a data
dictionary.

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with Classification

Button Function Description

Classified Filters the search results according to the objects that the ICOs
object type classify:
• Classifying
The ICO classifies a workspace object.

• Nonclassifying
The ICO does not classify a workspace object.

• Item

• Item revision

• Process

• Process revision

This button changes to the Send to button when a classifying

ICO is displayed in the Properties pane.
Send to Displays the Send To shortcut menu used to send the item or
item revision associated with the ICO to another Teamcenter
application.
This button shares position with the Classified Object Type
button .
Maximize Expands the current pane to fill the entire window. Alternatively,
it reduces the expanded pane back to its original size.
Active unit Sets the active unit of measurement. If you are paging through
search results, this button indicates if the currently displayed
ICO is saved in a different unit than is active. Click this
button to convert the ICO attribute values between systems of
measurement. This button has several states:
•
The attributes are displayed and stored in a metric system
of measurement.

•
The attributes are displayed in a metric system of
measurement but are stored in a nonmetric system and are
converted for display.

•
The attributes are displayed and stored in a nonmetric
system of measurement.

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 Getting started with Classification

Button Function Description

•
The attributes are displayed in a nonmetric system of
measurement but are stored in a metric system and are
converted for display.
Navigation Display search results in the Properties pane.
buttons
Displays the first ICO in the list of search results.
Displays the previous ICO in the list of search results.
Displays the next ICO in the list of search results.
Displays the last ICO in the list of search results.
Search results Displays the number of ICOs found in a search. The relative
position of the ICO currently displayed in the Properties pane is
displayed on the button. You can also type the relative position
of an ICO and press Enter to display the ICO.
Clear Removes all values from the Properties pane.
Search Searches the selected class for ICOs.
MRU Query Displays a list of the most recently used searches.
Search Scope Determines the scope of the search, either hierarchy or class:
• Choose Hierarchy to search within the selected class and
all related child classes.

• Choose Class to search only within the selected class.

Search in Specifies in which unit of measure you search. You can search
in one of the following:
• Classes containing only the currently active system of
measure.

• Classes containing both metric and nonmetric values.

View Mode Sets the display of ICOs in the hierarchy tree when viewing
search results to correspond either to the class in which the ICO
is stored or the class that was selected for the search.
Localization Displays the Language Translations dialog box that lists
existing translation values. This button appears only if special
localization configurations are made.

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Classification panes
Pane Description
Properties Displays the Properties pane used to view, define, and edit the values of
attributes associated with a specific Classification ICO. The class and
instance viewers are also located in this pane.

To enlarge the image, click the maximize button .

By default, images are shown. To prevent this, click the Panel Menu
button and clear Show Image.
In the instance image window, JT assemblies are shown by default, if
one exists in the classified object. To deactivate this, click the Panel
Menu button and clear Show Assemblies.
The active measurement unit is displayed in the title bar of the attribute
search criteria pane.
Table Displays the properties of ICOs in tabular format.
Multiple Instance (ICO) Displays Classification data associated with one of multiple ICOs of a
single workspace object.

Classification symbols

Note
Group and class symbols can be customized; therefore, the default symbols displayed in
the following table may not represent those used at your site.

Symbol Description
Displays the root or anchor of the Classification system. There is one root
per database.
Displays a group that is a collection of related classes.
Displays an abstract class that is used to combine common attributes for use
in storage classes. Classification ICOs cannot be stored in abstract classes.
Displays a storage class in which Classification instances can be saved.
Storage classes can be positioned anywhere in the hierarchy, including the
leaf node position.
Displays an SML class that is used in the legacy SML hierarchy structure to
store subclasses and other classes. ICOs cannot be stored in SML classes.

Note
If possible, do not use SML classes. Use abstract and storage
classes.

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Symbol Description
Displays an SML subclass that contains the subset of attributes
corresponding to an SML class.
Displays an attribute value that is mandatory; it requires an entry to save the
classification object.
Displays an attribute value that a Classification user cannot change. It is
protected by the Classification administrator.
Displays an attribute value that requires an entry to save the classification
object, but the Classification user cannot provide the entry. It is set by the
Classification administrator using a default value.
Displays an attribute value that is automatically computed based on custom
logic assigned in the Business Modeler IDE application.
Requires an attribute value that is within a specific range.

Displays an attribute value that falls outside of an allowable range.

Displays a key-LOV value that is deprecated and should not be used to set an
attribute value when classifying an object. However, you can use deprecated
key-LOV values when searching to find objects that were previously classified
with this attribute value.

What are perspectives and views?

Within the rich client user interface, application functionality is provided in perspectives and views.
View The basic display component that displays related information in a UI window.
Perspective A collection of one or more views and their layout.
Some applications use a perspective with multiple views to arrange how functionality is presented.
Other applications use a perspective with a single view.
You can use the HiddenPerspectives preference to prevent the display of some Teamcenter
perspectives in the rich client.
If your site has online help installed, you can access application and view help from the rich client
Help menu or by pressing F1.

Basic concepts about classification

Viewing the class hierarchy

The classification hierarchy utilizes groups and classes to categorize your company's product data.

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The hierarchy and its components, classes and groups, are defined and maintained using the
Classification Admin application. Once defined, you can export the hierarchy for use with different
databases or as a basis for creating a new hierarchy.
The classification hierarchy tree provides a graphical display of the classification hierarchy structure.
The display of the hierarchy tree is controlled using the ICS_hierarchy_sort_option preference.

Creating an attribute dictionary

Attributes are inherent characteristics that describe and identify an object within a group of objects.
For example, you can use the nut height and thread diameter attributes to distinguish particular
nuts within a group of nuts.
The attributes that you see in classes are derived from an attribute dictionary that is predefined by
your Classification administrator. These attribute definitions remain the same, regardless of the class
or view in which they appear. Therefore, the thread diameter attribute has the same format, name,
description, and legal values each time it is used, thereby providing consistency throughout the
hierarchy.
You create classification instances of workspace objects by associating the objects with a specific
class and assigning values to the attributes corresponding to the class.

Inheriting attributes
Attribute inheritance causes a new class to automatically inherit all of the attributes defined for all
of its parent classes. Attribute inheritance simplifies the setup of a group of related classes that
share common attributes.
You implement attribute inheritance by assigning a parent class to a new class during the class
creation process. After the new class is saved, it can be used as a parent class. This process can
continue until a class reaches the limit of 200 attributes (inherited and local).

Creating groups, classes, views, and classification objects (ICOs)

Classification uses groups, classes, views, and ICOs to structure the classification hierarchy and
classify Teamcenter objects.
• Groups categorize a particular arrangement of related classes.

• Classes are a compilation and arrangement of attributes related to a group of objects. Storage
classes permit a form-dependent distinction of items within a group of items or within groups of
items.

• Views display and provide access to class attributes on a user or group basis.

• ICOs are the representations of Teamcenter objects within the classification system that extend
the object with classification data.

For example, your company uses different types of fasteners, such as adhesives, nuts, bolts, and
screws in the production process. Each type of fastener has numerous possible variations in form. To
categorize the fasteners, you use groups and classes.

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Groups
Groups are the highest level in the classification hierarchy. A group labeled fasteners could be
established to organize all the fasteners used by your company. Groups can also be nested to
include other groups. For example, if the fasteners are standard parts, you could create a group
called standard parts and associate the fasteners group as a subgroup of standard parts.
There is no limit to the level to which groups can be nested.
Classes
Classes represent the next level in the classification hierarchy. A class defines, and is defined
by, the composite attributes of all storage classes associated with the class. A class can have
multiple alias names, allowing you to search for it by one of these names in addition to its primary
name. These names are indicated in the class tool tip in the classification hierarchy.
Abstract classes
Abstract classes are typically used to store objects that share a major set of characteristics
(attributes). The attributes assigned to the abstract class are then inherited by any and all child
classes. Abstract classes can have other abstract classes as well as storage classes as children.
Storage classes
Storage classes are defined by a combination of the inherited attributes of the parent classes
along with attributes that are specific to the storage class. Storage classes can hold parent,
child, and leaf node positions in the hierarchy.
Views
Views enable and disable access to storage classes and their attributes on a user and group
basis. View objects are defined by your Classification administrator.
ICOs
ICOs are the representations of Teamcenter objects within the classification system that extend
the object with classification data. ICOs specify the values of attributes defined by a particular
storage class within the classification hierarchy.

Note
Siemens PLM Software recommends that you only classify item and item revisions
rather than dataset objects, such as UGMASTER and UGPART datasets.

The system automatically generates an object ID to identify a new classification ICO. The object ID
corresponds to the Teamcenter item ID and cannot be modified.

Basic tasks using Classification

Use Classification to do the following basic tasks:
• Classify workspace objects such as items or item revisions.

• Find a classified instance (ICO). Search the classification hierarchy based on different criteria
to find the ICO you need.

• Copy table data to the system clipboard and manipulate classification table data.

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• View data associated with your workspace object. View many types of data, including GIF, TIFF,
PNG, HTML, and text documents in the classification viewers.

• Export classified data using PLM XML.

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Displaying the classification hierarchy

The classification hierarchy shows a tree structure of nested classes. It provides an overview of all
classification classes contained in the database. These classes contain a compilation of attributes
related to a group of objects.
When you first open Classification, the hierarchy on the left is still closed. You can only see the
root node.
1. Double-click the root node of the hierarchy.

2. Move down the hierarchy by clicking the plus sign (+) in front of the name of the class you want to
open. You can right-click any class and choose Expand All to open all child classes.

Change the display of the hierarchy

When you first expand the classification hierarchy, the class names include a number in brackets
beside them. This number represents the number of instances contained within that class and all
its subclasses.

The number of instances displayed represents all instances in the database, including both metric
and nonmetric ICOs, as well as ICOs to which you do not have read access.
• If you search for only metric or only nonmetric instances, the number of matches is smaller if your
database contains instances in both systems of measurement.

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• Teamcenter does not check for read access to ICOs until you perform a search. For this reason,
a class can display 100 instances in the hierarchy, but when you search the class, you find only
80 matches. This is because you do not have read access to the other 20 ICOs.
You can specify when the ICOs are filtered for read access in the
ICS_search_filter_by_read_access preference.

You can additionally or alternatively display the groups and classes.

• Right-click the root node of the classification hierarchy and choose Show Node IDs.

To turn off the display of the instance count, right-click the root node of the classification hierarchy
and choose Show Instance Count.

Display information in the Properties pane

You only see information in the Properties pane once you select a class in the hierarchy.
• Double-click a storage class in the hierarchy.

• Right-click a class from the hierarchy and choose Select.

Display information in the Table pane

The Table tab is not available until you select a class in the hierarchy and search for ICOs in the
Properties pane.
1. Double-click a storage class in the hierarchy.

2. Right-click a class from the hierarchy and choose Select.

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3. Search for the desired ICOs.

4. Click the Table tab.

Teamcenter lists the first five matches in the Table pane.

Working with measurement units

Measurement units overview
Classification classes can contain only metric ICOs, only nonmetric ICOs, or both. If your
Classification administrator specifies that a class can contain both, you can search for an object using
either of the unit systems you define, and the search mechanism finds a match, regardless of the unit
in which the object is stored. For example, if you search for a bolt with a width of 5/8th inches, the
classification search mechanism finds a bolt that is stored with a width of 1.6 centimeters.
Teamcenter displays the unit of an attribute value as a hyperlink beside the value. You can change
this unit for viewing or searching purposes. If a unit is not hyperlinked, Teamcenter cannot find the
unit in the Unit Definition class. If the attribute is not yet used in any classes, the classification
administrator can change the unit in the attribute dictionary or add the new unit definition to the
Unit Definition class.
The unit in which you save an ICO is referred to as the storage unit. Teamcenter displays the storage
unit in bold type in the list of available units.
When working with legacy data, Classification searches for the object ID of the unit or, if it does not
find that, the display name. If it finds a match, then it displays the hyperlinked unit label. If Teamcenter
does not find a match, it displays the legacy unit label that you cannot change.

Tip
Type the unit in the attribute value box along with the value. Teamcenter changes the
unit for you automatically.

If your administrator enables optimization for attribute values, these are displayed using the most
readable unit with the least number of leading or trailing zeros.

Change the active measurement system

When displaying ICOs in the Properties pane (view mode), you can change the measurement
system that is displayed.
• Click the Active unit button and select the measurement system.

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Note
You can do this only if your administrator has specified that the class can contain both
metric and nonmetric values.

Change the displayed units of measure

You can change the displayed unit of measure; Teamcenter converts these values for you.
Teamcenter distinguishes internally between show mode and edit mode during this activity. You can
only change the displayed units of measure in show mode. If you are in edit mode, Teamcenter
changes the value you enter.
• Click the hyperlinked measurement unit and select a new unit.

o If you are in show mode, Teamcenter immediately converts the unit for display purposes.

o If you are in edit mode, Teamcenter assumes you want to change the attribute value. It first
internally converts the value you enter to the storage unit, and then converts to the desired
unit.
If the storage unit is formatted in such a way that this conversion cannot take place (for
example, not enough decimal places), Teamcenter cannot continue with this conversion and
an error message occurs. If, for example, you are editing the following value, and want to
enter the value in m, not mm, you cannot simply change the unit from mm to m as in show
mode.

If you attempt to do this, Teamcenter tries to convert 40 meters to the storage unit, which is
millimeters. This results in a very large value of 40,000 millimeters. Because the mm storage
unit specifies that this unit can only have three decimal places before and after the zero,
Teamcenter cannot complete the conversion and displays the following error message:

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The entered value 40 m (40000 mm) cannot be formatted with the REAL(3,3) format
because there are too many digits before the decimal point.
The attribute can have a value of 0 or a range between 0.001 and 999.999 mm.
Note:
The attributes’s storage unit is mm. During conversion, values are first converted
to mm.

Instead, enter the value with the correct unit. In this case, that is 0.04m.

Caution
Teamcenter always converts between the metric and nonmetric formats that you
specify in the attribute dictionary. If, during conversion, the converted value’s
number of digits is larger than the specified target format allows, Teamcenter
truncates the excess digits and displays an erroneous value. For example, an
attribute has a nonmetric format with REAL(3.5) and a metric format of REAL(4.3).
If you try to convert 622 inches to a metric value, the correct converted value is
15,800 millimeters. Teamcenter, however, truncates the converted value to 1580
to fit the defined format (REAL(4.3)).

If a class is set to both (metric and nonmetric), and if any of the attributes do not have a unit definition
for both metric and nonmetric, Teamcenter uses the available unit for both unit systems. This
behavior supports use cases where certain attributes may not have different metric and nonmetric
units, such as time.

Viewing the Unit Definition class

The Unit Definition class contains all the units available for attribute definition in the Classification
Admin application. Only an administrator should change this class.

Searching in multi-unit classes

If the active unit of measurement is metric, you can search for a nonmetric ICO using metric attribute
values, and vice versa. Teamcenter converts the value to the other unit system and performs the
search. When you do this, however, you must be aware of the following information.
For the search to find an ICO with a particular attribute value, the value must be an exact match.
Because Teamcenter converts the value to the other unit system, be sure to enter enough digits
after the decimal point to avoid rounding errors.

Make the panes larger or smaller

• Click Maximize/Restore panel on the right side of the pane's title bar.

View the tree graphically

You can use a graphical browser to navigate through the classification hierarchy. This browser shows
a hierarchy of the tree structure symbols and allows you to enlarge them easily with a slider. You
can switch back and forth between the tree structure and the graphical browser. The class that is

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currently highlighted in the graphical browser is then highlighted in the tree and vice versa. If you
select a class in the hierarchy tree, it is also selected in the graphical browser when you open it.

1. Turn on the graphical browser using the ICS_enable_graphical_browser preference.

2. In the hierarchy pane, click the Graphical Browser tab.

3. Navigate through the classes.

The graphical browser shows two sets of graphics. The top set, a horizontal list of graphics, is
the hierarchy list. This represents the path you have taken down the classification tree from
parent to child node. The second set of graphics represents all the members of the current
class, that is, the last class shown in the hierarchy list. Leaf classes are displayed with a blue
border around the graphic.

• To move one level down in the tree, click the graphic.

• To move one level up the tree, click the second-to-the-last graphic in the list of graphics
at the top.

• To select a class, click the link below the graphic of the class you want to open. If the class
you are selecting is a leaf node, clicking the link also selects it.

• To move to any class in the hierarchy list, click the class.

• To select a leaf class (a graphic with a blue border), click the class or click the link below
the graphic.

4. Modify the graphic size by moving the slider at the right of the browser pane to the right to enlarge
the graphics and moving it to the left to make them smaller.

Viewing attribute values

Attributes are placeholders for values that distinguish one instance of a class from another. For
example, within the Sheet Metal Screws class, the length, diameter, and thread attributes are used
to distinguish one sheet metal screw from another. Attributes and their values are displayed in
the Properties pane.

In addition to the list of attributes that is displayed when you select a class, your administrator may
have added custom attributes that are listed in a tool tip in the Properties pane.

There may be restrictions set by your administrator on what attribute values you can modify or
what values you can enter. For example, an attribute value may not be modifiable because
your administrator has set a default value, or you can only enter attributes between a certain
range. In addition, the display of the values can be changed. For example, by modifying the
ICS_display_unformatted_numbers preference, you can add or remove the leading zeros.

Teamcenter provides you visual aid to see the restrictions set on an attribute. If you are in edit mode,
you may see the following indicators.

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Symbol Restriction
Attribute property is set to Protected or a
default value is set to Fixed.
Attribute property is set to Mandatory.
Whether you can save an ICO
without setting mandatory attribute
values is controlled by the
ICS_force_mandatory_attribute_check
preference.
Attribute property is set to Mandatory and
Protected.
Attribute value is set to Auto Computed.
Note the gray frame. This value is calculated
automatically based on external logic.

Attribute value is displayed in centimeters.

To display the value in a different unit, click
the unit and select the desired display unit.
This does not change the storage unit in the
database.
If the unit is not hyperlinked, it means that
Teamcenter cannot find the given unit in the
Unit Definition class.
Notice that the cm entry is in bold type.
This indicates that the storage unit for this
attribute is centimeters.

Tip
Type the unit in the attribute
value box along with the value.
Teamcenter changes the unit for
you automatically.

Attribute value is restricted to a specific

range.

Attribute value falls outside of allowable

range.

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Symbol Restriction
Key-LOV value 03 No Trans Guns is
deprecated and should no longer be used.

Attribute value is localized. Click to enter

or view values in other supported languages.

Preview available attribute values

You can activate a filter that allows you to preview those attribute values available in the currently
selected class. This is especially useful when you are searching as you can select an existing
value and search for it.

Note
The autofilter is not displayed for reference attributes.

1. Select a class in the classification hierarchy.

Teamcenter displays the attributes in the Properties pane.

2. Click the Autofilter button.

Teamcenter displays the List of Values dialog box containing a list of attribute values stored
for this attribute. When you search, all attribute values stored for this attribute are displayed,
provided you have not yet set any other attribute values. As you constrain your search criteria by
setting other attribute values, the List of Values dialog box only shows the attribute values that
are valid given the current search criteria (helping you efficiently narrow your search and choose
valid values that will find classified objects).

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The attribute preview indicates whether the value is stored as a metric or nonmetric unit.

3. Do one of the following:

• Select a value and click ok.
Teamcenter closes the List of Values dialog box and populates the attribute value box with
the selected value.

Note
If you are in search mode and use the autofilter on string attributes, Teamcenter
places the value in quotation marks. This way, you can use dashes inside the
attribute values, and they are not interpreted as a range.

• Click clear.
Teamcenter closes the List of Values dialog box and removes any value that was in the
attribute value box.

• Click cancel.
Teamcenter closes the List of Values dialog box without making any changes to the attribute
value box.

View attributes applicable to a specific application

In some cases, you may want to highlight a specific set of attributes that are relevant to a particular
application. If a class contains a long list of attributes, it is often not easy to spot these attributes in
the Classification Properties view or the Search pane of the Classification Search Dialog. You
can view which attributes are relevant to a particular application if this feature is enabled in the
Classification Admin application. You can choose to mark all relevant attributes or, additionally, you

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can hide attributes that are not relevant. Alternately to highlighting attributes, you can filter the display
of the attributes so that only the applicable attributes are visible.
Your administrator enables applicable attributes in the Classification Admin application.
1. In the Classification Properties view or the Search or Properties pane, click the button
representing the application for which you want to see the relevant attributes.
Teamcenter displays the application symbol beside each of the relevant attributes and highlights
the attributes in bold.

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You can click more than one application button.

2. Switch between highlighted and filtered attributes.

The attributes that are pertinent to the selected applications are highlighted in bold and the
application symbol is shown beside them.

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The attributes are filtered so that only the attributes relevant to the selected applications
are visible.

Displaying a subset of the hierarchy

Set a node as root

In a complex classification hierarchy, you can select any point in the hierarchy and set that node as
the root node, blending out all the node's ancestor classes and groups. You can store any number of
classes in the options list to change the hierarchy root node at your convenience.

1. In the title bar of the hierarchy pane, click to display the root node selection. By default,
this list contains only Classification Root. You can configure the entries in this list in the
ICS_default_root_selector_entries preference.

2. Select the node that you designate as the new root node in your classification tree.

Teamcenter displays the name and symbol of the new root class in the title bar.

3. (Optional) Display the full tree again by selecting Classification Root from the options list.

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Store nodes for subsequent selection as root

1. Select the class in the hierarchy that you want as the new hierarchy root node.

2. In the title bar of the hierarchy pane, click to display the root node selection list.

3. Choose Add Current Class.

- or -
• Modify the entries in the ICS_default_root_selector_entries preference.

These entries are then available the next time you open the root node selection list.

Delete stored nodes from the list

1. In the title bar of the hierarchy pane, click .
The root node selection list appears.

2. Right-click the class that you want to remove from the list and choose Remove.

Display a node as temporary root

1. Right-click the class in the hierarchy that you want as the temporary hierarchy root node and
choose Set Root Node.
Teamcenter displays this class as the root node but does not add the class name to the root
node selection list.

2. (Optional) Return to viewing the complete tree by selecting Classification Root from the root
node selection list.

Refresh the hierarchy tree

The classification hierarchy does not always update automatically. In certain situations, such as the
following, you must update the tree manually:
• A class is moved to a new group or to see a change to the hierarchy.

• Objects are classified. The ICO count does not update automatically.

To manually refresh the classification hierarchy:

• Right-click the root node or affected branch, and choose Refresh.
Teamcenter refreshes all branches beneath the selection, as well as the selection itself.

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If you add attributes in Classification Admin to a class that you are currently viewing in Classification,
you must refresh the class in Classification using the Refresh button or by selecting another class
and returning to the viewed class to see the newly added attributes.

Note
The Refresh menu command is not available if you are in edit mode.

View library information

1. Select a classification class.

2. Click the Library Information button .

Teamcenter opens the Library Information dialog box displaying:

• The projects in which this library participates. A library can be associated with multiple
projects.

• The parent classes of the selected node.

• The library type.

View object properties

1. In the Table pane, select an ICO that classifies a workspace object.

2. Click the Properties button .

Teamcenter opens the Properties form displaying the properties of the selected workspace
object.

3. (Optional) Check the form out of the database to modify it.

Understanding show versus edit modes

Classification distinguishes between show mode and edit mode when working in Classification.
Show mode You cannot edit the object. The Save button is unavailable.

Edit mode You can make changes to the object’s attributes. The Save button is available
to save these changes.

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Teamcenter sometimes behaves differently, depending on whether you are in save mode or edit
mode. For example, when working with measurement units, you can change the displayed unit in
show mode, but if you make the same changes in edit mode, you change the attribute value.

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Classifying workspace objects

By classifying Teamcenter objects, you can categorize your products, parts, and components
according to their common characteristics. This classification allows you to search for parts
independent of the location in the product structure, encouraging reuse of existing parts and reducing
the costs associated with redundant design work.

Note
Siemens PLM Software recommends that you classify only item and item revision objects.
Classification of datasets, forms, and folders is not recommended. If, however, you are
planning to perform appearance searches in Structure Manager, you must classify items,
not item revisions.

Internal Classification objects (ICOs) are created based on the attributes assigned to the storage
class. Therefore, you must first determine the appropriate class for the object being classified, in
accordance with your company's established classification standards.

Create a classification object (ICO)

1. Select the class in which you want to create the new classification object.

2. Click the Add or create a new Instance button .

The Create Classification Object dialog box is displayed.

3. Select Create a new stand-alone classification object and type an ICO ID into the box.

4. (Optional) If you previously searched the class and the Properties pane currently displays
attribute values for an ICO, you can select Copy Values to copy the values from the displayed
ICO to the new classification object.

5. Click OK.

6. Type new attribute values or modify copied values in the Properties pane.

7. Click Save .

Create an ICO by classifying a workspace object

1. Use one of the following methods to choose the object to be classified (item or item revision):

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• Select the item or item revision in the tree structure or properties table of another application,
such as My Teamcenter, and drop it on the Classification button in the navigation pane.
Teamcenter opens the Classification application and asks if you want to create classification
information.
This method only works with a single object.

• Select the item or item revision in the tree structure or properties table of another application,
such as My Teamcenter, and copy it to the clipboard. Open Classification, click the Clipboard
button, and select the object in the Contents menu, and click the Open Selected Object
button.
A message asks if you want to create the classification information for this object.
This method works for multiple objects provided you classify each object on the clipboard
individually with the steps described.

• Right-click the item or item revision in the tree structure or properties table of another
application, such as My Teamcenter, and choose Send To. Choose Classification from the
list of applications displayed on the Send To menu.
The Classification application displays a message asking if you want to classify the object.
This method only works with a single object.

2. Click Yes in the Classify Object dialog box.

The dialog box closes and the object ID is displayed in the Properties pane.

3. Browse the hierarchy tree to locate the storage class that best matches the characteristics of
the object being classified.

4. Right-click the storage class and choose Select. You can also double-click the storage class to
display the attributes.
The attributes associated with the selected subclass are displayed in the Properties pane.

5. Type values for the attributes. If the class can accept both metric and nonmetric units of
measurement, you can switch between these using the Active Unit list. Classification converts
the values where required.

6. Click the Save button on the toolbar to create the ICO and save it to the database.

7. (Optional) If you want to create an additional instance of the new workspace object, click the Add
or create a new Instance button again.

Working with unique ICOs

In Classification Admin, you can specify that the values of a certain attribute or group of attributes
are unique within a class. In this case, when you save a newly created ICO, Teamcenter checks
that no other ICO in the class contains the same attribute values. If it does, the Save Instance
dialog box is displayed. This dialog box displays:

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• The ICO being saved.

• The unique attribute or set of unique attributes.
• A list of ICOs within the class that contain the same values for the unique attributes as the
ICO you are trying to save.

If there is only one ICO in a class that is marked as unique, no two ICOs with the same value for
that unique attribute can be saved. If there are multiple ICOs in a class marked as unique, you
are prevented from saving a second ICO only when all of the attribute values for all of the unique
attributes are the same. For example, a class has the following unique attributes:

Attribute ICO_1 ICO_2

Attribute A 10 10
Attribute B 20
Attribute C 30 30
Attribute D 40 40

ICO_1 and ICO_2 can both be saved as the set of attributes is not identical. Both default values and
empty attribute values are also evaluated for uniqueness in a set of attribute values.
To solve conflicting attribute values:
1. Modify the ICO values so they no longer conflict with other ICOs in the class.

2. Verify that the new set of values is now unique by clicking the Verify button.

3. Optionally, if you prefer to change the attribute values in one of the conflicting ICOs listed, copy
the conflicting ICO to the clipboard where it is available for modification at a later point.

Solve conflicting attribute values

1. Modify the ICO values so they no longer conflict with other ICOs in the class.

2. Verify that the new set of values is now unique by clicking the Verify button.

3. Optionally, if you prefer to change the attribute values in one of the conflicting ICOs listed, copy
the conflicting ICO to the clipboard where it is available for modification at a later point.

Classifying an object multiple times

By default, a single workspace object can be classified multiple times in different classes and the
attribute values are then synchronized between the ICOs. For example, if Part 1 is classified in
Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3, and all of these classes contain the attribute vendor, if the value
for vendor is changed in the ICO stored in Class 1, the value is also updated in the ICOs stored in
Class 2, and Class 3.
Your Teamcenter administrator can modify this behavior to allow a single workspace object to be
classified multiple times within the same class. If this option is enabled, it is possible that the attribute
synchronization for at least one attribute in the class is disabled preventing you from inadvertently
overwriting values and creating identical ICOs.

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When multiple ICOs exist for an object, tabs corresponding to each of the ICOs are displayed at
the bottom of the Properties pane.

Create multiple classification instances of an object

1. Display the classification object that you want to classify in the Properties pane of the
Classification dialog box.

2. Click the Add or create a new Instance button .

3. In the Create Classification Object dialog box, select Add an additional classification to the
current classified object.

4. Click OK.

5. Browse the hierarchy tree to locate the storage class that best matches the characteristics of
the object being classified. You can create additional classifications of the same object in the
same class or in different classes.

6. Right-click the storage class and choose Select. You can also double-click the storage class
to display the attributes.

The attributes associated with the selected subclass are displayed in the Properties pane.

7. Click Save on the toolbar to create the ICO and save it to the database.

Modifying attribute values

You may find it necessary to modify the attribute values of an ICO. For example, when an object is
classified early in the design process and additional attribute information becomes available, you
can add this information to the ICO at that time.

Revisions to an existing item due to a change in form, fit, or function necessitates the creation of a
new item revision, and therefore a new ICO should be created corresponding to the new item revision.

Note
ICOs maintain the protection settings of the workspace object from which they are created.
Therefore, you must have write access to the object to modify a Classification ICO.

Using the Classification edit function, you can modify the attribute values of a specific ICO.

Note the following when modifying attribute values:

• If the ICS_allow_deprecated_lovs_on_update preference is set to true, you see all deprecated

Key-LOV values.

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• If the ICS_enforce_min_max_constraints_on_update preference is set to true, you cannot

change to a value that is outside of any minimum or maximum constraints.

• If the ICS_allow_deprecated_lovs_on_copy preference is set to false, you cannot revise or

perform a Save As action for classified items having deprecated key-LOV values.

• If the ICS_enforce_min_max_constraints_on_copy preference is set to true, you cannot

revise or perform a Save As action for classified items having a value outside of any minimum or
maximum constraints.

Modify attribute values of a specific ICO

1. In the Properties pane, display the ICO to be modified.

2. Click Edit on the toolbar to activate the Properties pane.

3. Add, delete, or modify the attribute values of the ICO.

If an attribute value is not available for modification, your administrator may have set a fixed
default value; or, if you use key-LOVs, a value may be deprecated.

Note
If you do not want to save your changes, click Cancel. This clears any changes you
have made to the ICO in the current editing session. Previously saved data is restored.

4. Do one of the following:

• Click Save on the toolbar to save the modifications to the ICO.

• Change classes and click Save to reclassify the ICO in a new class.

When the attribute values of an ICO that is associated with a part family member are modified, you
must update the part family member data to reflect the changes to the attribute values.
• Click the Create or Update Part Family Member From ICO button to update the values.

Move ICOs
1. Search for the ICOs that you want to move.

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2. Click the Table tab.

3. Select one or more ICOs to move.

4. Drag-and-drop these ICOs onto the new storage class.

The Move ICOs to new_class dialog box is displayed. This dialog box lists the ICOs you select,
along with the name of the storage class to which you are moving these ICOs.
If the attributes of the new class differ from the attributes of the original class, a link with a
warning is displayed: The following ICO attribute values will be lost. Click this link to see a
list of these attribute values.

5. Click OK.
The ICOs are moved and the status of the move is displayed as follows:

• Successfully moved ICOs display a .

• ICOs that could not be moved display a .

Values of attributes that are the same in both classes are carried over to the new class; old
values are deleted.

Reclassify ICOs
1. Search for the ICOs that you want to reclassify.

2. Click Edit.

3. Select a new class.

4. Click Save.
Teamcenter moves the ICO to the new class, therefore, reclassifying it. Values of attributes that
are the same in both classes are carried over to the new class; old values are deleted when you
save. Clicking Cancel Edit before you save restores the old values in the old class.

Delete an ICO from the database

Classification instances are associated with their respective workspace objects (items and item
revisions). If the item or item revision is deleted from the database, the ICO is also deleted. However,
if you create an instance of a dataset, form, or folder, you must manually delete the ICO from the
database before deleting the workspace object.

Note
ICOs maintain the protection settings of the workspace object from which they are created.
Therefore, you must have delete access to the object in order to delete an ICO.

1. Display the ICO in the Properties pane.

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2. Click the Delete button to permanently remove the ICO from the database.

Map ICOs from one class to another

If you want to create a new classification object based on an existing one, you can copy the attribute
values to the target class using the map feature. For example, if your classification structure
contains both a vendor and a customer hierarchy, you may want to map ICOs from a vendor class
to a customer class.
Your classification administrator must set up mapping definitions in the Classification Admin
application before you can perform mapping procedures.

Caution
You cannot map a metric ICO to a nonmetric ICO and vice versa.

1. Select the source class in the hierarchy that you want to map to another (target) class.

2. Select the appropriate ICO from the source class.

3. Click .
The New Item dialog box is displayed.

4. Type a unique identifier for the new item in the Item ID box or let Teamcenter automatically create
a name for you by clicking Assign.

5. Type a name in the Name box.

6. Select the item type of the new resource.

The following four types are generally used to create a new resource:
• MEResource – for resources

• MENCTool – for tools

• MENCMachine – for machines (do not confuse with MENCMachining)

• MEEquipment – for use with Tecnomatix applications

Teamcenter selects the default value of this entry based on the definition in the MRMItemTypes
preference.

7. Select the Copy datasets from source item option to copy attachments such as 3D models from
the source item, for example, a vendor tool class, to the target item such as a customer class.

8. Select the Import Model to Target Item option if you are mapping from a vendor catalog to a
customer class and want to import the 3D models directly from the vendor catalog.

9. Click OK.

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If there are multiple possible target classes specified in the mapping definition, the Target Class
Selection dialog box is displayed:
a. Choose the desired target class from the list.

b. Click OK.
The New Item dialog box is displayed.

c. Enter the required information and click OK.

Teamcenter creates a new ICO and item in the target class and maps attributes from the source
class to attributes in the target class as specified by the mapping definition in Classification
Admin. The new ICO is displayed in the target class, and its attributes are shown in the
Classification Properties view.

Map multiple ICOs

You can only map multiple ICOs when all the selected ICOs in the search results belong to the
same class.
1. Search for the desired ICOs.

2. Display the search results in the classification table.

3. Select all desired ICOs and click .

If there are multiple possible target classes specified in the mapping definition, the Target Class
Selection dialog box is displayed:
a. Choose the desired target class from the list.

b. Click OK.
The New Item dialog box is displayed.

c. Enter the required information and click OK.

Teamcenter creates new ICOs and items in the target class and maps attributes from the source
class to attributes in the target class as specified by the mapping definition in Classification
Admin. It assigns IDs automatically.

Generating graphics for classification objects

Graphics generation overview
There are three ways in which Teamcenter can automatically create part files and JT graphics for an
ICO:
• Based on part family templates
Part family templates are used in NX to define a set or family of parts that share similar form, fit,
and function but differ based on parameter values (for example, length, width, or diameter) that

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typically control the physical characteristics of the part (or tool). The part families are created with
the help of a Microsoft Excel file that holds a list of all part family members.

• Based on template parts

Any NX part can be used as a template part.

• Using Tcl scripts

You can generate ICOs based on Tcl macro files. This is generally used with legacy Genius4000
data.

Note
When you create graphics for a tool component for instance, either with part family
template or a template part, the geometry and CSYS are generated in NX. The graphics
and CSYS are also displayed in Teamcenter. If the CSYS does not display, unload and
then reload the component.

Both part family templates and template parts contain expressions that describe a part parametrically.
For example, L1 represents the length of a drill. If you change the value of L1, you can quickly create
many drills (part family members or member parts) of different lengths. Although the behavior in
Teamcenter when using part family templates or template parts is very similar, the mechanics of how
graphics are created for the members in the background varies.

Note
Revisioning is supported with the template part method only.

An administrator must perform the following steps to configure graphics building for ICOs:
1. Associate the part family template or template part with a specific class.

2. Map the template expressions to class attributes.

A Classification user creates a new ICO by entering attribute values. When the user starts the
process to create graphics, Teamcenter starts the graphics builder executable that communicates
with NX in the background and generates a new part family member or member part using the new
attribute values. The graphics builder executable also creates a 3D model and, optionally, a JT file.
These are stored in the database, and the JT file is displayed in Classification.

Understanding part family templates

You can create part family templates that define geometry and certain properties of the geometry as
variable properties, for example, lengths and angles, in NX. When you assign values to the properties
in the part family template, you create part family members. You can create members in NX or in
Teamcenter Classification by creating an ICO and propagating its values to the part family template.
For more information about how to create part family templates, see the NX Help Library.

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Caution
For graphic generation to work correctly, you must choose Importable Part Family
Template in the Part Families dialog box in NX. This ensures that the two columns,
DB_PART_NO, and OS_PART_NAME appear in the part family spreadsheet.

An administrator attaches part family templates to class definitions in Classification Admin and maps
the attributes of the class to the variable properties of the part family template. When you assign
values to an instance of a class to which a part family template is attached in the Classification
application, you can create a part family member by clicking the Create/Update graphic from ICO
button after saving the ICO.

Note
Multiple templates can be attached to a single class. In this situation, when you create a
part family member for an ICO, you must decide which template to apply. When you create
the part family member, a relationship is established between the ICO and the template.
Once this relationship is established, you cannot create a part family member for this
ICO using a different template.

Understanding template parts

Template parts are parametric NX parts whose expressions are mapped with class attributes.
Graphics creation based on template parts is very similar to that based on part family templates
with the following advantages:
• The template and the instances have their own status and revisions. This allows you to revise
template and members individually.

• You can reclassify a component (move it from one class to another) and re-create the graphics
based on the template part in the new class.

• You can manually modify the part file of a specific instance.

• No write access to the template is required.

• You can easily update or replace an existing template part file (for example, to fix incorrect
geometry in the template).

To use template parts, you must perform all the setup and configuration steps required for using
part family templates.
When working with template parts, there are two scenarios possible when you update a member
part. You can refresh member parts by updating with new classification attribute values, or you can
re-create the geometry from the template part.

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Create part family members and graphics for a classification instanceCreate

graphics for a resource
When an object is classified under a storage class that is associated with an NX part family template
or template part, you can create a part family member and related graphics corresponding to the ICO.
Perform the following steps to create a new part family member and/or graphic for an ICO:
1. After assigning attribute values and saving the ICO, click the Create/Update graphic from
ICO button .
Teamcenter displays the Create/Update Graphic dialog box.

2. Click the Part family template or Template part tab, depending on the type of template you
are using.

3. Select the template from the Template list.

Caution
Teamcenter lists any mapped attributes that have not been assigned a value. You must
assign values to the listed attributes to create graphics from them.

4. Select Create part file to create a PRT file.

5. Select Create JT file to create a JT file.

Note
If you do not choose to create the part or JT files at this time, Teamcenter creates a
new part family member and adds it to the template. You can create the files in a
subsequent session using Teamcenter Integration for NX.

6. Click Create/Update.
The system creates a new item and an item revision that contains the part files. The name of
this new item is the same as the object ID of the newly created ICO. The newly created ICO
classifies the item revision.
If you create graphics based on part family templates and you revise the item that contains the
part file, you must revise all part family members so that the members all have the same revision
as the top item.
There are several considerations when you are updating template parts.

Update a graphic based on a template part

1. Open the ICO that you want to update, make any necessary changes to the attribute values, and
save the ICO.

2. Click the Create/Update graphic from ICO button .

The Create/Update Graphic dialog box displays two new options:

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3. Select one of the following:

• Refresh member part
Updates the geometry of an existing member part with the modified attribute values from
the ICO.
Refreshing a member part retains changes made manually to the member part in NX.

• Recreate from template

Discards the member part geometry and uses the geometry from the template part to
re-create the member part geometry.
Any manual changes made to the member part are lost.

Refreshing versus re-creating a template part

When you update graphics using the Create/update graphic from ICO command, it is important
to understand the difference between the Refresh member part and the Recreate from template
options to allow you to make the correct decision when creating graphics.

In this example, a part for a flute drill is used as a template part. In Teamcenter, the tip angle is
modified and a member part is generated.

These two steps represent the most common workflow. At this point, if you modify any parameters in
Teamcenter, it makes no difference whether you select Refresh member part or Recreate from
template. The result is the same.

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If, however, you modify the member part in NX, there is a difference between the two options. For
example, if the member part is modified in NX so that the tool holder is green and the tool width is
changed in Teamcenter, when the Refresh member part option is chosen, the graphics are created
taking both the changes to the member part in NX and the modified attribute values in Teamcenter
into consideration.

Selecting Recreate from template, however, discards any changes you made to the member part in
NX and creates the graphics based on the template part and the values in Teamcenter. Because the
template part in this example still has a gray holder, when you select Recreate from template, the
drill holder is now gray again.

Create graphics for multiple classification instancesCreate graphics for

multiple resources
1. With search results displayed in the Table view, select all instances in the table for which you
want to create graphics.

2. Click at the bottom of the Table view.

Teamcenter displays the Create Graphics for Selected ICOs dialog box. If no part family
template (PFT) is defined for one of the instances listed, that line is highlighted in red.
If there are multiple PFTs assigned to a class, the background color is yellow. The default PFT is
selected. If you want to use a different PFT for the selected ICOs listed in the dialog box, click the
down arrow beside the name of the PFT and select a different PFT.

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Note
This PFT is used to generate graphics for all instances listed in the Create Graphics
for Selected ICOs dialog box. If you want to use different PFTs to generate graphics
for ICOs in the same class, you must select the ICOs accordingly in the Table view.

3. (Optional) Select Create part file and Create JT file.

Check box states Action

Teamcenter adds the ICO values to the PFT spreadsheet
and creates a part file.
Teamcenter adds the ICO values to the PFT spreadsheet
and no graphics are created. In this case, the JT check
box is unavailable.
Teamcenter adds the ICO values to the PFT spreadsheet
and creates a part file and a JT file. You can create
JTs only if the Create part file check box is enabled
(default state).

4. Click Create/Update.
Teamcenter opens the Create Graphics Progress Results dialog box listing each ICO and
the status of the graphics creation. At the bottom of the dialog box, Teamcenter provides an
explanation for each failed generation attempt.

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Update classification instances after modifying template in NX

If you modify part family member templates in NX, the classification instances are not automatically
updated in Teamcenter. You must perform this task manually.

1. Click the Create/Update graphic from ICO button .

Teamcenter displays a message explaining that errors occurred. The Details tab lists which
ICOs did not update properly.

2. Click Connect existing ICOS.

Teamcenter internally adds the ICOs as members and maps the values correctly.

Search for all member parts belonging to a specific template part

When Teamcenter creates a member part from a template part, it stores the information about which
template part is used in the creation with the member part. You can search in My Teamcenter for all
member parts belonging to a particular template part.

1. Open the advanced search in My Teamcenter.

2. Select the Classification - Members of Template Part search and enter the name of the
template part used to create the members.

Create graphics using a Tcl macro

1. After assigning attribute values and saving the ICO, click the Create/Update graphic from
ICO button .
Teamcenter displays the Create/Update Graphic dialog box.

2. Click the TCL Macro tab.

Teamcenter displays a blank tab. If there is both a part family template and a Tcl macro defined
for the class, you must click the TCL Macro tab to create the Tcl-based graphic.

Note
You cannot select the type of file to create when creating or updating graphics using Tcl
macros. Teamcenter uses the settings from NX. By default, only a part file is created.
If you want to create or update the JT file as well, you must change the settings in NX.
a. Choose File→Utilities→Customer Defaults.

b. In the Gateway tree, select JT Files.

c. In the Export tab, select Save JT Data.

d. Restart Teamcenter to capture the changes.

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Working with Resource Manager libraries

Using the Manufacturing Resource Library

To assist you in filling the classification hierarchy with data, you can use the Manufacturing Resource
Library. When you install this library, the data is organized in a detailed classification structure of
manufacturing data such as tools, machines, fixtures, assemblies, and components, including tool
graphics.
The tooling classification tree contains two hierarchies:
• An initially empty catalog hierarchy (Vendor Catalogs) that can contain tool components found in
major tool vendor catalogs

• A customer hierarchy (Tools) that contains the components and assemblies used at your site

You can copy relevant components from the catalog into the customer hierarchy using the mapping
definitions that are delivered with the vendor catalog tooling library. After installing the Manufacturing
Resource Library, you can install vendor catalogs from various tool vendors to fill the catalog hierarchy.

Note
Vendor catalogs are provided separately and are not part of the Manufacturing Resource
Library installation kit. Contact your Siemens PLM Software representative for more details.

Warning
Do not modify the catalog data as these changes are lost when the vendor catalogs are
updated. Save all your customer-specific components and assemblies in the customer
hierarchy.

Part family templates that you can use to quickly create graphics are included in some component
classes. To find the classes to which part family templates are assigned, search the class hierarchy
for the DIN4003 alias name using the quick search feature.
The Manufacturing Resource Library is provided with the Teamcenter installation image. It is updated
regularly.

Using a tool vendor catalog

You can import tool vendor catalogs directly into Teamcenter. These catalogs use the Generic Tool
Catalog (GTC) format based on ISO 13399 tooling standards. When tool vendors deliver their tool
catalogs in this format, you can import them into a vendor tooling hierarchy in the Manufacturing
Resource Library. You can then select tool components in the vendor catalogs and map them to a
customer branch of the hierarchy. The tool components you choose are automatically mapped to
existing Manufacturing Resource Library tool classes. If there are any attachments (for example, 3D
models) with the vendor components, you can import these as well. You can build a tool assembly
based on these components, create graphics for it, send it to NX, and use it to machine parts in NX. A
variety of tooling vendors provide data in the generic tool catalog format that can be used with
Resource Manager. Contact your Siemens PLM Software representative for more information.

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Perform the following tasks to begin using a vendor catalog.

Role Task Application

Tooling/classification administrator Imports the vendor catalog hierarchy into the Classification Admin
database.
Tooling/classification administrator/Resource Imports vendor product data (part of or Classification Admin, Classification,
author/Tooling engineer complete vendor catalog). Resource Manager, or using the
import_step_part21_files utility.
Resource author/Tooling engineer Imports vendor 3D models. Classification or Resource Manager
Resource author/Tooling engineer Creates tool assemblies using the components Resource Manager
in the customer hierarchy.
Part planner Assigns resources to the manufacturing Part Planner
process.
NC programmer Uses resources in the CAM area. NX

Import tool vendor product data

Vendor product data consists of tool components such as drills, holders, inserts, and adapters. You
can import vendor product data using two methods:
• Import the data from the rich client using the Classification, Classification Admin, or Resource
Manager applications.

• Import the data using the import_step_part21_files utility.

To import using the rich client:

1. In the classification vendor hierarchy, select a class at any level.
The class you select determines what packages are imported. Teamcenter imports all product
data from the selected class downwards.

2. Do one of the following:

• Choose Import Vendor Product Data from the shortcut menu.

• Click Import Vendor Product Data in the toolbar.

3. In the Import Vendor Products dialog box, select the package that you want to import from the
list of available Generic Tool Catalog packages.

Teamcenter imports the product data to the selected classes.

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4. Click Import.

5. (Optional) Open the resulting log file to view the import state of individual components.

Caution
Depending on the size of the package you select, this action can take several hours to
complete.

Import vendor 3D models

Tool vendors deliver 3D models with their product data in the STEP file format. You can import this
data in Classification and Resource Manager when performing any of these tasks:
• Importing to the vendor catalog product.

• Importing while mapping from the catalog to the customer class. If a 3D model was already
imported into the vendor catalog product, you can simply copy the existing 3D model.

• Importing to a previously mapped component in a customer class.

When you import 3D models, the STEP files are converted to PRT and JT files internally. Therefore,
NX and the graphics builder must be installed on the Teamcenter server to proceed with this activity.
You import a 3D model by performing one of the following steps:
• Open a tool component in a vendor or customer class and click in the toolbar.

• Select one or more lines in the classification table and click at the bottom of the table.

• Click at the bottom of the Properties or Table tab in the Classification Search dialog box.

• Right-click a resource in the Resource Manager resource view and choose Import catalog
3D model for current resource.

Teamcenter imports the 3D models. If the tool component to which the 3D model belongs is a
standalone ICO, Teamcenter creates an item for the ICO and attaches the datasets to the item. If you
are importing for a single resource or ICO, the JT file is displayed in the viewer.

STEP format excludes indexable cutting tools

The STEP file format, beginning with Teamcenter 12.2, supports the definition of various individual
tooling components. The components consist of the assembly construction, NOCUT component,
and Cut component. Resource Manager manages tool assemblies and assembly construction, by
combining specific NOCUT and CUT geometry.
The vendor catalog assembly contains a master insert that is not likely to be what you need. For
that reason, the STEP import does not include the master insert, the CUT geometry. You can add
the specific insert you need to the assembly. This is also true for multitool assemblies, when a
master insert is provided with the vendor assembly.
This is a vendor assembly example:

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This is the same assembly with the master insert removed:

Understanding the linking mechanism for vendor data

When you import vendor catalog data, each component has an attribute, 3D Model file name
(attribute ID -159003), that stores a reference to the STEP file containing the 3D data.

In turn, when you map a catalog component to a customer component, the customer component
contains attributes that refer back to the vendor component.

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When you open a mapped customer component and initiate the 3D model import, Teamcenter uses
this reference to locate the original catalog component. Teamcenter stores the ICO modification date
from the vendor tool component in the Vendor Reference Date attribute during the mapping.

Working with generic and need objects

Create a need object

A need object is a placeholder for your search. It contains details about your generic object that you
already know. For example, you know you want a pump (your generic object), and you know that
the pump should be suitable for gas and has a certain flow rate. These details are captured in the
need object. When you perform a search based on the need object properties, the found object that
matches all the details is the fulfillment object.

Note
You must remove the object type Need from the ICS_hidden_ico_types
preference to create, update, and search need objects. Also, you must
set ICS_support_generic_and_need to true and run the smlutility
-update_hidden_ico_types utility to update the existing Classification objects.

1. In Classification, select the class for the need object.

2. Click Add or create new Instance .

3. In the Create Classification Object dialog box, type a value for the ID in the ICO id box.

4. Click OK.

5. In the Properties view, select Need from the Type list.

6. Click Save current Instance .

Associate an item to a class as a generic object

Generic objects are used primarily by piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) to represent a
required component before all object specifications are determined. You can use a generic object like
any other item—in a product structure, for example. An object is defined as generic by associating it
to a class.

Note
You must set the ICS_support_generic_and_need preference to true to create, update,
and search generic objects. You must also run the smlutility -update_hidden_ico_types
utility to update the existing Classification objects.

Use one of the following methods to associate an item to a class as a generic type.

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Paste button method

1. Right-click the item and select Copy.

2. In Classification Admin, select the class object to attach the item.

3. Click Edit.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the Class Details tab.

5. In the Generic Objects section, click Paste .

6. Click Save .
Attach button method

1. In Classification Admin, select the class object to attach the item.

2. Click Edit.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the Class Details tab.

4. In the Generic Objects section, click Select generic object .

5. Choose the item or revision and click Attach.

6. Click OK.

7. Click Save.

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Chapter 3: 3: Working
Working with classification
with classification objects
objects

ICS_hidden_ico_types

DESCRIPTION
Specifies which Classification object types are hidden.
VALID
VALUES
Generic
Need

DEFAULT
VALUES
Need

DEFAULT
PROTECTION
SCOPE
Site preference.

Note
After modifying ICS_hidden_ico_types, you must run the smlutility
utility with the -update_hidden_ico_types argument to update existing
Classification objects.

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 Working with classification objects

ICS_support_generic_and_need

DESCRIPTION
Controls support of generic and need objects in the Classification application for the
rich client.
VALID
VALUES
true You can create, update, and search generic and need objects.
false You cannot create, update, and search generic or need objects.
DEFAULT
VALUES
false
DEFAULT
PROTECTION
SCOPE
Site preference.

PLM00042 12.2 Classification 3-23

Chapter 4: Searching the classification hierarchy

Searching the database for classified objects

The Classification search features allow you to locate a class or group by enabling you to focus your
search using familiar criteria, such as name or ID.
When you are looking for a specific ICO, there are several situations you may encounter:
• You know all or part of the object ID. In this case, you can use the object ID search feature. You
can narrow this search using the search by type function. This allows you to search, for example,
only for ICOs that classify something, or only for ICOs that do not classify anything.

• You want to search within a specific group or class. For this, you must know how to select a
class. From within this class, you can either search all ICOs in the class or search for objects
matching specific criteria.

• You know that the ICO should possess specific attribute values. Use the attribute value search
to perform this search. You can narrow this search by first selecting a class or specifying all or
part of an object ID.

Note
There are two search buttons in the Properties pane:

• Click the Search button to the right of the Object ID box to search the entire
classification hierarchy.

• Click the Search button at the bottom of the Search pane to search
within a selected class.
This type of search can include any search refining features, such as object ID,
attribute value, or search by type.

In addition, there is another search button below the hierarchy tree. This is the quick
search button.

1. Search the classification hierarchy.

When searching the hierarchy, you can:

• Search for a specific ID or part of an ID.

• Search for groups or classes.

• Search for objects possessing specific criteria.

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Chapter 4: 4: Searching
Searching the classification
the classification hierarchy
hierarchy

2. Navigate through the search results.

3. Select the ICO you want.

Search by object ID
If you know at least a portion of the object ID of an ICO, you can use the object ID search feature.
An object ID search encompasses the entire classification hierarchy and cannot be limited to the
contents of a particular class or subclass.
1. Click the Properties pane located to the right of the hierarchy tree.

2. Type the exact object ID or partial object ID in the Object ID box, located at the top of the
Properties pane.

3. (Optional) Narrow your search using the search by type feature.

4. (Optional) Click the revision rule hyperlink on the title bar to apply a revision rule for the search.
If you enter a specific revision in the Object ID box, the search ignores the revision rule. If a
revision rule is already set, it is displayed in the revision rule link.

5. Press Enter or click the Search button to the right of the Object ID box.
The object ID search returns the ICOs found in alphabetical/numeric order by object ID. The first
ICO found is displayed in the Properties pane. When navigating through the ICOs, the class and
subclass to which the ICO belongs are highlighted in the classification tree. The total number of
ICOs found is displayed in the Search Results box.

6. Navigate through the search results.

7. Select your desired ICO.

8. (Optional) Perform subsequent searches by clicking to remove the values from the
Properties pane and proceeding from step 2.

Search by type
You can search the classification hierarchy for ICOs classifying specific workspace object types.
1. In the classification tree, expand the desired class and select it by either:
• Double-clicking if it is a leaf node.

• Right-clicking and choosing Select if it is not a leaf node.

The class names are highlighted in the tree.

2. Type an ID, a class ID, or attribute values.

3. Click the Classified Object Type button . A list of workspace object types follows.

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

Click To
Search among all classification instances. This is the default
search method.
Search among all classification instances that classify a
workspace object.
Search among all classification instances that do not classify a
workspace object.
Search among all classification instances that are classified as
Generic and Needs → generic.
Search among all classification instances that are classified as
Generic and Needs → need.
Search among all classification instances that are classified as
Generic and Needs → generic and need.
Search among all classification instances that classify an item.
Search among all classification instances that classify an item
revision.
Search among all classification instances that classify a process.
Search among all classification instances that classify a process
revision.
Search among all classification instances that classify a resource.
Search among all classification instances that classify a resource
revision.
Search among all classification instances that classify a
MENCTool
Search among all classification instances that classify a NC tool.
Search among all classification instances that classify a
MENCMachine.
Search among all classification instances that classify a NC
machine revision.

Note
The types available in this list are configurable.

4. Select a type of workspace object to narrow your search. Only ICOs classifying this type of
workspace object are found in the search.

5. (Optional) Click the revision rule hyperlink on the title bar to apply a revision rule to the search. If
you search by a type that excludes revisions (for example, item or process), the search ignores
the revision rule. If a revision rule is already set, it is displayed in the revision rule link.

6. Click Search at the bottom of the Search pane to list all matching instances within the class.
The total number of instances that match the search criteria is displayed at the bottom of the
Search pane.

Note
The Search pane displays no values upon completion of the search. You must switch
to the Properties or Table pane to navigate through the results and display the values
for a specific instance.

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Chapter 4: 4: Searching
Searching the classification
the classification hierarchy
hierarchy

7. View the search results using one of the following methods:

• In the Table pane, double-click the instance to be viewed.
Its attributes are displayed in the Properties pane. The classification tree is updated to show
the class of the selected object.

• In the Properties pane, use the navigation arrows at the bottom of the pane to browse forward
and back through the list of items that matched your search criteria. As different objects are
selected, the classification hierarchy is updated to show the class of the selected object.
Two modes are used for updating the classification hierarchy when displaying the search
results:
o Click the View in class stored button to display the class in which the item is stored.

o Click the View in class searched button to display the class that you selected as a
basis for the search.

By default, View in class stored is active.

Selecting a class
The first step in searching the classification hierarchy is to find a class in which to search. There
are three methods to select a group or class:
• Navigate through the classification hierarchy manually, clicking the groups and classes until
you find your desired class.

• Use the quick search feature.

• Use the Search Class dialog box.

You can search for a class using any of the alias names shown in the class tool tip.

Use the quick search feature to select a class

1. In the search box located beneath the hierarchy tree, type text corresponding to the name of the
group or class that you want to locate. You can also search by ID by typing id=xxx in the box,
where xxx is the class ID.
The search text can be the exact name or ID of the group or class you are looking for, a class
alias name, or you can use character strings combined with wildcard characters.

2. Press Enter to start the search.

The hierarchy tree expands to display the first object in the hierarchy that matches the search
criteria. The path of the group, class, or subclass is indicated in bold text. If multiple objects are
found, the arrow buttons at the bottom of the hierarchy tree are enabled.

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

3. Click the left-arrow and right-arrow buttons to display the matching objects, one at a
time. This highlights the classes found in the hierarchy tree. The right-arrow button moves down
the hierarchy tree, and the left-arrow key moves up the tree.

Note
If you prefer to view a list of the results, you can display the Search Class dialog box
by clicking the magnifying glass button located beneath the hierarchy tree.

4. Right-click the class in the hierarchy tree within which you want to search.

5. Choose Select.
The Properties pane displays the attributes associated with the selected class, and the images
appear in the class image window.

Note
If the class or subclass you select is a leaf node (lowest level node) in the hierarchy,
you can double-click the node to display it in the Properties pane, rather than use
the right mouse button.

Use the Search Class dialog box to select a class

1. Click the Find Class button located beneath the hierarchy tree.
The Search Class dialog box is displayed at the bottom of your window. To move the dialog box,
double-click the title bar and drag it to another location on your desktop.

2. Define the search criteria by performing the following steps:

a. Select a property from the list at the upper-left corner of the dialog box. The available
properties are Class ID, Name, Alias Names, Attribute ID, Attribute Name, User data
1, and User data 2.

Note
You can use the Name and Class ID properties to search for groups and classes.
When searching by attribute, the results include the class in which the attribute is
defined and any subclasses in which the attribute is used. Classes that inherit the
attribute are not included in the results.

b. Type search text corresponding to the selected property.

The search text can be the exact name or ID you are looking for, or you can use character
strings combined with wildcard characters. Using a wildcard is restricted to string attribute
fields only.

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hierarchy

Note
The search box is case sensitive.

3. (Optional) If localization is enabled, select the language in which you want to search.

4. To start the search, either click the magnifying glass button located in the upper-right corner of
the dialog box or press Enter.
Teamcenter displays the results of the search in the message area of the dialog box, sorted in
the same order as the hierarchy tree display.

5. To display an object in the tree, double-click the entry in the results list.
The hierarchy tree expands to display the selected group, class, or subclass. The path to the
object is indicated in bold text.

6. Click the left and right arrow keys beneath the class hierarchy tree to move through the
search results to locate the desired class or group.

7. Right-click the class in the hierarchy tree within which you want to search.

8. Choose Select.
The Properties pane displays the attributes associated with the selected class, and the images
appear in the graphics window.

Note
If the class or subclass you select is a leaf node (lowest level node) in the hierarchy,
you can double-click the node to display it in the Properties pane, rather than use
the right mouse button.

Search all ICOs in a selected class

1. Select the class in the hierarchy tree within which you want to search for ICOs.

2. (Optional) Click the revision rule hyperlink on the title bar to apply a revision rule to the search. If
you search by a type that excludes revisions (for example, item or process), the search ignores
the revision rule. If a revision rule is already set, it is displayed in the revision rule link.

3. Determine the scope of the search by clicking the Search Scope button. By default, the scope
is set to Hierarchy.
• Choose Hierarchy to search within the selected class and all related child classes.

• Choose Class to search only within the selected class.

4. If you work in a multilanguage environment, select the language in which to search.

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

Caution
Changing the language also changes the value of the TC_language_search
preference interactively, which affects all Teamcenter localization.

5. Click one of the following at the bottom of the pane to narrow the search.

Click To
Search only for metric ICOs.
Search only for nonmetric ICOs.
Search for both metric and nonmetric ICOs.

Caution
If you are searching in a different unit of measurement than the one that you use
to enter the attribute value, be sure to enter enough digits after the decimal point
to avoid rounding errors.

6. Click Search to list all search matches within the class.

The total number of ICOs that match the search criteria is displayed at the bottom of the
Properties pane.

7. Navigate through the search results.

8. Select your desired ICO.

9. (Optional) Perform subsequent searches within the same class or subclass by clicking Clear
to remove the values from the Properties pane and repeating the process.

Search for classification ICOs by attribute value

1. Select the class in the hierarchy tree within which you want to search for ICOs.

2. Type values, including relational operators and wildcard characters where applicable, in the
boxes corresponding to the attributes by which you want to search.
You can:

• Narrow your search by specifying search criteria for multiple attributes.

• Change the displayed unit of the value by clicking it or typing the unit in the dialog box along
with the value.
Teamcenter changes the unit for you automatically.

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hierarchy

Note
If the attribute or attribute value by which you want to search is not available for
searching, one of the following reasons may apply:
• It is a reference attribute.

• It may already have a default value assigned in Classification Admin.

• It may be encrypted in the database.

• One or more of the key-LOV's values may be deprecated.

3. (Optional) Click the revision rule hyperlink on the title bar to apply a revision rule to the search. If
you search by a type that excludes revisions (for example, item or process), the search ignores
the revision rule. If a revision rule is already set, it is displayed in the revision rule link.

4. Determine the scope of the search by clicking the Search Scope button. By default, the scope
is set to Hierarchy.
• Click Hierarchy to search within the selected class and all related child classes.

• Click Class to search only within the selected class.

5. If you work in a multilanguage environment, select the language in which to search.

Caution
Changing the language also changes the value of the TC_language_search
preference interactively, which affects all Teamcenter localization.

6. Click one of the following to narrow the search.

Click To
Search only in metric classes.
Search only in nonmetric classes.
Search in both metric or nonmetric classes.

Caution
If you are searching in a different unit of measurement than the one that you use
to enter the attribute value, be sure to enter enough digits after the decimal point
to avoid rounding errors.

7. Click Search to list all search matches within the class.

The total number of ICOs that match the search criteria is displayed at the bottom of the
Properties pane.

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

8. Navigate through the search results.

9. Select your desired ICO.

10. (Optional) Perform subsequent searches within the same class or subclass by clicking Clear to
remove the values from the Properties pane and repeating the process.

Find an ICO in the source class

If you map classes from one branch of the hierarchy to another, and use the source classes to
populate the target classes, you can search for a corresponding ICO in the source structure if you are
currently in the target structure. If you then want to create a new classification object based on an
existing one, map the object from the source structure to the target structure.
If you do not find an appropriate component in the target hierarchy:

1. Click .
Teamcenter opens the corresponding source hierarchy to those classes that match your current
search criteria.

2. Select the appropriate ICO.

Apply a revision rule

You can apply revision rules to searches. This narrows down the number of search results so that
Teamcenter returns only the revisions you require. You can control the default behavior of the revision
rules with the following preferences:
• ICS_search_default_revision_rule_<application_name>
Sets the default revision rule for the specified application.

• ICS_search_use_revision_rule
Enables or disables revision rules for classification searches.

1. In the Properties pane, click the Revision Rule hyperlink. This link shows the name of a revision
rule, if one is set, or simply states Click to add a revision rule.
The View/Set Current Revision Rule dialog box is displayed containing all existing revision rules.

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Searching the classification
the classification hierarchy
hierarchy

2. Select the appropriate revision rule and click OK.

3. Click beside the revision rule hyperlink.

A list with configuration options appears.

4. Select one of the following:

Configuration options Description

Use revision rule Enables or disables the currently selected revision rule
for the search.
Save as default Saves the currently selected revision rule as the default
rule for this application. Teamcenter saves it in the
ICS_search_default_revision_rule_
<Classification> preference. The default revision rule
is directly selected and enabled for the search the next
time you launch the application.
Restore default Selects and enables the saved default revision rule.
The Use Revision Rule menu command is also
automatically selected.

Saving queries using the Favorites command

Using the Favorites command, you can store the class and the parameters that you enter for a
search to enable you to repeat the same search. These favorites are organized in the Favorites
pane in a hierarchy, where you can manipulate them. Using the shortcut menu, you can organize the
favorites in the favorites tree.

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

This feature also enables you to bookmark the classes that you need frequently. By saving the class
only (without search criteria), you simply click it again in the Favorites pane to quickly re-select it.
To add favorites:
1. In the classification hierarchy, select the class in which you want to search.

2. In the Properties pane, enter the search parameters.

3. Click the show/hide Favorites button in the menu bar.

The Favorites pane opens under the classification hierarchy.

4. Click the Add button in the Favorites pane.

The Add Favorites dialog box is displayed.

5. (Optional) Create a new folder to hold your favorite by clicking New Folder.

6. Select the folder in which you want the favorite saved.

7. Click the Create in button to save the query in the selected folder.
The Create In dialog box is displayed.

8. Select Execute Immediately if you want the query to be carried out as soon as you double-click
it in the favorites tree. If you do not select this option, double-clicking the favorite simply opens
the favorite tree to the selected class.

9. Accept the default name for your favorite, or type a new name.

10. Click OK. Your new favorite appears in the favorites tree.

To restore a query:
• Double-click the favorite in the favorites tree.

Finding the most recently used search

Classification automatically stores the searches that you perform in the MRU list so you can reuse
them.

Selecting any of the entries in this list restores that query immediately. The number of queries stored
is determined by the following property:
g4mMRUButton.MAXIMUMLISTENTRIES =number_of_MRU_entires

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the classification hierarchy
hierarchy

found in:
com/teamcenter/rac/classification/common/common_user.properties

By default, Classification stores five queries. Once this number is reached, the oldest search is
deleted. If you close Classification, the list is deleted. To retain a search from session to session,
store it as a favorite.

Using relational operators

Use the following relational operators to perform Classification attribute searches:

Relational
operator Definition For example, if you type
= Equal to = 3.0 in the Corner Radius attribute box of the Taper Shank End
Cutter subclass, all ICOs within the subclass with a corner radius
equal to 3.0 are found. You can achieve the same behavior by typing a
number. If no value is given after the equal sign, the system searches
for all instances where no value is set for the attribute.

Note
If you want to find an entry that contains the character that
Teamcenter uses as the wildcard character (for example,
*), enter = and the string containing the character for which
you are searching, such as = shaft*01. This search finds
shaft*01, not shafts01, or shaft101, or shaft201.

> Greater than > 3.0 in the Corner Radius attribute box of the Taper Shank End
Cutter subclass, all ICOs within the subclass with a corner radius
greater than 3.0 are found.
< Less than < 3.0 in the Corner Radius attribute box of the Taper Shank End
Cutter subclass, all ICOs within the subclass with a corner radius less
than 3.0 are found.
>= Greater than >= 3.0 in the Corner Radius attribute box of the Taper Shank End
or equal to Cutter subclass, all ICOs within the subclass with a corner radius
greater than or equal to 3.0 are found.
<= Less than or <= 3.0 in the Corner Radius attribute box of the Taper Shank End
equal to Cutter subclass, all ICOs within the subclass with a corner radius less
than or equal to 3.0 are found.
!= Not equal to != 15.00 in the Diameter attribute box, all ICOs with a diameter not
equal to 15.00 are found.
If no value is given after the equal sign, the system searches for all
instances where any value is set for the attribute.
~ Like ~ Walt* in the Vendor attribute box of a class, all ICOs within that
class beginning with Walt, such as Walter, Waltmann, or Walthouse
are found.

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

Relational
operator Definition For example, if you type
!~ Not like !~ Walt* in the Vendor attribute box of a class, all ICOs within that
class except for those beginning with Walt are found.
– Range 10.00 – 20.00 in the Diameter attribute box, all ICOs with a diameter
within the range of 10.00 to 20.00 (including the values 10.00 and
20.00) are found. A blank space must precede and follow the hyphen.
| OR Walter | Kennametal in the Vendor attribute box of the Taper Shank
End Cutter class, all ICOs within the class with a vendor of Walter
or Kennametal are found.
You can use the wildcard character (*) in this type of statement.
“” Exact string “blue or green”, Teamcenter searches for the string blue or green.
If you type “4 – 10”, Teamcenter searches for the string 4 – 10, not
the range 4–10.

Note
You cannot use exact string relational operators in
combination with other relational operators.

& AND blue & green, Teamcenter searches for strings that contain at least
one instance of both the string blue and the string green.

Note
• You cannot use relational operators when searching for attributes with multiple values.
You can only use the equal and wildcard operators.

• Wildcard characters are permissible for string attributes only.

Using wildcard characters

Classification employs the standard wildcard characters defined for your site. You can use these for
any string attribute. Wildcard characters are not permissible for integer or real attributes.
By default, you can use the * character.

Navigating the matches

Viewing search results in the Properties pane

When you view an ICOa resource in the Properties pane, the class it belongs to is highlighted in
the hierarchy. Two modes are used for updating the classification hierarchy when displaying the
search results:

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Searching the classification
the classification hierarchy
hierarchy

• Click the View in class stored button to display the class in which the item is stored.

• Click the View in class searched button to display the class that you selected as a basis
for the search.

Additionally, if multiple ICOs exist for an object, tabs corresponding to each ICO are displayed at
the bottom of the pane. The red exclamation mark indicates the master ICO that was found to
match the search criteria. The related ICOs may or may not be stored in the class or subclass in
which your search originated.

Tabs representing multiple ICOs of an object

Note
The View Mode feature does not apply to viewing multiple ICOs of a single object.

You can see the active unit of measurement in the attribute values title bar in the Properties pane
using the following symbols.

Symbol Description
The ICO is currently displayed and stored in a metric system of measurement.
The ICO is currently displayed and stored in a nonmetric system of measurement.
The ICO is currently displayed in metric, but was originally stored in a nonmetric
measurement system.
The ICO is currently displayed in a nonmetric measurement system, but was originally
stored in a metric system.

Use the Search Results box to display a specific ICO

1. Type the relative position of the ICO in the Search Results box .

2. Press Enter.
If the number you enter is larger than the total number of ICOs found, the number is shown in red.

View search results in the Table pane

You can view the data of the ICOs found in the search collectively using the Table pane. If the
measurement unit symbol at the beginning of each row contains an exclamation mark, the ICO is
displayed in a unit system other than the one in which it was stored. For example, if the symbol is
displayed, the ICO was stored in a nonmetric unit system but is currently displayed in a metric unit.
1. Perform one of the following actions:

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 Searching the classification hierarchy

• Click to load the next page of found ICOs into the table.
The ICOs are appended to those currently displayed.

Note
By default, the number of ICOs displayed on a page is set to 5. Your administrator
can change the default display by modifying the ICS_table_pagesize preference.

• Click to load all matches into the table.

2. (Optional) Sort the table data; double-click the column header corresponding to the property to
switch between ascending, descending, and natural sort order.
Teamcenter can display different units of measurement in the same column. The displayed unit
depends on the optimized unit for each of the attribute values. Teamcenter sorts these columns
based on the attribute values in the storage unit. The table header always shows the unit (if
available), but for optimized values, the header shows the unit in italic and the cell contains the
unit as well (as the unit can change). For nonoptimized values, the unit is not attached to the
value and shown only in the header (nonitalic).

3. (Optional) Select one or multiple lines in the Table pane and click to copy the contents of the
selected line to the clipboard. You can paste these contents in an external application.

4. (Optional) Select one or multiple lines in the Table pane and click .
Teamcenter opens the Print dialog box where you can choose to open the data in a Web
browser, print it, or save it.

5. (Optional) Select a line in the Table pane and click to view the properties of the associated
workspace object.

6. (Optional) Select one or multiple lines in the Table pane and click to map from one class
to another.

7. Double-click an ICO in the table to view it.

The system opens the ICO in the Properties pane and highlights its class in the tree.

Select the desired ICO

After you navigate through the search matches, you can select an ICO.
1. Click the Propertiesor Table tab.

2. Navigate to the desired ICO.

• In the Properties pane, use the navigation arrows. The system shows all attributes and
values for each ICO.

• In the Table pane, do one of the following:

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hierarchy

o Select the ICO by clicking it.

o Double-click the ICO.

o Select multiple ICOs.

Teamcenter switches to the Properties pane and shows all attributes and values for the
selected ICO.

3. In the Properties pane, click the Send To button (next to the Object ID box at the top of the
pane) to send the workspace object associated with the selected ICO to the desired Teamcenter
application for re-use in the process or task being performed.
Re-using objects this way (and avoiding the inefficient creation and costly management
of duplicate objects) is the fundamental reason for deploying classification in production
environments.

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Copy table data to the system clipboard

You can copy data from the Classification Table pane to the system clipboard from which you can
paste it into other applications, such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.

Note
Copying subsequent data overwrites the contents of the clipboard.

1. Select the rows on the Table pane that you want to copy.

Note
If you do not select a row, all rows in the table are copied to the clipboard.

2. Click the Copy button , located at the bottom-left corner of the Table pane.
The system copies the selected ICOs and their attribute information to the clipboard.

3. Optionally, paste the table data into another application using standard paste commands. The
default column headings are Attribute Name and keyLOV Name; however, these can be
changed.

Table and copy display properties

The following two properties are used to modify the display of the Classification table and the display
of the table data when it is copied to the system clipboard:
• showHeaderAs
Defines the format of the column headings.

• showKeyLovAs
Defines how the system displays data associated with Key-LOV attributes within the cells of
the table.

You can modify these properties in the following file:

com/teamcenter/rac/classification/common/common_user.properties

Table property Value Result

g4mTable.showHeaderAs HEADER_UNCT Displays the column headings
as attribute IDs.

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Copying, printing,
printing, and saving
and saving data data
in theintable
the table

Table property Value Result

HEADER_NAME Displays the column headings
as attribute names.
This is the default value for
the g4mTable.showHeaderAs
property.
HEADER_SHORTNAME Displays the column headings
as attribute short names.
g4mTable.showKeyLovAs KEYLOV_KEY Displays the key associated
with the Key-LOV attribute in
the cells of the table.
KEYLOV_TEXT Displays the attribute text
associated with the Key-LOV
attribute in the cells of the table.
KEYLOV_BOTH Displays both the key and text
associated with the Key-LOV
attributes in the cells of the
table.
This is the default value for the
g4mTable.showKeyLovAs
property.
Copy HEADER_UNCT Displays the column headings
as attribute IDs when table
data is copied to the system
clipboard.
This is the default value for the
g4mSysCopy.showHeaderAs
property.
HEADER_NAME Displays the column headings
as attribute names when table
data is copied to the system
clipboard.
HEADER_SHORTNAME Displays the column headings
as attribute short names when
table data is copied to the
system clipboard.
g4mSysCopy.showKeyLovAs KEYLOV_KEY Displays the key associated
with the Key-LOV attribute in
the table when it is copied to
the system clipboard.
KEYLOV_TEXT Displays the text associated
with the Key-LOV attribute in
the table cells when they are
copied to the clipboard.

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 Copying, printing, and saving data in the table

Table property Value Result

KEYLOV_BOTH Displays both the key and text
associated with the Key-LOV
attributes in the table cells
when they are copied to the
clipboard.
This is the default value for the
g4mSysCopy.showKeyLovAs
property.

Printing table data

Printing display properties
You can use the following two properties to modify the display of the Classification table when it
is printed or saved to a file:
• showHeaderAs
Defines the format of the column headings

• showKeyLovAs
Defines how data associated with Key-LOV attributes is displayed within the cells of the table.

These properties can be modified in the following file:

com/teamcenter/rac/classification/common/common_user.properties

Table property Value Result

g4mPrint.showHeaderAs HEADER_UNCT Displays the column headings
as attribute IDs when the table
is printed or saved to a file.
This is the default value for
the g4mPrint.showHeaderAs
property.
HEADER_NAME Displays the column headings as
attribute names when the table is
printed or saved to a file.
HEADER_SHORTNAME Displays the column headings as
attribute short names when the
table is printed or saved to a file.
g4mPrint.showKeyLovAs KEYLOV_KEY Displays the key associated with
the Key-LOV attribute in the cells of
the table when it is printed or saved
to a file. This is the default value
for the g4mPrint.showKeyLovAs
property.

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Copying, printing,
printing, and saving
and saving data data
in theintable
the table

Table property Value Result

KEYLOV_TEXT Displays the text associated with
the Key-LOV attribute in the cells of
the table when it is printed or saved
to a file.
KEYLOV_BOTH Displays both the key and text
associated with the Key-LOV
attributes in the cells of the table
when it is printed or saved to a file.

Print formats
The Classification print feature supports HTML and text formats.

Format Description
HTML HTML is the set of symbols or codes in a file that tells the World Wide Web
markup browser page how to display the words and images in the file. Files
saved in HTML format can be viewed in any Web browser.
HTML format is used to save and/or print classification table data in tabular
format.
Text Text is a readable sequence of characters and the words they form that can be
encoded into computer-readable formats such as ASCII.
Text format is used to save and/or print classification table data. The data
can be aligned in columns or formatted as delimited text strings, using a
user-specified delimiter.

Print format settings

The Classification print feature supports HTML and text file print formats. The following table
describes the options available in the Print Format dialog box. To view the Print Format dialog box,
click the Set Result Format button located in the upper-right corner of the Print dialog box. The
availability of these options depends on the selected format: HTML or text.

Option Description
Title Adds the title that you type to the table.
Delimiter Changes the character that identifies the beginning or the end of a
character string in the text output.
Date Adds current date to top of table.
Object Count Prints the number of objects found in the table at the top.
Column Alignment Toggles column alignment on and off in the text format.
Select Printing Columns Opens a list of possible columns you can add to the table. Use the
check boxes to add or remove columns from the table.

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 Copying, printing, and saving data in the table

Print table data

1. Select the row or rows on the Classification Table pane that you want to include in the report.

Note
If you do not make a selection before clicking the Print Selected Data button, all
rows are selected automatically.

2. Click the Print Selected Data button , located in the lower-left corner of the Classification
Table pane.
The Print dialog box displays the ICOs and their attributes in HTML format.

3. If desired, change the print format to Text.

4. (Optional) Format the report by performing the following steps:

a. Click Set Result Format located in the upper-right corner of the Print dialog box.
The Print Format dialog box displays the available formatting options.

b. Complete the desired changes to the format.

c. Click Update to apply your changes.

d. Close the Print Format dialog box.

The Print dialog box is again available.

5. To view or send the data to a printer, complete the process in the sections that follow.

Open HTML files in a Web browser

1. Click the Open in Web Browser button .
The HTML file is displayed in your default Web browser.

2. Execute your browser's print command.

3. Return to the Teamcenter window and click the Close button to dismiss the dialog box.

Print an HTML or text file

1. Click the Print button (located in the lower-right corner of the Print dialog box).
The system Print dialog box appears.

2. Define the printer to which the file will be sent. You can accept the default printer that is displayed
in the Name box or select a different printer from the list.

3. Click OK to print the file and dismiss the dialog box.

4. Click Close to dismiss the Print dialog box.

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printing, and saving
and saving data data
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the table

Save output to an HTML or text file

1. Click Save (located in the lower-right corner of the Print dialog box).
The Save dialog box displays.

2. Navigate to the directory location where you want to save the file.

3. Type the name of the file, including the .htm, .html, or .txt extension, in the File name box.

4. Click Save to save the file and dismiss the dialog box.

5. Click Close to close the Print dialog box.

Save table data to a file

1. Select the row or rows on the Classification Table pane that you want to include in the report.

Note
If you do not make a selection before clicking the Print Selected Data button, all
rows are selected automatically.

2. Click the Print Selected Data button , located in the lower-left corner of the Classification
Table pane.
The Print dialog box displays the ICOs and their attributes in HTML format.

3. If desired, change the file format to Text.

4. (Optional) Format the report by performing the following steps:

a. Click Set Result Format located in the upper-right corner of the Print dialog box.
The Print Format dialog box displays the available formatting options.

b. Complete the desired changes to the format.

c. Click the Update button to apply your changes.

d. Close the Print Format dialog box.

The Print dialog box is again available.

5. To save the data to a file, complete the following steps.

a. Click Save (located in the lower-right corner of the Print dialog box).
The Save dialog box appears.

b. Navigate to the directory location where you want to save the file.

c. Type the name of the file, including the .htm, .html, or .txt extension, in the File name box.

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 Copying, printing, and saving data in the table

d. Click Save to save the file and dismiss the dialog box.

e. Click Close to close the Print dialog box.

PLM00042 12.2 Classification 5-7

Chapter 6: Displaying associated data in the viewers

Displaying associated data in the viewers

There are two types of viewers that allow you to see images and other types of file-based data
associated with a specific class or ICO. These are:
• Class viewer
Shows an image associated with a class.

• Instance viewer
Shows documents or images associated with the classified workspace object (for example, item
or item revision) of the ICO. This includes a multitude of data types, such as GIF or JPEG images,
JT image files, HTML files, Microsoft Office documents, or NX part files.

These viewers assist you in better identifying the ICOs with which you are working.

Viewing class images

Class images show an overview of the currently selected class. These are shown in the class viewer
that appears in the upper right corner of the Properties pane. You associate these images with the
class from within the Classification Admin application.
The g4mClassViewer.VIEWERCONFIGTOLOAD preference specifies which type of viewer
is used to display different types of attachments. By default, this preference points to the
g4mViewerConfig.VIEWERCONFIG preference that contains a list of viewers and attachment types.

Viewing documents associated with an ICO

The instance viewer, located at the bottom right of the Properties pane, allows you to see documents
attached to the classified workspace object of the selected ICO, such as BOM assemblies, monolithic
JT files, Word documents, or GIF images. These documents are attached to the workspace object
as a named reference in a dataset.
The documents available for viewing display as tabs at the side of the viewer. Only those documents
that the viewer is able to display appear as tabs.
The following table lists some of the tabs the viewer displays.

Tab Description
Opens a GIF image.
Opens an NX part file.
Opens a JT file.

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in theinviewers
the viewers

Tab Description
Opens a Microsoft Word document.
Opens an assembly.

Move the cursor over the tab; the tool tip tells you what document is available.

Note
The instance viewer is functional only if you have installed Teamcenter Visualization for
Rich Client.

You can alter the behavior of the instance viewer using the following preferences:
• ICS_presented_instance_documents contains a list of those named references you want
to have available for the viewer to display. The system searches through all datasets of the
workspace object for these named references and presents a tab for each one.

• ICS_default_instance_document controls which of the available documents is displayed by

default when you view an ICO. Using this preference, you can, for example, specify that assembly
JT files are not shown by default but must be expressly selected to appear. This can save time
when paging through ICOs of large assemblies. If none of the document types listed in this
preference are associated with the ICO, the viewer displays no attachment. It can still, however,
contain tabs for other available documents.

• ICS_max_number_of_components controls the number of assembly components to be shown

without warning.

• g4mInstanceViewer.VIEWERCONFIGTOLOAD specifies which type of viewer is used

to display different types of attachments. By default, this preference points to the
g4mViewerConfig.VIEWERCONFIG preference that contains a list of viewers and attachment
types.
To view NX parts in the instance viewer, add the following values to the
g4mViewerConfig.VIEWERCONFIG preference:

UGMASTER.DirectModelViewer=UGPART

UGPART.DirectModelViewer=UGPART

Tip
To ensure that the instance viewer displays the same attachments as the Teamcenter
viewer, you can set the value of the g4mInstanceViewer.VIEWERCONFIGTOLOAD
preference to defaultViewerConfig.VIEWERCONFIG. If, however,
you have added any special attachment types to the instance viewer
g4mViewerConfig.VIEWERCONFIG preference, you must also add these types to
the defaultViewerConfig.VIEWERCONFIG preference.

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 Displaying associated data in the viewers

Note
The symbols used for these tabs are found in
com\teamcenter\rac\classification\common\images. You can customize the symbols in
the com\teamcenter\rac\classification\common\common.properties file.

Attaching documents and images

If documents or image datasets are attached to a workspace object with a rendering relation, and that
object is classified, you can view the documents or images in the viewer. Teamcenter searches only
for datasets attached to a revision object or, in the case of classified items, to the latest revision.
To see which documents are added as named references, right-click the dataset in the Attachment
pane and choose Named References. The Named References dialog box displays the list of named
references for the dataset.

Use revision rules with assemblies

If you are viewing a BOM assembly, you can apply revision rules to specify which components in
the assembly display in the viewer. The system applies the revision rules in the same manner as in
other Teamcenter modules.
To set revision rules for the instance viewer:
1. Open the instance viewer menu by clicking the button in the upper left corner of the instance
viewer.

2. Choose Revision Rule from the menu.

3. Work with the revision rules as you would in other modules.

Suppress images in viewers

• Clear the Show Image option to suppress the display of images.

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associated data data
in theinviewers
the viewers

This option is on by default. However, suppressing the display of images, particularly in the
instance viewer, can improve performance when viewing search results.

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Chapter 7: Exporting classification data

Exporting classification data

In Classification, you can export data to an external file using industry standard PLM XML. This
function provides you with a set of rules, called transfer modes, designed to assist you with most
of your export needs. The Classification application uses the ICO as the starting point of all export
activities.

Classification differentiates between user classes and admin classes:

• A user class exports all objects pertaining to a class (such as parent class, dictionary object,
Key-LOV, view) as a single PLM XML element. A user class resembles the class as a user sees
it, with no differentiation between inherited and class attributes. A user class cannot be imported
by a Teamcenter database. Third party applications can use user classes to access ICOs.

• An admin class exports each object pertaining to a class as a separate PLM XML element. You
must export admin classes if you want to import the data back into your own or into another
Teamcenter database.

The following describes the steps to export classification data to an external file using PLM XML.

Export classification data to an external file

1. In the class hierarchy, select the ICO or ICOs which you want to use as the starting point for your
export. These must be loaded in either the Properties pane or the Table pane.

2. Click the Export button .

The Export dialog box is displayed.

3. Click the PLM XML tab.

4. In the Target Application box, select the transfer mode that you want to use for exporting
your data.

5. Type a file name for your export file in the Output File box. Alternatively, you can browse to
an existing file by clicking the button.

6. Click OK.

Classification exports all the data that you specified via the transfer mode to the specified file.
You can view this file in a Web browser or in any XML editor.

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 Chapter
Chapter 7: 7: Exporting
Exporting classification
classification data data

Specifying a transfer mode

Classification allows you to export data using the ICO as the starting point. Using transfer modes, you
can specify what, if any, additional information pertaining to the ICO should be exported. The following
table lists the transfer modes that you can use with Classification and the information they export.

Select the following transfer mode To export

ICSExportICOs An ICO.
ICSExportICOs_User An ICO with the user class to which it belongs.
ICSExportICOs_Admin An ICO with its admin class, views, parents,
attributes, and key-LOVs.
ConfiguredDataExportDefault An ICO with the user class to which it belongs,
in addition to the item it classifies (product data).

To export an ICO with its admin class, views, parents, dictionary attributes, and key-LOVs,
as well as the object it classifies (product data), your administrator must modify the
ConfiguredDataExportDefault transfer mode.

Exporting translations
The Export translated object dialog box in Classification provides a subset of options to assist
you in exporting string values for translation.

Caution
When exporting objects for translation, make sure you click the correct Export translated
object button . Do not confuse this with the PLM XML export button .

Caution using legacy XML

You can use legacy XML format to import and export classification data; however, Siemens PLM
Software recommends using the industry standard PLM XML import and export features. Any
features added to the software later than Teamcenter 2007 cannot be imported or exported using
the legacy XML mechanism.
If you want to export ICOs using XML, use the Classification Admin application.

7-2 Classification PLM00042 12.2

Appendix A: Glossary

abstract class
Classification class used to combine common attributes for use in storage classes. Classification
instances cannot be stored in abstract classes. Compare to storage class.

active unit
In Classification, the measurement unit in which a classification object (ICO) is currently displayed.
This may not be the measurement unit in which it is stored.

attribute dictionary
Repository for Classification attribute definitions. An attribute dictionary ensures that there is a
consistent definition for all attributes regardless of the classes in which they are used. Classification
Admin enables users to view the attributes contained in the dictionary and use the search function to
locate attributes.

attribute inheritance
Process by which a new class automatically inherits all the attributes defined for all its ancestor
classes.

class
Set of objects that share the same list of attributes but distinguishable by the value of the attributes
for specific objects.

class folder
Representation of aggregation of objects. In the Classification and Classification Search dialog class
hierarchies, classes are displayed with class folder icons because they represent an aggregation
of objects.

classification
Process of categorizing objects according to similarity in characteristics. While the objects in one
class share the same characteristics, the values of these characteristics may differ. For example, drill
bits all share the length and diameter characteristics, but drill bit objects differ in length and diameter.

classification hierarchy
Structure used to categorize a company's data by common attributes.

classification hierarchy tree

Display of the classification structure—groups, classes, subclasses, and views—in a tree-like
structure to maintain context during use of Classification Admin.

PLM00042 12.2 Classification A-1

 Appendix
Appendix A: A: Glossary
Glossary

classification instance
Lowest-level component of the classification hierarchy. Also referred to as an ICO (internal
classification object).

classification object (ICO)

Representation of a Teamcenter object within the classification system that extends the object with
classification data. ICOs specify the values of attributes defined by a particular storage class within
the classification hierarchy.

group (Organization)
Organizational grouping of users at a site. Users can belong to multiple groups and must be assigned
to a default group.

ICO
See classification object (ICO).

SML class
Legacy class type used in the Classification application. Do not use this type of class to create
data. Use abstract and storage classes instead.

storage class
Classification class capable of storing classification instances. Compare to abstract class.

storage unit
In Classification, the measurement unit in which a classification object (ICO) is saved.

view (Classification)
Tailored representation of attributes within a class. Views are associated with abstract and storage
classes. Attribute properties can also be applied. For example, a class may define the physical and
accounting attributes for its objects, but a view for tool designers may display only the physical
attributes, and a view for accountants may display only pricing and order number attributes.

A-2 Classification PLM00042 12.2

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