Engineering Index

Overview

The Online Engineering Index / Drawing Register provides a web based search and retrieval facility for the building drawings (CAD and Images) that are registered for use by Engineers. Users can navigate through the system via the Accordant Intranet and view key drawings in pdf/dwf format on the index or instigate a main register search to locate drawings of all types that they need for viewing or printing.
The Engineering Index module can be accessed from the Accordant9 home page and can be located at the section listing all the Installed Modules.
engineering_index.PNG
On accessing the Engineering Index module, users are, by default, directed to the 'View' page.
The available options to normal users are, view and search.

View - Viewing Indexed Drawings

The view is the default page at the Engineering Index module and it provides simple means for navigation, viewing and printing a number of key drawings related to a building. Drawings are either published in Adobe PDF or AutoDesk DWF format, hence the end user's browser must be equipped with the relevant plug-ins in order to view them.

The following section illustrates the layout of the view page;
view
From the figure above:

  1. Title of the current page
  2. Web site logo – click to return to the main Accordant home page.
  3. Module Menu – access to other pages in the Engineering Index.
  4. Option tools to alter the content available.
    The option tools filter the items which are shown in the list of drawings (5), as well as showing the file name for the document currently on view. The functions available are:
    • Show: This either limits the drawing list only to those classifications that have a drawing present for the currently selected floor (or building) or displays all possible classes of drawing with links greyed out for files of the selected type (ie PDF or DWF). When it shows, only those present, the focus is on links that can actually be viewed. But, the whole list of classifications show any key drawings that may currently be missing from the index.
    • Of File Type: This limits the drawing list to a single type of file (typically PDF or DWF). An icon showing the type of file available is shown next to the drawing link at the drawing list to the left of the screen (5).
  5. List of drawings of the selected type available to view for the current floor.
    The contents of the drawing list are set by the use of the “Show” and “Of File Type” options above. A clickable link is shown with an icon on the left showing the file type and the tick icon marks the drawing that is currently loaded into the main area (6). See figure on the right. You can click any live link to load and view the named drawing.
    When drawings are loaded into the main area you will be able to use the tools provided with the associated plug-in allowing you to pan, zoom, print etc. and (in the case of the AutoDesk DWF plug-in) work with layers and other drawing objects.
  6. The plug-in (main) area shows the current drawing.

Search - Search the Drawing Archive.

Drawings are organised by Provider, Type, Title, Document Type, Size, Revision and Received Date. Results are presented in a tabular form with each row of the table providing details of the drawings retrieved. Each row relating to a drawing on the system includes a link allowing the user to download/open the file where it can be launched by using the appropriate application.
search
The page layout as illustrated in the figure above:

  1. Title of the current page and the number of drawings matched.
  2. Web site logo – click to return to the main Accordant home page.
  3. Module Menu – access to other pages in the Engineering Index.
  4. Search Filters
    In general, the drawing archive may contain thousands or tens of thousand of drawings and other documents. The search filters are used to narrow down the search and you must use at least one of these before pressing search. If you do press search with an empty set of filters you will see the error message: “+++ ERROR +++ Search is too wide - Please refine” in red at the top of the screen.
    When you have narrowed down the search using the filters (in drop down lists) and other search tools, you may still have a large section of the drawings (particularly if you have only used one filter), In this case the search will only return a pre-defined maximum number of drawings (default is 300).
    Search Controls available:
    • Received From (Date) and To (Date): Situated at the top right of the search control area, these two date controls allow you to pick a range of dates with which the “received” date for a document must lie. You do not have to pick both dates, for example you may choose to only set “1st October 2008” as a “To” date which will return all documents received before that date with no other date limit. When you click either of the two date controls, you will see a calendar window appear which can be used to pick the exact date required.
      search_from_to
    • Avail Docs Only: This check box at the top right of the screen requires the search to only return records for documents that are actually contained in the archive. It may be that not all documents recorded in the archive register are actually available for download due to a lack of space, because they have been recorded but not yet uploaded or other reasons. When this is not checked and an unavailable document occurs within a search query, it is shown in grey text rather than as a link in the results area (8).
      search_doc_available
    • Number / Title: This is a free text field allowing you to type in words, partial words, numbers or phrases that you would like to match in the a document’s title, drawing number or file type. Each word (separated by a space will) be checked against the relevant fields in the drawing register (the words may occur in any position or order). All searches are case insensitive.
      The exception to this is if you use single quotes around a group of words – e.g ‘SETTING OUT SCHEDULE’ it will only return matches for those exact three words in the order stated.
      The drawing number field and drawing type field will also be searched so that you can (for example) add “PDF” to the search which will include titles with “PDF” in them but, more significantly, files with the .PDF extension.
      search_number_title
    • Supplier, Status, Type & Discipline: The remaining search controls are all of the “Filter” type. For each filter you can chose to have the restriction off (ie. set to “All”) or have it applied to a single value. Each drawing is classified by a setting in each of these lists and you can use them in combination if required – note that many combinations of the filters may not exist. Codes are shown along with their meaning and (in brackets) the total number of matching drawings regardless of other filters.
      search_supplied_by
  5. Search actions – To reset or commence the search
  6. Column headings for the items returned.
    Here, there are two types of button that might appear on the column headers. Many columns will have an arrow shown to the right of the text indicating that the data can sorted by this column.
    search_headings
    If the data has already been sorted by this column, the heading text will appear in gold as shown in the “Dwg #” column in the example above. The direction of the arrow shows the direction of the sort that will be undertaken so, again referring to the example above, clicking the up arrow on the first column will sort the data in ascending order by “Dwg #” and the down arrow next to the second column will sort the data in descending order by Title.
    When the excel icon is shown to the left of the first column, this can be clicked and the current content of the main area (7) exported to excel. The format used is CSV so you can either open the results directly in Excel or save the file and open later.
  7. A list of the drawing details identified by the search.
    Each drawing that has been identified by the search is shown in the results area after the “Search” button has been pressed. – Note that you can reset all search fields by using the “Clear Form” button.
    search_clear_button
    As indicated above, any drawings that are available to download from the drawing archive will be shown in the list while, unavailable documents still get listed but is shown in grey text. Next to the title of each drawing is a icon indicating the type of the file (PLT, DOC, PDF etc). This is also shown to the right of the title in text format. Rolling the mouse over this icon will show the full name of the document and clicking the link will open the document referenced. If your browser is equipped with the correct handler program for the file type you will be able to view the document inline as shown above. Note that you can also save the file directly to your hard disk by using your browser’s “save target” feature.

Administrators can additionally see 3 more Module Menu tabs, Index, Classification and Archive.

Index

At this page, you can manage the drawings listed at the view index page. You can upload new drawings or replace, re-classify those that have been uploaded or delete existing drawings that is no longer needed. Additionally, there is a an individual record editor which is launched on double clicking any of the listed drawings (along any row apart from the 'Filename' itself which take you to the corresponding drawing).
index_management


The page layout as illustrated above:
  1. Title of the current page
  2. Web site logo – click to return to the main Accordant home page.
  3. Module Menu – access to other pages in the Engineering Index.
  4. File Filters – To select the archive used and files displayed.
    The file filter drop down controls allow you to select all files to view in the main area (9) or only a specific type or archive. The index drawings are stored in archives (either directories or zip archives) and an individual collection can be selected using the first drop down option which selects the archive. Normally, the individual archives are named according to the type of drawing that they create for example, “Sec 1”, “Sec 2”, “Sec 3” etc. to match the classifications set up for them.
    The second drop down simply lets you view all files or a specific type – normally there will be PDF and DWF files in the archive and most drawings will be copied to both formats. Selecting only one type or the other makes the list simple to read and manage. You can choose to list the archive to display All Documents, Adobe Acrobat (PDF) or AutoDesk (DWF).
  5. Tool Buttons to select/deselect items and perform deletes, classifications and uploads
    The main list (9) is a “check box” style list which requires you to check items to select them before performing certain functions. You can also use the 'all' or 'none' options to select all or none of the listed drawings. You must check at least one drawing before trying to use the “Delete” or “Classify as” functions else an alert box will appear prompting you to select an item.
    • Delete: The Delete function will delete the records for all the files that you have checked in the list as well as removing the associated files from the archive. Use this function carefully. (especially on conjunction with “select all”) You will be asked to confirm all deletes.
    • Classify as: The “classification” list below the floor and building lists gives you a choice of subtypes organised by the major type (Section) to which they belong. As each type owns a unique group of subtypes, setting the subtype in this control also sets the parent type. With this (and the location above) set correctly, the affected drawings will appear at the correct place in the index view. When you have selected the correct classification for the drawings that you have checked at the main list, simply press the “classify as” button to confirm the action.
    • Upload: With this function you can upload files to the index. This can be for new files or to replace existing ones. It is important to remember that the exact same file name will be used in the archive (without any directories etc) so only one file of any given name can exists in an archive and uploading the same file twice will simply cause an overwrite.
      The upload dialogue requires you to locate a file on your local hard disk – use the browse button to launch a file-finder screen on your local system. Once you've selected the file you want to upload, the path appears at the input text-box and gets uploaded automatically. Depending on the size of the file, this may take a few seconds to respond and will show the filename as uploaded (if successful) and an error message otherwise. At the end of this process, the main list will refresh and will show you your new/uploaded file - assuming the file filters (4) do not prevent this. You can also "classify" your newly uploaded document in the same manner as illustrated above.
  6. Column headings for export and sorting
    The column headings in the Index page work in the same way as those in search, you can click the excel button at the top left of the screen to export to excel and use the arrow buttons (where available) to sort the information.
  7. The main list of index drawings
    If you wish to edit a single line of information, you can double click its row (do NOT double click on the link part under file name as this will launch a viewer). The items in the top division (under “File Details”) are all free text edits and you can change these to any values. Therefore be very careful what you change these to as they would have been set automatically for the uploaded file and in most cases should not be changed. The file name column in the main list contains a link and you can click this to view the corresponding file assuming that your browser is equipped with a suitable plug-in for the file type in question (additionally you can right click on the link and use “Save target as” to save the file locally.
    index_edit
index_save_target

Classifications

The organisation and searching of the Index view and the Archive are highly dependent on the drawing records being properly organised according to a number of key classifications. In the case of the index, this is partially controlled by the building and floor hierarchy which is established elsewhere in Accordant (Estate Manager). Other than this the classifications can be managed from this tab where you can create new ones, edit the details of existing ones and delete those that are not being used or are no longer needed.
classification


The page layout as illustrated above:
  1. Title of the current page – including the class being viewed .
  2. Web site logo – click to return to the main Accordant home page.
  3. Module Menu – access to other pages in the Engineering Index.
  4. Filter – The class selector switches you between the types available and, when changed will reload the entire page.
    The “Drawing Archive” has four classifications to work with and the “Engineering Index” only two (as it is also classified by floor and building)
    • Drawing Archive -
      Suppliers: Are the external companies / consultants that supplied the drawings used in the index
      Disciplines: Are codes which classify the type of works that the drawings relate to (eg. Electrical Work, Shop Fronts, Tower Cranes, Scaffolding etc.)
      Document Types: To specify the type of document which may relate to the size for a drawing (A0, A1 etc) or specify its use (O&M Manual, H&S Certificate etc).
      Status Codes: As built, for Information and other status values.
    • Engineering Index -
      Index Types: Major classifications such as “Fire”, “Mechanical” etc.
      Index Subtypes: More specific groups within each type such as “Fire Alarm Schematics” and “Sprinkler Systems” within the “Fire” type
  5. Tool Buttons – To select/deselect items and perform uploads and deletes
    The main list (8) is a “check box” style list which requires you to check the items in order to select them before performing some functions. At the classification screen, you must select at least one item before using the “Delete” button and only those classifications that are not presently in use will have the check box enabled.
    • Select All / None:
      The “Select All” button will select all of the rows in the main screen ready for a check list operation (delete, associate or re-classify) “Select None” will clear the selection from all checked items.
    • Delete:
      The "Delete" function will delete the records for all the codes that you have checked - you will be asked to confirm all deletes.
    • New:
      This will allow you to create a new classification in the currently loaded type – The edit dialogue will launch but unlike the normal edit (on double clicking a row) you may be required to create a new code and this MUST BE UNIQUE – ie. not already in use for another classification of the same type.
      In most cases you will be creating a code/description combination but the supplier type allows the entering of the optional “Type”, “Code” and “Works” properties and the sub-type class needs to belong to a single type which you must pick. When you have entered the required information you can click the “Save” button to commit the details to the database – if you make an error (such as re-using a code) you will see an error message in Red at the top of the screen. Otherwise the dialogue will finish and the main list will re-load.
Class Id Description Others
Supplier Number – Automatically created Enter any text description Optional:Code – Short text code
Type: CMP or CNT for Company or Contractor
Works: Type or works eg “Fire”
Discipline Code – You must supply a new one Enter any text description
Status Code – You must supply a new one Enter any text description
Index Type Number – Automatically created Enter any text description
Index Subtype Number – Automatically created Enter any text description Index Type – You must select one from the list

When you have entered the required information you can click the “Save” button to commit the details to the database – if you make an error (such as re-using a code) you will see an error message in Red at the top of the screen. Otherwise the dialogue will finish and the main list will re-load.

6. Column headings – For export and sorting

The column headings in the Index Management page work in the same way as those in the search, you can click the excel button in the top left of the screen to export to excel and use the arrow buttons (where available) to sort the data.

7. The main list of classifications

Each row in the main list can be double clicked to launch the editor which will be loaded with the details of the type in the row:
The identifier for the type cannot be edited no matter if it is a number or a code so the first item is always shown as read only. All of the other properties (only the description in most cases) can be changed and then saved back to the database using the “Save” button. If the save is successful, the dialogue will close and the list will be updated.
In the example here we have the left and right sides of a row. At the right we see the number of times the code is used – only those unused (in this case for disciplines, no suppliers and no documents) have check boxes to allow deletion.

Archive

The searchable drawing archives are stored in either directories or zip files on the web server – when a file is identified in the search it can be accessed by using its “path” property to identify the directory or archive it exists in and then its “filename” property is used to extract the appropriate file. This page shows the individual archives that have been referenced in the database. Some of these may not actually exist on the server and in this case are shown with number of files referenced in the database but with no type, size or date information. When they do exist, they are shown along with their type, file size and last update date.
From this page you can open archives to work with their contents, update archive statistics and launch the upload manager to transfer archive data to the server.
archive_manager
The page layout as illustrated above:

  1. Title of the current page and the number of drawings matched
  2. Module Menu – access to other pages in the Engineering Index
  3. Tool Buttons to select/deselect items and perform uploads and deletes
    The main list (8) is a “check box” style list which required you to check items to select them before performing some functions. In the classification screen you must select at least one item before using the “Update File Stats” button.
    • Select All / None:
      The “Select All” button will select all of the rows in the main screen ready for a check list operation (delete, associate or re-classify) “Select None” will clear the selection from all checked items.
    • Upload:
      This will start the upload dialogue without a “current archive set” and is most useful for initiating new archives that do not already exist in the database. For a fuller description of the functionality and data requirements here please refer to the Archive File List Section.
    • Delete:
      The Delete function will delete the records for all the database records that you have checked - you will be asked to confirm all deletes.
  4. The main list of current archives
    • The main list shows the archive nameas it appears in the database) along with the current status which may be:
      1. ARCHIVE – A zip file has been unloaded
      2. DIRECTORY – A directory of that name exists
      3. (Blank) – Nothing currently exists on the server
    • The number of documents referenced in the database is in the next column and the final three are only shown if an archive is found:
      1. Files – The number of files found in the archive.
      2. Size – The size (in bytes) of the archive.
      3. Date – The date that the archive was uploaded to the server.

Notice that all archive names (in the “Archive” column) are shown as clickable links, even if the supporting files do not yet exist. This allows you to click through to the Archive file list, view the “Manifest” information held on the database and also the contents of the archive (if present).