Overview
Links can be created to any paragraph or choice in the project. All links start with a source of paragraph or choice, and end with a target of paragraph or choice.
Choice links allow the user to create a link that begins with the selection of a choice option within a paragraph that leads to the selection of a choice within another paragraph or the activation ("yes" or "green"), suggestion ("review" or "yellow"), or alert of conflict ("no" or "red") link with another paragraph or choice option within a choice list.
Steps for creating choice to paragraph and choice to choice links are below.
It's important to understand the basics of linking before creating user-defined links. Please review Linking Basics to assist in determining the type of link as well as the action(s) and subsequent results you expect to achieve.
This articles covers the following topics:
If attempting to edit an existing link, please see this article instead.
Creating a Choice to Paragraph Link
Follow these steps to create a choice to paragraph link.
In this example, the selection of choice option "Custom" in paragraph 0131 will automatically activate paragraph 0132 - "Column Style Face" from RIB Master Section 062000-RIB-Finish Carpentry.
- From within a specification section, click to expand the Sequence Manager on the left side of the screen.
- From the Sequence Manager menu, click Links.
- Click the Create New Link Button.
- The Create New Link window will appear displaying the Source Links area on top, and the Target Links area on the bottom. Drag and drop a sequence number from the document window.
- Alternatively, if the Links Information Column is open and the paragraph does not already have a link associated with it, there is a "Create New Link" icon that appears in the L (Links) column that will open the Links Panel and autofill the sequence number, instead of having to drag and drop. This one-click alternative can be used any point during the link-creation process when setting the focus paragraph.
- Alternatively, if the Links Information Column is open and the paragraph does not already have a link associated with it, there is a "Create New Link" icon that appears in the L (Links) column that will open the Links Panel and autofill the sequence number, instead of having to drag and drop. This one-click alternative can be used any point during the link-creation process when setting the focus paragraph.
- In the image below, sequence number 0131 ("Column Style Shape:...") has been dragged and dropped into the Create New Links window. This is now the focus paragraph.
- From the focus paragraph, sequence number 0131, the choice tree will be displayed below it. In paragraphs that have multiple choice lists, they will be displayed as well.
- This paragraph only includes one choice list. By selecting the choice option "Custom", the choice list it is contained within is automatically selected as well. The focus paragraph display also changes from "Column Style Shape..." to display the selected choice of "Custom."
- Now that the choice option has been set from the choice list of the focus paragraph, click the "+" sign next to "Click to add a target link."
The Add a New Target Link window will open. Here, you'll select the link type and color and save the new link. By default, the link type will be P for paragraph and the link color will be Green for activate.
- Since Paragraph is the default, no changes are needed. But if changing the link type from a non-paragraph link, use the Link Type dropdown menu to choose to create a paragraph Link.
A "P" indicating a paragraph link will appear in the link type box.
- Use the Link Color menu to choose the action the link will invoke. (Green=Active Yellow=Suggest Red=Deactivate).
The selected color will appear in the link color box indicating the action the link will invoke. Green is selected by default.
- From the document window, either drag and drop the sequence number of the target paragraph, or click on the "plus" icon to type in the sequence number.
The image below displays the sequence number 0132 dropped in as the target paragraph. The completed Add A New Target Link window will include a link preview as you build the link.
Since paragraph 0132 has a choice field in it, the choice tree will appear in step 3. We are making a paragraph link though, so leave all the choice options unchecked.
- When you are satisfied the link is complete, click Save.
The new link will appear in the list of target links with a U indicating that it is a User created link.
Creating a Choice to Choice Link
Follow these steps to create a choice to choice link.
In this example, the selection of choice option "Shop brush apply" in paragraph 0117 will automatically select the choice option "Kiln dry" in paragraph 0120 from RIB Master Section 064200-RIB-Wood Paneling.
- From within a specification section, click to expand the Sequence Manager on the left side of the screen.
- From the Sequence Manager menu, click Links.
- Click the Create New Link Button.
- The Create New Link window will appear displaying the Source Links area on top, and the Target Links area on the bottom. Drag and drop a sequence number from the document window.
- Alternatively, if the Links Information Column is open and the paragraph does not already have a link associated with it, there is a "Create New Link" icon that appears in the L (Links) column that will open the Links Panel and autofill the sequence number, instead of having to drag and drop. This one-click alternative can be used any point during the link-creation process when setting the focus paragraph.
- Alternatively, if the Links Information Column is open and the paragraph does not already have a link associated with it, there is a "Create New Link" icon that appears in the L (Links) column that will open the Links Panel and autofill the sequence number, instead of having to drag and drop. This one-click alternative can be used any point during the link-creation process when setting the focus paragraph.
- Add Sequence number 0117 into the Create New Links window. This is now the focus paragraph. This paragraph includes multiple choice fields, shown in the tree below.
- From the focus paragraph, sequence number 0117, check the choice option "Shop brush apply" in the choice tree. This will automatically select "Choice 1" as that choice option is part of the first choice list in the paragraph. Additionally, it will change the focus paragraph display to the selected choice.
- Now that the choice option has been set from the choice list of the focus paragraph, click the "+" sign next to "Click to add a target link."
The Add a New Target Link window will open. Here, you'll select the link type and color and save the new link. By default, the link type will be P for paragraph and the link color will be Green for activate.
- In step 1, use the Link Type menu to choose to create a Choice Link. Note that when this selection is made, the Link Color selection menu will be removed.
A "C" indicating a choice link will appear in the link type box.
- In step 2, either drag and drop the sequence number of the target paragraph, or click on the "plus" icon to type in the sequence number. This must include a choice field.
- Sequence number 0120 has been dropped into step 2 as the target paragraph for this example. Step 3, will display any choice trees from the target paragraph.
- Select the choice option from the tree that will be linked to the choice option from the focus paragraph. In this example, it will be "Kiln Dry".
When building links, if a choice option is selected from a choice tree, the link type will automatically switch to "C" if it wasn't already.
- When you are satisfied the link is complete, click Save.
The new link will appear in the list of target links labeled as "C2C" indicating it is a Choice to Choice link. It will also be marked with a "U" indicating that it is a User created link.
In this example, the intention was to have "Kiln Dry" become the primary choice option of the choice list in paragraph 0120 when the "Shop brush apply" option of the choice list in paragraph 0117 was selected. The steps above achieved that result.
Please be aware, that the only one link has been built. If we were to switch the choice option back to "Shop pressure treat", it will not automatically switch "Kiln dry" back to "Redry." Following the steps above, a second choice to choice link can be created for that process to automatically happen.
Deleting a Link
Links can be deleted from links list. Follow these steps to delete a cross-section link.
- Locate and select the link that will be deleted from the links list.
- When the link expands with detailed information, click the red trash can on the lower left corner of the window. The link will be immediately deleted. Be aware this action occurs with no confirmation message.
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