topic Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20 in Documentation

Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:27:07 GMT

Did anybody implemented a way to use properties for specifications and keynoting purpose?

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Eduardo Rolon — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 22:27:14 GMT

Yeo, ever since the IFC label was introduced.

Create property field for Keynote Number and another for Keynote Text.
Create Schedule that only shows those items, export to Excel and fill the text and import back or just fill in the regular schedule. Main problem with this is that description is not tied to the Keynote Number so you have to keep track of it.

If a Label was able to limit the characters it showed it might be easier since you would write the keynote number (XXX-YY) and the description in the same field and then you would limit the label to only show the first 6 characters of that field.

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 11:30:42 GMT

Thanks
Actually the properties miss a well thought and built-in keynoting/specification functionality.

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 08:27:46 GMT

alemanda wrote:
Thanks
Actually the properties miss a well thought and built-in keynoting/specification functionality.

Have you thought of using descriptor lists and a label that will read the attached property object code?

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 08:32:07 GMT

Can you give an example?
Descriptor list? What do you mean?

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 08:45:22 GMT

alemanda wrote:
Can you give an example?
Descriptor list? What do you mean?

Make database with your keynotes give them

Key based on category of information
Code for id
Description

Make a label that reads the code of the attached property on an element or object

Make a list component list scheme that shows key, code, description

Attach properties by criteria

Label objects and elements with the label tool

The keynote schedule will be made before you label objects just by attaching properties to criteria

Then you will label the objects and elements on the drawing

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 08:48:11 GMT

alemanda wrote:
Descriptor list? What do you mean?

I mean component list that shows only descriptors keys and codes

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 08:57:19 GMT

to make a database of descriptors

You will need an excel file three columns key, code, descriptor

And a macro that Erik Wilk provides with the book Archicad quantity surveying

The schedule itself is not difficult to define in the define list scheme dialog

The label can be made easily with GDL

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Aaron Bourgoin — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 21:36:41 GMT

ispyridis wrote:
to make a database of descriptors

You will need an excel file three columns key, code, descriptor

And a macro that Erik Wilk provides with the book Archicad quantity surveying

The schedule itself is not difficult to define in the define list scheme dialog

The label can be made easily with GDL

Can you reference Eric's Macro. I have his book. On what page is the macro you're referring to found?

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 07:34:48 GMT

Aaron wrote:
ispyridis wrote:
to make a database of descriptors

You will need an excel file three columns key, code, descriptor

And a macro that Erik Wilk provides with the book Archicad quantity surveying

The schedule itself is not difficult to define in the define list scheme dialog

The label can be made easily with GDL
Can you reference Eric's Macro. I have his book. On what page is the macro you're referring to found?

You can find the macro in the website forum
There is a package you can download with examples, a quantity surveying library, and the macros.

I'm trying to work on the label. The example provided with the gdl guide on request assocel_properties retrieves only one of the composites defined in the associated property object. I need to retrieve only the one that comes from the keynote database

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:42:26 GMT

Hi there

It seems I was correct about my speculation.

You can setup nice keynote lists within archicad without the need of other tools

The process that i'm describing in the previous posts is right.

below you can see the results

an example LABEL can be found in the following link:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=53595

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 06:58:52 GMT

Hi,
Sorry but It's not yet clear to me how you build and update your database.
I'd appreciate if you share a more detailed description ...

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 13:38:11 GMT

alemanda wrote:
Hi,
Sorry but It's not yet clear to me how you build and update your database.
I'd appreciate if you share a more detailed description ...

Ok.

First of all it seems that there are more than one ways.

1st using a label that requests associated object properties. This one I suggested. This one is based on list schemes.

2nd using a label that requests associated library part parameters.
this one is based on schedules (and possibly list schemes)

For the first one an example label can be found in this post:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=53595

For the second one Frank Beister has given a good example under this link:
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=175031&highlight=assoclpparvalue#175031

In the following link Kristian G states that he can schedule labels. I tried it I managed to setup the scheme but it wouldn't show info. Have to look more into it.
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=26004&postdays=0&postorder=desc&&start=10

Now for the 1st method.

To make the Database
Commands Calculation Menu: Edit Database> New Database> Name it Keynotes.

Start making Descriptors for each keynote or use the macro and the method of Erik Wilk for importing from excel. When I'm talking macro you have to have the book that will give you access to the forum to download the examples of the book and some extra tools the two macros fro descriptors and components. When I'm talking method I mean that after you create with the macros the two txt files that contain the descriptor and component databases you have to replace them with the ones created by archicad at the time you created the keynotes database. You will find these files usualy in C:\Program Files\GRAPHISOFT\ARCHICAD 20\ARCHICAD Library 20\List Templates 20\Property Data 20. Their names will be KEYNOTES_COMP and KEYNOTES_DESC.

After you have created the database you have three ways to attach propertie objects (containing the descriptros you want) to the elements or objects.

For elements you can use Link Property Objects to criteria or link individualy
For objects you have a third method, to open the object, with Ctrl+Shift+O and in the descriptor dialog link the descriptor you need from the database.

Now for the List scheme.

Edit List schemes> On the left pane you dublicate the default component list scheme in the KEYNOTES database.

On first Tab "Components" where it says "by keys" select only the KEYNOTES database as source of information to the document.
The rest of the settings on this tab you will use to filter:

"by layers" make this the same as the layer combination of the view that you want to Keynote.
"by type" the types that you are keynoting
"List fills and Objects included in" you select viewpoints, sections, elevations etc
"By story" you filter the story when keynoting a floorplan

On Second Tab "Properties & Parameters" you set the data that will be requested TO your document there select only descriptors. and check all related buttons "Full Keycode", "Keyname"," Descriptor code"," full text".

Now this set of data will create four entries in the third Tab "List Format".
The list type will already be graphic template because you dublicated the default list earlier wich is based on a graphic template.
The four entries you selected in the previous tab will be seen in the lower window. These four entries by the order they are set there, they will be given by archicad the variable names #Value1, #Value2, #Value3, Value4 and their names will be #Name1, Name2, etc. These values can be entered in any field or all of them in the same. What I'm trying to say is that you have just defined variables by now and has nothing to do with the document structure.

Now go to format wizard dublicate the "descriptror list by keys"
I don't think that it matters which one you will dublicate because you will empty all of it's info before setting up yours

Give name Keynote01 or whatever you like

define page size

Select Header in this dialog select in the second field "empty header"
Do the same for the rest footer, background, First Page Header, First Page Footer. Now you have emptied your page.

Now the records Tab this tab defines the structure of the document Records to display One by One, Totals Subtotals and Headlines.

Each record can have many fields and each field can have many variables.

So for the keynote example you will need to select one Headline and one Record to diplay one by one

the headline will be descriptor "keyname" and the record to display one by one will be descriptor full text. Here you actually have defined to different kinds of record the headline and the repetitive item because as I mentioned above each record can have many fields and each field many variables.

Now on the fields tab

1st record headline
make two fields 1 row 2 columns
in first cell put the descriptor keycode in second cell put the descriptor keyname

2nd record Repetitive item
do the same two fields 1 row 2 columns
in first cell put both Keycode and descriptor code. It will look like this #Value1-#Value2 tha dash is just text between the two values.
in second cell put descriptor full text. And you are ready.

now when you are getting out of the dialog of format wizard uncheck include in list scheme. It will ask you to save the scheme. Save it Keynotes01
The Keynotes01 is in the embeded library too. Go to library manager export it and overwrite the one you made just a minute ago and delete from library.
reload all libraries so the new files will be reloaded again without being in the embeded library. Now everything is set up

To do the linework:
Locate and open the keynote01.txt with notepad
search for the LEVEL statement. Notice the {} marks
The level contains columns the columns contain frames

Just after closing the columns and before closing the level, you can put your graphic item code.

graphic item syntax can be found in the "list scheme syntax" document that can be found in older posts in AC-Talk

Best Regards

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 15:17:14 GMT

Thank you very much for your time to explain the procedure.
It seems a bit complicated to me ...
I use another way to link specifications to model elements.
I followed the way suggested by Eric Bobrow in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOvxqJL-Qvs

In order to create the IFC data for each element I use an "automatic" archicad procedure. Go to "manage IFC properties" in the settings of every element and click on "apply a preset rule" ... Well I studied some of XML for preset rules and created a personal one using a pseudo masterformat list coding the xml so that AC creates the desidered IFC properties ...

What I get you can see in the attachment.

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 15:18:23 GMT

These are the step I do to create automatically IFC properties and associate them to elements.

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 15:19:31 GMT

Finally this is the spec list I get ...

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:04:24 GMT

alemanda wrote:
Finally this is the spec list I get ...

Hi Alemanda,
thank you for that. However how do you work in the details? They are 2d and loose the 3D information. I tried to label in that way the fills of the building materials but once you rebuild the model those have to become static or deleted.
Thank you if you can respond.
Cheers

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 10:15:22 GMT

Hi,
The con of my method (which I took from Eric Bobrow) is that I have to put everything in the model.
As workaround I try to specify the assemblies as much as possible.
When I need to add a "loose" specification I put whatever archicad element in a hidden layer including that layer in the filtering parameters in the schedule.

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 12:05:25 GMT

Hi,

Thank you for your quick response!
I know that workflow, however it is good in plans, sections, and generally any view that shows the model. But when you do details, everything is transformed in 2d, then I cannot label anymore that way. How do you draw and label your details?

PS. I live in New Zealand but I’m Italian

Re: Using properties for specifications and keynote in AC 20

alemanda — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 13:03:48 GMT

Ciao PiQuadro
In 2D details you don't have options .. you have to use text label, because they cannot be linked to the elements, even because hte schedule doesn't read what you added into the sections ... If you want that the code used in the 2D drawing to be in the list automatically generated by Archicad you need to assign that code an element (a slab, a wall or whatever else) that you will put in a hidden layer.