Hotlink Module Line type is not udating

[4hotshoes]

By mistake the 2D linetype was set to hidden in the original plan then I saved it as a Module file. I Hotlinked the Mod to my project pln and once I changed the scale of the plan view to a larger scale, then I could see that the linetype was set to "Hidden" I could not change the linetype of the placed hot linked mod file in my project pln, so I open the mod file and updated the link. But the hotline mod in my project pln will not update after telling it to update. In fact, when I open the item displayed as "hidden" the linetype is still "Hidden." It is as if the Hotlink module will not update. Maybe I am missing something?

[fuzzytnth3]

You need to amend the name of the line type. That will force the receiving file to use the new line type.

Same thing can be done with Composite walls. We use a system where the name of the composite has a "revision" so a Composite wall type called "BLK_09" we add "-00" so the Composite is called "BLK_09-00" and then if it gets amended the next version would be named "BLK_09-01"

When we tag walls with the label tool I have made a property that crops the composite name from "BLK_09-01" back to "BLK_09"

All the best

[Barry Kelly]

I am not sure exactly what you are doing here.

If you have a module and you open that file, change lines from one line type to another physically in the plan, save the module then update module in your master file, the line type used there in the modules should change too.

If you are opening your module and amending the line type attribute (not swapping lines for a different line type), then saving and updating in your master file, nothing will happen.

Because the master has the same attribute index number for that line type, the attribute will not be amended. You also need to amend the attribute in the master file.

Barry.

[fuzzytnth3]

I've had this issue but usually its Composites that are the problem.

In my case all our Models use the same attributes for line and fill types using the Attribute Manager. The problem occurs with custom Composites where the design of the build up of partitions as the Project changes. As we use a number of Models depending on the size of the Project. So we will have a Model dedicated to dealing with Partitions and from that we Publish a Module containing all the Partition Types each with a Revision number at the end.

In the receiving Models we can see in the attribute Manager by the revision numbers that a Partition Type has been updated. We then delete the "old type" and when prompted by Archicad we tell it to replace with the more recent version

[4hotshoes]

I have not used Modules much. I am now confused more, because as I open the Mod file, it contains layers of the file it is hotlinked. Is this normal? If this is normal, what happens if the mod is linked to several pln files with different layers?

I created the file from a clean template and then saved it as a module. The pln does not have the extra layers that the module now has.

Can I open the pln and save over on the mod to update it that way without messing up the hotline to another pln? I have not done this yet.

Barry, I did what you said in the first paragraph:

"If you have a module and you open that file, change lines from one line type to another physically in the plan, save the module then update module in your master file, the line type used there in the modules should change too."

But the lines in question are within an object. The object is "Steel Deck 24". When I placed the object the "2D Representation", under "Representation and Materials" In "Profile Settings" the Line Type was set to "Hidden". I opened the Mod file, selected the object, Changed the Line Type and saved the Mod file and closed it. Then in the pln file I opened the HotLink Module Manager, selected the Mod file and selected "Update" and "OK".

Is the definition of the Object file the problem between both the mod and pln? Because I also tried to change the surface color on the Mod file and the change would not carry through when updated.

[Barry Kelly]

Attribute management can become quite confusing and this will probably confuse you more.

The best option is to always base all of you file from the same template, so at least you have a fighting chance of keeping the attributes the same for all files.This is not always possible of course and as soon as you amend attributes in one file the others do not update so you instantly have differences.

Sometimes this can be a problem, other times you may not notice anything.

A MOD file should contain only the attribute (layers, line types composites, etc.) that have been used in the MOD file itself.

All other attributes that have not been used will be discarded to keep the MOD file as small as possible.

This is where the problems can start.

The original PLN where you create what will become the module, may have say 50 line types (50 line attributes) - the same applies for all the other attributes as well.

So you create what will be the module and have used only 5 line types.

You save it as a MOD file - it should only have 5 line types in it.

When you open that MOD file it will have those 5 line types as well as the line types from the last file you had open in Archicad - why it does this I don't know.

But if these attributes are different from you main file then any modifications you make to the MOD file, may now contain these different attributes.

I say different, they may be completely familiar to you, but if they have the same names (that is what you see) but different attribute index numbers, the module may change appearance when you merge it into another file.

It is hard to say why you hotlink file is not updating without seeing all the files involved.

Unfortunately you can't open a MOD file in Attribute Manager, so you can't see the attributes (and their index numbers) that have been used.

If you could you could compare them with you other PLN files.

I am not sure this will help with anything.

Just trying to explain it a little but as I said it is a bit hard without seeing the actual problem files.

I wasn't going to post this after writing it, but decided I would anyway just to explain why you see other attributes in your MOD file.

It depends on the file you have open before you open the MOD file.

Barry.