Unable to save a new composite wall to a "PRF" file

[Anonymous]

Create a new wall in Options/Element Attributes/Composites and save with wall favorites.
Under Edit/Elements Settings/Favorites I save favorite to a external "PRF" file.
Closing session and opening a new solo pln. I go to favorites and load my PRF. I can see the composite wall type but when I click on it to draw the new composite wall it does not have the correct wall attributes that were saved. What am I doing wrong?

[Erika Epstein]

Instead, use the attribute manager.

[Laszlo Nagy]

To elaborate Erika's answer a bit more.
You have a Favorite that contains a reference to an attribute (in this case, a Composite Structure).
You imported the Favorite into your new project but you probably do not have that same attribute (Composite Structure) available.
This is why you need to use the Attribute Manager to import the Composite Structure from the file you defined into the file you are trying to use it now.

[Anonymous]

Ericka and Laszlonagy, Thanks for your response. I was able to make a composite wall in one "pln" file and load it via Attribute Manager into another "pln" file and it works correctly. So I guess I shouldn't save to the favorite "prf" file because I could not load any file with that extension from attribute manager. Would the correct procedure to say create 30 or so wall composite in a .pln file say call "composite wall" and use that as a base to load from into future projects??

[Laszlo Nagy]

Yes, this is a good way of doing that.
Another way is to do this and save it as a Template File and then start any new project by starting it based on the Template.

[Anonymous]

Thanks,
That is what I'll do. Your help much appreciated!

[Karl Ottenstein]

Robert wrote:
I was able to make a composite wall in one "pln" file and load it via Attribute Manager into another "pln" file and it works correctly. So I guess I shouldn't save to the favorite "prf" file because I could not load any file with that extension from attribute manager.

PRF files are loaded from the Favorites palette.

AAT (attribute) files - as well as the attributes of existing project files (pln, etc) are loaded from Attribute Manager.

Favorites are sort of like recipes where attributes are the ingredients. As you found originally, loading a favorite into a new file did not give you the new composite. That's because the Favorite merely said it wanted to USE the composite. The recipe was there, but not the ingredients.

Loading the attributes gives your the composite in a new file. But, there are times when you might still want your Favorite. As a 'recipe', you can have dozens of Favorites that all refer to that same composite - the Favorite will record (optionally) the layer, the wall height, the reference line offset and many other characteristics of the Wall Tool so that you can pre-load those settings for a particular wall.

Hope that helps to sort out the difference between the two.

Cheers,
Karl

[Link]

Karl wrote:
Favorites are sort of like recipes where attributes are the ingredients....

Nice, Karl!

I might have to use that one!

Cheers,
Link.