How to reindex attributes (best practice)

[Sam Karli]

Hi,

I'm about to work on a new template file, essentially by decimating/simpifying an old one (and later growing it).

My problem is that i can remove attributes that I don't need but cannot reindex so that there shouldn't be any gaps between them.

If i reindex them using the Attribute Manager (> Append to temp/Delete all/< Add by index) then the inedexes will be OK but the relations between the attributes will be lost (like a composite will reference a bad fill etc; not mentioning the Favorites).

Is there a method with I can reindex while not loosing the references?

Thanks in advance.

[Laszlo Nagy · Accepted solution]

I think if you use the Reindex button in the Attribute Manager Dialog, Archicad makes sure that all references will point to the new index number. However, you will have to do it one by one.

[Barry Kelly · Accepted solution]

And just be careful, as your re-indexed template will no longer be compatible with any of your old files.

So no more copy & paste from other files unless they are also based on your new template.

Barry.

[Sam Karli]

Thanks for both,

I consider exporting both attributes and favorites into .xml and writing a script to replace stuff according to a mapping.

I did this mapping (given in an .xls, btw) before for modifying ArchiCAD Library's default parameters, so should apply for attributes and favorites, too.

PS this reindexing is ultimately the most brainrotting thing I've done this year. After reindexing 20 layers I have unintentionally pushed the purge button in the vicinity and had to do the whole from the start 😞

[Laszlo Nagy]

There are two other things I can think of that can be affected by attribute reindexing:

1. Default settings in tool settings dialogs - this is not that much of a problem because you can just apply Favorites after the reindexing and the tool default settings will be the same as the settings of one of the favorites.

2. Library Parts default attribute settings - Library Parts in the default Archicad Library refer to many attributes (like Pen 19 or Pen 91 for fill backgrounds), so just make sure that reindexing does not change the index number of all those attributes, otherwise the 2D and 3D representation of many Library parts can get messy.

[Sam Karli]

1. Default tool settings is not that much a problem because of the limited number of the tools themselves.

2. I have nice gdl/xml lib for parameter mods that i had developed for myself when I was a small kid, so that's not that much a problem.

But I have run into a peculiarity:
The attribute .xml that is exported by the Attribute Manager etc. has a structure like

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?>
<AttributeFile>
  <RegisteredAttributes>
...
    <Attributes Type="Surfaces">
      <RefID>1296127026</RefID>
    <Attributes>
...
  </RegisteredAttributes>
...
</AttributeFile>

And this RefID is consequent within that .xml file, so folder structure can be linked to the attributes (which folder structure belongs to which attribute).

BUT:

There is the favorites xml, having its own structure, and there:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?>
<Favorites>
  <AttrTable>
...
    <Item>
      <Name>AA.00 - Solid Line</Name>
      <Index>1</Index>
      <RefId>1296127026</RefId>
    </Item>
...
  </AttrTable>
...
</Favorites>

and, tadam, the two RefID seem not to be "compatible", that is there are RefIDs that mach one another between the two .xmls, but are not for the same attribute type, others just don't match.

Note that i copied the RefIDs from the actual data, and in the attribute xml the same RefID identifies the surfaces as in the favorite xml the lines.

This is such a strange behaviour, one has to match an attribute from the favorites to the attribute file manually.

I have no idea why is strange behaviour there.

Any idea?

[Barry Kelly]

I have no real idea as I have never gotten into editing XML file - there should be no need.

The index and reference for the favourite will be for that particular favourite, not the settings in that favourite.

The surface is just one setting inside the favourite.

If you re-index the index numbers in the Attribute Manager, then all of your favourites should also be updated automatically to use those changed index numbers.

Everything should update to use that new index number, but keeping the actual attribute exactly the same.

For example, if you re-index a 'brick' surface material, then every composite, complex profile, favourite, etc., that uses that surface material, will still be using the same brick surface material.

Barry.

[Sam Karli]

I understand that, but reindexing, like, 1000 attributes is a bit mind-rotting for me, but if I tinker a script together for this this will be automated for the forseeable future. So this is the preferred way.

Now we don't use too many favorites, so the favorite reindexing is a nice to have but if I'm already here (I actually wanted to pass this job to a junior programmer/mentoree but this didn't happen) I have to understand this.

[Barry Kelly]

Favourites are not part of the attributes.

They just save settings for various elements that do use the attributes.

You shouldn't have to do anything with favourites.

Re-index your attributes and the favourites should sort themselves out.

I am just worried that amending an XML file and importing it is not he same as re-indexing.

Re-indexing will ensure everything that was attribute number 1 will become attribute number 2 (including anything in favourites that uses that attribute.

Amending an XML file and importing it is just creating a new attribute number 2.

It is not instructing Archicad to swap attribute one for attribute 2.

Barry.

[Lingwisyer]

ReDEFINING vs reASSIGNING. For science?