This first of a two-part series explores how to use Custom Objects to extend your Vault to bring information currently stored in external Excel or Access files safely inside your Vault. We will show how to do this using Configuration instead of complex code that's expensive to write and needs to be rebuilt with each version upgrade.
Kim Hendrix explains how Vault can help your firm with data management and standardization.
Custom Objects Explained
Autodesk Definition
Custom Objects allow Vault administrators to use an extensible system to create new Vault entities to meet the needs of their team, organization, or company. An administrator can create an out-of-the-box Custom Object definition and assign it categories, lifecycles, and properties. Once the Custom Object definition is created, users can create instances of that Custom Object directly through the user interface. As with files and folders, users can perform many common Vault tasks with Custom Objects.
My Definition
Custom Objects can be defined as a table of information residing in the SQL database that allows you to manage lists and collections of information directly in the Vault interface. This allows for all your data to be managed in one central location.
How to Use Custom Objects
Quality Use Cases
Think of any list you currently maintain in Excel or Access; for example:
- Naming system prefix
- Legacy data from other systems (change orders, BOMs)
- Customer information
- Project information
- Task list/assignments
Do not limit yourself to free-standing bits of information if you reference a list to create a filename or you reference an Excel sheet to populate metadata on your drawing or title block. This kind of reference list can be managed inside of Custom Objects.
Find out what you can do with Custom Objects in Vault and how they give you power to work with your data.
Cascading lists can also be managed since you can link one Custom Object to another. You can create cascading lists for your Data Standards dialogs. We will explore how to extend Vault UI to support cascading list Custom Objects in Vault–Configure Don’t Customize: The Power of Data Standards (Part 2 of 2).
Custom Objects also work well with Vault Data Standards. You can create simple dialogs to add the metadata to the Custom Objects. You can also use the information from Custom Objects to populate Data Standard dialogs dropdowns for other applications.
Configure Custom Objects
Create the Custom Object
Tools -> Administration -> Vault Settings Vault settings
1) Custom Objects Tab
2) Select Configure
3) Fill out Display Name
4) Fill out Plural Display Name
5) Configure Security if necessary (I use Lifecycles for securities)
6) Choose default Icon, or select a custom Icon file
Once the Custom Object is configured, it is technically ready to use; however, to make it more powerful some further configuration is necessary. The Custom Objects will be listed on the lower left of the Vault Client.
Category
Set up a Category that matches your Custom Object Name.
Do not make this the default category, as you may create other Custom Objects, but do set up a rule that configures to this Category upon creation of a new entry in your Custom object.
Category Rule
Configure the Custom Object Rule.
1) Select Rules in Tools > Administration > Vault Settings > Behaviors
2) Select New
3) Name your Rule
4) Select the Property
- a. Custom Object Name
- b. Contains or is
- c. [Name of your Custom Object]
5) Add the Condition
6) Check the box to apply rules on object creation
7) Click OK
Properties
You will then need to set up all the necessary data to make the Custom Object useful. In this example, we will be importing a list of Legacy ECNs from an Excel worksheet, so I will match all the properties to the data in the Excel sheet.
Detail Custom Objects Using Data Standards
After a minimal Data Standard setup, you can view the legacy information in a Datasheet view. When Data Standard is installed as part of the Vault Client, a Custom Object definition of Task is configured. By simply copying that setup, you get the results below.
Setting Up the Data Standards
Vault Data Standards comes preconfigured with a Custom Object called Task. The Data Standard extension requires three parts to support a Custom Object. The sample Task Custom Object shows what each of these are and where they need to be in the system folders.
1) Configuration Folder
2) Entries in MenuDefinitions.XML
3) PowerShell and XAML files for modification
Note: Context menu support for Custom Objects is only available if a custom object exists.
To configure a new Custom Object to work with Data Standards, copy the three components from the Task sample, and modify as needed.
MenuDefinitions File:
%programdata%\Autodesk\
2) Still in the MenuDefinitions file, copy the
Kim Hendrix discusses how Vault can help you achieve data standardization and why it's important.
Custom Objects to Populate Data Standard Dialogs
The XAML File
The PowerShell Function
Summary