Connector Entity Browser

The middle section of the Connector Browser contains a list of all the connections contained in the model, and has its own set of tools similar to the ones found in the Link Entity Browser.

All the connectors in the model are displayed in folders organized by tabs based on the respective type. The All Tab contains a list view of the connectors in the model. Each type of connector has its own tab with a flat list of connectors.

The connector information in the specific tabs can be used to find link entities connected by specific connectors, and also to modify certain connector attributes. The columns display a sub-set of connector information that is important for recognizing connection information easily.

Connectors are organized into three categories:
  • General – all of the links are within the same subsystem
  • Subsystem – one or all of the links are in multiple subsystems
  • Attachment – a new single lined connector entity

Unless all view option toggle buttons in the global display tool set are inactive, the action mode tool set and the context menu actions (show, hide, isolate, isolate only) work similarly to their functions in the Model Browser's component view.

If at least one of the view option toggle buttons is active (appearing in orange), the behavior of show, hide, isolate and isolate only is different. The image on the action buttons changes to include a connector symbol, indicating the different behavior.

The actions take into account connector-link relations, and the display result depends on the active view options. Therefore parts of the model are separated into three different categories based on the connector selection:
1st connector entity
Selected connectors.
linked entities
Links which are referenced by one of the selected connectors.
Note: In this case connectors and their realizations are treated as being a separate category from their links, in order to prevent unpredictable cross-references.

This kind of categorical separation is only used for the actions show, hide, isolate and isolate only, and only when one of the view option toggle buttons is active, regardless of whether the actions are taken from the context menu or the action buttons. No other functionality uses this categorization at all.

You can also change the base features of the Connector Entity Browser in the Connector Entity Browser configuration window.

The following connector details are displayed as column data in the browser tree:
Option Description
Entities ID of the connector and an image that represents the respective connector’s style (spot, seam, bolt, and so on).
Status Realization state of the connector entity: unrealized, realized, failed, or modified.
Note: For those writing scripts instead of using the GUI, a more detailed report can be created by using the following lines in your script: set error_report [ hm_ce_errorreport CE_ID 1 ].
Tolerance Realization tolerance of the connector. You can change this by right-clicking the field and typing in a new value, then pressing Enter.
Link ID or name of the entity added as a link to a connector.
Layer Total number of link entities to be joined by the connector. This is also marked as thickness layers (2T/3T/4T, and so on).
Subsystem Displays connectors associated with a subsystem.
Connector Group Name of the Connector Group to which the connector belongs.
Comment Input comments for a connector.
Error Message Error messages for a connector.

Functionality is accessed from the global display tool set, an action modes tool set and a right-click context menu.