ArcFM Solution: The Director's Cut

Fiber Editing Errors Series 2 of 3: Overshooting and Snapping to the Wrong Feature

As with the first post in this series we will be dealing with common fiber editing errors. This time we will look at overshooting the snap destination, snapping to the wrong feature in the dataset and how to correct these easily and accurately.

First lets take a look at an area with an example of each of these problems:

At a glance it is obvious we have a couple of FiberNetwork_Junction features that make it easy to see there are some dangling fiber optic cables. To investigate further it is necessary to take a close look at the linework. Use your Edit tool to double-click each of the 2 count lines and review the vertices that make up each line.

 

Main 4 is an overshoot - the cable continues on past the splitter where it has been snapped into the network.

Main 5 is an overshoot and snapped to the wrong feature - the cable continues past the splitter where it has been snapped into the network and is also snapped to the 12 count fiber cable.

Another giveaway that a problem exists is that neither Main 4 or Main 5 will be listed in the Connection Manager when you activate the splitter feature.

 

To fix both of these errors you will remove the extra vertex on each line. You do not want to grab the vertex and snap it to the splitter since you will then have two vertices for that line right on top of one another. Also if the extra vertex is snapped to something else and you move it, the other network features will come with it.

Double-click on Main 4 to view the vertices, hover your cursor over the extra vertex, right-click and choose Delete Vertex. This will fix the overshoot error and Main 4 will be visible in the Connection manager

 

Main 5 will require some extra steps since it has been snapped to another feature. Double-click on Main 5 to view the vertices, hover your cursor over the extra vertex, right-click and choose delete vertex. When you click off the line you will get an error.

 

You need to disconnect the feature from the network to fix it and then reconnect it when finished. Double-click back on Main 5, bring up the Geometric Network Editing toolbar and click on the second tool, Disconnect.

 

Now you can right-click over the extra vertex and choose Delete Vertex.

 

With the line still selected, click the first tool on the Geometric Editing toolbar, Connect. This will reconnect the line into the network and Main 5 will be visible in the Connection Manager.

 

A Tale of Two Display Fields

Both ArcMap and ArcFM offer "Primary Display Field" properties, each of which you may set to any attribute of your choice.  However, these two Primary Display Field properties are entirely independent of each other and control entirely different elements of the interface.

ArcMap Primary Display Field
Each map layer has its own ArcMap Primary Display Field setting, accessible from ArcMap in the Layer Properties, Fields tab.  Anyone who can edit a layer's properties can alter its ArcMap Display Field setting. 

The chosen attribute will appear whenever features from this layer are listed in the ArcMap Identify tool. Optionally, if you check the Display Tab "Show Map Tips" option, the ArcMap Primary Display Field will appear in a yellow tool tip box (see "Steel" in image below) whenever the mouse moves over a feature from this layer on the map.

 

ArcFM Primary Display Field
Each feature class has its own ArcFM Primary Display Field setting, accessible from ArcCatalog in the ArcFM Properties, Field Display tab.  Only an administrator can set the ArcFM Display Field.

The chosen attribute will appear whenever features from the configured class are listed in an ArcFM tool, including the ArcFM Identify tool, ArcFM Locator, and ArcFM Attribute Editor.

Optionally, an administrator may code a custom display field string, perhaps combining values from multiple attributes with additional text or formula results, and specify it in the ArcFM Properites, Field Display tab, as the Display Name Object. The custom Display Name Object string then overrides the ArcFM Primary Display Field setting and appears anywhere the ArcFM Primary Display Field normally would.

Online Customer Support Portal: Now Serving!

Telvent is excited to announce the launch of our online customer support portal. We now have an online customer support portal where clients and business partners can create, read and update technical support cases. The portal also offers the ability to view closed technical support cases. In the future, the portal will also contain knowledge base articles to help you solve your problems and answer your questions.

The URL to the portal is Support Portal. However, you need a user name and password to login. If you would like a user name and password to access the portal, please send an email to support@miner.com

The Tongue-Twisting ArcFM XML Export: Six Sets of Scintillating Settings

Whether you have just input the first settings to tailor ArcFM to your organization's particular needs, or are about to embark on a major configuration change, take a minute to backup your current settings into an XML file through the ArcFM XML Export tool.

The exported XML file will be useful both as a backup and as a means of copying your settings into other geodatabases (such as test environments) with similar schemas.  The XML file includes strictly ArcFM settings, not business data (e.g. the model names assigned to the Anode table, but not the anode records themselves).

The ArcFM XML Export tool is available in ArcCatalog by right-clicking on a geodatabase, dataset, feature class, non-spatial object table, or relationship.  The type of object you right-click on determines which settings you will be able to export. For example, ArcFM Snapping Information can be exported at the geodatabase, dataset, or feature class levels because these levels can contain sketchable - and therefore snappable - features, but not at the non-spatial object table or relationship levels because these levels cannot contain features.

An ArcFM XML Export can include up to six possible types of settings:

ArcFM Model Name Information
All class-level and field-level model name assignments, e.g. MMABANDONABLE, LOCATABLEFIELD

ArcFM Properties
All non-model name settings made in the ArcFM Properties Manager, e.g. field visibility, autoupdater assignments

ArcFM Relationship Class Info
Relationship Autoupdaters and Validation on/off setting

ArcFM Snapping Information
Contents of the MM_SNAPPING table, showing what features will automatically attempt to snap to what other features

Custom Object Types
List of all non-ESRI objects, including ArcFM and Designer objects plus any objects of your own custom types

Domains
All domain definitions in the geodatabase, e.g. a Material domain might include Steel, PVC, and Concrete; includes domains of ArcFM model names.

Run the ArcFM XML Export as often as you like, especially before making major changes to the geodatabase configuration.  You can return to an earlier configuration by running the ArcFM XML Import tool with a previously exported XML file, and choosing to overwrite the current settings.

Free Tools Resource Library

Looking for a label expression that quickly identifies Feeder Manager phase mismatches in your data? In need of a mechanism for exporting and importing connectivity rules from your geometric network? Hoping to find an efficient means for sorting values across your geodatabase domains?

We have compiled a series of free tools to meet these needs and many others regarding the analysis, configuration, and maintenance of your ArcGIS/ArcFM implementation. Visit this web site to access these resources, and watch this presentation for a detailed explanation and demonstration of each tool's use.

Making Sense of Smart Grid

If flashy network ad campaigns, expansive congressional dialog on C-SPAN, and the slew of recent media hype have you wrestling with a clear understanding of exactly what Smart Grid is, please do not fret.

Telvent has produced a brief, highly informative video outlining the specifics of Smart Grid in a real world context, along with a layman's depiction of Telvent's robust Smart Grid Solution Suite.

If you have any questions about our efforts in the Smart Grid arena, please do not hesitate to contact us at smartgrid@telvent.com

Three Tips on Snapping

Snapping is a crucial part of every editor's work as it drives network connectivity and supports cartographic standards. Following are three tips to maximize the usability and usefulness of snapping.

Enable Snap Tips: Enabling this setting displays a dynamic fade out text box in the map display listing the feature class and snap command (e.g. Distribution Main : Midpoint) corresponding to highlighted item on the Targets tab of the ArcFM Attribute Editor. These Snap Tips function as an informative visual guide to editors as they sketch new features. To enable this setting, choose Editor > Options from the Editor toolbar, display the General tab in the Editing Options dialog, and check the box for Show Snap Tips.

Consider Snap To Feature: Using this right-click context menu utility provides on-the-fly access to snap commands (Endpoint, Vertex, Midpoint, and Edge) for any visible feature in the map display, even if that feature does not exist in the administratively configured Snapping Environment dialog. Using Snap To Feature can be particularly helpful in maintaining cartographic standards while sketching by providing a mechanism for precision placement and reference (e.g. snapping Overhead Primary to Pole vertices for perfect in-line wire placement). To use this utility, choose any tool from the Sketch palette on the Editor toolbar, right-click in the map display while hovering over the intended "snap to" feature, and choose Snap To Feature > snap command (Endpoint, Vertex, Midpoint, and Edge) from the context menu.

Increase Sticky Move Tolerance: Establishing a slightly increased value (between 15 - 25 pixels) for this setting safeguards against unintentional geometry shifts when using the Edit tool with multiple, overlapping features in the map display. The higher value means an editor must be more deliberate when attempting to move selected features which will maintain their position until the move exceeds this increased tolerance value (e.g. 20 pixels). Subtle mouse movements will no longer result in unintentional feature geometry shifts. To enable this setting, choose Editor > Options from the Editor toolbar, display the General tab in the Editing Options dialog, and type an increased value for Sticky Move Tolerance.

Best In Show: Building a Smart Grid Roadmap

A re-recorded session from TMMUG 2009.

Few trends in the electric power industry have had the impact of the promise of intelligent utility networks. But while most utilities understand the potential benefits, many are struggling to identify the key areas where they can gain the most advantage. And fewer still have made systematic plans to implement the changes required to act on those priorities. This session will present an overview of just how to build a Smart Grid Roadmap, presenting a list of key questions to help drive requirements, and walking step-by-step through the process of making an effective plan.
Technical Level = 1/5
Jeff Meyers

Stream Building a Smart Grid Roadmap
Download Building a Smart Grid Roadmap

(Download version requires free WebEx .ARF Player to view)

To obtain copies of the sample Smart Grid Workshop outline documents or the sample Smart Grid Plan document referenced in this recording, simply send an email request to smartgrid@telvent.com

Best In Show: Designer Express, Introduction and The Road Ahead

A re-recorded session from TMMUG 2009.

Ever wonder what a simplified "Design" would look like? Designer Express, a new member of the Designer Family, will help clear up that question. This desktop design application, focused on the design sketch, was built to support simplified workflows, improved performance, and easier implementation. This session will showcase all of the latest functionality, including "versionless" designs, design feature classes, and cost item palettes. We will also discuss how Designer Express shifts the design's as-built approach from the engineer to the drafter.
Technical Level = 3/5
Randy Mayes and Matt Zimmerman

Stream Designer Express, Introduction and The Road Ahead
Download Designer Express, Introduction and The Road Ahead

(Download version requires free WebEx .ARF Player to view)

What's New in ArcFM 9.3 Rev2 Webcast

For those of you who were unable to attend last week's live webcast in the What's New in ArcFM webcast series, we've recorded and posted this session here for your consideration. Approximately 57 minutes in duration, this recording presents a high level overview of what's new in the recent 9.3 Rev2 product release across the ArcFM Solution suite. Co-hosted by Telvent's Education Services and Product teams, the webcast combines interactive presentation, live demonstration, and open forum Q&A.

Stream What's New in ArcFM 9.3 Rev2 Webcast
Download What's New in ArcFM 9.3 Rev2 Webcast

(Download version requires free WebEx .ARF Player to view)

Presentation slides in .pdf.