2/15/23, 2:22 PM Standard Command Tools

Catalogues and Specifications Reference Manual

Document Conventions : Standard Command Tools

Standard Command Tools

Command Tool is a generic term covering command arguments (or atoms) and command parts. Both classes of
command tool fit into ordinary commands and provide different ways of stating a particular requirement. Command tools
may be AVEVA E3D™-wide or module-specific. This section describes the standard Command Tools that may be used in
PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON. They may be one of the following:
• Standard Command Tools - which fit into ordinary commands
• External Macro Facilities - which can be used in a stored macro file and which control the behaviour of the macro
when it is executed
• Standard Concepts - which apply globally within PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON
Some of the main command tools (or the PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON variations of them) summarised for
convenience:

Command Arguments
Command arguments are also called atoms because they cannot be broken down any further. They are individual units
which PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON can recognise as constituents of a complete command. They usually need to
be separated by spaces so that they are individually distinguishable. Command arguments are distinguished from the
other command parts by being written in lower case italics. The principal command arguments are:

integer a positive or negative whole number, e.g. 2 -5 25

value a signed number with or without a decimal point, e.g. 2.5 5 -3.8

letter a single alphabetic character

word a sequence of up to four letters with significance to AVEVA E3D™

text a string of alphanumeric or symbol characters, which may include spaces,

enclosed between single closing quotation marks ’...’ or |...| characters.
This is normally used to add descriptive material to an appropriate
attribute. For example, DUTY ’Low Pressure’. (Note that paired quotation
marks ‘...’ will not work.)

space the space bar (not usually specified unless of special significance)

name a sequence of characters preceded by a / character and representing a

AVEVA E3D™ Element name, e.g. /VALVE1.

filename an external file name of the format /filename

varid an identifier (for use with the VARIABLE command within macros) of the
format !name, where ‘name’ is a text string. For example: !COUNTER
!height

comma the , character, which can be used to concatenate PARAGON, SPECON

or PROPCON commands; for example: NEW UNIT, BUNI INCH, DUNI
FINC

plus minus the +, -, * and / characters, which can be used within

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star solid expressions, for example: (1 + 2), (1 - 2), (1 * 2), (1 / 2)

Note: There must be a space before and after each of these command arguments.

Command Parts
Command parts are subsets of the general command syntax which are used frequently within other command sequences.
The following command parts are summarised here:

Expressions
Any mathematical, logical or alphabetical expression whose result replaces it in the command syntax.

Dimensions
A physical dimension entered using default or explicit distance units.

Catalogue Element Types

A word used to represent a specific type of element in the Catalogue database hierarchy.

Element Identifiers
Methods for specifying which database element you want your next commend to act upon.

Cursor-picking Identifier (<sgid>)

This command part defines the most general method of identifying an Element. The command is completed by picking an
element using the cursor in a graphical view.

Expressions (<eval>)
If a value given within a command needs to be calculated from other known values, you can enter an expression from
which the required result is to be evaluated by PARAGON, SPECON or PROPCON as it executes the command. Such an
expression must be enclosed between parentheses (...) to identify where it begins and ends.
Full details of the expression syntax are given in the Software Customisation Guide and Software Customisation
Reference Manual, and are also available as on‑line help.

Dimensions (<uval>)
Once the working units have been specified, all dimensions input subsequently will be assumed to be in those units unless
you override them. (Note that these are simply specific examples of the use of ‘real’ expressions. You can include explicit
units of measurement when entering a value in any expression.)

Examples

5 5 in current working units

5.5 EX 3 5500 in current working units

5.3/4 5.75 in current working units

5’ 5 feet (only use when working units are FINCH)

5’6 5 feet 6 inches (only use when working units are FINCH)

5’6.3/4 5 feet 6.75 inches (only use when working units are FINCH)

5 INCHES 5 inches (regardless of current working units)

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5M 5 metres (regardless of current working units)

5’6.3/4 IN 5 feet 6.75 inches (regardless of current working units)

Note: On output, values are rounded by default as follows:

• millimetres to the nearest millimetre
• inches to the nearest 1/32 or 0.1 inch.
• However, rounding on output may be controlled by using the PRECISION command. Within PARAGON, SPECON or
PROPCON, values are stored as accurately as the host computer will allow.

Catalogue Element Types (<snoun>)

This command part refers to an element type in the Catalogue hierarchy.

Catalogue administrative elements:

WORLd CATAlogue SECTion STSEction

CATEgory STCAtegory TEXT  

Piping Components:

SCOMponent COMPonent number

Profile Components:

SPRFile PROFile number

Joint Components:

SJOInt JOINt number

Fitting Components:

SFITting

Note: FITTing number is not a valid option)

3D Geomset elements:

GMSEt SBOX SDIsc SDIsk

SCOne LSNout SDSH BOXIng

SSLCylinder SSPHere LCYLinder SCYLinder

LINes SCTorus SREVolution SRTorus

TUBe LPYRamid SEXTrusion SLOOp

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SVERtex      

Negative 3D Geomset elements:

NGMSet NSBOx NSCOne NLSNout

NSDSh NSSLcylinder NSSPhere NLCYlinder

NSCYlinder NSCTorus NSREvolution NSRTorus

NLPYramid NSEXtrusion SLOOp SVERtex

Structural Geomset elements:

GMSSet SRECtangle SANNulus SPROfile

SPVErtex      

3D Pointset elements:

PTSEt PTAXi PTCAr PTMIx

Structural Pointset elements:

PTSSet PLINe

Dataset elements:

DTSEt DATA

Detailing Text elements:

SDTExt DTEXt number

Material Text elements:

SMTExt MTEXt number

Bolt Table elements:

BLTAble BLISt SBOLt LTABle

MBOLt MBLIst DTABle  

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Connection Table elements:

CCTAble COCO COCDES

Units elements:

UNIT MSET MTYPe ATLIst

USECtion UDEFinition    

Group World elements:

GPWL GROUp

Part World elements:

PRTWLD PRTELE GPART

Specification World elements:

SPWL SPECi SELEc SPCOm

Table World elements:

BRTAB NOMTAB TABWLD

Specific Element Identifier (<gid>)

This command part identifies a specific element either explicitly or by reference to its relative position in the database
hierarchy.

Examples

/VALVE10 Named catalogue element

SAME Previous element accessed

OWN Owner of Current Element

NEXT 2 2nd element in member list order at same level

4 4th member of Current Element

LAST 3 MEM 3rd last member of Current Element

END Next element up in hierarchy

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SECT Section above Current Element

CATE 3 3rd Category

Cursor-picking Identifier (<sgid>)

This command part defines the most general method of identifying an Element. The command is completed by picking an
element using the cursor in a graphical view.

Examples

ID @ Lowest level element hit by cursor

ID SBOX @ Box primitive hit by cursor

ID SCOM @ Piping Component hit by cursor

 
 

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