WireCAD Online Help:Cable Number Format

Command Line Shortcut: fcab User Permissions Level: CableNoFormatMasterCollection - AllowAddNew/AllowEdit/AllowDelete Product Level: XLT,PRO,ENT Allows control of the Cable numbering scheme. Using the Cable Number Format dialog you can select any field that is associated with the Cable Number and concatenate it into your own numbering scheme. Each of the fields selected can be formatted and the numbers can be set to sequence off of another field.

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How it Works

The Cable Number format tool is used to generate regular expressions that are then used to parse Cable Number info as well as provide formatting information to masked text boxes.

A note on regular expressions: WireCAD v6 makes extensive use of regular expressions (Regex). Regular expressions are a well documented string parsing tool. Much has been written on them. It is not within the scope of this quick start guide to fully explain regular expressions; however, a google search will tell you more than you ever wanted to know.

Two forms of regular expression are generated: a simplified form that is used as a mask in both the Cable Number database and in textboxes, and a complex form that aids in the generation of queries to determine the next number in a sequence. The following are both the simplified and complex regex for the default format:

\w{1,6}-\d{1,5}

(?<EQUIPMENTTYPE>\w{1,6})-(?<NUMERICSEQUENCE>\d{1,5})

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Warning: WireCAD supports multiple formats in the same database. In order to accomplish this we use the simplified Regex as a mask. If you have any data in the Project Cable Numbers table and you change ANYTHING in ANY Format field you will change the mask and therefore the sequence. You must decide if the change is such that it warrants copying the new simplified Regex to all records in the Project Cable Numbers table in order to keep your sequence.

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Controls Explanation

Setting/Control	Explanation/Description
Selected Format	Selects the current Cable Number format. Clicking the + or - button allows you to add and remove custom Cable Number Formats Select Cable Number Format
Input String/Looks Like	WireCAD uses a fixed set of constants to test your custom format. All of the constants are upper case. The Input String provides a string to which the selected format is applied. The Looks Like label shows the input string with the formatting applied. Select SysName Format
Advanced Regular Expression Info(geek stuff)	This collapsible panel displays the complex and simplified REGEX. The simplified REGEX is associated with every Cable Number that is created under this format. This allows us to have multiple sequences working in the same table. As noted above: even minor changes in the simplified REGEX will change the sequence.
Regex Examples	Some examples that you can cut/paste into the format field.
Variable List	Displays the sequence of variables in grid view that will be concatenated into the final Cable Number. Format Cable Number
Field	The variable to concatenate into the output string.
Sequence On	Applies to Numeric/Alpha Sequences. Sets the variable that the sequences is associated to.
Format	The REGEX for all fields except the STRING variable. The STRING variable uses the literal string value of the format field.
Order	the variable's order in the list.
[UP]/[DN]	Move the selected record up or down in the list.
Test Syntax	Tests the syntax. This tool has so many possibilities that it is possible that the [Test Syntax] function may not find all errors.

Available Variables

Variable	Description	Sequencable	Default Format REGEX
SIGNALTYPE	The signal type associated with the cable.	X	\w{1,4}
SIGNALTYPEPREFIX	the signal type prefix associated with the signal type of the cable.	X	\w{1,4}
SOURCESYSTEM	The source SysName.	X	\w{1,6}
SOURCEPIN	The source port or pin name.	X	\w{1,6}
SOURCEALIAS	The source alias.	X	\w{1,6}
SOURCELOCATION	The source location.	X	\w{1,6}
DESTSYSTEM	The destination SysName.	X	\w{1,6}
DESTPIN	The destination port or pin name.	X	\w{1,6}
DESTALIAS	The destination alias.	X	\w{1,6}
DESTLOCATION	The destination location.	X	\w{1,6}
SOURCE_OR_DEST_PIN_IF_JACKFIELD	NOT YET IMPLEMENTED.	X	\w{1,6}
MULTICOREDATA	Core data as defined in the associated cable type if any. Note: this variable must be included in order to make use of the multi-core numbering system.	X	\w*
STRING	any string (usually used for delimiters like dashes (-))		any string (usually used for delimiters like dashes (-))
ALPHASEQUENCE	an alpha sequence that starts at the letter 'a'	X	\w{4}
NUMERICSEQUENCE	a numeric sequence that starts with the project starting number	X	\d{1,5}
USER1	the global equipment library device definition user1 field	X	\w{1,6}
USER2	the global equipment library device definition user2 field	X	\w{1,6}
USER3	the global equipment library device definition user3 field	X	\w{1,6}
USER4	the global equipment library device definition user4 field	X	\w{1,6}

More About Regex

The Format field uses regular expressions. The following are some simple examples:

Expression	Description
\w*	Any non number, non punctuation string any length
[a-zA-Z0-9]{5}	Lower / Upper case and 0 thru 9 exactly 5 characters
\d{1,5}	Digits 1 to 5 digits in length
\d*	Digits any length
\\	a slash "\". The \ is the escape character so you need two
[a-zA-Z0-9_\-\,]{1,4}	Lower / Upper case, 0-9, underscore, dash, and comma.