About User Parameters
User parameters are useful for providing additional information about an object. For example, in Family Tables the parameter
Cost may have a different value for each instance. User parameters are stored with the model. You can add a parameter without defining a relation. To view existing user parameters, click
Tools >
Parameters.
Methods for Creating Parameters
You can add parameters in different ways:
• Click
Tools >
Parameters. The
Parameters dialog box opens in the context of the top assembly. You can change the context of the objects.
• In the Model Tree, right-click a feature for which you want to add parameters, and click
Parameters on the shortcut menu. The
Parameter dialog box opens in the context of the selected object. You cannot change the context of the objects.
|  You can select multiple objects and then use the Parameters command to simultaneously create or edit common parameters in all selected objects. If you first select a model node, the context of the objects is model in the Look In box. If you first select a non-model node, the context of the objects is feature or component in the Look In box. The top assembly node is a non-model node. |
• For Annotation element parameters, click
to access the
Annotation Feature dialog box. Click an element for which you want to define a parameter, and then click
Parameters.
Specifying the Object Type
You can add user parameters to different object types that are listed in the Look In box in the Parameters dialog box. The following object types are supported:
• Assembly—Access assembly parameters.
• Skeleton—Access skeleton parameters.
• Component—Access component parameters.
• Part—Access part parameters.
• Feature—Access feature parameters.
• Inherited—Access inherited parameters.
• Quilt—Access quilt parameters
• Surface—Access surface parameters.
• Edge—Access edge parameters.
• Curve—Access curve parameters.
• Composite Curve—Access composite curve parameters.
• Annotation Element—Access parameters defined for an element of an annotation feature.
• Material—Access material parameters.
Rules for Naming Parameters
Consider the following rules for naming user parameters:
• User parameter names must begin with a letter if they are to be used in relations.
• You cannot use d#, kd#, rd#, tm#, tp#, or tpm# as user parameter names because they are reserved for use with dimensions.
• User parameter names cannot contain nonalphanumeric characters such as !, @, #, and $.
• User parameter names cannot contain special language characters such as umlauts.
• You cannot change the name of a user parameter once it has been created.