Additional Windchill Capabilities > Manufacturing Process Management > Windchill MPMLink Overview > Preferences in MPMLink
  
Preferences in MPMLink
Preferences define the way the system operates when certain actions are performed. The preferences set for Windchill MPMLink determine the behavior of the manufacturing data accessed through the MPMLink browser.
For information on setting a preference, see Preference Management and Setting a Preference.
The following table explains the MPMLink preferences available in the Preference Management utility.
Preference
Description
Automatically Create Plant-specific Functional Data
Specifies whether plant-specific functional data objects can be created automatically when creating enterprise data or through a loader after creating the enterprise data. Select Yes to create the objects automatically or No to create the objects through a loader. The default value is No.
Part Types for Creating Plant-specific Functional Data
Specifies the part types for which plant-specific functional data objects can be created as per the mapped view-specific enterprise data type. The mapping between the plant-specific functional data type and view-specific enterprise data type is defined in the preference: Plant-specific Functional Data Types for Enterprise Data.
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If the Automatically Create Plant-specific Functional Data preference is set to Yes, the plant-specific functional data objects are created automatically. If set to No, the objects need to be created manually.
Plant-specific Functional Data Types for Enterprise Data
Specifies the types of plant-specific functional data objects that can be created for each view-specific enterprise data type. The view-specific enterprise data types are listed based on the values entered in the preference: Views with Specific Enterprise Data.
Plant-specific Functional Data Types for Part Type
Specifies the types of plant-specific functional data objects that should be created for a part type. The part types are listed based on the values entered in the preference: Part Types for Creating Plant-specific Functional Data.
Include related Plant Specific Functional Data objects
Allows the user to specify which plant-specific functional data objects related to the selected parts or enterprise data objects should be displayed in the collector window by default.
Select All to display plant-specific functional data objects for the initially selected and collected parts or enterprise data objects.
Select Initially Selected Only to display plant-specific functional data objects only for the initially selected parts or enterprise data objects.
Select None to hide the plant-specific functional data objects.
Maintenance of Equivalent Links to Self
Specifies whether the equivalent links to self, existing for downstream iterations reused as is from upstream, should be updated automatically or manually by end users when there is a change in the upstream structure. Valid option is Manual or Automatic.
Stop Structure Expansion by Criteria
Allows user to stop expanding the structure by given criteria. Specify the value in the following format:
Type:< part type>
For example, Type:wt.part.WTSubPart1
Enable Structure Cache
Specifies whether or not to generate the cache for MAPSB and SAPSB sessions. The default value is No. This user level preference controls the default behavior for handling structure content to improve MAPSB and SAPSB performance.
Select Yes to store the entire structure information of a session in cache. This helps to improve performance in MAPSB actions.
Select No if you do not want to store the structure information of a session in cache.
Allows Reuse of Existing Downstream Objects
Specifies whether or not to reuse the existing downstream object when the New Downstream Part action is invoked. The default value is Yes. When set to No the action will not reuse existing downstream objects. When set to Yes the action will reuse existing downstream objects.
Consider Applied Filters for APSB Actions
Specifies whether or not to consider the filter criteria for review and update actions while updating the downstream structure. The default value is No.
Select Yes to consider the filter criteria. The downstream structure is updated and refreshed to display the structure according to the filter criteria.
Select No to ignore the filter criteria. The downstream structure is updated and refreshed to display the structure without considering the filter criteria.
Some of the review actions are:
Select Equivalent Parts on Other Side
Select Equivalent Occurrence on Other Side
Implicit Replacement of Parts in Downstream for Replaced Part in Upstream
Specifies whether or not to replace a downstream part with a replaced upstream part. The default value is No.
Select Yes to replace the selected part in the downstream structure with:
A replaced upstream part, if an equivalent downstream part does not exist for the upstream part.
An equivalent downstream part, if it exists for the replaced upstream part. A warning message appears if multiple downstream equivalent parts exist for the replaced upstream part.
Select No if you do not want to replace the downstream part with the replaced upstream part.
Allow Plant-specific Filtering in MAPSB and SAPSB
Enables the Plant Filter tab in the Edit Filter dialog box in MAPSB and SAPSB. This tab allows plant filtering in MAPSB and SAPSB. This is a site level preference. The default value is No. If set to Yes, the Plant Filter tab is visible in MAPSB and SAPSB.
Views with Specific Enterprise Data
This is a site level preference. The Assign Plant action is available only if you specify a valid value for this preference in the Value field. Specify the value in the following format: ViewName1:Type1 Enterprise Data, ViewName2:Type2
List of Applicable Views
Defines the list of applicable views available in MAPSB and SAPSB components. The data is entered as a list of comma separated values. For example: Design, Manufacturing, Service
Allow Positioning for Analysis of Equivalent Occurrences
This is a site level preference. The default value is Yes. If set to Yes, the occurrences with the same absolute position as some occurrence on the other side of the structure will be considered as consumed.
Default View
The structure view specified is used by the default configuration specification to expand objects in Windchill MPMLink explorers, or when viewing the structure in Windchill HTML pages. For example, to display Design or Manufacturing objects.
For Arbortext Content Manager it is recommended that you set this preference to Manufacturing.
Number of Most Recently Used Entries
The number of objects you have recently opened in a Windchill MPMLink explorer display at the bottom of the File menu. You can click on a object in this list to open it in an explorer without having to browse the database for it.
Multi Value Separator
The separator character(s) used when displaying multiple values in a single field. The default character is a semicolon (;).
Look And Feel
The appearance of a Windchill MPMLink Explorer user interface.
Select Windows for a Windows appearance.
Select Windchill for a Windows appearance using a color palette compatible with Windchill.
Select Metal for a Java Metal appearance.
Select CDE/Motif for a UNIX appearance.
Measurement System
The measurement system that you want to work with in Windchill MPMLink Explorers: SI, USCS, CGS, or MKS.
Check-out At Creation
Select No if you do not want objects to be automatically checked out when they are created.
Select Yes if you want objects to be automatically checked out when they are created.
Open in New Windows
Select Always if you want the system to open a new Windchill MPMLink explorer when opening a new structure.
Select Never if you always want a new structure to replace the structure you are currently viewing in an explorer.
Select Ask if you want the system to prompt you each time, so you can select whether or not you want to open a new Windchill MPMLink explorer.
Automatically Select Top Node
Select Yes if you want the Windchill MPMLinkwindow to open with the top assembly object of the structure selected. The tabs in the right pane will populate with the information for the selected object.
Select No if you do not want any object selected when the Product Structure Explorer opens.
Reset Warning/Information Dialogs
In some explorer messages, you have the option to select a check box to hide future warnings or messages. If you had selected the check box, click Reset to begin displaying the warnings and messages again.
Reset Column/Window Layout Preferences
If you modified the column details in any of the tables in the explorer, click Reset to return to the default display.
Display All Linked Iterations In Iteration Tables
Select True if you want the system to display every iteration of an object that is linked to the selected object.
Select False if you do not want the system to display every iteration of an object that is linked to the selected object. Only the iteration that matches the configuration specification is displayed.
Default Selection For Update Usage Options
When set to True processes downstream usages for which at least one valid occurrence link can be found to an upstream BOM.
Default Upstream View
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer and the Manufacturing Resource Explorer only. Sets the default filter criteria to be displayed when viewing an upstream object.
Default Downstream View
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer and the Manufacturing Resource Explorer only. Sets the default filter criteria to be displayed when viewing a downstream object.
Pasting Parts
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Indicates how parts copied to the clipboard should be pasted into a new location:
Select Paste as Uses Link to paste the object into it's new location.
Select Paste with Associative BOM Links to paste the object into its new location and create associative links to the BOM. For more information, see Paste with Associative BOM Links.
Part Allocation Status Enabled
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Select True if you want the Structure pane to display a part's allocation status indicator (allocated or not allocated to an operation in a process plan).
Select False if you do not want the Structure pane to display a part's allocation status indicator to an operation (allocated or not allocated to an operation in a process plan).
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Parts are only displayed if they meet the configuration specification defined in the Configuration Specification window.
Default Process Plan Selection
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Selects the associated process plans that are used by default for part allocation analysis (allocated to an operation, not allocated to an operation).
Select All if you want to use all associated process plans.
Select All (except Phantom Manufacturing Parts) if you want to use all associated process plans, with the exception of process plans that are related to phantom manufacturing parts.
Select None if you do not want any associated process plans to be selected.
Select Custom if you want to define a specific way of defining operation part allocation analysis.
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Process plans can only be selected for analysis if they meet the configuration specification defined in the Configuration Specification window.
Show BOM Transformation Panel for Assemble as Selected Part
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Select True if you want the BOM transformation panel to appear when pasting a part using the Assemble Under New Part option.
Select False if you do not want the BOM transformation panel to appear when pasting a part using the Assemble Under New Part option.
Show BOM Transformation Panel for Assemble as New Branch
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Select True if you want the BOM transformation panel to appear when pasting a part using the Assemble as New Branch option.
Select False if you do not want the BOM transformation panel to appear when pasting a part using the Assemble as New Branch option.
Show BOM Transformation Panel for Assemble as New Part
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Select True if you want the BOM transformation panel to appear when pasting a part using the Assemble as New Part option.
Select False if you do not want the BOM transformation panel to appear when pasting a part using the Assemble as New Part option.
Default Assembly Selection
Applies to the Process Plan Explorer only.
Active manufacturing assemblies are the assemblies which have been designated for use during a specific Process Plan Explorer session. Part allocations are not displayed and allocations cannot be made to operations if no assembly is active.
Select All if you want to use all assemblies to allocate parts.
Select None to make all related assemblies inactive.
Select Custom if you want to define a specific way of selecting assemblies.
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Related assemblies can only be set to active if they meet the configuration specification defined in the Configuration Specification window.
Show Allocations In Tree
Applies to the Process Plan Explorer only.
Defines the appearance of parts and resources allocated to the operations of a process plan.
Select Yes to display in the structure pane the parts and resources that have been allocated to process plan operations.
Select No to hide in the structure pane the parts and resources that have been allocated to process plan operations.
Display All Context Equivalent Parts
Applies to the Manufacturing Product Structure Explorer only.
Defines the appearance of equivalent parts in the Equivalent Parts tab.
Select True if you want to display equivalence links that match upstream or downstream views regardless of the upstream or downstream context of these links.
Select False if you do not want to display equivalence links that match upstream or downstream views regardless of the upstream or downstream context of these links.