About Dual Ports
When two shapes of the same port are in one cell of a variable group, you have dual ports. A second portshape is placed in the cell when you create or edit the variable group. The next two figures show the propagation of parameters in dual ports.
In the first figure a wire is attached to two jacks. Each jack is inserted into a plug. The dual ports in the jacks allow parameters to be propagated through the jacks, from the first plug to the second plug.
1. First plug
2. First jack
3. Second jack
4. Second plug
5. Common port
In the next figure a current applied to the fiber on the left is propagated across the inline connector to the fiber on the right.
1. Plug
2. Jack
3. Common ports
Reporting Connections to Dual Ports
When more than one port exists in a shape, only the portshapes that are directly connected are reported.
In the figure below a wire is connected with jacks between two plugs.
1. Plug 1
2. Jack 1
3. Jack 2
4. Plug 2
5. Wire
Since the port in each jack has two shapes, the connections between the items are reported as follows:
• In a connection report each jack is connected to the wire and to the respective plug.
• When a function in the shape label displays the connection, each portshape label will display a different connected shape. One portshape label will display the connection to the wire, the second portshape label will display the connection to the plug.
Export to XML
The XML export of ports reports a connection to another port when the two portshapes are connected or when the port in question has no shape.
