Additional Windchill Capabilities > Service Information Management > About Service Structures > Building Service Structures > Rearranging Service Structure Objects
  
Rearranging Service Structure Objects
You can move elements in the following ways:
In a service structure using line numbers
In a service structure using copy and paste
In a service structure using drag and drop
In a publication structure using the Move action
For information on line number sorting when generating service structures, see Regenerating a Service Structure.
Changing the Sort Order in Service Structures with Line Numbers
You can reorder information structures and publication structures using line numbers. Line numbers serve as the default sort order for the structure tree.
The following situations apply to information structures:
A line number is automatically assigned to any new object added to an information structure using the Insert New, Insert Existing, Copy and Paste, and Replace with Local Copy actions.
You can move objects by changing the value in the Line Number column.
You can edit the line number on any object within an information structure. The line number can be set to any integer value. If you set the value to an existing line number, the line numbers automatically recalculate to avoid duplication.
If siblings need to be renumbered for an insertion or if you use a duplicate line number, only the siblings with existing line numbers are renumbered. Items with no line number remain unchanged and are sorted alphabetically.
When you use Insert Existing, new line numbers are added for the existing object, but its children remain unchanged.
If its children have objects with line numbers, those line numbers are retained.
If its children do not have objects with line numbers, new line numbers are not created.
Objects are added as the first child of the selected node by default.
Objects added as last child are inserted using an increment of 1000. You can change line numbers to any integer value.
Line number sorting is controlled by the sortISByLineNumber property, explained in Setting Up an Information Structure.
Using the Clipboard Action Set in Service Structures
The Clipboard actions allow you to copy information to the clipboard and paste it to a specified location.
Copy enables you to copy a selected object in the structure to the clipboard.
Paste enables you to paste information from the clipboard.
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The following are not supported:
Pasting information groups from the information structure tab into a publication structure
Pasting translated dynamic documents or XLIFFs into a service structure
For more information, see Service Structure Editing.
Changing the Sort Order in Service Structures with Drag and Drop
You can reorder objects within a service structure using drag and drop. Select single or multiple objects (using the CTRL key) in the structure tree and drag them to the required location. Graphic indicators demonstrate whether the intended location is permitted. When a move is completed successfully, Success flashes briefly in the status bar.
For more information about editing in a service structure, see Service Structure Editing.
Graphic Indicator
Description
Allowed
When an object is selected, this icon indicates that the selected object is allowed to be moved to another location within the service structure.
Insert Object
This icon is active when an object that is allowed to move is being dragged from one location to another. The icon indicates where in the structure the object can be dropped.
Insert Line
The insert line is a blue dotted line that becomes active to indicate where in the structure the object can be moved. The object is dropped in after the insert line.
Not Allowed
This icon indicates that the selected object is not allowed to be moved to another location within the service structure.
The following guidelines apply to the reordering action:
The drop location must allow all of the selected item types to be inserted as child objects. If even one selected object is not allowed by the constraints of the parent object, the drop fails.
When the selected content is successfully added to the new location in the service structure, the impacted objects are renumbered accordingly.
When an object is dropped onto an existing node, the action automatically adds it as the last child object in the node.
After reordering, applicability settings on the link between the dragged node and its previous parent are lost. The link from the previous structure is deleted, and a new link is created.
Applicability settings for objects linked to the dragged node are preserved so that the node can be reused.
Textual information elements and parts list information elements can be moved from an information structure to a publication structure using the drag and drop feature. To move multiple items, use the CTRL key to select objects discretely or use SHIFT to select a range of objects. The cursor maintains the Not Allowed icon from the initiation of the drag until the cursor is placed over a valid drop location, at which time the cursor changes to the Allowed icon. A tool tip indicates the number of objects being dropped. If a drop is successful, Success flashes in the status bar.
The following actions are supported when reordering objects:
Dragging one or more textual information elements from an information structure to a publication structure
Dragging one or more parts list information elements from an information structure to a publication structure
Dragging a mix of parts list and textual information elements from an information structure to a publication structure
Dropping only textual information element is allowed on a generic information element.
The following actions are not supported when reordering objects:
Dragging translated dynamic documents or XLIFFs into a service structure
Dragging and dropping objects if an information structure is part of an S1000D product.
Dropping objects on an Information Element.
Dropping objects above the root node or outside of the tree structure.
Dropping objects if it violates the relationship constraints.
Dropping objects when the primary sorting order for the information structure is not line number.
Dropping objects when sorting by line number in the information structure is disabled.
Dropping objects if the source and target objects are the same.
Dropping objects if the target is checked out to another user.
For information about adding information elements to a service structure, refer to:
Adding Textual Information Elements
Insert Existing Information Element
Also, see Reordering Parts List Items for more information about reordering items in a parts list.
Using the Editing Action Set in Publication Structures
The Editing action set on the Structure tab of the Service Structure Information Page enables you to move objects in a publication structure to a different location in the hierarchy. The Move action set contains the following actions for moving objects:
Move up in order
This action moves an object up within the current hierarchy level. It does not move an object out of a child publication structure or publication section contained in the publication structure you are modifying. If the object you are moving is below a child structure or section in the hierarchy, that object is moved above the section or structure.
Move down in order
This action moves an object down within the current hierarchy level.
Move up one level
This action moves an object one level higher in the hierarchy. It moves an object in a child publication structure or publication section out of that object and places it directly below the structure or section in the hierarchy.
Move down one level
This action moves an object one level lower in the hierarchy. It moves an object located directly below a child publication structure or publication section into that structure or section as the last object in the hierarchy.
Follow these steps to move an object in a publication structure to a different location in the hierarchy:
1. Open the Structure tab on the information page for a publication structure.
2. In the publication structure pane, locate the object you want to move and click on it to select it.
You can use CTRL+click to select multiple objects to move at the same time, but the objects must be contiguous in the hierarchy.
3. Use the actions in the Editing action set to move the selected object to the new location.