Electrical Design Software | Elecdes Design Suite by Scada Systems Ltd

EDS Version Release Notes

Contact your sales representative to obtain the latest version of EDS.


11 Mar 2024

EDS 23.01.09.0311 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import and sync with P&ID crashed if the map file had more assignment mappings than standard column mappings.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Connection Preview crashed if a cable with no cores was selected.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed generating a datasheet if OLE Excel call failed to set the cell value. Would require an unusual workbook, e.g. a linked workbook.
  • Paneldes: Saving a drawing in Paneldes purged dimension style blocks that were still used by the drawing.
  • Paneldes: Raceway insertion dialog cleared the BLOCK3D value if it started with our default label block name prefix ("M_LABEL_" or "I_LABEL_").
  • Miscellaneous: List view header menu "Insert column here" crashed if a column that was already shown was inserted to the right of all columns.
22 Feb 2024

EDS 23.01.08.0222 Released

Changes

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import now uses an existing but more complete function to determine the destination table for links when DESTABLE is empty in the map file.

Bugs Fixed

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Generate Ebase reports" with connection reports enabled caused a SQL error.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Generate Ebase reports" with "Cross-reference back annotation" enabled caused a crash.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cache output for cable-cores may omit or include incorrect values (from another record) for columns other than the core name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: The addition of the stack trace in SQL error messages caused some error messages to be suppressed due to a faulty word match.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import mappings for destination tables other than the Tags table still required some not-empty component type value to be specified.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import reported "No data records" when the condition "Must exist" was specified and all of the component names to be imported were new. Now reports "CONDITIONS were not matched by any of the data records in the imported file".
01 Feb 2024

EDS 23.01.07.0201 Released

Changes

  • Ebase: Cores in the Corsch report are now sorted according to their name sequence rather than alphanumerically sorted.
  • Ebase: RCabsch warning "Routing properties have changed" now appears only on cables with an existing route name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved the display of template formulae in list view. Now shows attribute name, and includes block handle with block name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Template formulae are no longer added to the tree. They are now shown only in the list view when their template is selected in the tree.
  • Protogen: Supports formulae to set the value in sub-prototype OFFSET_XY column.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Routing: Could not find a size bottleneck if there was a filling bottleneck, even when only finding size bottlenecks is enabled. As a consequence of the change, if both are enabled, it will now find the shortest route passing either type of bottleneck.
  • Cable Routing: Route names could appear twice in CableRoute by re-routing a cable after its previous autoroute had been used as a forced route.
  • Catalog: Failed connecting to catalogs in SQL Server (due to SQL Server driver setting being omitted).
  • Ebase: Reporting an unused overall screen used the screen identifier, "sc" or "sh", instead of the overall screen name, "screen" or "shield".
  • Install: Random characters could appear at the end of paths displayed during the file copy process.
  • Install: Copying of tutorial and demo movies would fail with an error if the original installation choices left the movies in a path that is now not accessible.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Excel table column header row detection was incorrect for all imports after the first during one running session of IM/CS.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import of a relational link could not find an existing non-tag record (not Tag table) without some value for component type.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: IM/CS login dialog crashed on starting.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Still asked to write changes back to the drawing after a catalog select in IM/CS even if the catalog select was cancelled.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Routing properties have changed" warning did not appear from routing in IM/CS (was created but was overwritten by blank).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Wire annotation configuration for wiring diagrams, accessed from Terminal Strip preferences, did not offer the columns from the reports.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Routes of cables that were not locked would appear in RouteLock, although they are not used for routing without CableLock entries.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Writing to relational alias columns for a linked P&ID database attempted to modify the linked database and resulted in an error.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Creating output diagrams with reserved characters in the filename (e.g. : or \) failed and resulted in an unintuitive error. Now silently substitutes underscore _ for most reserved characters. Forward slash / is replaced by back slash \, allowing the creation of a user-defined sub-folder.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Refresh Custom Loop Hints that re-assigned an instrument from an auto loop to a custom loop (setting D1) did not remove the instrument from under the auto loop in the tree.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Ceased creating default formulae for attributes with no specified formula on output diagram templates. Done to fix errors and remove confusion.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Nested relational aliases did not evaluate correctly when shown as list view columns.
  • Paneldes: Automatic raceway fitting insertion did not consider unequal-width tee fittings compatible, when they did match the tray widths.
  • Paneldes: Query component failed to select the main entity when its label was pre-selected.
  • Wirediag: Device block was repeated if the schematic subcomponent was duplicated with a variant symbol.
  • Miscellaneous: Formula failed if a hash # was preceded by double backslashes \\ ( \\ now resolves to \ in the formula result ).
14 Dec 2023

EDS 23.01.06.1214 Released

Changes

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved performance loading a project.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: 2 and 3 terminal device symbols now imported with a single input or output terminal group instead of one input and one output.

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: Apparently identical segments could have power splits interpreted to opposite sides when the segments were colinear to the power-split.
  • Elecdes: Elecdes repeatedly attempted to update open drawings with changes from IM/CS until the next drawing read and cache update.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed copying an existing SQL Server database during project creation.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Catalog selection of on-drawing components allowed unsuitable replacements because it was unable to find the existing drawing symbols.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: WEIGHT column was missing from the default "Cable catalog map.dbf" causing RCabsch to appear to need to be updated.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Connection reports were unnecessarily generated when loading a project due to inconsistent data, e.g. WEIGHT as above
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: DSN connection settings were not used for all SQL Server connections, meaning a user could not reliably add custom connection parameters.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cancelling generation of multiple loop diagrams cancelled only the current loop when it should have cancelled the whole operation.
  • Paneldes: Stretching a raceway segment with a POWER value but no power layer moved the 3D envelope from the const01 layer to route01.
  • Paneldes: The arrangement of cables twisted when entering or exiting power-split shallow corner fittings due to incorrect calculations.
02 Dec 2023

EDS 23.01.05.1202 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: Crashed displaying and saving waypoints in Paneldes.
  • Conductor Routing: Attempt to start routing from Paneldes before files are created failed with errors about missing columns.
  • Conductor Routing: The segment following a segment with a power bottleneck was also marked as having a power bottleneck.
  • Conductor Routing: Power bottleneck remained erroneously reported on a segment based on another previously traced path with a legitimate problem.
  • Global Editor: Editing title block attributes for one drawing could cause all drawings to be checked for changes, making the procedure take longer.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Field Dragger/Column Picker could crash on starting.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Importing an existing project database or template project considered same-named wires with different terminations as still matching.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed drawing an auto-loop when the first component had both input and output terminals.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Auto-loop and connection preview showed all terminals from the first stage instead of the selected component.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Could get stuck in an infinite loop iterating the terminal groups when drawing auto-loops or displaying connection preview.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Datasheet template cells with label text could be detected as formulae if they matched fields in import maps or catalog maps that were used.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Conductors in the bottom-right child list view of an Area showed irrelevant context menu entries for disconnection.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: PLC cards were intended to be shown on the right of an auto-loop or connection preview but would show on the left if there was no instrument.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Terminals were always drawn in output-style in the first stage of auto-loops or the connection preview, even if the first stage was a terminal strip.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed some memory leaks when drawing auto-loops or displaying connection preview.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Import EDS Project" did not import PLC cards. Fix required only changes in "EDS Project Import Map.dbf".
  • Paneldes: Layers in Layer.dbf with the same value in the DESC column were ignored.
  • Paneldes: Displayed the error "SetUCSMatrix failure" when viewing routes if any other cables used model-less routes (from IM/CS).
  • Setup: "Check for Updates" showed EDS updates when using a CEIDS (CADWorx) build.
14 Nov 2023

EDS 23.01.04.1114 Released

Changes

  • Conductor Routing: Summary routes from only virtual segments now show "Field route" in the first segment column.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Synchronise with Drawings" now writes any pending changes to the drawings prior to reading changes back from the drawings.

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: IssuedCableXsect report was written to a file with a raceway segment name and no file extension.
  • Ebase: Generating core sheets when reports are in the project database created errors.
  • Global Editor: Cache was no longer updated after writing changes, meaning that the drawings would need reading, which is slower than the cache.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Deleting a route directly from its folder (not the cable) was not removing it from the ROUTE column in the RCABSCH report.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: On SQL Server, migration from 8.x to 23.x or Update from Template failed if an existing column had to be altered to IDENTITY or PRIMARY KEY. Most likely to occur migrating an IM or CS database that was created in EDS 8.8.3 or earlier.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Junk symbol names appear in wd_prefs table after enabling device preferences.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cache writes could associate cached entities with incorrect drawings if the project had been rearranged.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Slow performance with Access database after editing the structure of the Tag_Tags table.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Generate Ebase Reports" did not generate all of the reports that would normally be generated by Ebase, eg: core sheets, cross reference.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed after editing datasheets.
  • Miscellaneous: Attempt to lock the project could wait indefinitely even after another user had released their lock.
13 Oct 2023

EDS 23.01.02.1013 Released

Changes

  • Elecdes: Stopped the repetition of the prompt to add a missing attribute to a symbol when there are multiple of that symbol and the addition is declined.
  • Global Editor: Selecting a new catalog specification for a transit now requests a Transit Block Series, the same as when a transit is inserted into the model
  • Global Editor: Fields for attributes that are not found in the image file template now have a width of 255 for data. Previously the width was 5 without data.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Added a menu entry for output diagram folders that directly opens their preferences page.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: The prompt for admin credentials when using SQL Server now provides more detail about the modification required to the database structure.
  • Miscellaneous: About box version number now read directly from the program module instead of using the value last saved to the INI by Setup.

Bugs Fixed

  • Elecdes: An attribute definition added during insert or Global Edit intermittently did not appear on subsequent insertions of the same block.
  • Elecdes: "Repeat last symbol" failed to insert a block with a full path longer than 79 characters due to truncating the fully pathed file name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed configuring a terminal strip diagram that does not use per-device preferences.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Navigate to Warning for reports stored in the database did not scroll the report list view to make the target record visible.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Copying reports to a SQL Server project database with "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server" caused an error
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Adding multiple output diagrams manually did not increment the diagram names.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Attempting to create a project on SQL Server with a dot in the database name became stuck in an infinite request for admin credentials.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cable routing status was written back to the STATUS attribute of drawing symbols.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: List column filters were cleared by changing the choice and arrangement of columns viewed in the list.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: A database-only cable connection was not reported if the cable came from the drawing (requires one connection in drawing and one in database).
  • Paneldes: When inserting a device, the list of components from the BOM included raceway segments.
  • Paneldes: Crashed extracting data from certain XREF drawings in GstarCAD 2023+.
  • Paneldes: Polyline Trace produced segments with incorrect corner angles/orientations in GstarCAD 2023+.
  • Miscellaneous: TAB and ESC keys could not be used from the component list control in Global Editor and Catalog.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed poor TAB key navigation on dialogs with tab controls.
26 Sept 2023

EDS 23.01.01.0926 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Conductor reports have a "Catalog mismatch" warning if the catalog contained a CATDESC that did not match TYPE + RATING1. Note that the CATDESC in the report is filled from TYPE + RATING1. CATDESC is not used from a conductor catalog.
  • Ebase: BSUM could have one record not in sorted order, but only if the template did not contain an EXTRAPART_FOR column.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Terminal strip generation required manual update of the project and manual update of the project reports.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Loop stage templates could show terminal numbers in unexpected places if they used an MTD block with visible terminal attributes.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: A terminal strip on a loop diagram with terminals in reverse order added a terminal strip break symbol between each terminal.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: An invalid database with components linked to ratings in the wrong table would cause an error when updating the project cache.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed updating a diagram with a split terminal strip.
  • Install: Non-latin characters in install messages were not displayed correctly.
  • Install: New text translation files were not installed.
9 Sept 2023

EDS 23.01.00.0908 Released

New Features

  • Supports LusoCAD with the same version numbers as supported GstarCAD versions
  • Supports GstarCAD 2023 and 2024.
  • Ebase: Revision history report. Changing revision now writes an entry to a Revision report (new Report.dbf or current Report_Revision table).

Important File Updates

  • Title pages are now re-enabled in the template "EDS Reports.mdb". Revisions come from the revision history report.
  • Added template_Revision.dbf for revision history report.
  • New loop component templates for cable screens.
  • New loop component templates for plug and inline marker overrides for cable cores.
  • Unwanted file MET_CAT\Niedax\CatgNI.dbf will be removed. Niedax parts are now all in MET_CAT\Cable_Tray\CatgNI.dbf.

Changes

  • Elecdes: Now Global Edit and insertion prompt before adding new (invisible) attributes to symbols to hold non-blank values, for attributes that do not exist.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Project cache output for cores now attempts to resolve cache data from both core and cable, not just cable, e.g. individual core descriptions.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Connection preview window will now show a cable preview if a loop diagram is selected and the primary component is a cable.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved connection preview window handling for unparented terminals. Now continues rather than quitting with an error.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Loop generation improvements:
    • Offsets cable core screens to avoid clashes.
    • Supports cable screens connected from the top.
    • New setting for the layer for a cable screen line; the line joining from the terminal to the screen template.
    • Supports a prefix-with-wildcard for Loop Component Template override for a conductor. Handles multiple templates for conductors.
    • Supports drawing an unconnected screen at the end of the cable where the screen is not connected.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Simplified the options when converting from an IM or CS project to lessen the chance of omitting an important database update.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Conversion of CS devices to IMCS instruments will now fall back to the default Instruments folder if the appropriate folder is not found.
  • Licence Manager: Now responds to the calling program before it displays a message, to prevent the caller becoming stuck, waiting for a hidden window.
  • Protogen: Now writes the clone drawing directly from the prototype, instead of copying the prototype first then re-opening and updating the clone.
  • Wirediag: Margins for joining cables between parallel strips are now relative to the diagram not absolute coordinates.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Crashed during "DBF to DWGs" if $CONX file contained duplicate handles.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Delete link" from an instrument on an auto-loop did not remove the instrument from the loop.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Export to" from a report table in the tree exported only the records currently selected in the list view.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Edit View remained blank after switching to and from List View. Data and graphics appeared under mouse or when scrolling.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Catalog selection of on-drawing enclosures was not applied to Elecdes panel symbols when updating the drawings.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with project drawings did not retain the "on drawing" status for cable connections.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cable builder showed a warning when selecting a catalog specification that had an NSQ_KEY for only the cores.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with project drawings would disconnect cables in the database without prompting.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "View routes in CAD" could overwrite PNLNO_A/B in RCabsch with an area name for a device in an area.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cable screen that was terminated at only one end drew as a curled-back open circuit conductor rather than as a screen.
  • Wirediag: Audit crashed when layer 0 was locked.
17 Aug 2023

EDS 23.00.00.0817 Released

New Features

  • Ebase: New option to write reports to the IM/CS project database instead of DBF files in the project directory.
  • Ebase: Added catalog reference warnings to the conductor reports: "Not from catalog", "Cat spec not found" and "Catalog mismatch".
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Both programs now offer the same features. The remaining difference is which licence is requested to start.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Allows catalog selection for on-drawing components with some limitations:
    • Same blocks; same terminal numbers; at least all required subcomponents.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Reports can now be written into the IM/CS project database.
    • All reporting tables and templates appear under the "Reporting" folder in the tree.
    • New tables replace the EDS report DBFs.
    • New tables and queries/views in the project database replace "EDS Reports.mdb"
    • "Database Reports" from the File menu have the option to be output to the project database.
    • Create and view SSRS reports (this is the SQL Server equivalent to EDS Reports.mdb).
    • Context menu entry to edit SSRS report templates (which will open in SSRS Report Builder).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import the contents of another IM or CS project into the current project.
    • Imports Components, Ratings, Raceway, Output Diagrams, Templates, Folders, Aliases.
    • Can optionally match up existing items by name (with conflict resolution if data/links/properties differ).
    • Source project can be used as a customisable template by adding placeholders in record data (e.g. 'Building #BuildingNum#' in the [Tagname] column). Values will be requested from the user at the start of the import.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Auto-loop improvements:
    • Loop template can include anchor points to position the loop components, which includes wrapping the loop onto more than one line. e.g. _R2C3 is the anchor point for the second loop row, third component. A single loop uses one "row" even if wrapped.
    • A component used in multiple loops on one drawing can optionally be drawn joined.
    • Power connections are automatically included, where previously it only drew signal connections).
    • Added "Loop stage template" a template for an entire component with terminals instead of separate templates for each sub-part.
    • Added templates for PLC cards and PLC I/O channels (terminal groups). Previously used the device template.
    • Now supports triad core screen/shield and overall cable screen/shield.
    • New formula function CL_INSERTDWG(filename,X,Y) can insert an arbitrary drawing onto the loop, e.g. a block of notes.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Connection preview improvements:
    • For a terminal strip can optionally trace all signals connections to their final terminations.
    • Shows multiple loops if multiple instruments or components are selected in the component list.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved synchronisation with project drawings.
    • Includes components from wiring diagrams.
    • Imports all attribute data (mapped by aliases), no longer only naming and a catalog lookup.
  • Wirediag: Join cables between adjacent terminal strips or devices.

Important File Updates

  • Added database version number to the [Settings] table of the project database template "Access 2000 Sample.mdb".
  • Substantial other changes to project database template "Access 2000 Sample.mdb" to suit the merge of IM and CS.
  • EDS\CABSCHED folder no longer used. All Cable Scheduler templates merged into MET_IM and IMP_IM.

Changes

  • Conductor Routing: Uses a routing lock for the project to prevent conflicts from multiple users running routing or reporting.
  • Ebase: Cable connection warnings are now kept separate, in Cabsch, from cable routing warnings, in RCabsch. Warnings report now includes RCabsch.
  • Ebase: Separated the warnings "Floating marker", where the marker is not on a line, and "No terminations", where the conductor line has no connections.
  • Ebase: No longer reports "Core overuse" when the cable has no core configuration.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation now includes the component type, symbol name, and drawing coordinates in its log output.
  • Install: New installer dialog. Note that the previous installer program remains but is now installworker.exe.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Numerous auto-loop template size and offset settings are now determined from the templates instead of the user manually entering the values.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with project drawings retains components that were removed from drawings but that are linked in the database to other components that will remain.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with project drawings creates an Area from a Paneldes component LOCATION if there is no Enclosure with that name. Fixes those previously made as Enclosures.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved mapping of components from CADWorx P&ID.
    • Imports all available data. Previously only linked the records leaving the data to be fetched live from the P&ID database.
    • New ratings where required if there was no suitable existing rating.
    • Additional map file for CADWorx on SQL Server, which has different table names to CADWorx on Access.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Floating core markers could cause an "Unpaired extension marker" warning in the core schedule report, Corsch.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation was propagating cable name changes to other cores even when not selected.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation was preventing changes to the TAGNAME attribute of a reference header for a cable core.
  • Global Editor: Catalog selection for an MTD symbol overwrote T1 and T2 of all of its terminal symbols if the catalog T1 and T2 fields had values.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed intermittent crash when closing the terminal strip preferences dialog.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Component tag records were being unnecessarily updated by the synchronisation with project drawings. Record updated but no changes.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New conductor connections created by "Synchronise with Drawings" did not show in the tree until the project was closed and re-opened.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Unconnected cables produced a core schedule report (Corsch) record with no core name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Component builder incorrectly loaded the naming dialog for existing components if they used multi-part tagnames.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed some mishandling of multi-part tagnames when updating the component name, e.g. during importing.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Changed choice of template for a custom loop diagram was not used when generating the loop until the project was closed and re-opened.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: There was no obvious way to connect a cable directly to an enclosure if the enclosure had child components. Now offers the enclosure in the list.
16 Jun 2023

EDS 8.9.5.2 Released

New Features

  • Supports AutoCAD 2024.

Important File Updates

  • UserSeries.dbf changed to UserSeries.dbm to prevent modified file being overwritten with default empty template.
  • Added manufacturer code OG for Oglaend.
  • New metric catalog for Oglaend cable tray and fittings, CatgOG.
  • New metric catalog for Niedax cable tray and fittings, CatgNI.
  • Glands in sample catalog Catg0 now have SUBCLASS set to "GLAND" for use in Paneldes.
  • Sample TERMPOINT added to Catg0.
  • SIGNALSCF cable factor updated to be 50% of inner height, not total height, with a top limit at 6" inner height.
  • Sample instrument catalog CatL0.dbf contained a duplicate CATNO of "SAMPLE I139". Now separated into I139 and I141.

Changes

  • Block Manager: Supports wildcard in Tag to match multiple attributes by name for the Modify Attributes tasks: Change Attribute and Delete Attribute.
  • Conductor Routing: SPLITFROM column in CableXsect.dbf identifies the end from which SPLITFROM is measured for a split part of a straight segment.
  • Ebase: Reports drawing names for conductors and terminations in connection reports in fields: DRAWING, DRAWING_A and DRAWING_B.
  • Elecdes: Edited parent naming attributes can propagate to other children, e.g. TBLOCK of one terminal propagated to other terminals in the strip.
  • Elecdes: Combined the rename settings for the commands "Copy" and "Copy and paste" and Elecdes preferences.
  • Instrument Manager: New menu entry "Synchronise Linked P&ID Database" to run the synchronisation immediately.
  • Instrument Manager: Added a per-user option to enable or disable P&ID synchronisation. The new per-user option is controlled by the existing toolbar button. Existing option to enable or disable PID synchronisation for the project (all users) is now only in the menu.
  • Instrument Manager: Added a progress bar for user-initiated P&ID synchronisation.
  • Instrument Manager: Synch_Table column from Link table no longer used or required.
  • Instrument Manager: Improved the progress indication while reading templates for "Modify Database Structure".
  • Instrument Manager: Improved the performance reading formulae from datasheet templates.
  • Instrument Manager: Improved the performance for OLE Excel operations to be run on multiple Excel files.
  • Instrument Manager: Linking to a P&ID now prompts to enable synchronisation and data fetching if these are currently disabled.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Properties dialog is now resizable.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Horizontal window splitter position is now remembered separately for each type of view (e.g. single component view versus folder view).
  • Paneldes: Improved conversion of feet-inches values that are missing the trailing double-quote for the inches value.
  • Setup: Running "setup -?" or "setup -h" shows a message listing the command line parameters supported by Setup.
  • Miscellaneous: Sets cache file timestamp at the same time (using the same file handle) as writing the cache file, rather than re-opening to set timestamp.
  • Miscellaneous: Supports BUSW 998 as a reversed version of 999.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Database check should not attempt to check "Alias_PID_*" tables. They are only used in Instrument Manager.
  • Cable Scheduler: Background thread to determine connections on Elecdes drawings used a progress bar, which is not appropriate for a background thread.
  • Cable Scheduler: "Synchronise with Drawings" crashed if changes were made in the database to a component that exists in a Paneldes drawing.
  • Cable Scheduler: Ratings for new components did not show in the tree after "Synchronise with Drawings".
  • Conductor Routing: "Fill Method" was reported as "NEC: Single layer power cables" when cables contributed no filling. Now reported as "Zero fill in this segment".
  • Ebase: Crashed generating BSUM if there was only one part and there was no EXTRAPART_FOR column in the template_BSUM.dbf.
  • Ebase: Cabsch report did not get REFRNCE_A and REFRNCE_B filled.
  • Ebase: Erroneously attempted to find conductor connections to 2D Panel Layout terminal symbols.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation failed to apply TBLOCK change to multiple selected terminals.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation showed the same component multiple times for a non-naming change.
  • Elecdes: Some functions could not be reverted by UNDO after saving a drawing in BricsCAD, e.g. Global Update.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation command line output did not have a final line break, meaning next command appeared on the end of the output.
  • Elecdes: Elecdes preferences setting for Attribute Propagation, Log to File overwrote the setting for Log to Commandline.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation offered to set DUPLICATED in RSTATUS even if a single symbol was renamed and the result was not duplicated.
  • Elecdes: Incorrect CUI and icon file was loaded on GstarCAD versions older than 2020.
  • Elecdes: STATUS attribute was cleared on all types of blocks, including title blocks. Should have applied to only Elecdes component blocks.
  • Global Editor/Catalog: These dialog windows did not minimise in the modern way for Windows, leading to an apparent program lock-up. Minimise option now removed.
  • Instrument Manager: [Pick diagram] button on the Raised Issues dialog was always disabled.
  • Instrument Manager: Custom loop formula CL_LAYERDEL() could leave entities in block definitions on the deleted layer, causing AUDIT to report errors.
  • Instrument Manager: PDF output was not the correct scale in BYEXTENTS mode and 1 dwg unit <> 1mm. Now uses the drawing's INSUNITS.
  • Instrument Manager: "Reselect from Current Catalog" from multiple selection of the same PLC type from list view shared a common terminal between PLCs.
  • Instrument Manager: "Reselect from Current Catalog" could unnecessarily recreate common terminals, causing those terminals to lose connections.
  • Instrument Manager: "View Loop" could make BricsCAD hang. Now removes read-only from the drawing, which allows BricsCAD to open the drawing reliably.
  • Instrument Manager: Could crash removing components from a custom loop in the "Configure Loop Components" dialog due to a threaded update.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Help > About dialog reported Windows 8 when running on Windows 10.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cable with an unconnected end could not be connected to other components.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: List View Highlight column filter was not evaluated correctly if the column included both a relation and an alias, e.g. P1:<Catalog Number>.
  • Paneldes: Automatic raceway fitting insertion may suggest a corner instead of a tee in some cases.
  • Paneldes: Fixed some failures to automatically place appropriate fittings at conduit intersections.
  • Setup: Installer DBM rename to DBF (when there was no existing DBF) did not attend to the DBM_ACTION column or its action instruction.
  • Wirediag: SYMB_WD had the wrong orientation for a reversed BUSW 999 symbol. Now use BUSW 998 for reversed 999.
  • Wirediag: Wiring diagram construction was very slow on BricsCAD. Now done by BRX instead of ADS functions.
  • Miscellaneous: Static text and edit box controls on dialogs left a white rectangle in the gray dialog when the control was hidden by the program.
  • Miscellaneous: Formula evaluator did not un-escape hashes in plain text parts of a formula. Should not have retained the leading backslash in "\#".
20 Apr 2023

EDS 8.9.4.0 Released

New Features

  • Cable Scheduler: "Update Elecdes Project" can now signal Elecdes to update drawings that are open in Elecdes.
  • Ebase: "Refresh Imported Data" now updates all layouts in the drawings.
  • Ebase: New setting "Report partial quantities for extra parts individually" enables extra part entries in the BOM and BOMSA to report a partial QUANT.
  • Ebase: New setting "Group extra parts with main component" will ensure that extra parts show after the main component type in the BSUM report. Partial quantities can be reported under each main component type if an extra parts entry becomes separated.
  • Instrument Manager: Added a Monochrome option for PDF output of output drawings. Will use the opposite colour from the black or white background choice.
  • Instrument Manager: Custom loop formulae can now specify to suppress the warning if the hint is not resolved. Useful for spare channels on an I/O card. Enter ";OPTIONAL" following the place for "D1"/"D0" that specifies whether or not to set the component's D1 link. e.g. #L5=description; type; (hint); D1; OPTIONAL# or #L5=description; type; (hint); ; OPTIONAL#.
  • Instrument Manager: New context menu entries to pick associations. Since there are two directions for association there are two menu entries.
  • Instrument Manager: "Import" will create cables for instruments if the instrument catalog record specifies a cable. Importing now works the same as building new.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Sibling relationships can now use a negative offset. e.g. #K1-1:Tagname# refers to the last child. #L100-1:Tagname# may be the terminal before the terminal linked to L100.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Sibling relationships can now be resolved from the current record. (Siblings are components that have the same parent component). e.g. #-1:Tagname# to fetch the tagname of the previous sibling or #+2:Tagname# to fetch the tagname of the sibling two away.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Relational aliases now support formula functions in the Formula column rather than just a relationship to a single column.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Display a list of the children when copying components and children. The user can de-select any that should not be copied.
  • Paneldes: "Draw Conductors" from the "Cable Routing & Viewing" dialog can now draw cables into external drawings and xref them.
  • Miscellaneous: New formula functions to convert between manufacturer code and name: MFGNAME(code) and MFGCODE(name).

Changes

  • Block Manager: Now logs success for a change only once it succeeds in saving the file. Prevents logging apparent success only to find the file is read-only.
  • Cable Scheduler: Displays a warning before a Raceway Group is deleted if that group has a cable linked to it.
  • Ebase: New EXTRAPART_FOR column in template_BOM.dbf and template_BOMSA.dbf will show the main component name for each extra part entry.
  • Ebase: EXTRAPART_FOR added to template_BSUM.dbf will show the main component MFG and CATNO for each extra part entry.
  • Elecdes: Improved "Attribute Propagation", given multiple selected symbols, to assume that the change should be applied to all.
  • Elecdes: Symbol coordinates are now shown in the list of symbols for "Attribute Propagation" to help identify which symbols are which.
  • Elecdes: "Create Assembly" now offers to convert the selected entities into the new assembly, similar to the CAD package BLOCK command.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Navigate to Master Record" now works between trees in connection view.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Update from Template" can now change the type and width of existing columns, with a confirmation for each type of change.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Import" now reads existence conditions, e.g. MustBeNew, from assignment mappings (previously only from imported data mappings).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cancelling connection of cores to terminals now does not leave the cable connected to the strip or device if that was a new connection.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Making a new connection to a fully-connected cable or cable-core now asks which component should be disconnected to make a new connection.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Asks about copying connected conductors, the same way that it asks about copying child components. Previously copied without asking.
  • Name Sequencer: Displays an error message if the KEY specified by an NSQ_KEY value cannot be found, helping users to diagnose problems.
  • Paneldes: Insertion now avoids making unwanted upgrades while "Insert fittings at intersections" and "Upgrade corners to crosses" are both selected.
  • Paneldes: "Trace a polyline" now more reliably sets the raceway segment orientation for polylines that start vertically then turn horizontal via a riser.
  • Setup: When run with command line parameters (e.g. from a script, or when Ebase changes working directory), Setup no longer checks for redistributable components yet to be installed.
  • Miscellaneous: Sorting by a column in a list view will now implicitly sort by remaining columns in order from left to right.
  • Miscellaneous: Entering a column filter in a list view is now more obvious. Click specifically on the filter icon in the column header to open the filter edit. Middle-click to clear an existing filter.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: List and tree context menus for raceway groups and segments were missing useful applicable functions seen on other component types.
  • Conductor Routing: IssuedCableXsect report had empty FILL_INFO and the same value in CABLE_CF.
  • Conductor Routing: IssuedCableXsect report was missing split parts of segments in the accumulated LENGTH and could omit some cables from the COND columns.
  • Ebase: Multi-way terminals with letters in the name did not produce a "WAY name mismatch" warning if the WAYS column contained a numeric range.
  • Elecdes: "Insert Assembly" crashed if the assembly contained no Elecdes blocks.
  • Elecdes: "Reference Assembly" did not set schematic terminal PNLNO and TBLOCK from existing single-line terminal.
  • Elecdes: "Add/delete Termination Blocks" failed if "Delete Blank" and "Insert Blank" were both enabled. Now uses mutually exclusive checkboxes.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: "DBF Import" set the file name in the IMPCOL block to have a ".mdb" extension for DBF files, not just for MDB files.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: "DBF Import" record sorting and filtering was not applied to formula columns.
  • Instrument Manager: Wire annotation configuration for wiring diagrams did not offer the columns from the reports.
  • Instrument Manager: Filtering by Component_Type did not work for relational aliases to P&ID records. Now checks component type of original IM component.
  • Instrument Manager: Cancelling mid-way through linking a P&ID did not un-set the SynchingPIDTables multi-user coordination flag, blocking future attempts.
  • Instrument Manager: "Import" offered to create output diagrams when importing data into existing components that already had diagrams.
  • Instrument Manager: Instruments under an output diagram with the same xx_ORDER column were ordered by Tagname in the tree but should have been by IDX.
  • Instrument Manager: Crashed generating a custom loop containing a component with an invalid user folder.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Copy of multiple connected conductors resulted in only one conductor with the user-entered name and others potentially re-using names.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Add New..." and "Add Existing..." context sub-menus for Areas did not include Area as an option. Areas can be children of other Areas.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Preferences page tab control was clipped vertically if tabs wrapped due to the EDS user-interface font choice.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Database checking at start-up did not check the Alias_PID_... tables.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Component pick-list dialogs now do not use the Tags folder to store their column and filter choices; they are now have their own settings.
  • Paneldes: Block purge during save was damaging dynamic blocks.
  • Paneldes: While placing ducting, choosing "Return to dialog and filter by panel" failed to change the panel name in the dialog.
  • Paneldes: Filters such as "Include items in loaded xrefs" could prevent items showing for functions that pre-load the Component Query, e.g. "Display Route".
  • Paneldes: Switching to the Catalog tab of the component insertion dialog did not jump to the current item if the current item was an instrument.
  • Paneldes: "Raceway Integrity Checker" reported unterminated ends in numerous instances that were correctly terminated.
  • Paneldes: "Raceway Integrity Checker" was not finding the position of Device components correctly. (Panels were correct).
  • Paneldes: "Raceway Integrity Checker" treated Area components as connectable components.
  • Paneldes: "Raceway Integrity Checker" omitted error about unterminated end for a drawing with a single segment connected to a single device.
  • Paneldes: "Raceway Integrity Checker" did not consider "obstructions", introduced in 8.9.2.3.
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash reading dimensions from a corner or riser segment with a 0 bend radius.
23 Feb 2023

EDS 8.9.3.1 Released

New Features

  • Elecdes/Paneldes: "DBF Import" can now import Excel, Access and SQL Server tables.
  • Instrument Manager: Added "Show in File Explorer" in the context menu for output diagrams and templates to open the operating system file folder.

Important File Updates

  • "manufact.dbm" contains entries to remove the duplicated code "MT" leaving only one entry for manufacturer MTL.

Changes

  • Dropped support for AutoCAD 2007 to 2012.
  • Dropped support for GstarCAD 2012 and 2016.
  • Cable Scheduler: The relative path to the route viewing drawing can now traverse parent folders and use user environment variable substitution.
  • Catalog: Added a warning if duplicate MFG code entries are found when loading the catalog data.
  • Conductor Routing: Routing now removes diagnostic trace-log files from the previous trace. This avoids confusion from old logs for traces that are not run this time.
  • Database Editor: Improved the dialog and controls for Advanced Cut, Copy, Paste and Insert.
  • Ebase: Project working directory now stored as a relative path, supporting traversal of parent folders and user environment variable substitution.
  • Elecdes: "Navigate" and "Insert Subcomponent" now remain in selection mode (not switching to "typed name") when a left click does not get a component.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: List view highlight configuration now shows the colour preview in the first column even for the currently selected highlight configuration.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Blocks choosing a database from the DBTemplates folder as the project database (actually any path containing the text "DBtemplates").
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Blocks choosing a database with a name ending in "EDS Reports" as the project database.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Using "Navigate to ..." from the list view now sets input focus to the tree control (which makes the colouring of the selected item obvious).
  • Instrument Manager: New button to erase all of the raised issues that are marked as Done.
  • Instrument Manager: P&ID synchronisation now detects change by a hash of the table contents. Works for all P&ID database types. No longer uses Synch_Table.
  • Instrument Manager: Naming of output diagram revision backups now continues from the highest suffix number not the first available suffix number.
  • Paneldes: "Max Double Back Angle" moved from Routing page: General group to individual settings on Cable and Wire pages: Connection group. "Max Double Back Angle" prevents segments making a join if it would form an angle too tight for a cable (or wire).
  • Paneldes: Order of routing files in Cable Manager dialog modified to be more consistent for cables and wires.
  • Setup: DBM files in the installer can now specify records to be deleted by using "Delete" in the new DBM_ACTION column.
  • Wirediag: The conductor symbol and lines for a cable screen or shield are now placed on the screen layer, consistent with the oval.
  • Miscellaneous: A filter icon is shown, always or on hover, in list control column headings for columns that a filterable.
  • Miscellaneous: Option to use online help as an alternative to the locally installed help. Uses English help with online translation.

Bugs Fixed

  • Catalog: Default manufact.dbf contains a duplicate MFGCODE entry. Will produce a warning if the duplicate entry is not removed at installation.
  • Conductor Routing: Cables drawn between segments connected in a PULLZONE could exceed pull zone bounds depending on geometry.
  • Database Editor: Could not choose XLSM files when browsing to open.
  • Ebase: Reporting of multi-way terminals could lead to truncation of the total attribute data of a terminal. This then caused a Catalog Mismatch warning.
  • Elecdes: Would attempt to load report templates, import map files and other DBFs found in USER_SYMB as if they were Elecdes menu DBFs.
  • Global Editor: The text entity value appeared in place of NEW TEXT as the label beside the text edit box.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Input focus was lost from the tree or list controls after switching to another application.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved the retention of input focus relating to context menus and the disabling of the main window during an operation with a progress bar.
  • Instrument Manager: The [Global Preferences] button was not working on the Terminal Strips page in preferences.
  • Instrument Manager: Pasting a terminal strip diagram caused a SQL error by attempting to filter by a Component_Type column, as is done for components.
  • Instrument Manager: Hook-up diagram materials table entries got the manufacturer and catalog number of the instrument but should have remained blank by default.
  • Instrument Manager: Deleted components were not removed from the tree under any custom loop to which they were linked.
  • Instrument Manager: A line linked to a device via A2 would appear 4 times in the tree and 16 times in the list. Note: device should link to line. This link would therefore need to be created by an incorrect import or P&ID mapping.
  • Miscellaneous: Column filter edit box would not open for the last visible column if that column was very close to or spanning the right edge of the list control.
21 Dec 2022

EDS 8.9.3.0 Released

New Features

  • Supports BricsCAD v22.
  • Paneldes: New function AUTORACEWAYFITTINGS to automatically insert fittings at intersections of existing raceway segments.
  • Paneldes: New option to automatically insert fittings at intersections when inserting new raceway segments (including polyline trace).
  • Protogen: Support TABLE entities, replacing formulae in cells.

Important File Updates

  • "Access 2000 Sample.mdb" contains new process component ratings to suit CADWorx integration.

Changes

  • Elecdes: Saving an MTD symbol now does not prompt to close it. The MTD-saving procedure is run automatically when the symbol is closed.
  • Cable Scheduler: DWGID column now stores a relative path to the drawing.
  • Instrument Manager: P&ID Linking Wizard now offers independent map file and P&ID-alias table choices instead of a unified P&ID package choice.
  • Paneldes: CAD selection set is now set only following Paneldes Component Query, not other functions that use the Paneldes selection window.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Materials reporting (BOM) did not match Paneldes field devices with a non-panel LOCATION to Elecdes symbols for the same device.
  • Ebase: Materials reporting (BOM) for Paneldes panels now reports the name in both PNLNO and TAGNAME, consistent with Elecdes panel symbols.
  • Ebase: Materials reporting (BOM) erroneously reported a single-line diagram terminal strip as a discrete terminal with a blank name warning.
  • Elecdes: Edit Assembly was incrementing the name of the assembly.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawing wires was case-sensitive.
  • Cable Scheduler: Split Cable at Device always created a locked route for the second part of the split route, even if the original was not locked.
  • Cable Scheduler: Handles of drawing entities that are no longer related to a component were retained in the DWGID column of the original component.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Folder Settings Editor entries could not be sorted into descending order correctly.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Modifications in Folder Settings Editor were written to the wrong records after sorting.
  • Paneldes: Raceway segment position was incorrect from polyline trace of a straight line with collinear points.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed a problem where Windows messages were removed from the queue but not processed while a modeless window was displayed. This caused problems in CAD, such as graphics not appearing until a command was finished.
7 Dec 2022

EDS 8.9.2.3 Released

New Features

  • Block Manager: Added "Change Layer" to functions in Modify Layers.
  • Cable Scheduler: New function: Split a routed cable at a device. Results in two cables, each having part of the route.
  • Catalog: Support manufacturer-defined and user-defined series / families / groups of components.
  • Conductor Routing: Added new raceway segment type TRANSIT, a modular cable sealing solution for a wall penetration.
  • Conductor Routing: Added an optional warning if a cable route is shorter than minimum length specified in MINLENGTH in RCabsch.
  • Conductor Routing: Maximum length warning can now be used without curtailing route tracing over the maximum length.
  • Database Editor: Improved controls of the selection bounds for Advanced Cut, Copy, Paste and Insert. Now possible to modify a variable-length middle section.
  • Ebase: New optional warning, "Unconnected line end", for any line segment end that is not connected.
  • Ebase: Copies matching columns from the report with a warning to the warnings report. Warnings report can be provided with template_Warnings.dbf.
  • Instrument Manager: New options for PDF Export on Loop, Hook-up and Terminal Strip diagram preferences.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now shows the union of columns for children in the lower-right list view instead of only the columns common to all children.
  • Paneldes: New option to use a SOLID for a panel/enclosure. New options are: POLYFACE MESH as before, SOLID box, SOLID frame bars.
  • Paneldes: New option to customise filenames when drawing cables to external drawing files. Value in NAVIS_DWG column in RCabsch is used in file name as "<prj>CableView<NAVIS_DWG>.dwg"
  • Paneldes: New option to report NORTH, EAST and ELEVATION with a user-defined offset applied. Offset values will be shown in NORTH, EAST and ELEVATION attributes of any component or raceway labels. Offsets are stored in a project-specific INI file.
  • PLC Builder: Channel numbering now starts from the number in the CHANNEL field. Channel numbering starts at 1 if the field is blank or missing.

Important File Updates

  • IMP_CAT\UserSeries.dbf and MET_CAT\UserSeries.dbf
  • Full installer now contains the updates and new files from the EDSCatalogs21.09.27.00 library. Update installer contains updated versions of existing files but no new files added from the library.

Changes

  • Block Manager: Add or change attribute now will not accept zero height for an attribute definition.
  • Block Manager: "Replace symbol" function now checks if the replacement symbol is dynamic rather than if the symbol to be replaced is dynamic.
  • Conductor Routing: SegToPanelConnections log now shows when CONTRAY or was applied or the option "Connect to closest duct" is enabled.
  • Conductor Routing: Made power split orientation at least consistent when split orientation is invalid for tray orientation (i.e., when parallel to tray direction).
  • Conductor Routing: Length estimate when path tracing between waypoints is now based on the distance from the last waypoint, rather than from the start segment.
  • Conductor Routing: Added writing the calculated inner width of tray, trench and duct raceway segments to the INNERWIDTH column in the CableXsect report.
  • Database Editor: New setting to enable or disable the creation of a DBK backup file when saving a DBF.
  • Database Editor: In the case that Advanced Paste will overflow the cell limits, it will now still paste but truncate after warning about the truncation.
  • Ebase: Performance improvement for materials reporting.
  • Ebase: Added a pop-up warning if the length of the EDS project path is likely to exceed the maximum supported length for the output file paths.
  • Elecdes: Navigate now makes the symbol "selected" in the CAD package, which aids highlighting and pre-selects for further commands.
  • Elecdes: Swap Subcomponent now remains in the selection prompt if you click on empty space, reducing confusion from mis-clicks.
  • Elecdes: Now draws a bottom line under a BOM/Xref table as a polyline in case the symbols contain only top and side lines.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Where multiple failure messages would be displayed in an EDS CAD operation, all but the first now appear on the CAD command line.
  • Install: Question about copying to original or user subdirectories now shows only changed subdirectories, which is easier to understand.
  • Instrument Manager: New option "Use CAD to view drawings" in preferences. Uses Batch Printer if deselected.
  • Instrument Manager: Creates the folder for a Database Report if the report has a folder name in the output file name in its report configuration.
  • Instrument Manager: Synchronisation with an external P&ID database in Access or SQLite will now skip the operation if the database timestamp has not changed.
  • Instrument Manager: Now disables Excel add-ins when starting an instance of Excel to read or write an Excel spreadsheet, e.g. a datasheet.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Migration to SQL Server now runs after closing the project and available on the File menu with no project open. Ensures reports are properly updated at close in preparation for the future change to store reports in the project database. The original database file cannot be renamed until it is closed.
  • Paneldes: NORTH and EAST attributes of a raceway label block (if they exist) are now also updated after moving a segment, along with ELEVATION.
  • Paneldes: MINBNDRAD and CNRANGLE now not replaced by blank during catalog selection if the segment is a corner or riser. This enables choosing an alternate straight segment specification to replace a corner or riser made from a bent straight part.
  • Paneldes: Split the General tab in the Paneldes preferences into two tabs: General and Construction.
  • Paneldes: Purging of unused blocks when clearing viewed conductor routes can now be cancelled. It takes a long time for many long routes.
  • Paneldes: When a realistic block (BLOCK3D) for raceway is missing the warning is now put on the command line and a parametric block is inserted in place.
  • Paneldes: Improved the list to choose a conductor displayed for Query a Conductor when the pick point covers more than one conductor.
  • Setup: Added controls to open the client folder and to open the SetupConfig.dbf file to the Multi-Client Library Manager dialog.
  • Setup: Improved controls and their functions on the Multi-Client Library Manager dialog to make it more logical and easier to use.
  • Miscellaneous: Added functions to read and write a project-specific INI file. The file has the same name as the PRJ file but an INI file extension.

Bugs Fixed

  • Block Manager: Now retains original file format for all functions except "Convert symbol format".
  • Cable Scheduler: Could not remove an association link between two components that come from drawings.
  • Cable Scheduler: Paste to make a copy of a cable that is routed but has no cores incorrectly displayed the question about copying child components.
  • Cable Scheduler: Deleting a cable that is routed but has no cores incorrectly displayed the question about deleting child components.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings for a connection did not write [Cn_Table] in SQL Server since changes to make table columns optional.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings updating existing component records was omitted for Paneldes drawings, working only for Elecdes drawings.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings was using a case-sensitive comparison matching drawing components to their database instances.
  • Cable Scheduler: All cable routes, including unlocked, were written to RouteLock previously, although they are not used without CableLock entries.
  • Cable Scheduler: Confirmation to delete a locked route appeared after the routing DBF files were written.
  • Cable Scheduler: Update of Elecdes drawings failed to write changes to cables and cores (because the DWGID was empty).
  • Cable Scheduler: Update of Elecdes drawings erased some attributes and all terminal numbers of device subcomponent symbols.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed problem that length estimate when path tracing between waypoints included they waypoint segment approximate length twice.
  • Conductor Routing: Auto-route tracing could omit a virtual split of a straight length segment but that split would reappear in the route once locked.
  • Conductor Routing: Double-back angle check could prevent segment connection in a PULLZONE.
  • Conductor Routing: Second-closest pair of segment ends were not checked for connection if the closest pair were obstructed.
  • Conductor Routing: Devices marked as PROPERTIES:OBSTRUCTION in AUX4 could not be connected to their own cables.
  • Database Editor: Field names used in Compute Values formulae had to have exactly correct case.
  • Database Editor: Advanced Insert did not show a warning when it would overflow the cell limits, causing truncation.
  • Ebase: Dropping a PRJ file onto the Ebase program shortcut did not load the dropped project.
  • Ebase: Cable routing "termination point" accessories were appearing in the materials reports.
  • Ebase: Wire marker may not be recognised for a nearly-vertical line with more than 0.1mm horizontal deviation.
  • Elecdes: Failed to update assembly attributes with data from the Insert Assembly dialog when on a new unsaved drawing.
  • Elecdes: Insert Subcomponent and Navigate did not use the CAD pre-selection set.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: The new option to prevent drawings acquiring unused layers from inserted blocks was ineffective on GstarCAD.
  • Global Editor: Renaming an MTD tag was not renaming the terminals.
  • Global Editor: Crashed when project path was close to _MAX_PATH due to buffer overrun making a status or message that included the path and other text.
  • Install: Question about copying to original or user subdirectories still appeared during a silent install. Now choose with SILENT_COPYTOUSERDIR.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed misleading error message about a missing sub-loop for some types of invalid Custom Loop formulae.
  • Instrument Manager: Wires with a forward slash in their name were not reported correctly. Reports included wires with the part of the name before the slash.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Sorting by [Folder] in the Folder Settings Editor would cause an error on SQL Server.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Export to Access" forced all IDX columns to be Primary Key, not just those properly defined as Primary Key in SQL Server.
  • Paneldes: Standard layers in 3D blocks were not updated to use custom names from Layer.dbf. Layers are now checked and renamed on insert.
  • Paneldes: Wire route display buttons [Same Source] and [Same Destination] do not check for a difference in PNLNO_A and PNLNO_B.
  • Paneldes: Orientation of cylindrical devices and accessories was not determined correctly.
  • Paneldes: Realistic blocks for panels/enclosures and areas were affected by the "Block orientation" setting (front/plan) in Paneldes preferences. There are now two settings "Panel label orientation" and "Panel graphic orientation".
  • Paneldes: The option "Face alignment" during component placement did not work for polyface mesh panels / enclosures.
  • Paneldes: Component insertion did not restore the UCS if it was changed during the insertion.
  • Paneldes: Component insertion dialog windows did not close by pressing the Escape key.
  • Paneldes: "Pan and Zoom" function in Ductbank Editor and Place Raceway did not work on GstarCAD.
  • Paneldes: While dragging a raceway segment to insert, click to insert was not detected immediately after a keypress without moving the mouse.
  • Paneldes: End snap offset was not reset when dragging a second raceway segment to insert.
  • Paneldes: Crashed extracting entities if there existed a broken cylindrical component that had no grip points. Now displays an error message.
  • Paneldes: Viewed conductors in an xref could not be chosen in Query Conductor.
  • Paneldes: The "Find matching segment" button placing a corner segment failed to match to a straight length with a non-zero BENDRAD if no corners had a bend radius that matched the length segment.
  • Paneldes: A device with LOCATION set to an area could be found for routing but would not appear in "Display Route" from "Query a Conductor".
  • Paneldes: A device with no LOCATION would not appear in "Display Route".
  • Paneldes: If a device specified a panel / enclosure in LOCATION then the panel / enclosure would appear in "Display Route" instead of the device.
  • Paneldes: Inserted entities were not always displayed before returning to the dialog, e.g., View Route, Ductbank Edit.
  • Paneldes: Escape or close from the Display Route dialog left the route in a highlighted state until the view was changed.
  • Protogen: Some toolbar buttons were not showing a toolbar-tip when the mouse was hovered over them.
  • Setup: Will now avoid loading SetupConfg.dbf, which contains the list of clients, from an unwanted copy of that file inside the current client.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed some potential issues reading and writing large (> 2GB) DBF files.
  • Miscellaneous: Some Chinese DBF files had missing or broken UTF-8 conversion.
20 Oct 2022

EDS 8.9.1.5 Released

Changes

  • Conductor Routing: Where glands and termination points match multiple cables, the gland or termination point with the best pattern match is used.
  • Instrument Manager: Added menu entry to Navigate from component to associated user type, e.g., from instrument to associated process line.
  • Instrument Manager: Can now open the wiring / terminal strip diagram configuration from the diagram record, instead of just from each component on the diagram.
  • Instrument Manager: Improved the details shown in the error message when attempting to generate an output diagram that is locked, and added an option to retry.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Database Structure Editor now includes tables for Terminal Groups, Output Diagrams, Templates, Raceway Segments and Raceway Groups.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Edit View now retains the manually set width of columns when it is narrower than the column heading text.

Bugs Fixed

  • Block Manager: Attribute synchronisation during symbol replacement did not synch multiline mode (changed to single line).
  • Cable Scheduler: Properties of raceway segments from drawings were not imported or later updated on SQL Server projects.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronise with Drawings did not remove handles for deleted drawing entities from [DWGID] on SQL Server projects (but did on Access).
  • Catalog: Component list included entries for blank records (at least MFG and CATNO were blank).
  • Conductor Routing: Computed length (EST_LEN) was too long but only excessively long for segments with large numbers of cables.
  • Ebase: Auto-wire crashed after change to read drawings with any change in timestamp.
  • Ebase: Materials reporting did not include Extra Parts from "secondary" symbols, those symbols that are not the primary symbol chosen for reporting.
  • Elecdes: Reverse Symbol on a wextn or cextn symbol put the reversed symbol graphic on the wrong side of the insertion point.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Ribbon not loaded properly on GstarCAD when switching between EDS packages. Now uses separately named CUIX files.
  • Instrument Manager: Silently failed to generate wiring / terminal strip diagrams if there were no cables in the project.
  • Instrument Manager: Displayed error messages when R2 queries referenced tables missing from the P&ID, a common occurrence in AutoCAD P&ID databases.
  • Instrument Manager: Instrument builder created incorrectly named terminal groups when terminal groups used a parent multi-part tag.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Attempting to connect to a non-existent SQL Server displayed an incorrect error about a truncated result.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Importing would erase and re-create ratings record if the letter case of the mapped R1_Table differed to the table name in [R1_Table] of a record. This caused values to be cleared from unmapped columns.
  • Paneldes: Polyline Trace could still use a non-catalog part, even though the option was disabled, when fitting a corner or riser to a short segment.
  • Paneldes: Polyline Trace crashed fitting a corner or riser to a short segment if there was no catalog part and non-catalog parts were disabled.
  • Paneldes: Saving a drawing while in Block Edit mode crashed AutoCAD. No longer runs save-reactor in Block Edit mode.
  • Wirediag: Overlay symbol (SYMB_WD) was not mirrored for a mirrored wiring diagram.
  • Miscellaneous: In rare circumstances two EDS applications could lock the project concurrently. Now uses Windows file locking of the project LCK file instead of relying only on its existence.
27 Sep 2022

EDS 8.9.1.4 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Elecdes: 2D panel layout blocks showed only the front view even if another view was chosen. Missing attributes with non-blank values are now not added at insertion or Global Edit if the block is dynamic.
  • Elecdes: Was adding STATUS as an attribute to blocks. Any residual attribute is now ignored, leaving the STATUS value from EE data.
  • Elecdes: Insert Used Block caused a program crash.
  • Elecdes: CAD UNDO group was not closed properly in some circumstances causing various problems after affected commands.
  • Setup: Reset button on cross-reference preferences was mostly non-functional.
2 Sep 2022

EDS 8.9.1.3 Released

Important File Updates

  • Level Transmitter and Pressure Transmitter hook-up templates added to database template for new projects.

Changes

  • Instrument Manager: Allow all valid component types to be dropped on output diagram folders and create a diagram, including adding user type.
  • Uninstall: No longer prompts to delete extra shortcuts as this was confusing to IT administrators who thought it was a warning.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Cable-core extension markers on different drawings but with the same entity handles caused erroneous "Unpaired extension marker".
  • Elecdes: Copy Circuit command would crash if no entities were selected.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Failed to save a Raised Issue on a project using an Access database due to Access rejecting the date/time column format.
  • MIscellaneous: FIND and FINDEND formulae did not return 0 if the text was not found.
8 Aug 2022

EDS 8.9.1.2 Released

Changes

  • Elecdes: "Rename component" reactor now runs for the DDINSERT command. Now reacts the same as to INSERT.
  • Paneldes: Ductbank Editor now restricts the conduit drag to the limits of the visible grid area and ceases moving the mouse pointer to the centre on start.
  • Miscellaneous: Context menu options added to all common grid editors to choose the behaviour when selecting a cell or typing into a cell.

Bugs Fixed

  • Catalog: Manufacturer filter dialog ceased showing the NOTES column. Will now show all extra and user-defined columns.
  • Conductor Routing: Connected raceway segments with power values non-0, 0, then non-0 allowed cables to use a segment with an incorrect power value.
  • Instrument Manager: Crashed loading Database Structure Editor (8.8.4) if an output diagram template was missing and the template was used for a diagram.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Copying of a device or instrument and its children would write the wrong LastTransaction value into its Terminal Groups.
  • Protogen: Navigate between DBF master and sub-databases could fail to find the master DBF.
  • Protogen: Save As, Excel or Access accepted a new file name but cannot create a new file. Only the sheet or table name inside the file can be new.
  • Miscellaneous: Context menu for list view header/columns could appear on the wrong monitor on a multi-monitor workstation.
8 Jul 2022

EDS 8.9.1.1 Released

New Features

  • Supports AutoCAD 2023.
  • Supports GstarCAD 2022.
  • Cable Scheduler: New option "Cables show all descendants". Cables can now show their waypoint segments in their list view.
  • Catalog: Configurable number of columns and column widths in main component list.
  • Conductor Routing: New function Fix Locked Route makes simple fixes to locked routes to accommodate model changes where segments have moved.
    Can insert a single compatible segment to bridge a gap.
    Can remove segments if a valid connection is now located at an earlier segment.
  • Conductor Routing: New calculated TOTAL_FILL and SPLIT_PCT columns in the CableXSect.dbf report.
  • Conductor Routing: New center of gravity position and weight added for cables to RCabsch.dbf report.
  • Conductor Routing: Each type of diagnostic bottleneck pass can now be enabled or disabled individually.
  • Conductor Routing: New warnings if a cable locked to a route now has the wrong power, or the route is now overfilled.
  • Ebase: Drawing paths that are parents to the project path are now stored as relative paths, supporting a project in a subdirectory of the drawings.
  • Ebase: User environment variables %USERPROFILE%, %APPDATA%, and %LOCALAPPDATA% are supported in project drawing paths.
  • Ebase: Materials reports will now contain an approximate length for raceway fittings, e.g., corners, risers, tee and cross pieces.
  • Global Editor: Configurable number of columns and column widths in main component list.
  • Paneldes: Global Edit can now modify entities in loaded xrefs, directly modifying the xreffed drawings.
  • Paneldes: Device and panel boxes drawn for cable route viewing are now blocks with attributes. This gives more available information in Navisworks.
  • Paneldes: Cable cross-section drawing can now insert a block with attributes for the raceway segment.
    Supports special numbered attributes for segments with fixed power splits/dividers (e.g. transit frame openings):
    SEGMENT_n - segment name from the specific power split in CableXSect.dbf.
    FILL_INFO_n - fill info from the specific power split in CableXSect.dbf.
    CABLIST_n - used to provide the insertion point for the cable list under that power split in the drawing.
  • Paneldes: Lineweight for layers can now be pre-set in Layer.dbf
  • Paneldes: Entities are now created with a lineweight of ByLayer instead of a default fixed size in code.
  • Paneldes: New option to show a centerline and end profile for raceway segments in place of the 3D envelope.
  • Paneldes: New option for tray annotation blocks for Navisworks to insert only one block per segment with a summary of all splits in that segment.
  • Paneldes: New button to insert an Auto Insert group at (0,0,0), where previously a user had to pick or type that point into the CAD package.
  • Setup: Added command line parameters:
    "-m" runs Reset to Master Settings.
    "-c <client>" runs Switch Client to the client named after "-c" without prompts

Important File Updates

  • CabXSectCablePositioned.dwg for cable under a CABLIST_n attribute in a cable cross section.
  • template_CableXSect.dbm added columns: TOTAL_FILL, SPLIT_PCT, WIDTH, HEIGHT.
  • PNLDES\Layer.dbf added LINEWEIGHT column. Values must have units and are limited by AutoCAD.
  • template_RCABSCH.dbf added columns: COG_NRTH, COG_EAST, COG_ELEV and COG_WEIGHT.
  • template_PnldesModel.dbf increased the default width of the POWER column to 127.

Changes

  • Cable Scheduler: Segments with split power now show a comma-separated list for fill, fill info and warnings, with a value for each power split.
  • Cable Scheduler: No longer invokes the router when locking or unlocking a cable. A future update should restore invoking the router when manually routing - assigning a locked route to a cable.
  • Cable Scheduler: "Copy route of another cable" will now always make a copy of the route where previously it would link to the same route if the route was locked.
  • Conductor Routing: New setting for a threshold length that a cable must travel in a segment before it adds to the fill of that segment.
  • Conductor Routing: "Exceeded dev-to-duct" warning about connection distance will now appear even if a route is not found. Also now shows the distance.
  • Conductor Routing: CableDrum report now created from template_CableDrum.dbf.
  • Conductor Routing: Added settings to enable route trace output and choose cables for diagnostic routing.
  • Conductor Routing: Route trace output files for diagnostic routing now have filenames that describe the type of routing pass each represents.
  • Conductor Routing: Update of RCabsch.dbf following Cabsch.dbf no longer invalidates any existing route due to cable properties changing.
  • Conductor Routing: Improved performance of various operations dealing with file I/O and routing result importing.
  • Ebase: Materials reports will now fill a CLASS and SUBCLASS column from Paneldes entities if these columns are added to the templates.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Floating list view is now updated if appropriate for selection in the main window list view. Previously it reacted to only a tree selection.
  • Instrument Manager: Database Report configuration now allows you to select from a separate column list for each individual ratings table.
  • Instrument Manager: The list of source tables for configuring a Database Report is now sorted.
  • Paneldes: Entity selection and query will now detect raceway segment selection by clicking on the 3D graphic, not just the center line.
  • Paneldes: New warning on cables in Routing and Viewing dialog if route cannot be found (incorrect contents in routing DBF files).
  • Paneldes: Query Cable Cross Section no longer asks for an end of the segment after choosing the point for the cross-section.
  • Paneldes: Performance improvement for cable cross-section and route viewing by limiting to only relevant cables and segments.
  • Paneldes: Increased accepted width of the POWER value to 127 for more complex power values. Previous Paneldes versions will truncate back to 64.
  • Paneldes: The error message "SetUCSMatrix failed - Collinear points" now shows those points.
  • Setup: Saving settings to a client or to master settings will now omit saving EDS directory settings that still point to the initial installation. This helps ensure the client directory settings apply to all workstations not just the last to save to the client.
  • Miscellaneous: Reading Paneldes drawings no longer needs to re-read all Xref drawings when only one drawing is modified.

Bugs Fixed

  • GstarCAD: Menu and ribbon commands to display Elecdes and Paneldes toolbars did not work in GstarCAD 2020 and later.
  • Cable Scheduler: "Set segment order" failed to update the extra linking records for longitudinally split segments, splits from nearby segments.
  • Cable Scheduler: Cable names were set to lower case in the labels placed on viewed cables.
  • Catalog: Initial load of the catalog block maps failed upon finding an invalid DBF file that was not even a properly named catalog file.
  • Conductor Routing: Crashed optimising the wire length for a wire with more than two terminations.
  • Conductor Routing: Split power values containing a space before a quoted part were parsed incorrectly.
  • Conductor Routing: Reconstitution of routes through changed power splits could cause overfilling of one split while leaving other compatible splits unused. Reconstitution now checks and prefers in order: power, fill, original split name, original split order.
  • Conductor Routing: Use of a locked route now uses the power of the cable for all functions, not the power stored with the route (except for the new power warning).
  • Conductor Routing: CABLE_WT in CableXsect.dbf was missing its units.
  • Database Editor: Crashed opening a DBF that had unused space in the header.
  • Ebase: Per-panel multi-line materials summary (BSUM_ML) was not generated from sorted records.
  • Ebase: Materials summary (BSUM) was not sorted overall when not grouping by panel (when optional PNLNO column was not used).
  • Ebase: Materials reports entries for Paneldes panels, raceway segments and accessories were not sorted (devices and terminals were sorted).
  • Ebase: Manually entering a previous revision when changing revision caused Ebase to crash.
  • Elecdes: Crashed in GstarCAD during MTD editing when the drawing was closed before saving and the option to save on close was chosen.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crash linking a cable to a terminal strip while in edit view and the cable is selected in the tree.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cables could be shown on the wrong side of a terminal strip in the preview window if the first conductor was grouped on the right.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: If connection to the database was lost, the error pop-up would display repeatedly on a timer if left waiting at the error.
  • Instrument Manager: Configure Database Report would break the Instrument Index and PLC/DCS Card List reports.
  • Instrument Manager: Choosing "Existing database" when configuring a new report would omit setting the template leading to errors when generating the report.
  • Paneldes: Cross-section query or drawing for the end of a segment sometimes failed to include all of the power splits.
  • Instrument Manager: Formula editor became stuck repeating its warning if an invalid formula was edited but the replacement entered was also invalid.
  • Paneldes: Cross-section drawing placed blocks incorrectly in a UCS different to WCS.
  • Paneldes: Could not change the "Optimise wire lengths" setting from preferences displayed from inside the Routing and Viewing dialog.
  • Paneldes: In rare cases cable drawing could draw the terminations connected to the wrong ends of the route.
  • Paneldes: Fixed problem that in rare cases could create a Z shape in a drawn cable between segments at a non-90 angle to each other.
  • Paneldes: Cable drawing could draw a path that touched and left a segment at the same point despite not being able to do that in the route tracing.
  • Paneldes: Crashed in Query Conductor if a conductor in an Xref drawing was picked.
  • Wirediag: Crashed updating a terminal strip with more than 1000 terminals.
  • Wirediag: When regenerating a diagram, polarised terminals overrode the choice to place conductors on only the left or right side.
  • Miscellaneous: Reading and caching of drawings previously did not re-read a drawing that was replaced by an older copy.
05 Apr 2022

EDS 8.9.0.12 Released

Changes

  • Data Grid Editors: Improved caret (text insertion location) positioning when moving between cells by keyboard keys.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: SQL Server log-in dialog now has a [Details...] button to show diagnostic information if the log in fails.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Modify Database Structure" now issues a warning if other users are logged in to the database.
  • Licence Manager: Now creates a log file containing licence configuration changes.
  • Paneldes: Selection or Query window has new check boxes for selecting components on hidden or frozen layers, and selecting components in Xrefs.
  • Paneldes: Raceway segment insertion end snap now ignores segments on hidden and frozen layers.
  • Paneldes: Parametrically constructed raceway envelope (segment without a realistic 3D block) is now added to the GROUP with the route line and label.
  • Setup: Now displays a warning when starting if the current client folder is missing.
  • Miscellaneous: All applications now catch unhandled structured exceptions and C runtime errors, and create crash dumps if the program crashes.

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: "Exceeded maximum cable length" warning could appear for the results of any route tried, not just the successful route.
  • Conductor Routing: The check for the warning for exceeding the maximum cable length did not include the trimming length.
  • Data Grid Editors: Failed with no error when pasting a single value into multiple cells if the new value matched the existing value in the last selected cell.
  • Data Grid Editors: No cells were selected after pressing [Enter] to add a new row, which prevented immediately adding further rows.
  • Data Grid Editors: In "Edit when entering a cell" mode, typing after selecting cells did not clear the selection before starting editing.
  • Data Grid Editors: In "Edit when entering a cell" mode, using click and drag to select cells, text selection remained if the button was released outside the grid.
  • Data Grid Editors: Advanced Paste could crash if "repeat down/across section" was enabled.
  • Database Editor/Protogen: Path and filename capitalisation lost when a DBF is opened directly from Windows Explorer.
  • Ebase: Generating BOM with "Include all duplicated symbols" enabled could have crashed if there were duplicated symbols (especially terminals).
  • Ebase: Missing revision file warning could appear even when revision reports were not enabled.
  • Elecdes: Propagate Attribute Edits showed that symbols from Assemblies had errors, when they did not.
  • Elecdes: Attribute propagation was not triggered for DDATTE or the PGP alias AE.
  • Elecdes: Zonetag option added for single-line cable markers to resolve previously inconsistent use of the zone at the insertion point.
  • Elecdes: Has been failing to show the TAGNAME, PNLNO and CATNO on the command prompt.
  • Instrument Manager: Catalog re-selection for a PLC I/O card (including after import) had inconsistent identification of existing terminal groups.
  • Instrument Manager: Could not set wiring diagram preferences for a PLC card (because the new feature was missed from the PLC card menu in 8.8).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Export database to Access" failed if a table in the SQL Server had more than 255 columns. Now split into multiple tables.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: SQL Server database with a comma in the name appeared as two separate databases in the selection list.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Could have "Access violation" crash due to non-thread-safe operation used by the background database update, especially linked P&ID.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: SQL Server browse dialog failed but then inappropriately showed a login prompt when connecting to a server with many databases.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed deleting components if that happened during the periodical silent update of the list view.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Got "Failed inserting list item" error if the user switched to edit view during the periodical silent update of the list view.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Crashed in Edit View mode if the view-divider was positioned such that one of the grid editors could not show any rows or columns.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Modify Database Structure" was available to Read-Only users.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Modify Database Structure" caused errors after use in some cases (Primary Key constraint lost after deleting a column, "Encountered an improper argument" after adding a new column).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Records with certain IDX values could not be deleted on SQL Server databases due to some code treating integer values as string values.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: SqlDbCopy failed to copy to the same database more than once without closing the program.
  • Paneldes: Component class filter on Query/Selection tool should have been disabled during "Display Route" from a viewed cable.
  • Paneldes: Shift-click or ctrl-click to hide layers of entities while inserting did not work on blocks with sub-entities on layer 0.
  • Paneldes: Auto Insert did not update the Name Sequence defaults meaning subsequent insertions could suggest component names that were used.
  • Paneldes: Inserted block entities could become layerless if their layer did not exist in the drawing. Could cause an insertion error prior to trimming realistic 3D blocks for cut-down raceway segments, so the block was not trimmed.
  • Miscellaneous: Formula parsing showed the error "The parameter is incorrect" if a negative count was passed to the LEFT formula function.
  • Miscellaneous: In formulae, mathematical operations that are not commutative may not have evaluated correctly.
  • Miscellaneous: Some calls to the Name Sequencer were passing an incorrect block name by omitting the prefix orientation and block type letters, or passing "*".
13 Jan 2022

EDS 8.9.0.9 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import and catalog selection overwrote data with blanks. User entered data should be retained if the new value is blank.
  • Global Editor: Automatically added WIRES, CABLES, SIDE1COND, SIDE2COND and CONDUCTORS as attributes to terminal symbols.
16 Dec 2021

EDS 8.9.0.8 Released

New Features

  • GstarCAD 2021 Support (requires SP2 build 210730).
  • Cable Scheduler: New function "Synchronise with drawings" re-runs the start-up synchronisation with project drawings.
  • Cable Scheduler: New option to choose a drawing on which to view conductor routes. For best performance Xref only relevant model drawings and do not add this route viewing drawing into the project, i.e. use a separate drawing from the Paneldes master model.
  • Conductor Routing: Split-power codes L(eft) and R(ight) added to the codes N, S, W and E for split-power or divided tray.
  • Conductor Routing: Power strings for devices and panels filter the raceway that devices and panels can connect to. Includes support for point-power values.
  • Conductor Routing: Support for ranges using point-power values. Previously point-power was ignored if the power string defined a range.
  • Conductor Routing: Support definition of tray cablefactor by power. AUX6 contains "PWRCF:<power>,cablefactor,<power>,cablefactor. Primary purpose is to specify the NEC cablefactor to carry single-conductor power cables (requires they use their own power values).
  • Conductor Routing: Raceway straight-length segments can now connect where they cross within range without requiring one to have a break at that point.
  • Conductor Routing: Enable an object to obstruct connection of raceway segments across its volume, e.g. a wall. Alternative to using point-separated power. Set AUX4 to "PROPERTIES:OBSTRUCTION".
  • Conductor Routing: Enable an object to allow connection between any segments that enter it, e.g. a pull pit or ceiling cavity. Set AUX4 to "PROPERTIES:PULLZONE".
  • Conductor Routing: Enable an object to prevent all connections that are not snug-fitted, e.g. trench with layered tray. Alternative to using point-separated power. Set AUX4 to "PROPERTIES:SNUGZONE".
  • Ebase: New "<project>Assemblies.dbf" report lists inserted assemblies with name, drawing, original assembly template and warnings.
  • Ebase: Additional warnings related to DUPLICATED symbols: Orphan duplicated symbol - Symbol has no duplicates but is marked as DUPLICATED. Duplicated symbol attribute mismatch - Symbol is duplicated but has conflicting non-blank values in attributes.
  • Elecdes: Assemblies - user-defined reusable circuits saved to IMP_ASSEMBLY / MET_ASSEMBLY. Reference an assembly to insert another pre-saved version of the same circuit, e.g. a single line version of existing 3 phase circuit.
  • Elecdes: Manual attribute changes are now propagated to related symbols in the current drawing and other project drawings.
  • Elecdes: Supports TAGNAME with spaces.
  • Global Editor: Adds an invisible attribute to a symbol if a value is entered into an attribute that the symbol does not currently have.
  • Paneldes: New options under "Layers to hide when viewing routes". Allows more granular control over what to hide when viewing conductor routes.
  • Paneldes: New option "Draw raceway segments for viewed routes". Re-draws only the segments used by the cable(s) onto the new "routedispsegs" layer (typically used in conjunction with "Layers to hide when viewing routes").
  • Paneldes: Can now specify that a conduit can have cables pulled more than once. Set "MULTIPULL" in AUX6.
  • Paneldes: Can now specify separate used and reserved spare fill for conduits as a global setting or for individual conduits via CFUSED, CFRSVD in AUX1. If conduits have used or reserved spare fill, they will be treated implicitly as multi-pull.
  • Paneldes: NEC 392.22 (B)(1)(d) rule support. Use 'S' in place of 'D' in the CABLEFACTR field to specify that it is a 1/0 - 4/0 single conductor cable. Presence of this type of cable in a tray will cause all cables in the tray to be placed in a single layer.
  • Paneldes: New option "Use power-based colours" will use a power-based colour for viewed cables instead of cyclic selection from the eight bright colours. Cable colour for each power should be specified in the new CABLECOLOR field on "ROUTE" LAYERTYPE records in Layer.dbf.
  • Paneldes: New command "ReloadLayers" for future viewing of cable routes, which can use the colours. Does not create or change existing layers.
  • Paneldes: User can now add or remove columns from the Cable Route Display dialog. Columns come from the RCabsch.dbf report.
  • Paneldes: Query Components now has option to find components physically positioned inside a containing Area.
  • Paneldes: Query Components now alters the CAD selection set, which means they can be easily selected in CAD commands that follow.
  • Paneldes: Raceway cable cross-section drawing and query now show the cable arrangement at the chosen virtual split-point on straight-length segments.

Important File Updates

  • Paneldes Layer.dbf updated with new routdispsegs layer.
  • SPLITSTART column now a new required column in template_CableXSect.dbf
  • "EDS Project Import Map.dbf" with fix for unlabelled wires.
  • "ANNOTATION_RACEWAY_DEFAULT.dwg" reduced from 150mm / 6" to 100mm / 4" cube.
  • RSTATUS attribute added to all IMP_SCHE / MET_SCHE blocks in full installer.
  • "Names ANSI.dbf" and "Names IEC.dbf" now have an "Assembly" name sequence.

Changes

  • Cable Scheduler: Pop-up menu in List View for raceway segments and raceway groups now consistent with devices etc., including "Navigate to master record".
  • Cable Scheduler: "View Routes in CAD" now actively brings the CAD window to the foreground.
  • Cable Scheduler: Cables using a route now show above the segments of the route in the tree view. There are usually few cables but potentially hundreds of segments.
  • Cable Scheduler: Existing raceway segments now get updated with changes from the drawings.
  • Conductor Routing: Now accepts quotes on power strings even if the tray is not using split-power. This is purely for consistency.
  • Conductor Routing: Routing progress bar is now updated during route tracing of each cable meaning a long-running trace can now be cancelled.
  • Conductor Routing: Route trancing can now be cancelled during a long-running trace but skip only that cable and continue with the following cables.
  • Conductor Routing: Performance improvement for raceway segment connection using 3D volume binning.
  • Conductor Routing: Shows more detail in the warning messages when duplicate devices or segments are found in the model.
  • Conductor Routing: Duplicate area components are ignored silently.
  • Conductor Routing: Performance improvement for cable positioning in the tray cross-section.
  • Conductor Routing: Warning for invalid power string now shows the original power string before any power splitting.
  • Elecdes: Rename reactor for copied symbols will clear DUPLICATED from RSTATUS, since the symbol is given a new name.
  • Global Editor: Shows "* Varies *" instead of the attribute value when multiple symbols are selected and their value in that attribute differs.
  • Global Editor: Find & Replace options and behaviour updated to improve understanding. Now also displays a message confirming the number of replacements
  • Instrument Manager: "Refresh hinted links" will now set the helper D1 link (to the loop) for all components, i.e. including the components that the loop already contains. This change fixes navigation from component to loop, and showing the loop name in a relational column.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved caching of list of database tables during start-up.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Column widths in the tagname editor in a component builder are now retained.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New function "Copy Text" in pop-up menu from List View loads the clipboard with various options of the text under the cursor in the list.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: The function "Copy" and CTRL-C will now load the clipboard with the tagname(s) of the selected components, for pasting outside IM or CS.
  • Paneldes: The two settings for NEC routing for signals, instrumentation and/or control cables now both accept multiple comma-separated power values.
  • Paneldes: Cable placement in tray now better follows an appropriate side between sections that can alter the side, e.g. conduit to one side of wide tray.
  • Paneldes: Some routing and route viewing preferences have changed to more appropriate pages.
  • Paneldes: Now offers to cancel or retry if Layer.dbf cannot be found. Cancel will use default layers and names but will not create all standard layers.
  • Paneldes: Ceased creating all layers from Layer.dbf when a drawing is created or opened. Paneldes layers are now created only when required.
  • Paneldes: Raceway segment labels for virtual segments can now be placed on a layer designated for virtual raceway labels.
  • Paneldes: Now quietly ignores CableLock.dbf entries for cables that are not in RCabsch.dbf.
  • Paneldes: The Query Component [Find] tool, when finding items in a container, can now optionally exclude items that are only partly contained.
  • Miscellaneous: More information is now displayed in the error message when EDS cannot correctly read a broken drawing entity.
  • Miscellaneous: Form Edit from grid views can now operate on selections that include read-only rows and/or columns.
  • Miscellaneous: Form Edit from grid view now warns about truncation of data when written back to the record.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed poor performance during start-up during "Creating rating records in table ..." for large projects.
  • Cable Scheduler: Locking cables from list view caused the CableRouteSummary.dbf report to fail to remove the virtual split suffixes from route segment names.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed poor performance "Updating Cable Scheduler waypoint data" for large projects.
  • Cable Scheduler: "Paste Copy" of a partial group from one cable to another cable did not link the group to the cable.
  • Cable Scheduler: Could not drag & drop cables from the tree or list under a raceway segment onto another cable's subfolder.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed error that point-separated power that should not connect could be passed by a cable, e.g. power 2 cable could pass a "1.4,2.2" to "1.4,2.3".
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed incorrect NEC filling check to determine if a large single-layer cable could fit into a tray that already contained a mix or large and small cables.
  • Conductor Routing: Virtual segments that are modelled as conduits now accept further cables even if they contain cables that are pulled.
  • Conductor Routing: Route tracing could sometimes omit the obvious close initial/final segment if that segment was long.
  • Conductor Routing: Routing failed silently if any raceway segment contained an invalid power value string. Now displays a summary error message.
  • Conductor Routing: Split-power or divided segments should make connections to other segments from its original centre line, not the centre line of each new split.
  • Conductor Routing: DRAWING in raceway cable cross-section report, CableXsect, was incorrect.
  • Conductor Routing: DRAWING column is unnecessary, was sometimes empty and is no longer created in CableRoute and IssuedCableRoute report files.
  • Conductor Routing: RCabsch.dbf now includes changes made to template_RCabsch.dbf without needing to delete and re-create the RCabsch.dbf report.
  • Conductor Routing: Power splitting orientation was not reliable, in some cases missing an obvious orientation due to the simplicity of the original check.
  • Conductor Routing: Elimination of jumps over segments failed due to gaps introduced by side swapped of power splits. Now uses original pre-split line to make check.
  • Conductor Routing: Cable bias to left or right side of segment was based on incorrect cable route meaning bias was incorrect.
  • Conductor Routing: Last segment did not get compared to check if it was a duplicate of other segments.
  • Conductor Routing: Calculation of cable position in a tray was incorrect for non-90 corner segments. While incorrect, it had no visible effect.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed an instance of SetUCSMatrix failing when cable height in a tiny riser was coincidentally high enough to be on the plane of the exit end.
  • Ebase: Duplication of 2D panel layout components could not use the old DUPLICATE attribute system due to misspelling of the attribute name.
  • Ebase: Double underscore suffix (__A/__B) in FromToWire and Corsch reports did not fetch catalog data for discrete terminals.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Intermittent .NET exception occurred switching from List View to Edit View via double-click.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: The application window size and location were not stored if the window was maximised.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: The horizontal splitter position between the upper and lower lists was not retained when switching between List View and Edit View.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Dragged size of the "Item" column is now retained. Same width is used for all lists.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import of an EDS project warned about missing the rating table for unlabelled wires.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Terminal Groups were missing "Navigate to master record" from their List View entries.
  • Paneldes: Viewed wires used the centre line when the device connection was to a segment that was virtually split as part of the route tracing.
  • Paneldes: Viewed wires from a multi-segment wire used one block for all segments with the same wire name.
  • Paneldes: Cable / raceway cross-section drawing listed cables from only one or no part of a split-power raceway segment fitting. Cross-section for straight length segments was fixed in 8.8.2.5 but omitted fittings (corners, risers, tees and crosses).
  • Paneldes: User-defined layer names can now be used in Layer.dbf. Now returns to identifying layers by DESC not NAME (i.e. since 8.6).
  • Paneldes: Fixed some unsuitable uses of the "margin of error" from the datum block. Was being used for some non-positional values.
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash in "Generate Files for Navisworks" if the project contained CS database-only raceway segments.
  • Paneldes: Previous client choice was not retained if an error was encountered while switching client.
  • Paneldes: Raceway Annotation Blocks were incorrectly positioned for segments with split power.
  • Paneldes: Removed cable side-swapping for inverted segments. Cable side is now always set in the view looking into the first end of the segment.
  • Setup: Shortcuts for Elecdes and Paneldes on AutoCAD 2021 and later were missing the "/product" parameter.
  • Miscellaneous: Form Edit from grid views had ceased being able to step between records since changing to .NET datagrid.
  • Miscellaneous: Program hang running most operations from the context menu from a cell edit of a grid if the grid is hosted in a dialog window.
22 Oct 2021

EDS 8.8.4.9 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import and Catalog Re-selection displayed "Encountered an improper argument" and stopped.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Progress dialog was closed too early during "Import EDS Project".
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Error message was displayed if a linking column referred to a table that no longer existed, e.g., a deleted custom loop table.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: SqlDbCopy did not copy primary keys or database indices.
  • Paneldes: Raceway annotation blocks for Navisworks always used the default # for the split delimiter, ignoring the user-specified delimiter.
  • Paneldes: Global Edit rebuilt runs of straight length segments when the UNTRIMMED LENGTH was different text but same value, e.g. 6m vs 6.0m
04 Oct 2021

EDS 8.8.4.8 Released

Changes

  • Cable Scheduler: Guide with Waypoints now uses a multi-column list view with filtering.

Bugs Fixed

  • Instrument Manager: Columns for custom loop title blocks were not created as NVARCHAR in SQL Server.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: The change to include terminal strip-cable connection caused a record with no core name to appear in the core schedule report, corsch.dbf.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed error that caused an error with title "Unspecified error" to appear using Add Cores on an empty cable with no catalog link.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Subdividing a folder did not limit the name to fit the applicable columns. A long folder name could lead to components missed from the interface.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed an error preventing one of the progress dialogs during import from appearing.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Catalog re-selection of an incomplete cable did not preserve existing core names, instead re-naming cores to be in catalog order. This could cause connections to then be to the wrong core names after a catalog re-select.
31 Aug 2021

EDS 8.8.4.7 Released

Changes

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Cable connection to a terminal strip in the database is now represented for reporting so it appears even in the absence of cable cores.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Locking the route for a single cable from the tree view would write all cable routes to RouteLock.dbf except for the cable being locked.
  • Cable Scheduler: Following Auto-Routing, the RouteLock.dbf file contained routes for the cables that were auto-routed.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed RCabsch being cleared when Cabsch is empty because the project cache was erased and contained only cables from the CS or IM database.
  • Database Editor: Fixed a program crash when pasting a single cell copied from Excel.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed instrument tag names re-setting to an incorrect name sequence after selecting from the catalog.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed references to Wirediag terminal strip diagrams generated from IM or CS database terminal strips.
  • Paneldes: Fixed ductbank editor placing conduit bends in the opposite direction for outside / external / convex risers.
10 Aug 2021

EDS 8.8.4.6 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Fixed "Record is too large" error for writing MDB Reports that remained after the 8.8.4.2 fixes.
  • Ebase: Fixed error creating MDB reports if a route name contained a single quote character.
  • Paneldes: Fixed program hang copying and pasting Paneldes drawing entities if renaming components encounters a name already in use.
  • Setup: Ensure Elecdes ribbon and toolbar icons appear in GstarCAD 2020 in light theme.
04 Aug 2021

EDS 8.8.4.5 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: New path length check could block paths if passing a waypoint made a route longer than it would be without the waypoint.
  • Conductor Routing: Was incorrectly marking segments as a dead-end for all paths when a power blockage coincided with reaching ongoing segments earlier.
  • Conductor Routing: Main routing passes now try waypoints in both forward and reverse order. Success in preliminary passes is now used only as a guide.
  • Paneldes: Runs of straight segments could sometimes be re-built, even though the untrimmed (or manufactured) length was not changed.
  • Paneldes: Copy & Paste should leave the Name Sequencer with the next name to be used, not the last name that was used.
21 Jul 2021

EDS 8.8.4.4 Released

New Features

  • AutoCAD 2022 Support

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Waypoint segments could be written in an incorrect order to CableWaypoint.dbf.
  • Global Editor: Catalog select was unable to update duplicate subcomponents in the selection. Previously required updating each individually.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Backup or export from SQL Server to an Access database would fail to preserve IDX values if records had been deleted.
  • Paneldes: Initial rotation angle for route segment placing by Polyline Trace was inconsistently applied.
17 Jun 2021

EDS 8.8.4.3 Released

Important File Updates

  • All Elecdes cross-reference header, rhead, symbols have been re-issued with a new SUBTAG attribute, which is at 0,0 and invisible. Including a SUBTAG attribute enables cross-referencing to work with spaces in the component TAGNAME.

Changes

  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Maintain selection when switching between List and Edit view modes.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Database statement was not closed after loading waypoints dbf.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed missing connections near to a tray snug fit to a corner, riser, tee or cross fitting.
  • Conductor Routing: Reading locked routes could not condense repeat segments if the split text had been removed from the segment names.
  • Conductor Routing: Fix for NEC test if a large cable that must be in a single layer could fit into a tray containing a mix of small and large power cables.
  • Conductor Routing: Cable routing progress dialog showed names of cables that were not being routed.
  • Database Editor: Unexpected results pasting Excel cells with date or custom number formats.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed crash generating wiring diagrams with more than one component.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed import from a field name that contains a single letter surrounded by square brackets, e.g. "Temperature [F]".
  • Paneldes: Fixed Cable Drawing switching sides when entering and exiting a convex riser.
  • Paneldes: Fixed performance degradation saving drawings in some situations.
  • Paneldes: Avoids attempting to purge block definitions with no name (which were created by viewing cables with reserved characters in names).
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash in Ductbank Editor if multiple conduits are both moved and their catalog specification is changed.
  • Wirediag: Pre-populated attributes in wiring diagram templates were cleared during insertion.
21 May 2021

EDS 8.8.4.2 Released

New Features

  • Paneldes: Raceway placed along a polyline can now be started at a user-defined angle around the raceway centre line, e.g., to place raceway on its side.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New function "Modify Database Structure", to edit the column definition for tables from inside IM or CS. Add, remove and change the width of columns. Synchronise columns with datasheet and hook-up templates in IM.
  • Ebase: Added new command line parameters to run Ebase functions: -EP, Export drawings to PDF; -ED, Export drawings to DGN.

Important File Updates

  • New CabXSecWire and CabListWire blocks added in MET/IMP_PNL_BLOCKS for Tray and Cable Cross-Section using blocks.
  • Hid title pages in template file "EDS Reports MSA 2000.mdb". They cannot be used currently since the final report is always replaced.
  • template_$CABLE.dbf increased CABLENAME column to 35 characters from older width of 25 to avoid truncation of cable names.

Changes

  • Conductor Routing: Ceases tracing down raceway segments that it has reached by a shorter path rather than comparing once it has the final length.
  • Conductor Routing: Route warnings for bottleneck tracing now only show bottlenecks that were found rather than all those that were tried.
  • Conductor Routing: Used and reserved spare fill from 8.8.3 are now written to CFUSED and CFRSVD columns in the CableXsect report.
  • Conductor Routing: NECDIAMULT setting from 8.8.3.1 now supports comma-separated values for split-power tray.
  • Ebase: Added new option "Sort drawings by name then folder" to sort drawings primarily by the name of the file for reporting. The option is not enabled by default, in which case drawings are sorted by their full path as per previous versions of EDS.
  • Ebase: Export to PDF with hyperlinks now sets the target zoom proportional to the target symbol size.
  • Instrument Manager: Column names are now sorted in the Column Picker tool that is used for template design.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now represents the overall connection of a cable to a terminal strips enclosure in the project cache, instead of no connection for terminal strips.
  • Paneldes: Improved scaling for tray and cable cross section diagram creation using blocks. Added block files and support for panel wire cross-sections. The block system introduced in 8.8.3 was difficult to scale correctly with some drawing scales.
  • Paneldes: "Toggle 3D Envelope" now uses Freeze/Thaw instead of Off/On to improve performance when hidden.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed SQL error on SQL Server project when drawing sync had a mixture of new components and updates to write.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed "Cannot open any more tables" on Access project when raceway file sync had a large number of segments to unlink and remove.
  • Cable Scheduler: Cable names from cable block diagrams were truncated to 25 due to column width of 25 in template_$CABLE.dbf.
  • Cable Scheduler: DRAWING column in cable routing reports from CS was set at a width of 10, truncating the value.
  • Conductor Routing: Application of used or reserved spare fill could cause a "raceway size" problem when it was a "raceway filling" problem.
  • Conductor Routing: Was reporting reverse connection (BKR) bottleneck on segments that could present that issue even when the current path did not use the reversed connection of that segment.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed pre-check of waypoints, which would sometimes block routing if one split of a split waypoint segment was filled.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed program crash following pre-check of waypoints if one cable has a waypoint that cannot be used.
  • Database Editor: Fixed crash if paste or Ctrl-V is used with an image in the clipboard. It should have ignored the paste operation.
  • Ebase: Fixed potential problem that support for multi-line attributes may have caused problems finding TTF fonts for text in drawings.
  • Ebase: Fixed problem that Export to PDF with hyperlinks set the wrong target point if the drawing had invisible entities outside the visible extents.
  • Ebase: Get repeated "Invalid column type" errors when attempting to display an error about writing too many columns to MDB Reports.
  • Ebase: "Refresh Wiring Diagrams" did not set the wiring diagram reference, replacing the WDXRF placeholder, for diagrams on the same drawing.
  • Ebase: Fixed erroneous EXTRAPARTS entries appearing in the materials reports.
  • Ebase: Reference drawing was not reported for a device in a Wirediag terminal strip.
  • Ebase: Fixed modification of tables to allow all 255 columns to be used in EDS Reports.mdb.
  • Instrument Manager: Columns were not initialised to the correct widths on the Project preferences page.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed an issue that some functions writing to records could cause mutli-user changes to other columns in the record to be lost.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed failure in SqlDbCopy if the login being used exists in the source DB, but not as the dbo user, or if the system model database had extra users.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Program became unresponsive after filling an edit view with a large number of rows.
  • Paneldes: "Toggle 3D Envelope" now works on layers in Xref drawings.
  • Paneldes: Fixed the two options "Hide other layers when viewing...", which were hiding only a single layer.
  • Paneldes: The two options "Hide other layers when viewing..." now work on layers in Xref drawings.
  • Paneldes: Fixed memory leak reading layer names.
18 Mar 2021

EDS 8.8.3.2 Released

New Features

  • Conductor Routing: New global settings for percentage of tray fill capacity reserved as spare and percentage of tray fill capacity used by existing cables.
  • Conductor Routing: Specify in AUX1 percentage of tray fill capacity to reserve as spare and percentage of tray fill capacity to consider as used by existing cables. Use CFRSVD/CFUSED prefix. Overrides global settings for a single tray. Use comma separated values for split-power tray.
  • Elecdes: New command "SetDuplicate" sets RSTATUS attribute to "DUPLICATED". Adds RSTATUS attribute definition in the current drawing if necessary.
  • Elecdes: Move, Copy and Reverse Symbol retain attribute visibility changes from the original symbol.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New function to migrate a project from Access to SQL Server. Project will then point to the SQL Server database.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New function to backup/export a SQL Server database to Access.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import mapping CONDITIONS = SetParent allows an import to set or change the parent of an existing component instead of creating a new one.
  • Paneldes: Tray and cable cross section diagram or list now uses a block for tray name and cables, which enables showing other tray or cable attributes.
  • Paneldes: New component class filter on the query and component selection tool. Helps picking one type of component from a crowded drawing area.
  • Protogen: Full support for Access, SQL Server and Excel databases, containing tables for master and sub. Support for pick functions and navigation between master and sub.

Important File Updates

  • New CabXSec* and CabList* blocks added in MET/IMP_PNL_BLOCKS for Tray and Cable Cross-Section using blocks.
  • Metric HI3PMTR60.dwg and VI3PMTR60.dwg fixed to show correct text (M in place of GS) and correct conductor line angles.

Changes

  • Cable Scheduler: Now can write all Paneldes attributes into the project cache for model-less raceway segments if the raceway segment table has matching columns. Previously it was only specific columns, so AUX1 - AUX6 could not be set either fully or at all.
  • Conductor Routing: New optional warning if cable is longer than its optional maximum length (maximum cable length was introduced in 8.8.2).
  • Conductor Routing: Re-instated the disabled bottleneck pass to find routes that double-back on themselves at a segment join or at the terminating segment.
  • Conductor Routing: Moved tray division settings for cable drawing to the Routing preferences page from the Cable Routing page.
  • Database Editor/Protogen: Save to Excel spreadsheets. (Requires that Excel is installed).
  • Database Editor/Protogen: Detect obvious column headings when opening Excel spreadsheets.
  • Elecdes: Copy Circuit now maintains SNAP status when picking the points to move the circuit.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Crash dumps now include heap memory so that, in the rare circumstances that we require them, they provide more useful information.
  • Instrument Manager: Ln_TABLE columns are now omitted when creating a custom loop table from a custom loop template, suiting complex templates that would otherwise exceed the Access database limit on number of columns.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Supports the omission of many types of xx_TABLE column, e.g., P1_TABLE, Ln_TABLE, Dn_TABLE, An_TABLE, Cn_TABLE. Omitting xx_TABLE columns reduces database size.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Square brackets replace quotes around table names. Now correctly matches SQL standard.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Full set of attributes are now output into the project cache for device terminals. This fills termination-specific columns in conductor reports
  • Paneldes: Improved drawing cables from vertical raceway segments joining to devices or panels above the segment end.
  • Paneldes: Improved drawing cables across large gaps between straight length raceway segments that are not aligned.
  • Paneldes: Improved drawing cables around the corner in tee (T) and cross (X) segments.
  • Paneldes: Improved handling of datum/scale block, now synchronised with INSUNITS and MEASUREMENT drawing variables on insertion, modification or opening a drawing.
  • Paneldes: Supports setting a separate power-layer for each individual point-separated power value.
  • Paneldes: Support alternate NEC multiplier for cable diameter for mix of small and large cables in solid bottom tray. Enter into AUX1 the value "NECDIAMULT: 1.1" for single-conductor, or "NECDIAMULT:1.0" for multi-conductor cables. When not specified the default multiplier of 1.2 is used.
  • Paneldes: Can now also show the error for unsuitable CONTRAY, i.e., "Bad preselected connection list", when routing fails, not just when it succeeds.
  • Wirediag: Supports comma-separated wires on BARTERM wire lines. Can use multi-line attribute and wrapping. New blocks wdlcB.dwg and wdrcB.dwg.
  • Wirediag: Can now place a BARTERM terminal in a strip with standard terminals.
  • Miscellaneous: Improved project locking. Detection of stale project locks to avoid the endless wait for a "background update" that is instead a stuck lock.
  • Miscellaneous: Improvements and fixes for List View controls.
  • Miscellaneous: Improvement for controls that auto-fit to text.
  • Miscellaneous: Option to report path of each inserted block or symbol. Useful when confirming EDS settings for symbol and block folders.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed bug that caused error "Must declare the scalar variable @P26WHERE" when updating raceway cross-section data on SQL Server.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed a comparison error that caused all raceway-to-group links to be re-written on start for raceway with no longitudinal or power split.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed bug that failed to write changed raceway segment cross section data to some of the raceway records when run on SQL Server.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed program crash if a cable 'link' item from the tree was dropped onto a raceway group.
  • Cable Scheduler: Copy and paste of a record that was linked to a drawing item was needlessly copying the [DWGID] column data.
  • Database Editor: Fixed bug that blank cells copied to Excel and back to Database Editor could be skipped during final paste.
  • Database Editor: Fixed poor performance problem pasting a selection with large numbers of rows if the area is not whole columns. No longer selects the final pasted data if the number of rows exceeds ROWSELECTLIMITAFTERPASTE, which defaults to 10000.
  • Ebase: Fixed connection reporting to get the size of single line diagram symbols from the block table if they are not available on disk.
  • Elecdes: Fixed 2D Panel Layout column choices written to setting for the Tag Check Dialog.
  • Elecdes: Fixed program hang in rename reactor after manually inserting a cable core marker block and leaving attributes blank.
  • Elecdes: Fixed Elecdes breaking the AutoCAD Express Tools BURST macro, which caused it to emit errors.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Fixed bug that caused Database Import IMPCOL blocks to shift to the current layer after using the Edit Imported Database function.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Functions writing values to attributes now skip attributes containing "Fields" thus preserving the original field link.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: "Fields" in DWG files were not updated during programmatic open or save.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed bug that a strip of devices failed to create the diagram (due to mismatch between strip name and individual original device names).
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed bug that a strip of devices contained only the first if the devices came from only the IM database and not drawings.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed bug that datasheet template formulae could show the wrong sheet name if the sheet position changed in the template file.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed bug that importing new instruments from a multi-instrument datasheet would populate ratings in only the first instrument.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed crash when the last template of any given type is deleted.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Tables in new SQL Server databases were created without a Primary Key property on the IDX column. Fixes existing databases on load. Fixed database check and fix function to be able to fix the format of the IDX column and retain existing values if it was not auto-number property.
  • Paneldes: Fixed error that it could fail to find pre-selected CONTRAY on a split-power segment if the required power was not the first power-split.
  • Wirediag: Fixed crash drawing a cable screen attached to a BARTERM terminal.
  • Wirediag: Fixed cable line staggering (offsets) for BARTERM terminals.
  • Wirediag: Fixed wiring diagram using template moving when component catalog reference changes but uses same template.
14 Jan 2021

EDS 8.8.2.9 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Elecdes: Fixed attribute values in existing symbols being cleared when the Synchronize Attributes setting is enabled.
  • Paneldes: Fix crash using 'Pick New Forced Route' on the Route and Cable Locking dialog.
04 Dec 2020

EDS 8.8.2.7 Released

Changes

  • Instrument Manager: Re-generation of an existing terminal strip diagram will now use the latest template while retaining Wirediag edits to the terminal strip. Previously the updated or new template was ignored if the diagram already existed.

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: Raceway segments with point-separated power values could make incorrect joins where the two-part values matched when added (eg. power 3.4 could join power 1.6).
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed exception in edit view reloading terminal strip diagram formulae if the updated template contains fewer formulae.
  • Instrument Manager: Output diagram templates are now re-read if the file content differs from what was last read, not just if the timestamp is new.
  • Instrument Manager: Invalid formulae of the type "###########" caused a SQL error message when creating/updating a custom loop table, instead of simply being ignored.
  • Paneldes: Erase and undo left damaged SOLIDs in block definitions when the command sequence was: erase, save, undo, save.
  • Paneldes: ATTSYNC failed when run from a command reactor that inserted a new raceway block (eg. after using STRETCH on raceway).
  • Protogen: Invalid formulae of the type "###########" caused an error message "The parameter is incorrect" instead of simply being ignored.
  • Wirediag: Further changes to the fix crashing from a wdTag with no terminals.
  • Wirediag: The change to fetch catalog data into spare terminals was incomplete. It did not work when first placing the diagram, only refresh.
27 Nov 2020

EDS 8.8.2.6 Released

Bugs Fixed

  • Database Editor/Protogen: Improved paste from Excel of floating-point numbers that cannot be represented precisely.
  • Elecdes: Fixed a minor memory leak when inserting reference diamond symbols.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed a program hang when generating a terminal strip diagram that has no components (i.e. an empty diagram).
  • Setup: Check for Updates included the currently installed version. This occurred when installed from a full installer and a UPD file was available.
  • Setup: Check for Updates listing library updates became locked to show only those matching first number of their version once installed.
  • Wirediag: Fixed a program hang when inserting anchor blocks, reference diamonds, and grid-system zones in wiring diagrams (from outside the CAD session, eg via IM or Ebase).
29 Oct 2020

EDS 8.8.2.5 Released

New Features

  • Elecdes: New option that conductor lines on different layers are not considered to be connected together.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: DBF Import now uses the new 8.8 formula system.
  • Instrument Manager: Dynamic control over custom loop graphics using special formulae functions.
  • Instrument Manager: Can now move an output diagram from one table to another. New record is created and all matching column values are copied.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New toolbar buttons to find and navigate to a component and, for IM, to an output diagram.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New floating list view. Shows a list of: same loop, children, same component type, or all tags.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Supports import mappings that include other import mappings, i.e. nested import map sections.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New condition "Identifier" on an import mapping means that target column is used to identify existing components instead of Tagname.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import from SQL Server or Access database can now import from a VIEW, not just from a TABLE.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now uses NSQ_KEY from catalog for component naming.
  • Paneldes: New function "Generate Files for Navisworks" creates XLSX link file, raceway annotation blocks drawing and viewed cable drawing(s).
  • Paneldes: Viewed cable and wire routes now create a block with attributes for each conductor.
  • Paneldes: New raceway annotation blocks (inserted via "Generate Files for Navisworks") that have attributes with raceway details and conductor list.
  • Protogen: Uses the new 8.8 formula system.
  • Miscellaneous: Additional functions added to the new 8.8 formula system.

Important File Updates

  • Imperial CatgCP, CatgSS & CatgUP: Updated cablefactor and signalscf values.
  • Elecdes cable symbols updated to include a new invisible POWER attribute.
  • Diamd_WDL.dwg and Diamd_WDR.dwg added for left/right side reference diamonds on wiring diagrams.
  • wdlcB.dwg and wdrcB.dwg added for comma-separated wires on bar terminals in Wirediag terminal strip diagrams.
  • Client path column widened in SetupConfig.dbf.
  • Access reports template: Added title pages to the reports.
  • Instrument Manager database template: D1_IDX and D1_Table columns added to Terminal Groups table.
  • Datasheet templates that have multi-instrument tables on the second page have been modified to show first instrument tag on first sheet.
  • Instrument Manager database template: Set appropriate hook-up templates.
  • Instrument Manager database template: Fixed some instrument name sequence links.
  • Names IEC.dbm and Names ANSI.dbm: Fixed some instrument name sequence links.

Changes

  • Conductor Routing: Now skips unnecessary reversed waypoints if there are only one or zero waypoint segments.
  • Conductor Routing: Now skips routing cables with problematic waypoints. It will not be able to find a valid route so now just reports the errors.
  • Conductor Routing: Now uses the shortest successful route between segment pairs tried earlier to curtail later routing. Previously this reset for each new pair.
  • Conductor Routing: Routing now starts at a 2x length estimate multiplier and, if routing fails, retries with successively higher multiplier up to the user's setting.
  • Conductor Routing: New optional maximum wire or cable length to curtail run-away route tracing that takes too long or fails to find a route. Overall setting M or I_MAX_CABLE_LENGTH in INI, or per-cable from MAXLENGTH column in RCabsch.
  • Conductor Routing: Option to report raw filling in conduits when using NEC filling rules now has a checkbox on the cable routing preferences.
  • Conductor Routing: Minor improvement to performance writing cable cross-section report.
  • Database Editor: Navigate to component directly from the warnings report (instead of navigating to the warning, then to the component).
  • Database Editor: Improved copy/paste compatibility with Excel.
  • Ebase: Auto Find and Replace can now make replacements in the $Block file.
  • Ebase: Now optional whether or not to put spaces between tags listed in the BSUM report TAGS columns.
  • Ebase: All terminals marked with RSTATUS of BARTERM are now considered as if also marked as DUPLICATE.
  • Ebase: Removed limit of 20 connections to a single terminal. This is important for earth bars (BARTERM) with many connections.
  • Elecdes: Select from BOM on the symbol insert dialog now has a new option "Filter Devices" to show only BOM records matching the symbol.
  • Elecdes: New reactor for CAD copy commands to fix the link from the copy of a cross-reference symbol to its copy of the header.
  • Instrument Manager: Added component type filtering for U1 relationship. Component type follows suffix. #U1.C-.B.Cable:...# resolved against "FE-101" will look for only a cable (that is named C-101B).
  • Instrument Manager: Added option for alternative prefixes and/or suffixes for U1 relationship. Multiple values are separated by a | character in the prefix or suffix spec. #U1.FT-|FIT-|PT-|PIT-..Instrument:...# resolved against "CV-101" will look for FT-101, FIT-101, PT-101 or PIT-101.
  • Instrument Manager: Component's D1 link to a custom loop is now set for all main component types, not just instruments.
  • Instrument Manager: Improved resolution of PSC, TSC and OSC hints for custom loop assignment by extracting number from anywhere in core name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Connection preview improved.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now shows a progress window while filling the cache of existing components for an import.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: New option to use channel numbers to name terminal groups of PLC cards.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Dragged size of the "Item" column is now retained. Same width is used for all lists.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import map condition "Identifier" now works for our own IDX column and also implies AnyParent since identifier must be unique.
  • Paneldes: [Clear Routes] button moved to the Cable/Wire Route and Display dialog.
  • Paneldes: The default for the setting "Join disconnected networks" is now OFF for new installations.
  • Paneldes: The default for the setting "Use NEC filling" is now OFF for new installations.
  • Protogen: MTEXT entities can now be used for anchor points for inserting sub-prototypes.
  • Protogen: Performance improvement by caching database and prototype data that was read repeatedly while making composite clones.
  • Setup: New button to open to edit the current name sequence template file (from the installation folder).
  • Setup: New option to enable or disable the "Single line connection" warning in connection reports.
  • Wirediag: Now uses a separate symbol for reference diamonds on the left side versus the right side: Diamd_WDL.dwg / Diamd_WDR.dwg.
  • Miscellaneous: Access database files no longer remained locked after EDS programs finish using them. Previously required the program to be closed to release.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash synchronising with CableWayPoint.dbf if cables have long names, e.g. more than 30 characters.
  • Cable Scheduler: Split-power segments lost their orientation character (N, S, W, E) rendering results inconsistent.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed improper clean-up of temporary CableLock entries. Was clearing the TEMP_LOCK column and not removing the records.
  • Database Editor: Fixed crash when a TAB character is present in a cell pasted from Excel.
  • Database Editor: Fixed poor performance selecting rows or columns in a very large DBF.
  • Database Editor: Fixed poor performance pasting columns of data in a large DBF.
  • Database Editor: Fixed high memory usage persisting when a large DBF is closed but Database Editor remains open.
  • Elecdes: Cross-reference symbols were not erased on refresh if the component name was changed in the cross-reference header.
  • Elecdes: Fixed tolerance for line breaking for symbols when conductor line is sloped up to 1 in 100, not orthogonal.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed poor performance "Checking loop components" during custom loop generation. Now uses pre-loaded links instead of querying the database.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed problem that switching to edit view did not work for an output diagram template until the selection was changed in the tree.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed problem that has been preventing the creation of a Folder Settings record for new output diagram tables that have been added manually.
  • Instrument Manager: Export to PDF did not honour the choice for white background.
  • Instrument Manager: Incorrectly attempted to use SQLite driver to open or link to an Access format P&ID database.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Was accepting incorrect tag names without a Name Sequence warning.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed import confirmation message getting stuck behind the Import Wizard dialog.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: DSN file's "DBQ" setting (the path to the Access database), was not automatically corrected even when possible.
  • Paneldes: Restored the warning about duplicate devices or panels when loading data for routing.
  • Paneldes: Fixed discrepancy in result of Route Viewing versus Routing when choosing one of a duplicated device or panel.
  • Paneldes: Fixed a rounding error causing Paneldes to warn that end-to-end was not large enough when it was the exact minimum valid value.
  • Paneldes: Stretching a route segment in the Z-axis could cause an error that disabled the Paneldes editor reactor until Panledes was restarted.
  • Paneldes: Ductbank Editor could crash constructing conduit for corner/riser trench.
  • Paneldes: Reconstituting routes with split-power raceway segments failed if "Join disconnected networks" was enabled.
  • Paneldes: Cable/raceway cross-section drawing listed cables from only one or no part of a split-power raceway segment.
  • Paneldes: Cable/raceway cross-section drawing did not show individual power and cable factor values for split-power raceway segments.
  • Paneldes: Split-power segments were using the full signals cable factor rather than their allowed proportion.
  • Wirediag: Fixed crash regenerating a strip if an incorrectly named wdTag block caused Wirediag to load a strip with no terminals.
  • Wirediag: Fixed crash attempting to draw an earth bar with sufficient connections to exceed the allowed Extended Entity data size limit.
  • Miscellaneous: String splitting function was failing to correctly split strings with adjacent delimiters, e.g. "A1,A2,,A3" with comma delimiter.
  • Miscellaneous: Pattern matching could crash if the pattern contained ";=;=;=" (eg as a result of building the pattern using a formula in Excel).
24 Aug 2020

EDS 8.8.1.1 Released

New Features

  • Windows 11 support. Windows 11 users must use this version or later.
  • AutoCAD 2021 support.
  • Ribbon support in GstarCAD 2020 SP1 onwards (requires special build of SP1: 32bit, 64bit).
  • Option to customise the contents of the CRIMP columns of the conductor reports by using a formula.
    New Settings: [Reports]: CABLE_CRIMP_FORMULA, WIRE_CRIMP_FORMULA.

Changes

  • Database Editor: Added [Open read-only] option when attempting to open a read-only file. Replaces unobvious [Cancel] which subsequently opened the file.
  • Ebase: Warnings DBF report is now copied into "EDS Reports.mdb".
  • Ebase: Detect RSTATUS value "NoXref" in addition to the original "No Xref", meaning a value mistakenly missing the space still works.
  • Instrument Manager: New option "Use Elecdes / Paneldes to open drawings" ensures that EDS program profile is used when opening output diagrams.
  • Instrument Manager: Text entities on Custom Loops that are empty after formula replacement are now erased instead of left as empty text entities.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Trailing spaces trimmed from data written by Import.
  • License Manager: Ceased toggling the system daylight saving time bias.
  • Setup: Now asks before creating a working directory if that directory does not exist.
  • Miscellaneous: Added additional functions to the formula system: FIND, FINDEND, JOINNB, NONBLANK, REPLACE, SPLIT (using blank delimiter), STR.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Fixed potential crash using "Auto Catalog Replace".
  • Elecdes: Fixed problem that lines were created (like heal) when moving a circuit.
  • Elecdes: Fixed minor memory leak when getting the a block name.
  • Instrument Manager: New output diagrams were not given correct file names when created without a pre-assigned instrument or component.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed intermittent crash when selecting a tree item after deleting a custom loop table.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed SQL error from using previous column list if a custom loop table was deleted and re-added and there were fewer columns.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: PLC Rack and Slot values were erased by "Re-select from current catalog".
  • Paneldes: Raceway filling was incorrect (too full) if routing was re-run (e.g. for another batch) without closing the dialog between routing passes.
  • Paneldes: Fixed truncation of text entered into column filters on the Cable Routing and Viewing dialog.
  • Paneldes: Column filter text on Cable Routing and Viewing dialog would change to "<Selected>" when filtered to show single cable.
  • Paneldes: Fixed an instance of GetPointsForSolidEntity failing at large coordinates on millimetre scaled drawing.
  • Paneldes: Fixed incorrect check for intersection of 2D lines to get centre of cylinder face. Potentially never caused a visible problem.
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash using Query dialog Find tool when "List used names and locations in Find tool" is turned OFF.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed conversion of Cyrillic text to lower case. No error appeared to users because conversion to lower case is usually for map keys.
25 Jun 2020

EDS 8.8.0.9 Released

Changes

  • Ebase: Now offers the option to rename the current revision, after changing the value in the revision textbox.
  • Ebase: Cache now cleared automatically when creating a new revision.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: No longer complains about missing revision reports (missing revision reports are generated automatically).
  • Paneldes: Fix incorrect information getting written to route status DBFs when using the Route Selected functionality.
16 Jun 2020

EDS 8.8.0.8 Released

Changes

  • Ebase: Now supports up to 255 characters in CRIMP_A and CRIMP_B columns instead of a limit at 59
  • Setup: Now displays an error message saving client changes if the client INI file is marked read-only (e.g. controlled by Vault but not checked out).
  • Wirediag: Terminal strip choice on the Terminal Strip Edit dialog now has a wider drop-down list to accommodate long panel and terminal strip names.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Fixed crash generating cumulative revision reports.
  • Elecdes: Terminal strip choice on the Terminal Strip Edit dialog now has a wider drop-down list to accommodate long panel and terminal strip names.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed "Improper argument" error adding a component after subdividing a folder.
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash inserting raceway segment that specifies a lid with its own catalog specification.
  • Paneldes: Route Selected Cables was routing all cables with no route even if they were not selected.
  • Wirediag: Polarised terminals were overriding the conductor side choices for only left or only right, contrary to previous behaviour and help.
  • Wirediag: Fixed crash refreshing a split terminal strip where spare terminals are not retained and the entire second half is spare, so will have no terminals.
2 Jun 2020

EDS 8.8.0.5 Released

Changes

  • PLC Wizard: PLC catalogs can now accommodate longer terminal lists, supporting further numbered PT_TRMLSTn columns beyond PT_TRMLST1.
  • Protogen: Performance improvement in Protogen drawing generation for large masters/subs.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Multiline attributes were getting incorrect positions after drawing modification (via global edit, cross reference back annotation, etc).
  • Protogen: Master prototype formulae were not being populated when sub prototypes were being used.
  • Miscellaneous: 255-byte values in DBFs were being truncated to 254 bytes when read, in some instances.
18 May 2020

EDS 8.8.0.4 Released

Changes

  • Wirediag: When using horizontal cable lines, joining cables across devices now does not cease joining at devices without any cable in common.
  • Miscellaneous: Added structured exception handling to CAD modules with stack trace and mini dump to better diagnose future errors. This was added for Elecdes and Paneldes in 8.4 and this change adds it for all other CAD modules.

Bugs Fixed

  • Elecdes: Entities were not 'closed' after hiding reference attributes meaning the drawing could not be saved.
  • Instrument Manager: Opening a DWG output diagram from Instrument Manager in GstarCAD would crash or freeze GstarCAD.
  • Instrument Manager: Database Report could fail to show data in a column with a space in the column name.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed program disappearing with no error when selecting a new item in the component tree in list view mode.
  • Protogen: Multiple insertions from one sub-database set all final values from the last insertion.
  • Wirediag: Generation crashed if the layer XREF was missing, most likely to occur after a PURGE.
  • Wirediag: Device box and terminals were duplicated if the schematic symbol was duplicated with both h and v symbol orientation inserted.
22 Apr 2020

EDS 8.8.0.2 Released

Important File Updates

  • Excel report files in Samples folder updated to not change Excel status bar visibility.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Routing: Fixed program freezing during "Checking network" on very large projects with thousands of raceway segments.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed drawing synchronisation causing "Invalid cursor state" on a (broken) database in which ratings records have been deleted.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Fixed .NET error appearing when EDS.CUIX file is missing but still listed in the AutoCAD CUI editor.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: A pre-set column layout added to the DSN file was not being used to pre-set the column layout for new projects or users.
  • Paneldes: Filtering in the Routing and Viewing dialog did not work for extra columns added by the user in the el32.ini file.
31 Mar 2020

EDS 8.8.0.1 Released

New Features

  • GstarCAD 2020 support.
  • DBF format extended to allow long column names (more than 10 characters). Compatible with other programs that read DBF. Mostly compatible with other programs that write DBF.
  • Conductor Routing: Split power now supports more than two splits. Append further power numbers and proportions.
  • Conductor Routing: Split power now supports splitting by distance across a tray. Split by distance requires units to distinguish it from a proportion value.
  • Conductor Routing: Power now supports comma separated lists enclosed in quotation marks so that commas are not misinterpreted as split power.
  • Database Editor: Supports long column names for MDB, SQL Server and DBF format.
  • Database Editor: Grid editor for Modify Database Structure. This provides features such as copy & paste, incrementing to creating column names, and warnings for issues such as data truncation.
  • DGN Converter: Provides more options for mapping DWG entities with specific properties to DGN entities with specific properties.
  • DGN Converter: Added text width multiplier to the text style map file - WIDTH_MULT.
  • DGN Converter: Added USEDWGJUST in text style map to use justification directly from the DWG file instead of using the default from the DGN template.
  • Ebase: FromToWire and Corsch support double underscore suffix (__A / __B) to fetch data from the subcomponent containing the terminal, instead of always subcomponent 0. Will first check for terminal-specific catalog column, e.g. XYZ_T4 in catalog to satisfy XYZ__A or XYZ__B if the schematic terminal is from T4 of that subcomponent.
  • Elecdes: Improved "Pick component from BOM". Remembers last panel choice, Pre-selects the next device. Click [Use this item] to load it into the attributes.
  • Instrument Manager: Generate wiring diagrams and terminal strips without running Elecdes.
  • Paneldes: Conductor routing and viewing functions now provided from the same dialog showing a list of conductors.
  • Paneldes: Introduced ability to route only the cables currently selected in the cable list.
  • Wirediag: Re-fresh wiring diagrams and terminal strips from Ebase.
  • Miscellaneous: Added "Transpose Paste" option to the menu for all data grid editors.

Important File Updates

  • Layer.dbf for Paneldes removed POWER value for virtual tray.
  • IM and CS database templates updated to include Component_Type column in Terminal Groups table.
  • IM and CS "EDS Project Import Map.dbf" updated to import MFG and CATNO and therefore fetch catalog data after the import.
  • Cable Scheduler database template - Added [Weight] and [Min Bend Radius] columns to Cable_Cables table and added DBF alias entries for them.
  • scada.mnu, which is still used for Elecdes on GstarCAD - fixed command for Insert2DAccessory.

Changes

  • Cable Scheduler: Uses new formula system for importing.
  • Cable Scheduler: Performance improvement for "Get connection points for devices" phase when synchronising with project drawings.
  • Conductor Routing: Connection "Cloud Radius" now available on the routing settings.
  • Conductor Routing: Cable route trace diagnostic logging (ROUTE_TRACE_OUTPUT) now logs only cables in ROUTE_TRACE_CABLES INI setting.
  • Database Editor: Uses new formula system for Compute Values.
  • DGN Converter: Logs failures to find DGN Converter mappings and the use of fallback mappings. Assists in managing conversion requirements.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Restored ability to save all open drawings. Until recently only the one current drawing was saved.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Create EDS workspaces in GstarCAD 2019 and later (same as used in AutoCAD).
  • Elecdes/Wirediag: Insertion drag box now supports view direction changes.
  • Instrument Manager: Import EDS Project now sets MFG code and CATNO and therefore fetches catalog data after the import.
  • Instrument Manager: Uses new formula system for generating output diagrams.
  • Instrument Manager: Uses new formula system for importing.
  • Paneldes: Added filtering from column headings to the conductor list for routing.
  • Paneldes: Added option for Polyline Trace to disable the creation of non-catalog parts for irregular corner angles.
  • Paneldes: Added the ability to remove the route from a cable, un-routing.
  • Paneldes: Removed the manually-set "On Hold" option, which is redundant now that routing of selections is available.
  • Paneldes: No longer changes the current layer when viewing conductor routes.
  • Paneldes: Ductbank Editor can now use conduit that comes in pre-set lengths from the catalog (fixed-length conduit).
  • Paneldes: Fit Trench to Ductbank no longer requires you to also select the conduit to fit to. Conduit is now detected automatically.
  • Miscellaneous: Improved list control functionality to make it easier to add filtering and other small features to a list view used in EDS.
  • Miscellaneous: Improved formula system with functions. Currently available in IM/CS Import, IM Output Documents, and in Compute Values in Database Editor. Eventually to be consistently available in all modules.
  • Miscellaneous: Performance improvements in operations using hash tables with long string values as keys.

Bugs Fixed

  • Batch Printer: Fixed issue that settings could become incorrectly scaled when switching between metric and Imperial.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash displaying routing preferences from within CS preferences.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings was clearing non-catalog rating fields after fix to stop duplicating rating records.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings was assigning catalog ratings from previous component if current component not from catalog.
  • Cable Scheduler: Starting Cable Scheduler would erase routing results because it could write its data out prior to reading DBF results back in.
  • Catalog: Fixed crash if manufact.dbf contained overlength or duplicate MFG codes.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed error that conduit run from tray to device that overall is shorter than device-to-duct distance was never used by routing.
  • Conductor Routing: Split power now results in a # suffix (like length splitting) instead of an N_, S_, E_, W_ prefix. This allows split power to load in CS.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed error that short conduit run from tray to tray that overall is shorter than end-to-end distance was not used by routing due to done marking.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed error that large end-to-end could cause loss of connections when eliminating jumps over what it thought were intermediate segments.
  • Ebase: Fixed open circuit error on a line network with both standard and gap wire markers on different line entities.
  • Ebase: Project wiring [Auto Remove] now heals, or re-joins, the lines where wire gap markers are removed.
  • Ebase: Reference Drawing report (8.4.6) entry missing for drawing with device wiring diagram(s) using templates.
  • Ebase: Spaces in TAGS column in BSUM (8.4.6) were missed when data from extra parts was combined with regular parts.
  • Elecdes: Lines were erased when using STRETCH to shift a symbol along a line.
  • Elecdes: Entity was not closed when reading position and visibility of REFERENCE attribute.
  • Elecdes: Insert 2D Accessory failed on GstarCAD due to a typo in menu file.
  • Elecdes: Fixed insertion of wire connect dots to check for an existing dot before inserting.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Better error message if EDS.CUIX is not loaded.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Restores incremental undo of groups of actions within a command in AutoCAD 2013 and later.
  • Global Editor: Fixed crash when Find & Replace in devices. Bad index when checking if a device is an MTD to propagate changes to its terminals.
  • Install: EXE-only install did not copy GRX files (for use with GstarCAD).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash using long column filters (e.g. long string of allowed instrument tags). Now allows up to 32,000 character filter.
  • Paneldes: Automatic Insert was not working if the AI_File value was missing the DBF extension.
  • Paneldes: Assemble panel redrew construction into paperspace if the layout had no modelspace viewports.
  • Paneldes: Fixed GetPointsForSolidEntity for non-rectangular plates in GstarCAD. Previously would fail.
  • Paneldes: Fixed Raceway Integrity Checker to not use routing diagnostic settings such as "Join disconnected networks".
  • Paneldes: Fixed Raceway Integrity Checker reporting conduits from inside trench as unterminated when "Hide Ductbank Conduit" is enabled.
  • Paneldes: Fit Trench to Ductbank did not re-draw the new envelope for trench straight length segments.
  • Paneldes: Layer.dbf incorrectly specified a POWER value for virtual tray layers.
  • Paneldes: Route01 layer was turned off after route viewing irrespective of the setting to hide layers while viewing routes.
  • Paneldes: Re-define block and ATTSYNC were not working (and appear to have never been implemented prior to this).
  • Paneldes: "Hide Ducting", "Display Ducting", "Hide 3D Raceway" and "Display 3D Raceway" were all failing to update the view.
  • Paneldes: ELEVATION attribute of a 3D block is now updated by a reactor when a raceway segment is moved.
  • Protogen: Creating a database from multiple prototype drawings could omit fields if entity handles matched between drawings.
  • Protogen: Pick Prototype did not default to the configured prototype drawing folder because there was a trailing slash on the supplied folder. The fix will work for any caller leaving a trailing slash on the initial folder path.
  • Wirediag: Wiring Diagram Refresh had ceased to work on GstarCAD, becoming blocked on a busy flag.
  • Wirediag: Fixed various errors drawing terminal strip diagrams from a Signals database.
  • Wirediag: Refreshed diagrams would use common instead of device preferences for conductor arrangement. Conductors were loaded before wdPrefs.
  • Wirediag: Wiring diagram reference (WD_DESTXRF) was not set for a device in a strip (named to appear in a terminal strip diagram).
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed poor handling of Unicode in the data grid Advanced Cut, Copy, Paste and Insert functions.
  • Miscellaneous: Invoked CAD commands no longer work with C: command prefix, e.g. WDE, check if MTD, BOM Table xref.
14 Jan 2020

EDS 8.7.9.1 Released

New Features

  • Ebase: Cumulative revision reports.
  • Wirediag: Core/conductor annotation now configured separately from internal wires and external wires.

Important File Updates

  • WdPrefs block: New attributes for core annotation configuration.
  • SEL 751 relay added to CatDSC0.

Changes

  • Elecdes: Reference drawing diamond hiding now supports individual hidden status under two or more reference lists for a single component.
  • Elecdes: Reference drawing diamond hiding now supports individual hidden status for references to a duplicate inserted subcomponent.
  • Elecdes: Terminal strip rail builder will now accept a manually created bar link without a catalog selection.
  • Instrument Manager: No longer asks to update output diagrams before "Edit". Always regenerates if the regeneration stamp indicates change.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Folder tree including sub folders can now be sorted alphanumerically (new General preference). If not sorted, sub folders are now grouped under their main table-based folder.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Recognises dedicated back and forward mouse buttons for previous and next tree selection navigation.
  • Licence Manager: Modified user lock checking to avoid intermittent network trouble with inability to get read access to lock files.

Bugs Fixed

  • Conductor Routing: Some raceway segment Tee joins without a Tee segment fitting were not found after the spherical sort performance improvement
  • Database Editor: Failed to show some Excel sheets when opening an Excel spreadsheet. Affected sheets have quotes around their names when retrieved from Excel but do not contain spaces in the names.
  • Database Editor: Excel sheets were not considered read only, thus allowing changes in the grid that could not be saved.
  • Database Editor: Fixed error when starting Open MS Access Table if the last opened database no longer exists.
  • DGN Converter: Control-point or Nurbs spline was not converted and caused an invalid index error. Now works for both fit-points and control-points.
  • DGN Converter: Some arcs were rotated the wrong way in DGN (arcs with normal pointing into the drawing instead of out of the drawing).
  • Ebase: Fixed crash and error in Auto Find and Replace.
  • Elecdes: Insert 2D layout component now doesn't quit if a P2D block is missing, instead it just skips that component.
  • Elecdes: Line stretched across multiple symbols was broken across only one of the symbols.
  • Elecdes: Reference header attribute values sourced from the schematic were empty if the first subcomponent was spare. Now filled from first used.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Ceased unnecessary modification of the SHORTCUTMENU system variable in CAD.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Fixed insertion of 2D panel layout block for a component with a leading space on the tagname picked from the BOM.
  • Instrument Manager: Edit with Excel modified to work properly if an Excel instance is already running. Now tracks the document, not the Excel process.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed crash displaying list view of instruments with D1: links to a deleted custom loop table.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed a problem that changes to ratings made with Edit with Excel did not appear immediately (unlike tag record changes).
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed view, edit and print skipping output diagrams that were missing but were successfully generated.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed datasheet appearing to be out-of-date after reading back changes from Edit with Excel. Now updates regeneration stamp at end.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed error during report configuration caused by incorrectly resolving a relative file path.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed crash adding a new database report where that report name already exists in the final Report Database MDB file.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Relational Aliases could not use the Target Component "Terminal Group" because the terminal groups table did not have a component type.
  • Paneldes: Conduit Tee with non-zero LENGTH1 resulted in an incorrect dragged size and break when inserted into a straight length segment.
  • Paneldes: Fixed device 3D blocks and labels being inserted on route power layer 0 instead of devic_blocks.
  • Paneldes: Using the [Find] button in the Paneldes Component Selection window would select BLOCK entities even when it should not. This would cause double entries in the component list with one having incomplete data.
  • Paneldes: In some circumstances Place 4 Viewports would not delete the default viewport, potentially failing always in AutoCAD 2019 and later.
  • PLC Builder: Clicking [Cancel] on the wiring macro catalog page would make the builder skip the card choice for the next card.
  • Wirediag: Catalog data was not fetched into spare terminals, only terminals from the schematic.
25 Oct 2019

EDS 8.7.8.1 Released

New Features

  • Instrument Manager: Added "Export to PDF" for output diagrams.

Changes

  • Elecdes/Ebase: Reference drawings modifications: Hiding the REFERENCE attribute or reference diamond will cause both to become hidden. Both must be unhidden to make visible.
  • Elecdes/Ebase: Reference drawings modifications: Reference diamonds that are moved will retain their position on all drawing types except wiring diagrams.
  • Instrument Manager: Added preference for option to retain backup copies of output diagrams in REV sub-folders (which was introduced in 8.7.1.0).

Bugs Fixed

  • Miscellaneous: Support DBF files with approximately 1500 columns by fixing signed short to be unsigned short when writing DBF header.
8 Oct 2019

EDS 8.7.7.1 Released

New Features

  • AutoCAD 2020 support.
  • GstarCAD 2019 support.

Changes

  • Elecdes/Paneldes: DBF Import dialog now has a moveable splitter between the column list and the properties panel.
  • Paneldes: Global Editing now does not change the layer of components (i.e. all non-raceway).
  • Paneldes: Improved positioning of label blocks for tee, corner and riser raceway segments.
  • Miscellaneous: Accepts EDSStrings.txt translation file with UTF8-BOM encoding.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Report generation from a copied template now ensures the report is writeable if the template is read-only.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Fixed insertion of 2010 format block definition in GstarCAD 2012 by converting to 2000 format during insertion.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Registration of pop-up menu for AutoCAD changed to not break other AutoCAD button functions, like Shift-Middle Mouse for orbit.
  • Instrument Manager: Datasheet files were left open/locked after printing from IM.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed "Encountered an improper argument" debug error using "Select from Catalog" on a non-catalog component.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed import of multiple components creating only the first component's output diagram(s).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now detects SQL Server computed columns and does not attempt to update them, thus avoiding a SQL Error.
  • Paneldes: Fixed Auto-Insert of "extendable" tray to insert multiple segments in a run if the segment has a specified length.
  • Paneldes: Fixed Global Edit update to not change the layer of non-power-layer raceway segments.
  • Paneldes: Fixed incorrect preferences check that disabling "Use default 3D block labels" would stop insertion of parametric raceway envelope.
  • Paneldes: Fixed trimming of corner blocks, which was sometimes failing to trim all solids when the block contained multiple solids.
  • Paneldes: Fixed reconstruction after Global Editing a non-90 degree tee fitting, which could flip orientation for some dimensions and angle of tee.
  • Paneldes: Fixed routing licence level check for number of cables.
  • Paneldes: Polyline trace will now enforce that a straight segment must be chosen for the catalog specification for the raceway.
  • Setup: Fixed profile creation after [Reset Profiles] for newer GstarCAD versions that don't use a profile named "Default".
  • Setup: Profile creation for GstarCAD now specifically sets the default folders: fonts, help, color, and support in AppData.
9 Sept 2019

EDS 8.7.6.1 Released

New Features

  • Elecdes: Toggle Attribute Visibility without specific attribute now shows a dialog to show or hide any attribute of the selected symbols.
  • Elecdes/Ebase: Set reference text (traditional drawing and position reference) in reference diamonds.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Allow <PRJ>, <PRJNAME> and <PRJPATH> placeholders in IMPCOL blocks.
  • Instrument Manager: Can read P&ID data stored in a SQLite database (one of the database options for recent versions of AutoCAD Plant 3D).
  • Instrument Manager: New tagname lookup formula to find a component related by "loop number", being the right most digits in the source component tagname. #U1.FE-.B:...# resolved against an instrument named "CV-101" will look for a component named "FE-101B".
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Open project specified on command line.
  • Paneldes: Added ability to exclude entities by layer from Interference Checking.
  • Paneldes: Allow split power in corner, riser and reducer segments.

Changes

  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Can now set text width factor for a column in DBF Import.
  • Licence Manager: Reduced Cable Scheduler's use of a limited or evaluation licence. Previously it occupied a large proportion of the available device and terminal count.
  • Paneldes: Changed point-separated power value matching. 1.1 now doesn't match 1.10 (but 1.1 will now match 1.01).
  • Paneldes: Improved drawing of cables through transitions between small and large width segments, which is common with split power.
  • Paneldes: Removed some unused settings from preferences.
  • Paneldes: Removed Paneldes menu and ribbon functions for managing XRef drawings. Users should use standard XREF command.
  • Wirediag: Sets wiring diagram and terminal strip symbol attributes from catalog data. Previously set from only schematic symbol attribute values.
  • Miscellaneous: Added some support for UNC paths.

Bugs Fixed

  • Cable Scheduler: Fix to update existing ratings records on start was attempting to re-use an open result set, which is not allowed. This is the SQL Server version of the 8.7.4.11 fix.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash adding an instrument or device with terminals but no catalog data. Caused by writing catalog data to terminal groups.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed some errors in DBF and XLS/XLSX file locking procedure, although these errors did not cause problems while running programs.
9 Sept 2019

EDS 8.7.4.15 Released

New Features

  • Ebase: Single line cable markers (main marker and any stack of extra or piggy-back markers) should connect separate line networks, i.e. continuation.
  • Elecdes: Rename reactor now also renames symbols on INSERT or EXPLODE. Allows a sub-circuit to be inserted as a block and exploded and get new names.

Changes

  • Cable Scheduler: Now loads Elecdes instrument symbols (as devices), including catalog and appropriately named discrete terminals, and cable connections.
  • Cable Scheduler: Performance improvement for updating database to remove drawing link from deleted drawing components.
  • Cable Scheduler: Performance improvement for updating raceway segment cross-section data.
  • Cable Scheduler: Performance improvement when writing CS database components to the cache.
  • Conductor Routing: Performance improvement when connecting raceway segments using a spherical sort.
  • Ebase: Allow for searchable text in exported PDFs. Requires as-yet unreleased update to GhostScript but we have our own 64 bit binaries here.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Added option SKIP_ADMIN_CHECK to skip the check for administrative permission and assume a given login will work. This should allow a user with db_ddladmin inherited from an Active Directory group to be able to create tables in a database.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Better feedback for overwriting connections made to or from the left or right tree in connection view (as introduced in 8.7.2.1).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import from Excel now ignores named ranges that have the same names as the sheets. This caused a double import.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Improved login behaviour when creating tables in an empty database. Better dialog info, fewer login requests, better response to failed login.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Removed 8.7.2.1 change that introduced setting the C1/C2 side from the drag & drop tree choices in Connection View.
  • Instrument Manager: Added to the database template a default highlight of red coloured text for any output diagram with no primary component assigned.
  • Instrument Manager: Added to the database template a default relational alias for <Primary Component> on each of the output diagram types.
  • Instrument Manager: If the user chooses to not continue waiting for Wirediag, it will now make a final check for Wirediag to try to complete successfully. The timeout has often happened in the background and now that Wirediag has finished it is illogical to choose to continue waiting.
  • Instrument Manager: Wait timer for Wirediag extended from 20 seconds to 2 minutes. Timer ends automatically if finished before the timeout.
  • Licence Manager: Allowed Licence Manager to start if a UNC path is set as the Working Directory in Setup, which is not a supported feature.
  • Licence Manager: New error message if programs fail to get an initialisation response from Licence Manager.
  • Paneldes: Improvement to dialog when selecting to draw a wire list cross-section for a duct segment - option text and control disabling.
  • Paneldes: Navisworks now shows Paneldes data for devices when selecting the label block or realistic 3D block for the device.
  • Paneldes: Option to not rectify the orientation of tray envelope to always show open top upwards. Can now choose to show in placed orientation.
  • Paneldes: Raceway placement by Polyline Trace now better handles polylines with duplicate points and doubled-back segments.
  • Paneldes: Removed some unused settings from preferences.
  • Wirediag: Cease turning off the CAD grid.
  • Miscellaneous: Performance improvement copying large numbers of DBF format data records between databases in memory.

Bugs Fixed

  • Batch Printer: File Open dialog did not list drawing files due to broken file type filter.
  • Cable Scheduler: Attempted to calculate cable positions when creating model-less cable routes, causing "SetUCSMatrix Failed" error.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed overlaid terminal in connection preview for device with 4 or more terminals and no terminal groups.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed problem that device terminals originally from drawing subcomponents without catalog link were erased when synching with drawing data.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings attempts to retain cable connections to components that are relatives of DWG connection.
  • Cable Scheduler: Synchronisation with drawings now retains cable connections to components that are relatives of the connections shown on the drawings. e.g. Now keeps connection to a terminal strip even if the drawing being synched shows a connection to the terminal strip's panel.
  • Cable Scheduler: Was duplicating ratings record of drawing components that were already in the database on every start instead of updating.
  • Catalog: Fixed bend direction of various catalog entries for outside / external / convex risers - required fixing CNRANGLE.
  • Ebase: Entering a new project name on Windows 10 would prompt to create the file after the first letter was pressed. Windows 10 behaviour change.
  • Ebase: Fixed core sheet generation, which was making the core sheet list without its DBF file extension since 8.7.2.0.
  • Ebase: Fixed erroneous "Term missing" warning in materials and conductor reports.
  • Ebase: RSTATUS "A_END_?" control for cables was applied on the first drawing for the cable core, not the drawing with the RSTATUS value.
  • Ebase: RSTATUS "A_END_?" values for cables were sometimes lost if not placed on every marker for the cable.
  • Elecdes: Fixed crash displaying popup menu in GstarCAD following Unicode conversion.
  • Elecdes: Fixed crash showing the Navigate to Subcomponent window on buffer overrun, e.g. complete reference with many SUBn_DESCm attributes.
  • Elecdes: Fixed the stretch definition in some views of some 2D panel layout blocks, where the stretch region was not correct in that view.
  • Global Editor: Multi-line text and attributes now preserved when writing changes back to drawings (via both CAD, and Ebase).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed application of toggling IDENTITY_INSERT which was working in release builds but mostly by chance in multi-threaded code.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash adding an instrument or device with terminals but no catalog data. Caused by writing catalog data to terminal groups.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed erroneous "Unpaired extension" warning in conductor reports from database-only screen/shield terminated at only one end.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed resolution of reversed lookup where the relationship could go to multiple tables, e.g. ~D1: can link to any loop diagram table.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Import from Excel could sometimes freeze if the last data row fell on a specific range that aligned with the IM/CS fetch buffer.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now uses full buffer size to retrieve database names from SQL Server. Fixes issue of failure to find an existing empty database.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed check for finished Wirediag to accommodate the file going missing when AutoCAD with backup enabled renames the file to BAK.
  • Licence Manager: Attempt to fix problem that prevents reading the licence user lock files, reporting "Cannot be accessed ... Error code: (5)".
  • Licence Manager: Fixed error that reported requiring a Raceway licence when an Instrument Manager licence was required but unavailable.
  • Licence Manager: New ability to receive messages from a lower-privilege application was not working for the default message type
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash resulting from stretching a trimmed ladder block.
  • Paneldes: Fixed stack overflow crash finding the route of a cable that passes through a very large number of segments.
  • Paneldes: Groups for panels and plates and 3D blocks now properly fixed when copied with CAD copy command and copy & paste.
  • Protogen: Fixed "Pick clone and anchor for sub-dbf", which was failing to open the master database after support for . in filenames
  • Protogen: Reverse transfer, update DBF from changes in clone DWG was failing to update the DBF with changes from the DWGs.
  • Miscellaneous: INI or DSN contents could get duplicated if a write operation encountered an updated file.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed delay when writing numerous values to INI or DSN files.
25 Mar 2019

EDS 8.7.3.3 Released

Note: Versions 8.7.3.0 onward will require relicencing.

New Features

  • Licence Manager: Pro Suite licence options.
  • Licence Manager: New IM Read-Only licence. Similar to a read-only user but enforced by the licence. Allows for a lower cost option for read-only.

Changes

  • Licence Manager: New option in Configure Licences window for a user to load authcodes from a returned Authcode Request file. Can also drop the file on the window.
  • Licence Manager: Main Licence Manager dialog now shows the licence status of the drive selected in the list instead of always the first drive with an available licence.
  • Licence Manager: Better failure messages from programs that attempt to start Slicence.exe but fail.
  • Paneldes: Improved ability to read legacy drawings. Now recognises solid point order from GstarCAD 2012 from EDS 8.4.
  • Paneldes: Restored ability to draw a wire list as cross-section for a duct segment, which was removed in 8.4.1.1 with the graphical cable cross-section.
  • Miscellaneous: Ceased imposing the character limitation of 29999 for records in DBF files.

Bugs Fixed

  • Block Manager: Line weight was not set using "Modify Layers of Selected Symbols". This was supposed to be fixed in 8.5 but was not.
  • Cable Scheduler: "View Route in CAD" did not run if the project contained multiple Paneldes drawings.
  • Cable Scheduler: Navisworks link spreadsheet was not updated when running routing from Cable Scheduler.
  • Ebase: Fixed Export to PDF for hatches, which previously were converted to low resolution bitmaps (blocky appearance).
  • Elecdes: Copy reactor gave new names to markers for the same wire if they were different blocks (e.g. one on line, one extension).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash or incorrect connection replacement if connection is made by dragging from list view item to tree view item.
  • Licence Manager: Attempt to find the first available licence drive now checks all licence types per drive, not just Elecdes.
  • Licence Manager: Fixed bug that [Exit] from Configure Licences would be stuck on the dialog if licence folder was removed or renamed during dialog display.
  • Wirediag: Device with schematic and single line diagram representation was drawn with multiple device boxes in its wiring diagram.
28 Feb 2019

EDS 8.7.2.3 Released

New Features

  • AutoCAD 2019 support.
  • Unicode support. Data is stored in UTF-8 format in EDS files (eg DBFs).
  • Added support for MS Access ACCDB format databases.
  • Ebase: Export Drawings to PDF file with hyperlinks for component references.
    BYLAYOUT supports CTB files, located in the Elecdes or Paneldes profile's "Plot Style Table Search Path", ELECDES folder, or USER_SYMB folder
  • Ebase: Automatic Catalog Replacement from File from Ebase, and using -GC on Ebase command line, as is available inside Global Editor.
    Replacement list file fields: TABLE, OLD_CATNO, NEW_CATNO, OLD_MFG, NEW_MFG, OLD_EXTRAP, NEW_EXTRAP, FILTER.
  • Ebase: Automatic Find & Replace from File from Ebase, as is available inside Global Editor.
    Replacement list file fields: TABLE, ATTNAME, OLD_ATTVAL, NEW_ATTVAL, MATCHCASE, WHOLEWORD, FILTER.
  • Conductor Routing: Support Glands as an Accessory with SUBCLASS="GLAND".
    LOCATION should be set to panel name.
    AUX3 contains cable names in a semi-colon separated list (wildcards supported), with a "CABLES:" prefix value. Otherwise, TAGNAME should match the cable that is to use that gland.
    Cable will pass through a gland (then to either the centre of the panel or to a termination point).
  • Conductor Routing: Support Termination Points as an Accessory with SUBCLASS="TERMPOINT".
    LOCATION should be set to panel name.
    AUX3 contains cable names in a semi-colon separated list (wildcards supported), with a "CABLES:" prefix value. No value in AUX3 matches all cables in the panel.
    Termination point replaces drawing and routing to the centre of the panel.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: User defined highlighting of list view rows. Conditions can be based on the date, age or contents of each record.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Save and restore list/edit view column filter configurations, and toolbar buttons for controlling list view column filters.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Add association between terminal groups. Uses A100 columns, so A100 is now reserved and should not be used for User Types.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Connections made in the 3-tree Connection View now make a C1 connection if made to the left tree and C2 if made to the right tree.
  • Instrument Manager: Retain backup copies of previous output diagrams in REV sub-folders for revision checking.
  • Install: Now asks if files should be copied to the folders configured in Setup (e.g. network folders) or the original installation folders.
  • Install: No longer requires a choice of the type of CAD engine and instead copies all CAD support files. Setup can now switch CAD engine.
  • Licence Manager: Materials report generation from Ebase is now included with a Paneldes or IM licence.

Changes

  • Ebase: Names for Elecdes Zones can now be up to 35 characters. The previous limit was 10 characters. This causes a drawing cache version change.
  • Paneldes: Improved cable positioning for Route Viewing and Cable Cross-Section.
  • Paneldes: Detect AutoCAD pre-selection set when running functions that ask for selection and use the Paneldes selection window.
  • Paneldes: New help instructions for Navisworks linking specifying to not load XRefs from a master and instead to "Append" them in Navisworks.
  • Paneldes: Copy reactor now does not rename components inside copied panels if the panel name is incremented (and the new overall name is not used).
  • Paneldes: Provides more information in the error message when the function GetPointsForSolidEntity fails extracting entities from a drawing.
  • Paneldes: Performance improvements when extracting data for Global Editing large models. Should have fewer extractions of the components.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Performance improvements for large databases.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Now shows parent component in error message about unresolved relationship when importing components.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: User type linking columns now checked at the same time as other columns instead of later during loading the Tags table.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Shows progress/ditty while loading potential parents for Pick Parent.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Builder now copies catalog data to the terminal groups as well as the device or instrument (via the component's standard catalog map file).
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Builder now assigns terminals of a subcomponent to only the terminal group specified for that subcomponent, better handling duplicate terminals.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: "Switch Connection Sides" added to switch the C1 / C2 connections on a conductor.
  • Instrument Manager: Generation of wiring diagram or terminal strip diagram now updates the diagram if it exists instead of always re-creating from the template.
  • Instrument Manager: LP_Order added to Terminal Groups table both in template and in required columns for existing databases. Access 2000 Sample.mdb.
  • Instrument Manager: Database template now includes a rating table for Alarms.
  • Install: Full installer will now accept an existing folder that is empty. Previously only accepted an existing folder containing an existing installation.
  • Install: [Make new folder] is now disabled in the update installer.
  • Install: Install for a sample project now shows the [Make new folder] button and the folder edit box.
  • Global Editor: Will get Z coordinate from extracted blocks if Z column is included in image file templates.
  • Block Manager: "Convert Symbol File Format" option to remove the invalid "Student Version" plot stamp. Using this option exports the drawing contents using wblock. Note that this has the same effect as a full purge.
  • Licence Manager: Proper multi-package licence check. Also means now the preferred licence is occupied first (e.g. Wirediag occupies Elecdes before IM).
  • Licence Manager: Specifically enabled reception of messages from a lower-privilege application, ensuring licensing works if Licence Manager is run as admin.
  • Licence Manager: Has more options for inter-process communication to help overcome problematic security configuration at user sites.
  • Protogen: Allow for . dots in clone drawing names.
  • Setup: Multi-Client Library Manager improved: shows current client, recognises change to client path, [Load] button option to switch client.
  • Miscellaneous: Enabled the edit box to directly enter a folder on suitable calls to the "Browse for folder" dialog.
  • Miscellaneous: Made the simple pick list dialog re-sizeable. Used for various instances of picking a single item from a list, e.g. Choose symbol to insert, in Elecdes.
  • Miscellaneous: Added an error message on failure to create the temporary file to set the cache time stamp.

Bugs Fixed

  • Ebase: Materials reports now get Paneldes component dimensions first from the component before using the catalog value. Corrects LENGTH.
  • Elecdes: Redefine symbols during insertion was not showing the new graphics until redrawn since changing to ARX insertion.
  • Elecdes: Fixed insertion of 2D panel layout symbols, which has been able to fail for anyone but showed only in 8.7 testing.
  • Elecdes: Spanish ribbon menu corrections for some function titles and descriptions.
  • Elecdes: Fixed length specified for 3CT symbol in metric 3 phase draw menu in _Common_Symbols.dbm.
  • Elecdes: Navigate from Database Editor to an unnamed wire that is connected to a device no longer fails.
  • Elecdes: Fixed problem that MTD Save after an AutoCAD auto-save would create a graphics block with numbers on the end of the name.
  • Elecdes: Fixed "Pick wire order" which intermittently worked only partially or not at all.
  • Elecdes: Fixed NullReferenceException error if the users EDS.CUIX file has been modified to remove either the metric or imperial menus.
  • Elecdes: Fixed calls to Name Sequencer that caused repeated warnings about using the last pre-defined or limited sequence when inserting cable cores.
  • Elecdes: Fixed zone or line-layer naming, which was not working for multiple insert (e.g. on a ladder diagram).
  • Conductor Routing: Route length for routes including fixed length segments calculated differently to ensure a more predictable output.
    Now adds to the overall length the difference between the fixed length and the modelled length.
  • Paneldes: Cable Route Viewing and Cross-Section were not accounting for tray base height.
  • Paneldes: Fixed Global Editing to retain the previous layer for route segments that were not on a specific power layer.
  • Paneldes: Fixed potential crash when storing set of matching catalog raceway parts for insert or Polyline Trace.
  • Paneldes: Fixed Polyline Trace with cutting options turned off constructing a shallow corner with an incorrect large bend radius.
  • Paneldes: Global Editing changes now recognised by DBF value comparison instead of by having to exceed the datum error margin, 5mm default.
  • Paneldes: Fixed NavisworksLink spreadsheet to link to the label or 3D block of a Panel. Previously was linked to the frame, which did not render in Navisworks.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: [Clear all filters] did not properly clear the filtering from both top and bottom list views.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash loading a project with an existing record remaining in the Logged_in_user table in a project last used with EDS 7.x.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed to write UTC time to [Time Stamp] column allowing sorting modifications from multiple time zones. Was writing local time.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Escape did not close the Component Builder dialog if the grid control had the keyboard focus.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash in new terminal strip builder if the terminal strip name does not match the name sequence.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed silent failure loading a database with table structure but no data. Was failing quietly upon finding empty Alias table.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: List view now built (with at least the Item column) even if database errors mean it cannot identify a column list for the components.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed Replace from File, which replaced text in only the first row with the text to find.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed crash in catalog (re)selection of an existing PLC I/O card with an invalid or no existing catalog reference.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Stopped catalog (re)selection of an existing PLC I/O card from overwriting the tagname with a rack-slot generated name.
  • Instrument Manager: The issue raised to alert the user about duplication in the P&ID database was repeated if the component name contained a question mark.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed Generate Loop failing after using Update Custom Loop Table where the update adds new columns.
  • Cable Scheduler: Fixed bug where View Routes would open the model but not draw the cables.
  • DGN Converter: Fixed problem saving map file changes such that mappings could not be erased, only created.
  • Protogen: Formula processing and replacement now handles text longer than 255 characters, e.g. in multiple line Notes blocks as an MText entity.
  • Setup: [Check for updates] now correctly parses version numbers such that 8.x.x.11 is considered later than 8.x.x.2.
  • Wirediag: Failed to show device in a terminal strip if subcomponent 0 from the device was not used.
  • Wirediag: Construction now stops if a symbol cannot be found or insertion fails. Stops endless series of message clicking.
  • Wirediag: Hide previously hidden attributes was making incorrect partial matches, e.g. attribute TERM could be hidden if TERMB was hidden.
  • Wirediag: Crashed generating a bar terminal with more than 9 wires (could have crashed at more than 3) since introduction of Reference Drawings.
  • Catalog: Fixed ABB PLC catalog entries, some of which were modified incorrectly in the 8.6.1 update.
  • Block Manager: Fixed "Not that kind of class" error updating a symbol with annotative scaling on attributes.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed a .NET exception when changing text in a single-record data grid view while using a large font such that the bottom was clipped.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed dialogs with a data grid such that pressing [TAB] can now shift the keyboard focus into the data grid.
  • Miscellaneous: Name sequence for Project Drawing entries for ICE added to name sequence files, Names ICE/ANSI.dbm.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed the issue that saving as 2018 format sets drawings to have a "student version" watermark
18 Jun 2018

EDS 8.6.1.10 Released

New Features

  • Paneldes: 3D realistic blocks for raceway. Examples are supplied for ladder tray.
  • Paneldes: Polyline Trace will now insert multiple straight length segments end-to-end if the segments have a specified fixed length in the catalog.
  • Paneldes: New button to load the raceway insert dialog with the catalog specification most closely matching the previously inserted part.
  • Paneldes: Support length-extensions (tangents) on tray shapes, short straight sections at the joining ends - LENGTH1, 2 and 3.
  • Paneldes: Support and differentiate between internal (concave) and external (convex) risers.
  • Paneldes: Support Tee segments that branch to the right (use a negative angle)
  • Paneldes: Support a separate dimension for side wall versus base thickness - WIDTH2 and HEIGHT2. Supports SECHEIGHT for existing catalogs.
  • Paneldes: Full DBF Import in Paneldes, with same features as Elecdes 8.4.6.
  • GstarCAD 2018 support.

Changes

  • Paneldes: Erase raceway envelope construction now allows the user to select the raceway segments for which the envelope is erased.
  • Paneldes: No longer displays the "Generate BOM" question when Global Editing small models.
  • Paneldes: Global Editor now erases and rebuilds raceway envelope for only modified segments.
  • Paneldes: New setting for the tolerance used to decide if the dimensions of a segment match another for Polyline Trace.
  • Paneldes: Paneldes selection with query window now allow the selection of frozen or hidden entities.
  • Paneldes: Will now create standard layers as and when required if they are missing from layer.dbf.
  • Paneldes: Route View will now draw panel and device boxes on layer "routdisppanels" so they can be hidden independently of the conductor line.
  • Paneldes: Performance improvement for model building by using ARX database functions instead of editor functions for raceway envelope construction.
  • Paneldes: Performance improvement when converting many in-memory DBF data structures to Paneldes component data structures.
  • Paneldes: New option "Change direction" in the raceway placement menu and hotkeys to aid placement of new shapes.
  • Paneldes: Raceway placement menu now shows raceway segment ends in the "Drag by..." sub-menu, equivalent to the [E] hotkey.
  • Paneldes: Placement of a Tee or X / Cross segment to split a length will trim both straight length segments if placed over a join in those length segments.
  • Paneldes: Tee segment is now dragged by the bottom of the 'T' when splitting a straight length segment. Now easier to align to other segments.
  • Paneldes: The full length of a straight segment is now shown in the "Untrimmed Length" field on the insertion dialog.
  • Paneldes: Increased the tolerance to consider straight lengths are connected to fittings when re-sizing after Global Editing.
  • Paneldes: Identification of an existing block as a default label is now more lenient (any "M_LABEL_*" or "I_LABEL_*").
  • Paneldes: Improve performance when re-building a run of straight length segments.
  • Paneldes: Now always re-builds runs of straight segments if they are Global Edited.
  • Paneldes: [Add Lid] in the raceway extra parts builder now just adds a graphic only lid instead of opening the catalog to select a lid.
  • Paneldes: Replacement of catalog specification on straight segments now does not change the overall length. Now builds a new run to suit.
  • Paneldes: Re-built runs of straight segments after Global Editing now use appropriate name sequence instead of just adding a suffix.
  • Paneldes: Avoids re-use of raceway segment names when inserting or modifying raceway.
  • Paneldes: Naming of runs of segments from insertion or modification now ensures a single numeric suffix.
  • Paneldes: Polyline Trace now checks for existing raceway on the polyline and warns if present.
  • Paneldes: Raceway Integrity Checker now warns if it finds multiple segments, devices or panels in the same position and orientation.
  • Paneldes: Naming give to straight length segment split by Tee or X/Cross normalised to use the same naming system as runs (point separated suffix).
  • Paneldes: Routing summary report now saved to a file: "<prj>RoutingSummary.txt".
  • Paneldes: Added segment pairs per cable to the routing summary report.
  • Paneldes: Added descriptions for some of the reported statistics in the routing summary report.
  • Paneldes: Added displaying the Xref drawing name in any error message where opening and reading an XRef drawing fails.
  • Conductor Routing: Final choice of routes that are close to terminations now chooses shortest within M/I_CLOSE_CONDUIT_MAXDIST
  • Conductor Routing: Fetches cable diameter from other column options before CABLEFACTR's NEC large cable diameter, allowing CABLEFACTR to specify a larger diameter than the actual cable to separate cables in filling calculations without affecting cable drawing.
  • Conductor Routing: Conductor route length is now written in the routing debugging file RouteTraceOutput.txt.
  • Elecdes: Cross reference symbol insertion now always inserts forward-oriented cross reference symbols regardless of schematic symbol orientation.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Elecdes and Paneldes now check if the workspace is missing the main menus or ribbon tabs and rebuild the workspace if so.
  • Catalog: Set CATDESC to a short summary of the parts in Cooper B-Line catalog, CatGCP. Previously was just the shape name.
  • Instrument Manager: Can now set the First Word for a PLC card in the PLC card ratings for a Re-select from Catalog.
  • Setup: [Reset profiles...] now triggers reconstruction of the Elecdes and Paneldes workspaces (in addition to rebuilding the profiles).
  • Setup: Install a manifest into the CAD package installation to force the use of .NET 4.0 for AutoCAD 2007-2011 and for GstarCAD 2012.

Bugs Fixed

  • Paneldes: Fixed use of ARX database functions to insert blocks, which caused bad scale and alignment in Paneldes.
  • Paneldes: Fixed spline for innermost cable on a corner or riser from cutting into the inner wall of the raceway.
  • Paneldes: Stopped reactor to object modification from running during a drawing save.
  • Paneldes: Auto Insert now uses values from the Auto Insert file in preference to the catalog, which means it now works for trimmed lengths.
  • Paneldes: Fixed Auto Insert to insert tee segments and to show the shape cursor when the primary component is a corner or riser.
  • Paneldes: Fixed orientation of label blocks on reducers that were copied.
  • Paneldes: Fixed failure to insert 3D solid or label on copied corner and riser segments with eCannotScaleNonUniformly. Matrix now orthogonal.
  • Paneldes: Fixed function that erases raceway envelope construction to set UNDO transactions correctly.
  • Paneldes: Global Edit now reconstructs at the precise existing position instead of the rounded position from the database if not moved.
  • Paneldes: Modified cable drawing through corners and risers to return to using an arc with radius dependent on the position on the segment face.
  • Paneldes: Enabled Query Conductor to pick SPLINE entities, which are used in cable viewing from EDS 8.4.1 onwards.
  • Paneldes: 3D raceway block or label with a long block name was erased when running Global Edit due to buffer overrun.
  • Paneldes: Cable cross-section list drawing failed for straight segments that were split during the route tracing.
  • Paneldes: Polyline Trace was overly pessimistic when reducing the bend radius of corners to fit between bends, using only half the length available.
  • Paneldes: Restored the message when Polyline Trace reduced the bend radius of non-catalog corners to fit between bends.
  • Paneldes: Fixed crash in Pick Forced Route if a previous attempt was cancelled.
  • Paneldes: End-trimming when inserting raceway did not correctly trim when the end had a very short length on the end of a longer length.
  • Paneldes: Query Component bounding box was not set correctly for a Tee segment with 0 in SECWIDTH, when it should assume same as WIDTH.
  • Paneldes: Route View failed to draw the first conductor if the conductor file contained one or more blank records anywhere in the file.
  • Paneldes: Routing could crash if the model contained raceway segments with split power values.
  • Paneldes: Reading a modified drawing for cable routing omitted extracting blocks meaning it saved a cache that omitted the datum and scale.
  • Paneldes: Changed how an XRef is opened to read its entities to a method that succeeded, where opening by name failed.
  • Paneldes: Fixed attempt to clean-up temporarily locked cable and route records to not depend on the DBK files. Previously would not run if either DBK was missing. Previously could crash if the DBK was read-only and larger than the DBF.
  • Conductor Routing: Fixed intermittent SetUCSMatrix failure, unusual route lengths and route lengths reported as only the units text from Route Tracing
  • Conductor Routing: Cable that was back-calculating cable diameter from cablefactor would instead get a fixed 4mm or 3/16" cable diameter
  • Conductor Routing: Prevented an apparent lock-up or freeze when Cable Drumming attempted to report an invalidly long cable. Now limited to 5 x drum size.
  • Elecdes: Restored ability to use pre-set values in attributes if not overwritten by catalog or insertion attributes.
  • Elecdes: Fixed crash inserting startref block. Use of ARX to insert block was missing ability to set attributes in order without attribute names.
  • Elecdes: Insertion of a symbol that is concurrently open in AutoCAD caused an exception following the change to use ARX functions.
  • Elecdes: Metric symbols toolbar had the wrong command linked to the button "Place a panel". The ribbon and menu were correct
  • Elecdes: DBF Import failed on GstarCAD and failed to insert into paper space when an import configuration JSON file was loaded.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: DBF Import failed on GstarCAD since it was changed to insert MTEXT.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: The choice of bottom-right justification for the text in DBF Import was not recognised and created top-left justified text.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Fixed exception from DBF Import if maximum records specified in the config file exceeded the number of records in the DBF.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Forced .NET modal dialogs to foreground. On GstarCAD 2012 they appeared behind the CAD window, leaving the program mostly unresponsive.
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Now unloads CUIX file if AutoCAD is keeping it in use so that it can be replaced.
  • Wirediag: Invisible attributes on alpha-sorted terminals were being treated as if manually hidden by the user.
  • Wirediag: Preferences for Device were not saved for hybrid terminals.
  • Block Manager: [Update selected drawings with new symbol definitions] did not synchronise attributes.
  • Catalog: Fixed specifications for some parts in imperial Cooper B-Line catalog, CatGCP.
  • Database Editor: Fixed "Advanced Sort" failing to sort after changes for the new UI for DBF Import.
  • Ebase: Cross reference report was not created if the connection reporting templates were missing from the RTEMPLATE folder.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed multi-user lock-up editing tags when a table has more than 30,000 parent links and is viewing children in a list view using an alias.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed Re-select from Catalog for a PLC card not re-building the terminal groups and terminals correctly, with erratic results.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed Select or Re-select from Catalog for a PLC card to not re-set the addresses and descriptions.
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed to preserve cable connections to terminal groups during Select or Re-select from Catalog.
  • Instrument Manager: Link to AutoCAD P&ID could create blank areas since the change to allow non-data mappings to make valid records.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed the relational alias system choosing between alternative aliases that used the child separator | or referenced a ratings record.
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Form Edit in the Relational Column Alias Editor saved the change to the first record.
  • Install: Silent 'update' install was not running Setup in silent mode.
  • Install: Did not copy executable files to installation if EL32.INI file had BIN and BIN64 settings changed, e.g. from using Find & Replace on the path.
  • Miscellaneous: Fixed conversion of imperial values to use 4 decimal places, which is precise to 1/16", where previously it was 2dp supporting only 1/4". Also now trims trailing zeros from values providing tidier output in reports.
  • Miscellaneous: Crash extracting blocks with long names because of unprotected buffer loading. The problem appeared extracting non-EDS blocks.
9 Feb 2018

EDS 8.5.0.4 Released

New Features

  • AutoCAD 2018 support (including DWG 2018 file format)
  • New Ribbons for Elecdes and Paneldes (in AutoCAD 2013 and later), with new layouts and icons.

Changes

  • Setup: New button on the main dialog to reset the CAD profiles for Elecdes and Paneldes (also resets the Elecdes/Paneldes workspace in AutoCAD)
  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Improved workspace creation and checking to better detect and fix the workspace. A damaged workspace (eg missing ribbons) can be recreated using the command "MAKEEDSWORKSPACE"
  • Elecdes: Rename reactor now also renames copied single line cable markers and panel symbols
  • Elecdes: Removed the 80 drawing limit for wire extension continuation
  • Paneldes: New method used to determine the orientation of a Paneldes 3D solid entity
  • Paneldes: Created method to create solid entities consistently in Paneldes, meaning solid points are consistent and creation is consistent
  • Paneldes: Inserting the datum block will change the drawing type to Paneldes in the project if it is currently listed as an Elecdes drawing
  • Paneldes: Paneldes-BOM / Global Edit file now created from template_PnldesModel.dbf
  • Conductor Routing: Missing waypoint or wrong power on waypoint will now be skipped instead of preventing routing. Alert in route details
  • Conductor Routing: Allow wires specifically to make "touch-and-go" connections as wires may connect from a device to very near the end of panel ducting
  • Miscellaneous: Background cache update now continues silently if the project contains drawings that cannot be found. This means it does not pause and keep the project locked

Bugs Fixed

  • Elecdes/Paneldes: Fix crash when running plain GstarCAD after running Elecdes or Paneldes
  • Elecdes: Drawing reference table had the incorrect path to the report (<prj>xref_drawing.dbf) if the drawing and project were in different folders
  • Elecdes: Cross-reference back annotation set the reference for only the first pair of wire extension markers for each continuing wire
  • Elecdes: Fixed reactor to break lines stretched across a symbol with the STRETCH command. Currently works only across a single symbol
  • Elecdes: When run in an MTD edit session, some functions would leave a flag set that prevented MTD Save from working
  • Paneldes: Riser segments constructed from a straight segment by polyline trace had a class of CABTRAY instead of TRAYRSR
  • Paneldes: Values in EE data but not in the label or 3D block were erased by the reactor if the object was later modified
  • Paneldes: Riser segments with width equal to height were drawn with the open top on the side rather than the top or bottom, i.e. as a corner
  • Paneldes: Fix creation of plates in GstarCAD 2016. Previously some plates were extruded outwards and some inwards
  • Paneldes: Fixed incorrect enabling/disabling of "Constrain to plate" and "Constrain to panel". Disabled "Face alignment" when constrained
  • Paneldes: Fixed a problem that caused viewed cables to sometimes cross over each other in reducers and in conduits
  • Paneldes: Ensure viewed cables don't leave conduit anywhere except at the ends
  • Paneldes: Reconstruction of non-rectangular plates after Global Editing would sometimes fail to create regions
  • Paneldes: Fixed creation of points for spline for a cable to prevent "SetUCSMatrix Failed - Colinear points".
  • Paneldes: Fixed stack overflow error while saving a new drawing.
  • Paneldes: Cable routing and background cache update would crash if the drawing contained segments that were missing their alignment point
  • Paneldes: Default Paneldes-BOM / Global Edit file NORTH, EAST and ELEVATION columns now have width of 30 to stop truncation of imperial values
  • Paneldes: Change of position from Global Editing was done using WCS points but in UCS, leaving components in the wrong position
  • Conductor Routing: Detection of reversed terminations was still able to fail if segments were split due to omitting restoration of the segment total length
  • Conductor Routing: Fix crash during routing if raceway segments contained lower case characters
  • Conductor Routing: Legitimate routes where a device connects near a join between two trays were blocked by protection against "touch-and-go".
  • Wirediag: Diagram construction from a signals database was trying to create references, which variously caused warnings and/or a crash
  • Wirediag: Restored option to draw a terminal strip or wiring diagram without cables, now as its own separate checkbox
  • Instrument Manager/Cable Scheduler: Fixed loading tables from old databases (that required tables added) which caused the tags folder to be shown twice in the component tree
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed crashing when some types of Fieldbus hub were viewed in the connection preview
  • Instrument Manager: Fixed P&ID linking to not create a query with 0 rows for an empty P&ID table, which lead to the warning: "Could not set statement attribute for row array size"
  • Cable Scheduler: Fix updates to existing database components from drawing changes: ratings, cable cores and device terminals now always synchronised
  • Ebase: Some tagnames were repeated in TAGS column of materials summary report (BSUM)
  • Ebase: Materials summary reports for components with no MFG and CATNO were incorrect in that they were combined into one total
  • Ebase: Cross-references could not use STARTREF attribute from a title block if the image template template_$title.dbf included SHEETNAME
  • Ebase: A Paneldes drawing started without a datumsc and added to the project would remain stuck as an Elecdes drawing unless the cache was deleted
  • Ebase: Fix crash or bad cross-reference if all but two symbols are marked RSTATUS = "No Xref" and have no subcomponent numbers
  • Ebase: Export Drawings was not removing wiring diagram and nested block definitions. Also now removes all unused block definitions, like purge
  • Catalog: A catalog reference for a single I/O channel returned the type code in the CATDESC instead of the description
  • Block Manager: Line weight was not set while using "Modify properties of inserted blocks" and "Modify layers of selected symbols"