What is the Limiting Factor for Off Pages References - D-Tools Forum

David_Haddad · 07-24-2009, 02:18 AM

Over the years it has been discussed many times that there is a need for off page references. That is, I should be able to take a wire that is on the page I am working on, and connect it to a device on another page. The time that this could save is incalculable. As an example, let's say I am on the blueprint page and just ran a bundle of (4) Cat 5 to a touchscreen location. It sure would be nice if right than and there I could click on each of those wires and assign them to the output of a device that exists on another page. And then that connection should show in my wire reports. That's one example, there are many others such as on schematic pages.

Why hasn't this happened yet? Is it a D-Tools limitation or a Visio limitation?

Thanks

ChristianB · 07-24-2009, 04:49 AM

What I've done is to run the wires from the output on the schematic shape on the first page to a box with text referrals. Then on the other page I connect the same wires to the input and create a box with text referrals og the begin end of the wire on the new page.

Example: From a Crestron CP2E, Cresnet output. Wire connected to the connection point and ends up with a text box at the arrow end: "Touchpanel master bedroom 2nd floor".
On the schematic for the master bedroom 2nd floor the same wire is pulled out of the data matrix and into the schematic. I connect the arrow end to the input for the touchpanel and add a text box at the start of the wire: "Crestron CP2E Cresnet output". Then the wire has connection at both ends and will be displayed with both from and to on wire reports.

David_Haddad · 07-24-2009, 06:57 AM

Thanks Christian, that's what I do too. What I would really like to avoid is the need to find the wires in the data matrix and drag them onto the second page, that is a huge time killer on large projects. As an alternative, I would love to see a copy and paste that allows me to drag wires from one page to another. That's something that used to exist in D-Tools 10 years ago and be called "functional copy".

NareshN · 07-24-2009, 08:18 AM

This has been logged as a feature request. It is definitely something which would need to be developed within D-Tools (not a Visio limitation). Right now our code basically watches wire connections in Visio and adds them to the database which is used in reports. Any other suggestions you can add on this will be welcome on this would work.