After editing one or more objects, they will have to be updated. In certain instances, updating can require a substantial number of calculations, which is why there are various options available to you to manage the update process. You can manually update individually selected objects or all open objects. FlexPro then analyzes the object network and updates only those elements that are not current. You can, however, force a complete update. If you enable automatic update, then FlexPro updates the objects automatically when they are opened or when changes are made to them. FlexPro can update objects in the background. This allows you to continue working during the update. Objects that are currently being updated, however, are blocked from use.

If you work with data links that refer to changing data, you can enable periodic updating. FlexPro will then refresh the display automatically at the specified rate.

We recommend using automatic updating if you are working with a smaller amount of data. FlexPro will then update objects automatically every time they are edited.

You can set every object in the FlexPro project database to read-only. You will no longer be able to edit the attribute of a read-only object, but you can continue updating the object, e.g. after you import new raw data. If you use cursors in a read-only diagram, all functions that would normally change the diagram, such as zooming, setting and removing markers, or translating curves, are blocked. Even folders can be set to read-only. In a read-only folder you cannot add or remove objects. You can, however, continue to edit the objects themselves as long as they are not also read-only.

You can lock the object to provide further protection for an object. A locked object can no longer be updated. For instance, a locked diagram behaves like a static image, and a locked formula, analysis object or data link is like a data set. The data of locked formulas, analysis objects and data links are stored in the project database and remain unchanged after the database is reopened. You cannot use the cursors in a locked diagram or document. Worksheets cannot be locked.

If indexing is switched on, all objects in the project database are indexed. However, you can exclude individual objects or entire folders from indexing. These will then no longer be found when searching via the project database index or via the data query. This makes sense, for example, for the data query objects themselves.

You can hide individual objects or entire folders in the project database. These are then no longer displayed in the Object List, but can otherwise be used normally.

A Properties dialog box is assigned to each object. Here, you can adjust all of the object-specific settings. For example, you can change the comments for a data set or the options of an analysis object.

There are often more settings options available in the Properties dialog box than in the editor that you normally use to edit the object. Thus, for example, you can also set the order in which the curves are to be drawn in the Properties dialog box of a diagram. Often there is no access in the Editor to the item you would like to edit, e.g. if you would like to delete a curve from a diagram containing a data set that does not provide any data. The curve is then no longer visible in the Editor and can therefore not be clicked. You also have to use the Properties dialog box in such cases.

FlexPro also has a Properties window in which all properties of the selected objects are displayed as a list. The advantage of the Properties window over the Properties dialog box is that you can edit the properties of several objects at once. For instance, to enter the physical unit "V" in ten data sets simultaneously, select these in the Object List and enter "V" in the Y Unit field.

In every FlexPro object, including folders, FlexPro manages a list of parameters that you can edit freely. Each parameter can take a scalar value in one of the data types supported by FlexPro. You can also assign a physical unit to the value. You can later query the parameters using a formula and calculate or output them. Some import filters store additional information as parameters.

The following points must be taken into consideration when assigning names to FlexPro objects:

•The maximum length of an object name is 200 characters.

•The following characters must not be used: \ / : . * ? ! " ' < > |

•No differentiation is made between upper and lower case when objects are saved, i.e. the names "OBJECT" and "Object" are considered identical.

•Objects of different types can have identical names, where data sets and formulas are considered one object type in this case.

Note: A name should start with an alpha character and only alpha characters, numerical digits and the '_' character should be used for the rest of the name. This corresponds to the syntax rule for identifiers in FPScript.

In a project database folder, all objects of the same type have to have a unique name. Thus, it is not possible, for instance, to place two documents with the name "Document" in the same folder. However, you can use the same name for objects of different types, e.g. a diagram and a column table both with the name "Evaluation". This means that the name of an object is not enough to clearly identify an object.

Therefore, a file name extension is assigned to each object class. This extension is appended to the name to clearly identify it. The following table shows the file name extensions used:

As you can see from the table, you do not have to specify a file name extension for data objects, i.e. for data sets, formulas and objects derived from them. The same applies to folders and Excel workbooks that when used as data objects render their content as a list. This is practical because these are the most frequently accessed objects in formulas.

To access the "Data" data set comments within a formula, write:

Data.Comments

If you would like to access the comments from a document called "Evaluation", you have to use the following expression:

Evaluation.doc.Comments

See Also