Bill of Materials Manager

Overview

Use the BMBOMPANELOPEN, BMBOMPANELCLOSE, BMBOM and BMBOMEDIT commands.

The Bill of Materials Manager allows you to browse, create and edit bills of materials (BOMs) in the current drawing. Use the manager to interactively configure, both new and existing, bills of materials. You can save the configuration of a bill of materials as a template file and reuse it later in other drawings. You can also add a bill of materials that is not linked to a table in the drawing.

With the Bill of Materials Manager, you can:

• Browse existing bills of materials in the drawing.
• Create a new bill of materials using either a template file stored in BOMTEMPLATE system variable, a standard type (such as top-level, bottom-level, hierarchical) or an existing BOM template. If BOMTEMPLATE system variable contains a valid path to a BOM template file, this file will be used with priority to create a new BOM table.
• Edit bills of materials:
  • Add or remove columns (includes formula columns).
  • Move selected columns to new positions.
  • Rename the columns.
  • Configure how the BOM table is sorted.
  • Configure the footer value for each individual column.
  • Configure the units and how they are displayed for each column.
  • Configure the width of each column with column properties.
  • Configure the visibility of each individual column.
  • Filter the components with a filter expression.
  • Change the title of both the title row and the footer row.
• Search for components in the table.
• Highlight and select component instances.
• Save the BOM configuration as a template file or as a default template file (stored in BOMTEMPLATE system variable).
• Load a BOM table configuration from a template file.
• Place one or more BOM table instances in a drawing.
• Delete BOM tables.

Open the Bill of Materials Manager

Tools

Most of the configuration operations in the manager are available in the main menu. A context menu is available for selected columns or rows. You can also change the properties of the selected columns and the BOM itself in the properties section of the manager. To work with a particular column, select it in the BOM grid. Multiple columns can be selected simultaneously.

Properties

The properties grid is located at the bottom of the manager's panel. To adjust its size, use the splitter control, located between the grid and the properties grid.

The properties grid contains the properties of the current table; title, type, filter, sorting mode and footer title. If any columns are selected, the grid will also display their common properties. You can change any common property for all the selected columns at once. Column properties change the title, visibility, and width of the column.

For numerical values, you can set the footer type, footer units mode, unit placement, units mode, and the footer unit (if the column has units that can be changed).

The unit placement defines where the units are displayed: in the column title, in the same cell as the value itself, or in its own column.

The units mode defines how the displayed unit should be obtained; the best unit for all values, the best unit to display a particular value in the cell, or a specified (user-defined) unit. You can choose the Units mode for distance, area, volume, or mass properties.

The footer type defines what should be displayed in the cell, sum, average value, minimal value or maximal value.

The footer units mode defines the units for the footer cell, auto, best or user-defined.

The footer unit sets a different unit for footer value.

Filter

In both cases, the Filter Configurator dialog box is displayed:

Each row in this dialog box represents an elementary condition. It is possible also to add groups to combine several elementary conditions and/or groups. Groups allow to create complex filters.

Adding a new elementary condition

Removing one or more conditions

Adding a new group of conditions

Grouping selected conditions

To apply the filter, click OK.

Column filters

Column filters allow you to set the conditions on which rows to include in the table. Each column filter sets a condition that column values should meet in order to be included. For example, you may set a column filter to include only parts with quantities larger than a certain number, or parts whose names contain Nozzle. A column can have no more than one filter. However, it is possible to simultaneously set filters for as many columns as you need. Columns with active filters are marked with a filter icon () in their title.

To add a column filter, right-click the column title and select Set column filter in the context menu.

A Column filter dialog box is displayed.

Select the required filter type. Next, you will need to set the target value(s) for the filter, depending on the filter type and the column content.

For columns with numerical content, you can set the unit for the target value. The target value will be automatically converted to the document unit internally.

For text filters, you can choose between ignore case and match case options. In and Not in filters show you the list of all possible values for this column (with respect to already applied filters). Check the values that you want to be included or excluded correspondingly. You can also check all values, uncheck all values, or invert the current selection by using the corresponding buttons on toolbars or commands from the context menu.

To apply the column filter, click OK.

To remove a column filter, right-click on the column title and select Remove column filter from the context menu.

For more details, see section Filter a BOM table in Bill of Materials.

Selection set

It is possible to see the current selection set using Show selection command from the main menu.

You can change type of the selection set at any moment by simply choosing a desired selection set type in the main menu. In addition, you may edit existing selection set by adding or removing objects from that selection set.

Sort

BOM tables support several sort modes (for more details, see section Sort a BOM table in Bill of Materials).

To switch between these modes, use the Sorting mode property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid. Use the Sorting mode drop-down menu or double-click the column labels in the Grid to toggle between ascending, descending or natural order for the respective column.

Column units

It is possible to change the Unit placement and Units mode for most numerical properties with units. Select the required columns in the Grid and use the Column properties section of the Properties grid to change the Unit placement and the Units mode.

For more details, see section Column units in Bill of Materials.

See also section Changing the units and unit placement modes for a column.

Evaluated columns

A BOM supports evaluated columns. There are 2 types of evaluated columns: formula and template columns. Thumbnail columns are also considered evaluated columns, although they don’t require any expressions. For more details about formula fields, such as expression syntax, see section Evaluated columns in Bill of Materials.

See also section Add an evaluated column.

Footer row

A BOM table can include a footer row. To add a footer row, specify the footer type for one or more columns. By default, the title of the footer row is TOTAL:. Change the footer title with the Footer title property in the Bill of materials property section of the Properties grid.

It is possible to add footers to formula or template columns as well.

For more information about a footer row in a BOM, see section Footer in Bill of Materials.

See also: Add a footer for the column.

Aggregated columns

In top-level, bottom-level, and hierarchical BOM tables, almost any column can be assigned with an aggregate function. Aggregate functions group values of several rows in a BOM (that differ only in those values) into a single value. For example, aggregate functions can be used to compute the total length of pipes with respect to their size and thickness, or to concatenate all sizes of bolts and nuts used in the assembly in a single cell.

For more details, see section Column units in Bill of Materials.

Aggregated columns are marked with the ∑ symbol in their title.

Templates

You can save BOM configurations as templates. Use the BOM manager to create a new table from a template and to replace the current table configuration with one from a template. You can save the configuration as a template at any moment. You can change a loaded template configuration with the regular tools and save it as another template.

For more information about BOM templates, see section Templates in Bill of Materials.

Searching

The BOM manager has a search field that allows you to search for a particular value in the table. You can also use wild cards in the search field. By default, BricsCAD searches the entire table. To limit the search area, select the required columns. If the value is found, the cursor moves to that cell. If no columns are selected, the row is selected. The Grid automatically scrolls to make the cell visible. To find another value, use the or buttons. You can also use F3 or Ctrl+F3. To select all found results, use the button.

By default, the text in the search field is searched for. However, you can also use wild cards.

The following special symbols are supported:

To open the search field, use the Search tool on the toolbar or use Ctrl+F.

Associated table

Each BOM table in the manager can have an associated table in the document, which updates when the BOM configuration is changed. A BOM table can have one associated table only. However, you can create BOM tables that do not have an associated table in the document.

To create an associated table, use Place/Update table. If the BOM table was created with BMBOM, the associated table is created automatically.

You can locate the associated table in the document with Associated table - Zoom to or Associated table - Select. If necessary, the active layout switches to the associated table layout.

You can delete the associated table with Associated table - Delete. As an alternative, you can detach the associated table from the BOM table with Associated table - Detach. After it is detached, the associated table loses its link to the BOM table and will not update with the BOM.

Updating the BOM

From BricsCAD V20.2, the BOM manager automatically updates the table content in the panel, when the assembly is modified or updated. For large assemblies, this may be inconvenient. The BOM manager automatically updates the table when active.

To avoid the automatic update, close the BOM manager to make the BOM Manager panel inactive.

You can manually refresh the BOM manager content using Refresh.

Adding a new bill of materials

Selecting the current BOM

Use the BOM selector to select an existing bill of materials.

Changing the type of the current BOM

Change the Type property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid.

Changing the property set of the current BOM

Change the Property set property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid.

Changing the counting mode of a hierarchical BOM

Change the Counting mode property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid.

Changing the grouping mode of top- or bottom-level, and hierarchical BOM

Change the Grouping mode property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid.

Setting a custom filter for the current BOM

Adding new columns to the current BOM

Adding an evaluated column

Adding a template column from selected columns

Changing an evaluated column

Removing a column from the current BOM

Changing the BOM title

Use BOM Title to edit the title, or use the Title property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid.

You can use the <NAME> placeholder to refer to the assembly name.

Changing the footer row title

Use the Footer title property in the Bill of materials properties section of the Properties grid.

Adding a prefix or suffix to numbers

Changing the delimiter between numbers in a hierarchical BOM

Changing the number type in hierarchical BOM

Change the column title

Change the column format

Changing the units and unit placement modes for a column

Adding a footer to a column

Alternatively:

Note: To toggle between Sum and Nofunction, click the Footer button ().

Note: It is possible to add footers to formula or template columns as well.

Saving the current configuration as a template

Exporting the current table to CSV