Related Objects
You can use ArcFM to establish relationships between features, between features and objects, and between objects in your geodatabase. To do so, a relationship class must exist for each type of relationship. Information about creating a relationship class is available in the ArcFM Solution Configuration Guide.
There are multiple methods for creating a relationship between features, objects, or between features and objects:
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Add Related Object: Associate related features or objects with a feature or object before it is placed on the map.
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Create Related Object: Create a new feature or object and relate it to an existing feature or object.
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Locate and Relate Object: Uses the Locator tool to search for an existing feature or object and relate it to a selected feature or object in the map.
Cardinality: All relationships are created with cardinality rules (e.g., one to one, one to many, many to many). ArcFM respects this cardinality when establishing relationships between features. For example, a user may want to related a Support Structure and a Transformer:
One to One: Only one Support Structure may be assigned to one Transformer and vice versa. ArcFM allows neither multiple Support Structures on a single Transformer nor multiple Transformers on a single Support Structure.
One to Many: Assume the cardinality is set such that one Support Structure can have multiple related Transformers (this is an example; yours may be different). It will not allow multiple Support Structures to be assigned to a single Transformer. ArcFM does not enforce custom business rules regarding cardinality (e.g., the specific number of Transformers that may be assigned to a Support Structure).
Add Related Object
You can associate related features or objects in ArcFM (symbolized and non-symbolized) with a feature or object before you place it on the map. Add Related Object is a right-click utility for features or objects in the Targets tab that you have not placed on the map yet. Create Related Object is a right-click utility for existing features or objects on your map. First, make sure you have started an editing session.
- Select a feature from the Features tab.
- Expand the feature in the Targets tab to display related features and objects. You can only create related objects that have a relationship with the selected feature. For example, you may create and relate a Fuse Unit for a Fuse feature, but not a Transformer Unit.
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Right-click a feature (or object) relationship class and
select Add Related Object. It will be listed below the relationship
class. Do NOT click the Create button on the Attribute Editor. Designer
will create the related objects once you place the feature on
the map.
If the related object is spatial, you will need to place it on the map. Spatial features and non-spatial objects are indicated by different icons in the Targets tree (see example below).
- Click the related feature and select the Shape field.
- Click the Sketch tool in the Shape field and draw the related feature on the map.
- After you have placed all spatial related objects on the map, select the original (or parent) feature in the Targets tab.
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Draw the feature on the map. Single click for a point feature
or double-click to finish drawing a linear feature.
Create Related Object
Use this tool to create a new feature or object and relate it to an existing feature or object. Create Related Object is a right-click utility for existing features or objects on your map. Add Related Object is a right-click utility for features in the Targets tab that haven't yet been placed on the map.
If your map contains multiple workspaces, you may only create related objects that are in the workspace being edited. The Create Related Object utility may be disabled if the relationship is 1-to-1 and another related object already exists.
- Select the existing feature on the map.
- Expand to display the relationship classes on the Selection tab. You may only create related objects that have a relationship with the selected feature. For example, you may create and relate a Fuse Unit for a Fuse feature, but not a Transformer Unit.
- Right-click a relationship and select Create Related Object to display the ArcFM Create Related Object dialog.
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Edit attributes as desired. The field names of edited attributes
will appear in blue. If a field does not accept a Null value and no
value is assigned, it is highlighted in yellow.
If the object is non-spatial, it is not placed on the map. Simply edit the attributes and click Create. Each time you click Create, an object will be created and related to the feature. If the object or feature is spatial, it will have a shape field. You need to place it on the map.
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Click the Sketch tool
in
the Shape field and draw the feature on the map.
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Click Create to create the new feature or object and relate
it to the existing feature.
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Click Close to dismiss the Create Related Object tool.
Locate and Relate Objects
The Locate and Relate Objects incorporates the Locator tool to quickly find objects that are already related to (associated with) a feature class or that can be related to a feature class. You must have an editing session started to enable this tool. To find and associate an object class to a feature:
- Expand the selected feature on the Selection tab of the Attribute Editor and select the relationship (Fuse, in the example below).
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Right-click the relationship and select Locate and Relate
Objects to display the ArcFM Locator.
- The object name is displayed (as grayed out) in the Search field of the Locator tool. You can change attribute values or the subtype as necessary to find objects that meet the search criteria. The Locator finds related objects. In the example on this page the Locator tool is used to find Fuses that may be related to a Support Structure.
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Click Find or press Enter.
- Once the Locator has presented you with a list of potential related objects, select one and click OK. You may relate multiple objects by using the Shift key or the Ctrl key to select multiple objects in the Locator, then clicking OK.