Boundary Tools

Use Designer HFC's boundary tools to create and edit boundaries for nodes, power supplies, and “do not build” scenarios. Boundaries are saved within the design file you create.

TIP:

When you click the Push to GIS button, the boundary you created is saved in a status of proposed.
When you click the Commission button, the boundary you created is saved in as-built tables.

When working with boundaries, keep the following points in mind:

Each click places a vertex (or point) of the boundary shape. When finished sketching, press Enter to complete the boundary.
You can always re-visit your boundary shape with one of the edit boundary tools.
If sketching a boundary near an existing boundary of the same type (for example, sketching a new node boundary that’s next to an existing node boundary), your cursor snaps to the existing boundary. This helps you sketch clean boundaries that do not overlap and do not have gaps.
- To temporarily disable this snapping behavior, press and hold the Ctrl key while sketching.

Sketch New Boundary

Sketching a new boundary is the same process for all these tools:

Draw Node Boundary
Draw Power Supply Boundary
Draw Do Not Build Boundary

To sketch a new boundary, follow these steps:

Click the boundary tool you require. The map cursor becomes a crosshair.
Click in the map where you want to start drawing the boundary.
Subsequent clicks on the map will add points to the polygon that define the boundary.
When finished, press Enter.
TIP:
- If you are using the Draw Node Boundary and you draw a boundary over a node that is not already assigned, DHFC automatically assigns the node to the newly drawn boundary.
  - Also, if you add a node to the map inside a boundary, DHFC assigns the node to the boundary, if one is not already assigned.
- If sketching a boundary near an existing boundary of the same type (for example, sketching a new node boundary that’s next to an existing node boundary), your cursor snaps to the existing boundary. This helps you sketch clean boundaries that do not overlap and do not have gaps.
  - To temporarily disable this snapping behavior, press and hold the Ctrl key while sketching.

Edit Existing Boundary

Editing an existing boundary is the same process for all these tools:

Edit Node Boundary
Edit Power Supply Boundary
Edit Do Not Build Boundary

To edit an existing boundary, follow these steps:

Click the edit boundary tool you require.
Click once within the boundary you need to edit. Notice the boundary becomes active.
- The blue squares with numbers show the original clicks that created the boundary. The numbers indicate the order of clicks, with 0 as the first click and the highest number as the final click.
- The white circles are the mid-points along the edges between the blue squares.
Modify the shape of the boundary:
1. To move a vertex (either a blue square or white circle), click and drag it into a new location.
2. To delete a vertex, click it once to highlight it, then press Delete.
3. There is not an “add vertex” tool, but you can still add vertices along the edges. Once you move an existing vertex, the application adds white circle mid-points on both sides of it. These then act as new vertices along the edge.
4. To move the entire boundary, click and hold along any edge of the boundary, then drag it into a new position.
Press Enter when finished.
TIP:
- If you are currently editing the boundary and you want to cancel and undo all of your changes, press Esc. If you already pressed Enter and you want to return the boundary to its former shape, click Undo or press Ctrl + Z.
- If you are trying to move a vertex a short distance away, the snapping behavior might keep pulling the vertex back to its original position. To overcome this, press and hold the Ctrl key while moving the vertex. This temporarily disables the snapping behavior. This is seen in the video below:

Split Node Boundary

The need to split a node boundary usually arises from one of two issues. First, as more and more customers are served in a node boundary, it might become necessary to split the boundary. Second, with system upgrades, equipment can typically support larger bandwidths, but the signal cannot travel as far. Thus, a boundary split is required to accommodate the shorter network distances.

IMPORTANT: The Split Node Boundary tool supports splitting a boundary between exactly two nodes, no more no less.

The steps use the following image as an example, where a node boundary contains two nodes: Node A and Node B.

Ensure the node boundary is associated to one of the two nodes.
1. If the boundary is not associated with a node, use the Inspect tool to select the boundary.
2. In the Component tab, associate the boundary to the desired node.
With the Inspect tool, select the boundary.
Click the Split Node Boundary tool.
Bring the cursor into the map. Splitting a boundary is at minimum a three-click process:
1. Click immediately outside the boundary.
2. Click inside the boundary.
3. Click immediately outside the boundary on the other side.
4. Press Enter or double-click your last sketch point.
Notice the boundary is split. Further, examine the Component tab to ensure both sides are associated to the proper node.

While splitting a boundary, you can sketch as many split points as you require, not just three as the steps above describe. Three is simply the minimum required for the tool to function. For example, the same boundary could have been split in this manner: