Best Practices and Tips

When you snap into a reference design, the application processes network connectivity just like when you snap into existing components.

If your design depends on the reference design for network connectivity, you most likely do not want to remove the reference design. Because, if you do, your design loses network connectivity, which results in push issues.

Thus, if you have snapped into a reference design and no longer want to view it, do not remove it. Instead, use the Hide tool. You can hide the reference design from view, but network connectivity is maintained.

Imagine a large design where multiple users are working on different sections of the overall project. This is a good use case for reference designs (so that designers can see each other’s work), but you need to consider push order when all the designs are complete. In other words, in a multi-part project, which designs should be pushed to the GIS first?

Ideally, you would push the most upstream part of the design first, so that downstream designs receive proper network connectivity when pushed.

However, that might not always be possible. Thus, keep the following in mind:

• Push the primary conductor or gas main that ultimately feeds the dependent designs first as part of its own, separate design. That way, the dependent designs can branch off it, and then they can be pushed in any order.

• If that is not possible and if a downstream part of the design must be pushed first, you can incorporate a “dummy” line to provide network connectivity. Then, a GIS editor would perform network clean up in order to remove the dummy line once it is no longer needed.

• If you push a downstream section before the upstream section that provides network connectivity, the downstream section does arrive to the GIS with correct features, attributes, etc. But, it arrives disconnected and “floating in space.” Further, it is sitting in its own version and isolated until reconcile and post. It is at that point, a GIS editor should be conscientious of the downstream work and ensure it receives proper connectivity.

• You should communicate with the designers at your company to figure out the best and most efficient approach.

By default, the components in a reference design use the same symbols as components in your currently open design. After performing design work for a little while, it might be hard to remember where the reference design begins and ends.

As a solution, all components that are a part of a reference design include an attribute called Reference Design ID. This field can be included in your Design Style and symbolized differently. This makes it clear which components are from the reference design, and which are not.

In fact, the Design Style available on the myArcFM page Designer XI Samples includes this configuration as an example.