For the past month or so we’ve been working on expanding the functionality of the naming rules system for file names and output location automation in the new release of Xrev Transmit (available very soon).  This is all based on various feedback and requests from our users.

We’ve recently added the following functionality:

• Alignment of values
• Formatting of values
• Prefix & Suffixes to values
• Nominating optional values
• Specifying “Default” values

Alignment

This enables you to pad out a parameter value to a particular number of spaces, then left or right align the value.  This can be useful when you want everything to line up in Windows Explorer.  For example:

ProjectNumber-SheetNumber(Revision) could be configured with alignment to do this:

• 10000-A001     (A) or
• 10000-     A001(A)

In this case I’ve shown two examples of padding out the Sheet Number to 9 characters, one left aligned and the other right aligned.  Is this useful?

Formatting

We’ve always allowed the formatting of Date parameters to be overridden in a naming convention on a per instance basis.  We now also allow the formatting of Numeric values.  EG: you can pad a number out to 3 zero’s.

• <Date:yy-MM-dd> becomes 26-09-13
• <Number:000> becomes 001

Prefix & Suffix

You will now be able to choose to include prefixes and suffixes in naming conventions.  This is useful because if the value is blank or the parameter doesn’t exist the prefix/suffix doesn’t get placed.  For Example:

• <ProjectNumber>-<SheetNumber>(<Revision>) used to be 10000-A001() if blank, with the new functionality you could write:
• <ProjectNumber>-<SheetNumber><[(]Revision?[)]> which is 10000-A001 if blank or 10000-A001(1) if 1.

Optional Variables

One of the most common support requests we have is when someone has used a “shared parameter” in a naming convention, then that shared parameter doesn’t exist in the project and Xrev Transmit doesn’t know what to do as a result.  We now can handle this type of error by nominating Optional variables.  By simply adding a question mark it tells Xrev Transmit that it doesn’t matter if that parameter doesn’t exist or is blank, and it should just ignore it.

Default Values

Default Values are very useful, for applying a value override when the parameter is blank in Revit.  For example:

• <Revision=0> means if the revision is blank to show it as Revision 0. OR
• <Revision=Not For Issue> for a blank revision would just put in text saying “Not For Issue” in place of the Revision.

As we are still working on the new release, we’d love to hear any feedback on whether you’d find this useful or need more control over naming rules in any way?