Compatibility Design Rule

	This task explains the compatibility design rule.
	The compatibility design rule is used in two ways during part placement: it finds compatible parts in the catalog, and it aids in orienting parts correctly when you are placing them. For instance, when placing a part on a 10 inch run, it is sufficient to obtain the size value from the document and filter the catalog to find parts with a nominal size of 10 inches. However, sometimes the part that is being placed needs to have an attribute that does NOT match the attribute on the part it is being placed against. An example is when a male end is placed next to a female end - these are dissimilar values and this is where the compatibility design rule comes into play. The text table associated with the design rule is examined to determine which attributes match, and the catalog is filtered accordingly. (The application uses catalog keywords to achieve this and your catalog should have the correct keywords for each part). This is a general design rule and the associated table is located in the directory ...\intel_a\Startup\EquipmentAndSystems\XXXXX\DesignRules, where XXXXX is the application name, such as Piping or Tubing.
	1.	The image below shows the compatibility rule text table for the Piping Design product, opened in MS Excel . Tables for other applications will have different values but operate in the manner described below. The table contains two sets of column headings (Attribute Name1 & 2 - Standard1 & 2 - Attribute Value1 & 2, and Compatibility Level - explained below). Attribute Name is the attribute, Standard is the name of the standard, while Attribute Value is the value for that attribute. When you place a part the application ensures compatibility by reading this table. It does so by determining if values for the connectors on the two parts match the values on one of the lines in the table. (Under the Standard1 column, if you enter an asterisk instead of a standard name, it acts as a wild card and the rule will work with any standard.) It reads these values from the relevant connector only on the "place-on" part. For the part you select from the catalog ("place-to" part) it will examine all connectors to determine which is the best match. In the images below the user has placed a union with 3/4 and 1/2 inch ends against a 1/2 inch elbow. The application will select the connector that matches the elbow (1/2 inch). COMPATIBILITY LEVEL: The compatibility level column is used when you want to override the compatibility design rule during part positioning. For normal design rule behavior you should enter the value 1 in this column. When you want to override normal behavior you should enter the value 0. In the table above, the compatibility level of the end style 'raised face' to the end style 'butt weld' is 0. Normally these two end styles are not compatible. and you will not be able to select a part with the value butt weld to place against a part with the value raised face. However, when you make an entry such as the one shown in the table the application will allow you to make such a selection from the catalog. At the same time the application will not use an entry with a compatibility level of 0 to position a part. To sum up: you will be able to select from the catalog, but the application will not consider raised face and butt weld as compatible while positioning parts. You should also note that the `automatic parts design rule` will come into play when you place the end style 'butt weld' against 'raised face' - what it will do is add the necessary parts to make this configuration workable. NOTE: If a part has an attribute and/or value that does NOT exist in the compatibility table, then the application will search in the catalog for parts that have that same exact value or attribute. For instance, the object against which you want to place a part has a nominal size of 12 inches, but the compatibility table does not have a) the attribute entry at all; or, b) has the attribute entry but not with a 12-inch size. In this case the application will search in the catalog for a part with the attribute nominal size and with a value of 12 inches. Parts that do not meet these criteria will not be considered. Some symbols can also be used in the tables, as shown in the table above. The equal (=) sign can only be used in the Attribute Value column. It means : If it appears in both columns: these values have to be the same for both parts. It should not be used in one column only. The asterisk can be used as a wild card, the value could be anything. The application will not try to find a match in the table.
	2.	You need to make entries to this table to include new standards you add. You should also enter attributes for which you want compatibility checks.
	You will be able to place a part even if it is not compatible. You will not get an error message. The application only looks for the most compatible connector for the situation. The part will be placed even if a compatible connector is not found. If your rules tables and catalog keywords have been defined correctly then you should not be shown incompatible parts to select from.