To assign a feature to a work location

The procedure for assigning a feature to a work point or span is to select it from the Features Catalog and drag to a work location folder displayed in the Design Workspace. You can also drag it to a path folder if you want to assign the feature to all work locations in the path. If the design is a GIS design, assigning a feature to a work location also places it on the GIS map. The symbology and text annotation of a feature will depend on how the GIS styles are configured.

When you assign a feature, it acquires certain default characteristics from its current definition in the Features Catalog, based either on the active job default or your changes to the feature's default attributes to meet design requirements (see Modifying a Feature's Placement Defaults in a Job Default). The new assigned feature may also acquire some attribute values from the existing facility or work location where it is attached. For example, span features automatically inherit a work location's Quantity /Length value.

After assigning a facility to a work location, you can change any of its assigned attribute values by using the Feature Editor dialog box (see Editing Attributes of Assigned Features). If you want to apply a new attribute value to several facilities in the design, you can perform this editing task in a single step by using the Multiple Feature Editor dialog box (see Editing Attributes of Multiple Assigned Features).

See also: Using the Features Catalog

1. With the design open in the Design Assistant, make sure the Features Catalog and By Work Point settings on the View menu are active and that the appropriate path folder is expanded in the Design Workspace to show the targeted work location.
2. In the Features Catalog, click the tab of the commodity group containing the feature that you want to assign.
3. Click the tab of the feature group containing the item that you want to assign.
4. To assign the feature to a single work location, drag the item from the catalog page to the target work location. To assign the feature to all work locations in the path, drag the item to the target path folder.
   Note: Bentley OpenUtilities Designer executes the placement operation only if the selected feature is compatible with the target work location according to the active placement defaults and business rules.
5. To add additional facilities to the work location, repeat steps 2 through 4.