Creating and Updating Network Type Attributes

To create a new attribute definition for the selected network type, press the button in the Type Columns tab:

A Create Type Column dialog opens.

Enter the required information and settings. When finished, click Save.

To update an attribute definition for a Type Column press the button next to the attribute. The Edit Type column Details dialog is displayed:

Enter or update the required attributes:

Column Name (Required) (Dropdown): Enter the Table Column name to be used to hold the Network Element Attribute Value.

Column Type (Required, Default) (Dropdown): Enter the required format for the Data to be stored in this column. The valid entries, are VARCHAR2, NUMBER OR DATE. The default value is VARCHAR2.

Note: If an Attribute is validated against a Domain the 'Column Type' for the Attribute must be VARCHAR2.

Column Displayed? (Yes/No switch): Set to Yes if this attribute is to be displayed on the Network Elements - form.

Prompt (Optional): Enter the text that the user will see when using this network attribute. A maximum of 80 characters is allowed.

Note: If a foreign table asset is to be created using this form, the prompt field should not exceed 30 characters or an ORA-06502 error will be displayed.

Seq No (Required): Enter the sequence number in which you wish this attribute to be displayed in relation to other attributes entered for the selected Network Type.

Str Length (Required): Enter the maximum number of characters allowed for the attribute value.

Note: If the attribute value is to be selected from a Domain List or generated from an internal database sequence, the allowable string length must be sufficiently long to cater for the resulting value.

Mandatory (Yes/No switch): Set this switch to Yes if a value must be entered for this attribute.

Note: Note that if the ‘Displayed’ checkbox is unchecked, the ‘Mandatory’ checkbox should also be unchecked.

Domain (Optional) List: If the value for this network attribute is to be validated against a System Domain, enter the Domain Name. For example, Sub Class values of ‘Left’, ‘Right’ and ‘Single’ may be held in a system Domain. This will mean that a List of Values containing only those three entries will be available for the User to select from. See also the Domains topic.

Note: If an Attribute is validated against a Domain the 'Column Type' for the Attribute must be VARCHAR2.

Query (Optional): A sql*plus select statement may be used to define a query to dynamically build a List of Values from which to select or validate data entry. The query statement will determine the information that is displayed to the user within the List of Values and also the data which is ‘returned’ to the calling form as the Attribute value. If required, the select statement may include reference to a single bind variable (a previously entered Attribute value).

When defining a query for use in this manner strict rules apply to the structure of the select statement:

The Query must return 3 columns.
The first and second columns returned are the Code and Meaning displayed within the extended LOV respectively.
The third column returned is not displayed but is the value passed back into the calling form as the Attribute Value (if the third column is the same as the first add an Alias to the first column within the query string).
The second column returned within the query will be displayed as the Attribute meaning within the form.
All column names returned by the query must be unique.
The third column must not have an alias.

Seq Name (Optional): If the value for this attribute is to be generated from an internal database sequence, enter the sequence name.

Format (Optional): If required enter a format mask for the Column. For example, defining a format of ‘000000’ would ensure that the value added for the attribute would be padded out with leading zero’s.

Note: The format mask applies to NUMBER and DATE datatypes or Varchar2 datatypes where the value entered is numeric.

Default (Optional): A default value may be defined for a Network Attribute which may be a literal value such as ‘G’ or ‘@’ a numeric value such as 1 or 2 or may be a standard Oracle formatting function call such as SUBSTR (substring) or CONCAT (concatenate) used to derive the Attribute Value from other Network Attributes. When defining a literal value, e.g., a character or string of characters, as a default it should be enclosed in single quotes. If no User value is added for the Network Attribute the default value will be populated.

When using an oracle function call to derive the Attribute Value, the Attribute must be sequenced after all other Attributes which it references. It is recommended that Derived Network Attributes are not displayed, i.e., the ‘Displayed’ check box is not selected, as accidental population of the field will negate the derived default value.

Some examples of using function calls to derive Attribute Values are given below.

String Start (Optional): If only ‘part’ of the Value entered for this attribute is to be used in the naming convention for the Network Element, enter the String start position. For example, if the attribute value was ‘ABCDEFG’ and only the ‘CDE’ part of the String was required, the Start String position would be entered as ‘3’.

String End (Optional): If only ‘part’ of the Value entered for this attribute is to be used in the naming convention for the Network Element, enter the String End position. For example, if the attribute value was ‘ABCDEFG’ and only the ‘CDE’ part of the String was required, the End String position would be entered as ‘5’.

Separator (Optional): If this attribute is to be used as a component part of the Unique Element Reference, a digit may be used to separate the component parts of the Unique reference. For example, if the Unique Reference was composed of columns NE_GROUP, NE_NUMBER AND NE_SUB_CLASS and separators were specified as ‘/’ for column NE_GROUP and ‘-‘ for NE_NUMBER, the resulting Unique Reference may look like H001/1-S.

Unique Sequence (Optional): If this attribute is to be used as a component part of the Unique Element Reference, enter the sequence number that this attribute will assume in the Unique naming convention.

Unique Format (Optional): Attributes used as a component part of the Unique Element Reference may have their values formatted when used within the Unique using standard Oracle formatting function calls. This allows features such as right padding with spaces to be incorporated within the Unique of a Network Element. For example, an Attribute is validated against a System Domain with allowable values of ‘I’ – Interstate and ‘CN’ – County. This attribute (ne_sub_type) is used in the derivation of the Unique. In order to have a Unique with a constant length the Attribute value within the Unique must always be 2 characters in length. However, if a value of ‘I’ – Interstate is selected this must be padded with a space character. Defining the following statement for the attribute will allow for this:

RPAD(:NE_SUB_TYPE,2)

Inherit (Yes/No switch): Set to ‘Yes’ if a new Network Element of the Network Type selected, created as a result of a Network Operation e.g., Split, will ‘Inherit’ the properties of the selected Column. For example, columns NE_GROUP, NE_SUBCLASS and NE_OWNER may be used in the naming convention of a Network Type and each is flagged as ‘Inheritable’. If a Network Element of this Network Type was ‘Split’, the resulting Network Elements would ‘Inherit’ their values for columns NE_GROUP, NE_SUBCLASS and NE_OWNER from the ‘original’ Network Element.

Note: If a Datum Network Type is not using a Network Type Subclass as a carriageway identifier the NE_SUB_CLASS attribute MUST still be defined as a Flexible Attribute. The ‘Display’ and ‘Mandatory’ flags may be left unchecked to make the attribute ‘transparent’ to the User. A default value of ‘S’ should be defined in the ‘Default’ field and the ‘Inherit’ flag MUST be selected.

A Type Subclass of ‘S’ must also be defined in the Type Subclass panel. No description is needed.

If a Network Type column is used as 'Child Auto-Inclusion' the column value is non updateable in the Elements - NM0105 module.