PlantWise Help

Exception List

Frequently, poor layouts are determined by their routing results – quantities and exceptions. Exceptions can lead you to bottle-necks, insufficient spacing, and other layout problems that are not always apparent without pipe routes. Because of this aspect of the optimization process, it is possible for the AutoRouter to produce large quantities of exceptions. The Exception List gives you a way to manage any number of exceptions with filtering, sorting, and suppressiorn of exception messages.

The Exception List has a table list of the current set of exceptions, a pane for filtering messages (see "Filtering Exceptions", below), and two menus. Also, if there are any suppressed exceptions (see "Suppressing Exceptions", below), the dialog will have a Display Exceptions pane. From here, you can select what exceptions (Active, Suppressed, or both) should be displayed in the table list.

Exception List dialog.

Initially, the table list shows the first line of each exception message. However, when you select the exception, the row expands to the height necessary to view the full exception message.

You can sort the table list by component display name (Tag), exception Category (see "Exception Categories", below), or Exception message by clicking on the column name.

Menu

The Exception List dialog has two menus, File and Exceptions.

From the File menu, you can:
  • generate a text file of active exceptions (Output to File);
  • open a new Exception List dialog containing all active exceptions (All Exceptions) – generally used from an Exception List for a specific component; and
  • Close the dialog.

From the Exceptions menu, you can open editor or builder dialogs; zoom to components; highlight and unhighlight components; suppress; and activate exceptions.

Specifically:
SettingDescription
Edit Components Opens the component editor and/or builder for the selected components.
  • You can select multiple consecutive cells in the table list with the Windows standard <shift+click> selection method.
Edit Interfering Components Opens the editor and/or builder for the items the currently selected pipeline(s) has run into.
Select All Selects all of the contents in the table list to be copied. (The Windows standard <Ctrl+A> command also works.)
Copy Copies the selected contents of the table list. The data can then be pasted into a text or spreadsheet document. (The Windows standard <Ctrl+C> command for copy also works.)
Zoom To Component Causes CAD to prompt you for a view selection. Zooms the selected view so the exception component fills the view. You can then select other views to also be zoomed.
Zoom To Interfering Component Causes CAD to prompt you for a view selection. Zooms the selected view so the interfering component fills the view. You can then select other views to also be zoomed.
Highlight / UnHighlight Components Draws the selected components on the highlight level of the CAD drawing, while UnHighlight Components return the selected highlighted components to their appropriate drawing level
Highlight / UnHighlight Interfering Components Highlights or unhighlights the components the currently selected pipeline(s) has run into.
UhHighlight All Returns EVERY highlighted component in the model to their appropriate drawing level(s).
Toggle Interferences Helps graphically locate interferences. The Toggle Interferences command for the selected pipeline(s)/cable(s), encapsulates all of the interferences within boxes drawn on the interference layer of CAD.
Note: This command is also available in the Pipeline Editor Display menu.
Suppress Selected Exception Messages Hides the currently selected exceptions.
Suppress Selected Exception RULES for These Components Suppress the rule that resulted in the selected exception for the selected components. See "Suppressing Exception Rules", below.
Suppress Selected Exception RULES for ALL Components Suppress the rule that resulted in the selected exception for all components.
Activate Theses Exceptions Returns the selected exceptions to active status and the exceptions are always be reported/displayed.
Activate ALL Exceptions Returns all exceptions to active status and they are always be reported/displayed.

Plan and isometric views of a pipeline with interferences. The top set have the interferences toggled off and the pipeline is difficult to see. The bottom set have the interferences toggled on and the pipeline in question is easier to distinguish.

Tip: See "Suppressing Exceptions", below for a discussion on Suppress Selected Exception Messages, Suppress Selected Exception RULES for These Components, and Suppress Selected Exception RULES for ALL Components, Activate These Exceptions, and Activate ALL Exceptions.

Filtering Exceptions

Exception filters apply only to the current session of the Exception List dialog. By default, the dialog opens with all exception categories turn on.

As shown above, individual categories are turned on and off from the toggle column to the left of the category name.

SettingDescription
None Turns off all of the exceptions.
All Displays any exceptions that have been filtered out.
Count The Count column of the Filter pane lists the number of exceptions in each category.

Exception Categories

There are eleven exception categories:
Category Description
Connectivity Connectivity exceptions include missing connectivity, incomplete connectivity, and diameter inconsistencies. Most connectivity exceptions are also listed in the Check report as discussed in "Checking Connectivity".
Frozen Request These exceptions occur when the frozen placement of an inline component or pipeline is no longer possible due to layout changes.
Input Error Unplaced nozzles, improperly defined boundary locations, and erroneous vicinity routing rules are the primary cause of Input Error exceptions.
Interference Anything a pipeline hits during routing causes an Interference exception.
Internal Error Internal Error exceptions are caused by bugs in the PlantWise software and should be immediately reported to Bentley Systems (see "Reporting Problems").
Missing Data Any time the AutoRouter cannot find needed information in a data table, a Missing Data exception is generated.
Pipeway Pipeway exceptions primarily occur when a pipeway is too small or if a pipeline did not place on the preferred/required pipeway level.
Placement Error The most common placement errors are on user defined inlines and boundary components. If the router is unable to place these items according to user specification – such as segment preference – a Placement Error exception is recorded.
Proximity Error Proximity Error exceptions are calculated when you are showing proximity violations (see Proximity Checking for a full discussion of proximity checking). Only the types of violations being displayed are reported in the Exception List.
Routing Error Routing Error exceptions include short elbows and tee alignment errors.
Uncategorized As some exceptions cannot be defined by the above categories, they are reported as Uncategorized.

Suppressing Exceptions

A filtered exception is hidden from the exception list table only as long as the Exception List dialog is open. A suppressed exception, however, is hidden until you explicitly re-activate the exception – even over multiple PlantWise sessions. Also, a suppressed exception is not included in the exception count of the Router Results dialog. As a reminder to you, the Routing Results dialog places an asterisk (*) to the right of the total number of exceptions to indicate that there are suppressed exceptions.

Router Results dialog showing an asterisk indicating suppressed exceptions.

There are three ways to suppress an exception: individually, as a rule for one or more components, and as a rule for all components.

Suppressing Exception Messages

From the Exceptions menu (or a right mouse click in the table list of exceptions) selecting Suppress Selected Exception Messages hides whatever exceptions are currently selected in the Exception List.

The Exception List dialog after exceptions have been suppressed.

Once an exception has been suppressed, the Exception List dialog hides the exception and update to look like as shown in above image. The new Display Exceptions pane allows you to toggle on or off the display of the Active and Suppressed exceptions.
Note: both types cannot be off at the same time.
If the display of suppressed exceptions is on, their table entries are written in .
Note: Suppressed exceptions do not need to be displayed for the Activate ALL Exceptions command.

Suppressing Exception Rules

An exception rule dictates the message generated in the Exception List and it is these rules that have been categorized for the filtering function of the dialog. For example, there is an exception rule for every data table column that is referenced by the AutoRouter. If the referenced data is missing, an exception is generated. Every exception rule is documented in the Routing Exceptions" section in Appendix F - Troubleshooting.

You can suppress specific rules without hiding all of the exceptions within the category. To continue with the missing data example, you can suppress warnings of missing thermal expansion coefficients without suppressing exceptions warning of missing control valve data.

You can suppress exception rules for specific components or for all components. The menu options for each case are Suppress Exception RULES for These Components and Suppress Exception RULES for ALL Components, respectively.

Activating Exceptions

There are two ways to return an exception to active status: activate selected exceptions or, activate all exceptions. To selectively activate exceptions, the Exception List dialog must have the display of suppressed exceptions turned on. You then can select what messages to activate and select Exceptions > Activate These Exceptions menu. The Activate ALL Exceptions option removes all suppression of exceptions.

Parent topic: Router Results