How do I associate product data with the selection values?
Behind every value in a Auswahl lies a real product or component—and that product has data: A pipe has a diameter, a wall thickness, and a weight per meter. A washing machine has power consumption, drum volume, and maximum spin speed. A sheet has a thickness, a price per square meter, and a material density.
You store this data directly alongside the values, in additional columns of the value table. This turns the value table into your product’s master data table: You enter each number exactly once, in the place where it belongs. You then access them in formulas instead of typing the numbers directly into the formulas.
We call these columns value properties (also referred to as attributes in formulas).
Without value properties, product data ends up in formulas and rules—scattered throughout the entire configurator. If the supplier changes a dimension, you have to search for all instances at once. With value properties, you change a single cell in a table.
Prerequisites
- You have a Auswahl angelegt.
Creating Value Properties
- Open the editor for the selection by clicking the pencil icon next to its name. The left sidebar opens.
- Click the Values tab.
- Click Loading....
- Give the new value property a Name and select its Type:
- A Number. In this case, also specify the unit, such as "mm," "kg," or "U/s." This is the type you can use for calculations.
- A text that can be entered in any language.
- A text that is identical in every language. This is the correct type for technical identifiers that are never translated, such as "needs_power_package".
- Leave the checkbox next to "Property is displayed to the user" unchecked for now. Product data is your basis for calculations, not necessarily something the customer is supposed to see. You can check it at any time later (see below).
- Click on Loading....
- A new column appears. Enter the numeric value or text for each value.
An example for the “Pipe” selection:
| Value | diameter (mm) | wall thickness (mm) | weightPerMeter (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipe 40 | 40 | 2 | 1.9 |
| Pipe 60 | 60 | 2.5 | 3.6 |
| Pipe 80 | 80 | 3 | 5.7 |
Using Product Data in Calculations
As soon as a value property of type number exists, it is available in every
Berechnung. You write Merkmal.Eigenschaft:
// Gewicht des gewählten Rohres bei gewählter Länge
Rohr.gewichtProMeter * (Länge / 100);
// Innendurchmesser aus zwei Eigenschaften desselben Wertes
Rohr.durchmesser - 2 * Rohr.wandstaerke;
The configurator always uses the values from the row the customer has currently selected. If the customer switches from “Pipe 40” to “Pipe 80,” all formulas immediately recalculate using the new numbers.
If you need the same number in many formulas but it isn’t tied to any selection value— such as a material constant or a standard dimension—then a Parameter-Merkmal is the right place for it.
Using Product Data in Rules
Value properties of the type “Text, identical in every language” are well-suited for labeling values: For example, for all motors that require a power package, enter “yes” in a column labeled “needs_power_package.”
In the future, rules will also be able to handle value properties directly.
Changing Value Properties
If you want to change a value property:
- Click the three dots next to the value property in the header of the value table
- select Loading...
If you change the type of a value property, you must re-enter the data!
Show Product Data to the Customer
Some product data helps customers make a selection—especially when they have to choose between technically similar options.
To do this, check the box next to “Property is displayed to the user” for the value property. An info icon will then appear next to the options. Clicking it opens a dialog with a table of all displayed value properties.
This is particularly useful if you want to display multiple facts for each option in tabular form, such as power consumption, drum volume, and maximum spin speed for a washing machine.
Display Standard Information for a Selection
Regardless of the value properties, there are predefined fields available for standard advisory information:
- Open the editor for the selection by clicking the pencil icon next to its name.
- Click on Loading...
- Select what you want to display:
- Image: An image showing the option.
- Web Address: The user can click this to read more information.
- Description: A short text that is displayed directly.
- Info: A text of any length. In this case, a small info icon is displayed. Clicking on it opens the text.
- Click on Loading...
- Switch (in the sidebar) to the Values tab. Here you’ll now see columns for the information you’ve selected to display.
- Enter the information for each value in the table.
- Finally, click Loading...