Rules Library

About Rules Library

The APM Rules Library serves as a repository of rule projects that can be referenced from family rule projects. By storing rule code in the Rules Library and referencing it from family rule projects, you can reuse rule code repeatedly. This results in more efficient and organized rule authoring than using family-level and field-level customization alone.

The Rules Library contains two types of projects:

  • APM Rule Projects: Rule projects that are distributed as part of the APM baseline product and are referenced within the APM baseline families. These projects are stored in the APM folder in the Rules Library. The APM folder contains the following subfolders that organize the APM rule projects according to the APM module in which they are used.

    • Module-specific subfolders: Folders that store rule projects, organized according to the module in which each project is used (e.g., Calibration, Inspection, Metrics, etc.). These folders contain baseline rules, but they are not associated with a specific baseline family in the same way as the rule projects in the Root Entity Families folder. In other words, the Calibration rule project is not necessarily associated specifically with the Calibration family. It simply stores rule code that is used within Calibration Management.
    • Root Entity Families: Folders that store rule projects that are associated with specific, baseline entity families. The name of the rule project corresponds to the name of the family for which it stores rule code.
    • Relationship Families: Folders that store rule projects that are associated with specific, baseline relationship families. The name of the rule project corresponds to the name of the family for which it stores rule code.

    You can view the rule projects that are delivered with APM and reference them in any family you like, and you can copy any of the rule code and use it as the basis for creating your own rule projects. You cannot, however, modify or delete these projects, and you cannot add new projects to the APM folder.

  • Client Rule Projects: Rule projects that are created by customers to support their own unique implementations of APM. These projects are stored in the Client folder in the Rules Library.

Add a Folder to the Rules Library

About This Task

In the Rules Library, each rule project must be stored within a folder. You can add folders only under the Client folder.

Procedure

  1. Access the Rules Library.
  2. Select the Client folder or a subfolder of the Client folder to which you want to add a folder.
  3. Select .

    The Create New Folder section appears.

  4. Enter a name and description for the folder.
  5. Select OK.

    The new folder is added in the selected location.

What To Do Next

Delete a Folder from the Rules Library

About This Task

You can delete folders only under the Client folder.

Procedure

  1. Access the Rules Library.
  2. Select the Client folder or a subfolder of the Client folder from which you want to delete a folder.
  3. Select .

    A window appears, asking you to confirm that you want to remove the folder.

  4. Select Yes.

    The selected folder is deleted from the Rules Library.

Create a Rules Library Rule Project

Procedure

  1. Access the Rules Library.
  2. Select the Client folder or a subfolder of the Client folder to which you want to add a rule project.
  3. On the toolbar, select .

    The Create New Project section appears.

  4. Enter a name, caption, and description for the project.
  5. Select OK.

    The rule project is created.

What To Do Next

  • Within the family rule project, call the parts of the referenced Rules Library project that you want to use. How and where you make the calls will depend on how the Rules Library project is organized and where you want to invoke certain functionality.
Note: You can create references to APM rule projects and to Client rule projects.

Add a Reference to a Rules Library Project

Procedure

  1. Access the APM Rules Editor.
  2. Open the family rule project to which you want to add a reference.
  3. In the Solution Explorer pane, select .

    The Properties pane for the selected family rule project appears.

  4. Select References, and then select Add.

    The Reference Manager window appears.

  5. Navigate to the reference(s) you want to add, and then select the appropriate check boxes.
  6. Select OK.

    The new references appear in the Properties pane, in the References section.

Modify a Rules Library Rule Project

About This Task

You can modify Rules Library rule projects only under the Client folder or one of its subfolders.

Procedure

  1. Access the Rules Library.
  2. In the Client folder structure, select the rule project that you want to modify.

    The content of the rule project is displayed in the Solution Explorer pane.

  3. Modify the code as needed.
  4. Build the project.
  5. Save the rule code.
  6. Close the Solution Explorer pane.

Delete a Rules Library Rule Project

About This Task

You can delete Rules Library rule projects only from the Client folder or one of its subfolders.

Procedure

  1. Access the Rules Library.
  2. In the Client folder structure, select the rule project that you want to delete.
  3. On the toolbar, select .

    A window appears, asking you to delete the project.

  4. Select Yes.

    The selected project is deleted from the Rules Library.