Preview the numbering results

After you have started a numbering command, but before you accept the numbering results, you can preview the position numbers that Tekla Structures would assign to objects. You can go through the proposed numbers and the related objects in the model, and you can work on the numbering overlaps, for example. You also have the option to cancel the numbering and reject the proposed numbers, if needed, and go back to adjust the numbering settings and the model.

Previewing the numbering results is useful when you are creating an intermediate submittal, for example.

The Numbering preview dialog opens when you start a numbering command, Number modified objects or Number series of selected objects from the ribbon, or either of the Diagnose & repair > Numbering commands from the File menu.

In the Numbering preview dialog, you can use the upper, main table to display the object properties that affect numbering. You can select rows in the main table, and then, in the Individual objects table, review the related objects individually. This is useful when the objects have different values for properties that do not affect numbering, such as the Comment user-defined attribute. The Varies value is shown for these object properties in the main table, but in the Individual objects table you can see the values for each individual object.

Note that the Numbering preview dialog is not shown if you use a standard-part model, or if Synchronize with master model (save-numbering-save) is selected in the Numbering Setup dialog.

The objects can have the following statuses in numbering, indicated with different colors in the Numbering preview dialog:


Status	Color	Description
Overlapping	Red	Objects from different numbering series would get the same position number. This is not allowed, and objects with overlapping numbers will be excluded when assigning the numbers.
Changes number	Yellow	Object has been modified and will get a new number.
New	Green	Object has not been numbered yet, or the prefix or start number has been changed.
Keeps number	Gray	Object has been modified but it can keep its previous number.

This is how you work with the numbering preview:


To	Do this
Change the sorting order of rows by property values in one or more columns	To change the sorting order of rows using one column, click the column header. The arrow symbol in the column header indicates if the sorting order is ascending or descending . Columns without an arrow symbol (with when you move the mouse pointer over a column header) are not sorted. The "not sorted" state is useful when you have several sort columns and you want to disable only one of them, without starting all over again. To sort rows using several columns: Sort by one column. Hold down Shift and then sort by the other columns.
Filter (show or hide) rows by property values in a column	Click in the column header. In the list that appears, select the values you want to filter by. For example: You can search for values. You can also click All or None to first select all or none of the available values, and then remove or add some values. The numbers next to each value indicate how many times the value is found with the current filter and in total, for example, (6/20). The symbol in a column header indicates that a filter is active in the column. To clear all filters in all columns, click the Clear all filters button next to the table where you want to clear the filters.
Select related rows and objects	To automatically select those objects in the model that are related to the selected rows in the Numbering preview dialog, click the button. When the button is blue and you select rows, Tekla Structures automatically selects the corresponding objects in the model. To select rows that are related to certain objects in the model, first select the objects in the model, and then click the button.
Select and review identical objects individually	In the main table of the Numbering preview dialog, select a row where Quantity is more than 1. If the Individual objects table is not open under the main table, open it by clicking the Individual objects text or the right arrow in front of the text. In the Individual objects table, select one or more rows. When this button is blue and you select rows, Tekla Structures automatically selects the corresponding objects in the model. You can now, for example, compare or modify the objects as needed.
Add a new column	Click the button next to the table where you want to add the column. Depending on the object type whose values you want to show in the new column, select Add column for assembly, Add column for part, or Add column for rebar. Search for and select an attribute in the list. The list shows the template attributes and user-defined attributes that are available for the selected object type. If needed, enter a customized name for the column. By default, the name of the selected attribute is used automatically. Click OK to add the new column. Note that you cannot add columns if you have modified the model while the Numbering preview dialog has been open.
Remove an added column	Right-click the column header, and then select Delete.
Change the order of the columns	Drag a column header to a new location.
Show or hide columns	To hide a column, right-click the column header, and then select Hide. To show a hidden column, right-click a column header, select Show column, and then select the name of the column that you want to show. To show all hidden columns, right-click a column header, and then select Show all columns.
Save the column setup	Enter a file name in the box at the top of the dialog. Click the button. The Settings.PreviewTable.xml file is saved in the \attributes folder in the current model folder. The file can contain several setups. You can place the file, and Tekla Structures searches for it, in all usual locations: the model folder, project folder (XS_PROJECT), firm folder (XS_FIRM), and system folder (XS_SYSTEM). If several files are found, their contents are not merged. Note that the applied filters and sorting order are not saved.
Check, select, and fix objects with overlapping numbers	Select a red, Overlapping row. Right-click, and then use any of the following options: Click Select rebar sets. The rebar sets where the selected bars belong to are selected in the model and the properties are shown in the property pane. You can then adjust the prefix and/or the start number of the rebar sets. Click Select this series in model. To make more numbers available for the selected series, adjust the start number of the series. Click Select overlapping object in model. Then adjust the prefix and/or the start number of the overlapping object. Click Select overlapping series in model. Then adjust the prefix and/or the start number of the entire series. Note that you can use Select this series in model also on rows other than Overlapping.
Reject the proposed numbers	If you are not happy with the proposed position numbers, do the following: If you do not want to close the Numbering preview dialog, select the Keep preview open after rejecting checkbox. This is useful if you want to open drawings or compare objects while fixing the numbering issues. Click Reject numbers. Adjust the model objects and the numbering settings as needed. Close the Numbering preview dialog. Start a numbering command and preview the numbering results again.
Accept the numbering results and assign the proposed numbers to objects	When you are happy with the proposed position numbers, click Assign numbers. Tekla Structures numbers the objects according to the numbering settings. Note that the Assign numbers button is not available if you have modified the model.
Give feedback on the Numbering preview feature	Click the Submit feedback button at the upper-right corner of the dialog.