Switch to a Standard Library Division List
We've made it possible to choose from several standard detail organization lists on which to base your office's organization. These lists are updated by our team, with periodic updates to each supported industry standard. We currently support the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI®) MasterFormat®.
How Does This Feature Differ from the Custom (Offline) List Format?
The master list is loaded from landfx.com to your local server. Any custom changes you make to the list will also save locally in your LandFX/Details server folder.
The example to the right shows a detail folder that contains XML files referencing standard and user details, as well as the CSI® MasterFormat® files for both architecture (_csi_arch_.xml) and landscape architecture (_csi_la_.xml).
Every 30 days, the software will check for a new version of your chosen master Division List and update your local copy, maintaining your custom edits separately. Reasons we might update a Standard Library Division list include:
- The supported standard releases a major update
- A new folder has been added based on user or manufacturer feedback to amend that supported standard. For example, CSI® MasterFormat® typically doesn't drill down to very specific folders when it comes to landscape or irrigation design, so we amend with folders in our version as needed.
This feature also allows us to offer more types of standard division lists than just CSI®. With the custom (offline) version – our old version – everything is loaded and is typically slower to load or add folders than with this new method. The offline version is static and will never update with advances in the industry. However, now with the custom (offline) option, new users can start from a blank slate and make up their own standard detail organization (separate from a project-specific organization).
Want to suggest a new design industry Standard Library Division List for details or specifications that we don't have yet, or suggest an edit or needed folder for one of the libraries already in our list? Submit a ticket through the Land F/X Portal with your request.
How to Switch to the New Format
Step 1: Back up your current detail organization structure.
1A. Follow our steps to generate a detail report from the Detail Manager.
Select the Spreadsheet and Detail List options, along with any other information you want to show in the report spreadsheet. Click OK to send the report to a spreadsheet.
Then generate another report, also to a spreadsheet. This time, select the Unique numeric divisions option and click OK. You'll now have spreadheet reports showing your list of office details, as well as your detail divisions. You can choose to keep them separate or merge them. You can use these reports if necessary for the purpose of addressing any conflicts or changes.
1B. Open our Detail Explorer:
F/X Details ribbon, Explorer button
F/X Details menu, Detail Explorer option
or type DetailExplorer in the Command line
1C. In the Detail Explorer, click Print.
1D. Select the option to print a List of all details and click OK.
This option will result in a spreadsheet or CSV file showing all your current categories and listing which details are where.
1E. After printing your list of all details, click Print in the Detail Explorer again, then select the option to print a List of all categories and click OK.
You'll now have separate lists of all your details and your detail categories.
Step 2: Switch to a Standard Library Division list
2A. Open the Details Preferences.
2B. Select your preferred list format from the Standard Library Division List menu (example: CSI® MasterFormat® (Landscape Architecture), then click OK.
Step 3: Vet the new list
3A. Open the Detail Explorer again.
The STANDARD DETAILS list will now reflect your chosen list format.
Compare this list with your printed list of details you created in the steps above.
Important: The Standard Library Division List is set by Preference Set. If you have more than one Preference Set in your office, you'll need to set the division list in each one.
If you notice that one or more of your details are missing from the list, the fastest way to resolve the issue will be to re-create the missing folders in the detail folder tree using the Detail Explorer.
In the example below, the detail library folder (pictured on the left) shows a folder of details with the number 01 within the category numbered 93, but that folder isn't showing up under the corresponding detail category – Planting (93) – in the Detail Explorer (pictured on the right).
Here's how to add that folder back to the Detail Explorer:
Highlight the detail category with the missing folder (in this example, the category Planting (93) and click New.
Give the new folder the correct code and name of the missing detail folder. In this example, we'll give the folder the code 01. We'll have known from our backed-up list of details that the folder should be named Local Municipality Planting Details. Click OK to save the change.
The folder you added will now appear in the correct location in the Detail Explorer.
Continue these steps for all the missing folders down the folder tree. Once you've created a folder in the Detail Explorer with the same name and code as a folder that contains details on the Windows Explorer side, those details will repopulate in the Detail Explorer.
After you've added all the missing folders back to the Detail Explorer, you'll be able to see your old saved details if they previously weren't showing.
You can now move those details to a new folder, or keep your custom folders with the standard division list.
Close
3B. After you've ensured that all your details are present and accounted for, you can click Print again and repeat the steps to print all your detail categories. You can then use the resulting list to ensure you're happy with the locations of your standard details.
Contact
- Land F/X
Our software tailors AutoCAD® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.