Attribute Definitions for Valve Callouts

• Definitions
• How to Edit Our Valve Callout Styles and Apply These Attributes
• Available Attributes
• Attributes Included in Our Default Valve Callout Blocks
• Customizing Attributes
  • Adding Attributes
    • Adding Your Own Attributes
  • Justifying the Attribute Text
• Related Webinars

An attribute is a piece of dynamic text that allows "smart" blocks, such as valve callouts, to take on different values each time they're inserted into a drawing. Because valve callout blocks contain attributes, they are able to "read" information about valves in your drawing and reflect that information automatically.

Our valve callouts rely on three specific attributes, which you can move to meet your needs. We've also built in the option to add several other specific attributes to your callouts, should you need them.

For more information on customizing valve callouts, see our Customize Valve Callouts documentation.

Definitions

• Attribute Tag: Identifies each occurrence of an attribute in the drawing. The tag is what the system looks for to put in the appropriate value (e.g., for flow, pressure, valve type, or number) – it's what you put in the attribute so the system knows what to put there. Lowercase letters are automatically changed to capitals.

• Attribute Prompt: This is the prompt that appears in your drawing when you insert a block containing this attribute definition. If you do not enter a prompt, the attribute tag is used as a prompt.

How to Edit Our Valve Callout Styles and Apply These Attributes

The irrigation valve callout source block files are located in the folder LandFX/Blocks/Graphics/Irrigation/Callouts. Their filenames start with LAFX-VALVECO.

 

We have 5 basic callout styles for Imperial units:

• LAFX-VALVECO
• LAFX-VALVECO2
• LAFX-VALVECO3
• LAFX-VALVECO4
• LAFX-VALVECO5

 

You'll see a Right (R) and Left (L) version for each of these styles. To edit any of these styles, open both the R and L versions and make your changes.

As with our other cloud-based blocks, you won't see these source files in this location until you've placed valve callouts in a drawing for the first time. Once you've placed a callout in a particular style, the source files for that style will download to this location automatically, and you'll be able to edit them.

The Metric styles are named and numbered similarly to their Imperial counterparts, except the file names will include the marker -M- for metric. You'll see an R and L version of each metric style as well.

These 5 callout styles correspond with the callout styles that are available from the Irrigation Preferences.

 

 

Note that the name of each of these styles matches the name of that style's source drawing. So if you've made edits to the style VALVECO2, you'll select the callout style of the same name here, and that style will appear in your drawings when you place valve callouts.

Available Attributes

We've updated our valve callouts to include several possible attributes. Here's a list:

Attributes Included in Our Default Valve Callout Blocks

Our default valve callout source blocks include three attributes:

• Valve Flow (GPM)
• Valve Number
• Valve Size (added April 2018)

If you use Imperial units, make sure you use a multi-line attribute for the Size attribute and do not give it a default value. This will accommodate fractions. If you use Metric units, you only need to create an attribute called Size – no need for multiple lines.

You're free to move any of these attributes to the location in the callout block that meets your needs.

To move one of these attributes, open the valve callout source block drawing you want to edit. You can then move the attributes wherever you want them and save the block drawing.

Customizing Attributes

The remainder of the attributes we've built into our valve callouts are optional.

The callout pictured to the right shows two examples of these optional attributes:

 

• Type (shows the type of sprinkler heads connected to the valve)

• Pressure (shows the pressure assigned to the valve)

We've left all these optional attributes out of our default callout blocks to reflect the industry standard. If you need them, you can customize the callout styles to include any of these additional attributes.

You can also add your own attributes that don't autofill through our software.

Adding Attributes

 

 

To add an attribute to one of our valve callout blocks, copy one of the existing attributes in the source block drawing and paste it in the location of your choice.

 

 

 

You can then edit the copied attribute to turn it into the attribute you actually want in that location.

 

 

Double-click the attribute text you copied and pasted.

The Edit Attribute Definition dialog box will open.

 

Enter the tag and prompt for the attribute you want in the location of the one you copied and pasted.

• Adding our built-in optional attributes: To add any of our optional attributes, reference the Tag and Prompt values from within the available attributes listed above. Because we've built these attributes into our system, they will autopopulate when you place your callouts.

• Adding custom attributes: To add your own attributes, just fill in your desired tag and prompt. Note: Because your custom attributes won't be built into our system, you'll need to take a few extra steps when you place your valve callouts.

Repeat these steps to create any additional attributes again pasting one of the default attributes into the location of your choice and editing the Tag and Prompt text fields.

Don't forget to make your changes on both the L and R versions of the callout you customize.

Adding Your Own Attributes

Once you've added your own attributes to a callout's source files, you'll need to take a few extra steps when placing that callout.

When you place the callout in a drawing, double-click it.

The Enhanced Attribute Editor will open.

 

Select a tag (example: Hydrozone), then enter your desired value for that tag (example: H).

 

The value you entered will appear in the corresponding location in the callout.

 

Add your desired values to each of your custom tags in the callout. Click OK when finished.

Justifying the Attribute Text

To appear correctly in a callout, attribute text needs to be justified correctly for the Left (L) and Right (R) versions of that callout style. In general, attributes in the Left version should be justified Right, and attributes in the Right version should be justified Left.

 

 

 

To check the justification of an attribute, first open the Properties panel by typing Prop in the Command line and pressing Enter.

 

 

Select an attribute to check its justification. In the Properties panel, an attribute's justification will be listed next to the Justify entry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If necessary, select the correct justification (Left or Right) from the menu pictured to the left.

 

Here's an example of a valve callout with the two optional attributes added.

 

 

The valve is piped to bubbler heads and has a pressure of 30 PSI.

Related Webinars

• Irrigation Customization: We cover the Irrigation Preferences, including what to consider as you’re setting up your office standards, and what will and won’t change on the fly when you modify these settings, as well as customizing irrigation symbols. (1 hr 2 min)