NotesManagement

All Vectorworks products contain the Callout tool for annotating items in the drawing. The Vectorworks Design Series products provide an additional full set of features for creating and managing complete and fully-referenced annotation of project files. These features can streamline the annotation process by providing a central location for saving, selecting, and placing frequently-repeated notes. Notes can be reused across files, either within a project, or across separate projects. Notes can be placed as callouts, keynotes, or general notes.

• A callout is text with one or more leader lines, that displays information about an item in the drawing. A callout object is included with the Vectorworks Fundamentals product. Its capabilities are extended in the Vectorworks Design Series products, allowing it to be used for keynotes in addition to ordinary notes.

• A keynote is a callout represented by a number or a letter, with a corresponding keynote legend containing the full text. The keynote legend automatically numbers the notes and ensures that multiple instances of the same note are assigned the same keynote number. Keynotes are commonly used in commercial construction, where drawings, and especially details, have many notes. For residential projects, keynotes might only be used for the detail pages; other pages might use full callouts.

• General notes, also available in the Vectorworks Design Series products, contain numbered notes that are not associated with a particular item in the drawing.

The callout, keynote legend, and general notes objects can be used with manually-entered text, or in conjunction with external database files that save and retrieve text. When a database is used, text is entered only once into the database, and then pulled from the database for the notes in the drawing. This eliminates the need to type the same note repeatedly and also ensures consistency. The database can be copied or imported into the next project, so that most of a new project's notes are already typed and ready to go.

After notes have been placed, if changes are made to the database or to the notes, the differences can be reconciled with the Reconcile Notes command.

Notes Management without Databases

Inserting Callouts or Keynotes

Tool	Tool set
Callout	Basic

The Callout tool places callout objects to annotate items in a drawing. A callout object is a block of text attached to one or more leader lines with an optional bubble surrounding the text.

In the Vectorworks Design Series products, the Callout tool includes extended capabilities which allow it to be used for keynotes. If you use keynotes, a keynote legend is automatically created.

A keynote can be used without a database as described in this section, or in conjunction with an external notes database (see Placing Database Callouts).

Mode	Description
Towards Target	Click first where the callout text is to be placed, and place the final click on the object to be annotated
Towards Text	Click first on the object to be annotated, and place the final click where the callout text is to be placed
Two Point	The length of the shoulder is determined in the callout preferences or in the Object Info palette
Three Point	The length of the shoulder is determined by clicking in the drawing area; this requires an additional click. For example, if Max Leader Line Points is set to 2, three clicks are required to place the object with a custom shoulder length, and if Max Leader Line Points is set to 5, six clicks are required.
Max Leader Line Points	Enter the maximum number of leader line points for this callout object. If the object has multiple leader lines, each line can have a different number of points. Double-click to end a leader line that has fewer than the maximum allowed number of points.
Preferences	Opens the Callout Preferences dialog box

2 The Callout Preferences dialog box opens. Specify the default settings for callouts or keynote objects during this session. You can edit these settings later from the Object Info palette, and make additional edits as described in Editing the Callout.

Parameter	Description
Text Options
Get Text from Database (Design Series required)	In the Vectorworks Design Series products, the Callout tool can be used in conjunction with an external notes database; see Placing Database Callouts for information on using a notes database.
Place As Keynote (Design Series required)	Creates a keynote with keynote legend. Specify the keynote prefix and suffix text, if desired. Keynote legends are layer-specific; one legend is created per layer. However, a callout placed as a keynote can be associated with a keynote legend on any layer. Select the legend for the callout from the Keynote Legend list in the Callout Preferences dialog box or the Object Info palette of a selected keynote. The Default Legend is the keynote legend located on the current layer.
Text Angle	Specifies the angle of text rotation; certain angles may not be available, depending on the text’s Horizontal Position settings
Max. Text Width	Indicates the maximum text width before text wraps; if the text string is shorter than maximum width, the bubble sizes to fit the text. Rotated text cannot restrict the maximum text width.
Vertical Position	Sets the vertical position of the text relative to the shoulder; select Auto to align the top text line to the shoulder if the leader is on the left, or to align the bottom text line to the shoulder if the leader is on the right
Horizontal Position	Sets the horizontal position of the text relative to the shoulder; select Auto to position the text to the right if the leader is on the left, or to the left if the leader is on the right
Horizontal Text Alignment	Specifies the alignment of the callout text. Alternatively, select Text > Alignment or Text > Format Text and select an alignment option.
Format Text	Opens the Format Text dialog box, to set text attributes or select a text style
Bubble Options
Bubble Style	Select the type of bubble to draw around the callout text or keynote number. To place callout text both above and below the line in the Split Circle Bubble Style, press Enter between the lines of text.
RR Corner Radius	For Round Rect bubble styles, sets the corner radius
Text Margin	Sets the distance between the bubble and the text
Bubble Shadow	Select to draw the bubble with a drop shadow (does not apply to None, Bracket, ISO, or Vertical Accent Bar styles)
(Bubble) Shadow Settings	If Bubble Shadow is selected, opens the Bubble Shadow Settings dialog box, for specifying bubble shadow edge and fill attributes; see Specifying Callout or Keynote Legend Bubble Shadow Settings
Leader Options
Max Leader Line Points (Callout Preferences dialog box only)	Sets the maximum number of leader line points for this callout object. If the object has multiple leader lines, the lines can have different numbers of points; double-click to end a leader line that has fewer than the maximum number of points. This parameter can also be set or changed from the Tool bar.
Shoulder Length	Sets the length of the line between the text and the start of the leader; can be changed by moving a control point or from the Object Info palette. In Three Point mode, this length is set by the third mouse click.
Leader Type	Select Line, Arc, Bézier, or None; curved leader lines contain additional control points for controlling the curve shape
Leader Radius	For arc leader types, specifies the arc radius
Marker	Select a marker style from the marker style list, or select Custom to create a custom marker. Select Edit Marker List to open the Edit Marker List dialog box; see Editando a Lista de Marcadores.
Extend Shoulder	Select to extend the shoulder line to the end of the note text rather than to the edge of the bubble. This option has no effect on the callout object if other settings otherwise dictate the shoulder appearance, such as when Vertical Position is Above Shoulder or Leader Type is None.
Other Options
Apply Settings to New Callouts in	Select whether these callout preferences should apply to new callouts or keynotes in this file only or globally, to all future files

4 Click the applicable insertion modes, and then click in the drawing to set the insertion point of the callout or keynote object.

Depending on the mode, the first click defines the leader shoulder or the leader endpoint.

5 Continue clicking to set vertices and shape the leader line, as many times as permitted by the Max Leader Line Points value; double-click on the final point if this leader line requires fewer than the maximum number of points. The final click sets either the leader endpoint or leader shoulder, depending on the mode.

In Three Point mode, you can custom set the shoulder length by clicking in the drawing area; this requires one additional click.

The Notes Manager: Callout dialog box opens. Enter the callout or keynote legend text; text wraps if longer than the specified maximum text width. Press Enter to add a line in the text.

The callout or keynote is placed in the drawing; if a keynote is placed, a keynote legend object is also created.

6 To add leader lines, and to set the attributes for the various parts of the callout object, use the Object Info palette, as described in Editing a Callout Object.

Editing a Callout Object

Adding Leader Lines to a Callout Object

Tool	Tool set
Callout	Basic

2 Right-click on the object and select Add Leader Line from the context menu. Alternatively, select the object and click the Add Leader button from the Object Info palette.

3 Click to place the vertices of the new leader line; double-click on the final point if this leader line requires fewer than the maximum number of points.

6 Leader lines on the same callout can have different numbers of points, leader types, and pen attributes. Edit the leader lines from the Object Info palette as described in Editing the Callout.

Deleting Leader Lines from a Callout Object

1 Right-click on the object and select Delete Leader Line from the context menu. Alternatively, select the object and click the Delete Leader button from the Object Info palette.

2 Click on the leader line to delete. Continue clicking to delete additional lines as needed.

Editing the Callout

Once the callout has been created, use the Object Info palette to edit the object. You can select multiple callout objects and make the same changes to all of them at once.

Most of the parameters are the same as the preferences set when Inserting Callouts or Keynotes. The following items are only available from the Object Info palette.

Item	Description
Edit Note	Opens the Notes Manager: Callout dialog box to edit the callout text. Alternatively, double-click the callout object with the Selection tool.
Add Leader	Enables Add Leader Line mode; see Adding Leader Lines to a Callout Object
Delete Leader	Enables Delete Leader Line mode; see Deleting Leader Lines from a Callout Object
Edit Sub-object	The callout’s leader lines, text, shoulder, and bubble can be edited individually. When a leader line is selected, additional fields display to allow different settings for each line. Click the left and right arrow buttons to select which sub-object to edit.
Leader Angle	Sets the angle of the selected leader line; the value must be between -180° and 180°
___ Attributes	Different attribute buttons display depending on the sub-object currently selected with the Edit Sub-object buttons. Each button opens a dialog box to set the pen attributes of the selected leader line, text, shoulder, or bubble. Depending on the object, the attributes can include Atributosde Traço, Atributos de Estilos de Linha, Atributo de Marcadores, and Atributos de Opacidade.

• Set the text font, size, and style using the Text > Format Text command. Alternatively, assign a text style to the callout.

• On the drawing, a callout object contains control points that can be moved with the mouse to change the shoulder and leader length and position. A curved callout leader includes additional control points for adjusting the leader curvature.

Specifying Callout or Keynote Legend Bubble Shadow Settings

In the Callout Preferences dialog box, click Shadow Settings, or in the Object Info palette for a selected callout or keynote legend, click Bubble Shadow Settings.

To activate this option, Bubble Style must be set to a style other than None, Bracket, ISO, or Vertical Accent Bar, and Bubble Shadow must be selected.

Parameter	Description
Draw Bubble shadow edge/Draw Bubble shadow fill	Draws an edge/fill for the shadow
Use object’s pen color	Uses the callout object’s or keynote legend object’s pen color
Use custom pen color	Uses a custom pen color; select the color

Editing Keynotes and the Keynote Legend

Both the keynotes and keynote legend can be edited after placement. To edit a single keynote, select it and make the changes from the Object Info palette. To edit several keynotes, select the keynote legend and make the edits from the Object Info palette.

The keynotes bubble style can also display in the keynote legend; control the style with either the keynotes or the legend.

Editing Keynotes

• Edit the text or graphics of an individual keynote the same as a callout; see Editing a Callout Object.

• To convert an existing keynote into an ordinary callout object, deselect Place As Keynote from the Object Info palette. The keynote is removed from the keynote legend.

Deleting Keynotes

If you delete a keynote, the remaining keynotes are not renumbered. The keynote legend maintains a “gap” or placeholder displaying the custom text specified in Unused Position Text. However, if Re-use Unused Positions is selected and another keynote is placed in the drawing, the new keynote replaces the first “gap” keynote. Clicking Remove Gaps from the Object Info palette of a selected keynote legend also removes gaps; another way to remove gaps is to sort the keynotes in the Notes Manager: Keynotes List dialog box.

Editing the Keynote Legend

Parameter	Description
Update	Refreshes the keynote legend display
Keynote Display	Select the display format for keynotes: numbers, letters, numbers or letters with the prefix and/or suffix that is entered in the callout preferences, or the description text from the notes database (click Sort in the Notes Manager: Keynotes List to sort the notes as they will appear in the keynote legend) Because the note description can display in both the callouts and the keynote legend, it is possible to create an alphanumerical designation within the note description for each database entry, and display that number on the drawing. A database of notes with numeric descriptions can be used directly in the drawing, automatically sorted into the proper order.
Overall Width	Sets the text width for the entire keynote legend
Note Text Indent	Adjusts the hanging indent value for the legend body text
Note Spacing	Sets the width of the body of the keynote legend text
Line Spacing	Sets the number of lines as space between the notes
# of Columns	Select the number of columns for the keynote legend text
Gutter Width	When more than one column is selected for keynote legend text, sets the distance between the columns
Break Note Text Across Columns	When more than one column is selected for keynote legend text, allows text to break across columns; when deselected, text for each note does not break to the next column
Body Text Alignment	Specifies the alignment of the body text. Alternatively, select Text > Alignment or Text > Format Text and select an alignment option.
Bubble Display	Sets the bubble display for keynote numbers/letters. • None: No bubble displays for the keynote legend. • per Callout: The bubble style used for the callout also displays in the legend. • per Keynote Legend: The keynote legend controls the bubble style for callouts; select the Bubble Style.
Bubble Style	When the Bubble Display is set to be controlled per Keynote Legend, specifies the bubble style to apply to the keynote legend and the keynotes. To place callout text both above and below the line in the Split Circle Bubble Style, press Enter between the lines of text.
RR Corner Radius	For Round Rect bubble styles, sets the corner radius
Text Margin	Sets the distance between the bubble and the text
Bubble Shadow	Select to draw the bubble with a drop shadow (does not apply to None, Bracket, ISO, or Vertical Accent Bar styles)
Bubble Shadow Settings	If Bubble Shadow is selected, opens the Bubble Shadow Settings dialog box, for specifying bubble shadow edge and fill attributes; see Specifying Callout or Keynote Legend Bubble Shadow Settings
Re-use Unused Positions	When deselected, maintains a placeholder gap for deleted keynotes; new keynotes are appended to the end of the legend. When selected, replaces unused keynote positions, in order starting with the first one, as new keynotes are placed in the drawing.
Unused Position Text	Specifies the text to display in unused keynote positions
Remove Gaps	Removes unused keynote positions, renumbering the remaining positions
Edit Notes	Opens the Notes Manager: Keynotes List dialog box, for editing the keynote text, description, or order, as described in the following section. A keynote object can be linked to a database by clicking Show Database Controls in the Notes Manager: Keynotes List dialog box.
Format Title Text	Opens the Format Text dialog box, for changing the text format of the legend title
Format Body Text	Opens the Format Text dialog box, for changing the text format of the legend body text

For information on formatting text, see Formatando Textos. Text styles cannot be applied to keynote legends.

The keynote legend contains control points for adjusting the hanging indent and text width directly from the drawing.

Parameter	Description
Description	Lists the keynotes (by description) in the keynote legend in numbering order
Edit	Select a keynote description and click Edit to edit the note text or change the keynote description
Move Up/Move Down	Changes the order of the keynotes in the keynote legend; move the selected keynote up or down in the list
Sort	Sorts the notes in the legend alphanumerically; this is useful when the keynote legend Keynote Display is set to Note Description from Database, and the Description is set to an alphanumeric code (such as C101 or 032000). If there are any unused keynote positions, they are removed by this operation.
Note Text	Select a keynote description and edit the text of the note
<< Show Database Controls	Displays the database-related portion of the dialog box; when working without a database, these controls are not necessary (see Placing Database Callouts). A keynote object can be linked to a database by clicking Show Database Controls in the Notes Manager: Keynotes List dialog box.

2 Each keynote is listed by a description, which normally consists of the first 42 characters of the keynote. To change a description, select it and click Edit. From the Edit Note dialog box, deselect Use the first 42 characters, and then edit the Description. You can also edit the note text. Click OK to close the Edit Note dialog box.

Placing General Notes

Tool	Tool set
General Notes	Dims/Notes

Notes management includes a General Notes tool, for placing and numbering general notes. A general note can be used without a database as described in this section, or in conjunction with an external notes database (see Placing Database General Notes).

The General Notes Tool Settings dialog box opens. Specify the default settings for placing General Notes during this session.

Parameter	Description
Title	Specifies the name for the general notes block, or use the default General Notes title
Indent/Width/Spacing	Indicates the default formatting for the notes
General Notes Display	Select the display format for general notes: numbers, letters, or the description text from the general notes database
Body Text Alignment	Specifies the alignment of the body text
Show Databases	Deselect to place general notes without a database
Select Title Text/Body Text Format	Specifies the default text formatting for the title and note text

Parameter	Description
Description	Lists the general notes (by description) in numbering order
Add	Opens the Add Note dialog box, for adding a general note and specifying its description
Remove	Deletes the selected general note(s)
Remove All	Deletes all general notes
Edit	Opens the Edit Note dialog box; select a note and click Edit to edit the note text or change the description
Move Up/Move Down	Changes the order of the general notes; move the selected general note up or down in the list
Note Text	Select a general note description and edit the text of the note
<< Show Database Controls	Displays the database-related portion of the dialog box; when working without a database, these controls are not necessary. A general note object can be linked to a database by clicking Show Database Controls in the Notes Manager: General Notes dialog box. See Notes Management with Databases.

4 Enter the note text. Each note is listed by a description, which normally consists of the first 42 characters of the note. To change the description, deselect Use the first 42 characters, and then edit the Description.

6 Create additional notes as needed, and then click OK to place the general notes object.

Editing General Notes

Editing the General Notes Text

Either double-click the general notes object with the Selection tool, or select the object and click Edit Notes from the Object Info palette. The Notes Manager: General Notes dialog box opens.

• To edit a note, select the note description and click Edit. The Edit Note dialog box opens. Enter the text changes.

• To delete a note, select the note description and click Remove. Click Remove All to delete all notes.

• To change the order of a note, select the note description and click Move Up or Move Down.

Editing the General Notes Graphic

Parameter	Description
Title	Specifies the general notes title
Indent	Adjusts the hanging indent value for the general notes body text
Width	Sets the width of the general notes text
Spacing	Sets the spacing between each note
General Notes Display	Select the display format for general notes: numbers, letters, or the description text from the general notes database
Body Text Alignment	Specifies the alignment of the body text. Alternatively, select Text > Alignment or Text > Format Text and select an alignment option.
Edit Notes	Opens the Notes Manager: General Notes dialog box, for editing the general notes text, description or order. A general note object can be linked to a database by clicking Show Database Controls in the Notes Manager: General Notes dialog box. See Notes Management with Databases.
Format Title Text	Opens the Format Text dialog box, for changing the text format of the general notes title
Format Body Text	Opens the Format Text dialog box, for changing the text format of the general notes body text

The general notes object contains control points for adjusting the hanging indent and text width directly from the drawing.

Notes Management with Databases

Instead of manually typing the text for every callout or keynote and general notes object, text that is used repeatedly—by one or many users—across projects and files can be stored in a tab-delimited text file (referred to as a “database”). The use of a database for storing notes saves time and prevents errors, and standardizes compliant notes usage across files.

There is no limit to the number of databases that can be used for annotating a drawing. The databases can have an unlimited number of notes of any length. After placement, notes can be easily updated if changes are made to a database.

Placing Database Callouts

Tool	Tool set
Callout	Basic

Callouts with database notes are placed with the extended capabilities of the Callout tool.

2 Select Get Text from Database; the current database file is displayed as a button.

The standard Open dialog box allows a different database file to be selected. Select the database file, and click Open.

A sample database is located in the Vectorworks application folder: [Vectorworks]\Libraries\Defaults\Notes\Callouts.txt

Once the callout leader is drawn, the Notes Manager: Callout dialog box opens automatically, displaying the information from the selected database.

Parameter	Description
Active Database	Displays the currently selected database file
New	Creates a new, blank database
Choose	Selects a different, existing database. A database from a previous version of the Vectorworks program can be specified, but it must be converted to the current version format as prompted.
Save As	Saves the current database with a new name
Sections in Database	Lists the note sections; the associated notes in a selected section are displayed in Notes in Database
Add	Adds a new note section; enter the section name in the Notes Manager dialog box
Remove	Deletes the currently selected section and its associated notes
Edit	Renames the currently selected section; enter the new name in the Notes Manager dialog box
Notes in Database	Lists the notes associated with the current database section
Add	Opens the Add Note dialog box, for adding a note to the database section
Remove	Deletes the currently selected note
Edit	Opens the Edit Note dialog box, for editing the selected note or its description
Note Text	Displays the note text of the currently selected note; the note text can be edited
Database Filter	Filters the database sections, descriptions, or notes with a search term, to more easily locate a note
Edit	Opens the Edit Filter List dialog box, to add or edit database filters
Prefs	Sets the automatic save options for the database
Update >	Moves the selected note to the Callout Text list for placement on the drawing
< Update	Replaces the database with the text in the Callout Text list
< Add	Adds the text in the Callout Text list to the database, placing it in the current database section
< Locate	If the selected text in the Callout Text list originated from a database, locates the note’s database, section, and description
Connect to Database with:	Sets how to connect to the selected database; if an absolute path is selected, the database must be present at the specific location. If a relative path is selected, the database must be present at the indicated location relative to the current file.
Hide Database Controls >>	Hides the database portion of the callout dialog box; edits made with the database hidden are not reflected in the database

Parameter	Description
Section	Select the associated section for the note
Description	By default, contains the first 42 characters of the note text; to change the default, deselect Use the first 42 characters, and enter a different description
Note Text	Type the new note text
Use the first 42 characters	If the default description is not desired, deselect this option and enter a new Description

7 Click OK to add the note to the specified section and return to the Notes Manager: Callout dialog box.

The Edit Note dialog box opens. Deselect Use the first 42 characters, and then change the Description. You can also edit the note text and associate the note with a different section.

10 To search easily for a note, section, or description, use a filter. Only notes, sections, or descriptions with the specified text are displayed. Select the desired filter from the Database Filter list in the Notes Manager: Callout dialog box. To display all notes, sections, and descriptions, select All Notes. In addition, if no items match a selected filter, all notes are displayed.

Parameter	Description
Filter list	Lists the search filters in the order they display in the database filter list
Add	Adds a search filter to the list; enter the new term in the Add Filter dialog box
Remove	Deletes the currently selected search filter(s)
Edit	Renames the current search filter; enter the new name in the Edit Filter dialog box
Move Up/Move Down	Changes the filter list order; select the search filter and move it up or down in the list

12 Click OK to change the search filters and return to the Notes Manager: Callout dialog box.

13 Changes and additions to the notes database are saved automatically according to the preferences specified. Click Prefs to set these preferences.

The Database Preferences dialog box opens. Set the desired actions that automatically save database changes by selecting the associated check box. If no automatic saving is specified, you will be prompted frequently about saving the database.

The Locate and Hide Database options are available when editing a General Notes or Keynote Legend with database.

15 Once the desired note has been entered or located, select it and click Update to move it to the Callout Text list.

Editing a Database Callout

• To change the note text, either double-click the callout with the Selection tool, or select the callout and click Edit Note from the Object Info palette. The Notes Manager: Callout dialog box opens. Select a different note as described in Placing Database Callouts.

• Edit the database callout parameters from the Object Info palette as for an ordinary callout. See Inserting Callouts or Keynotes.

• Edit the graphics of a database callout as for an ordinary callout; see Editing the Callout.

• To convert an existing database callout into an ordinary callout, click Edit Note from the Object Info palette, and then click Hide Database Controls. The callout text can then be edited, and the database text is not affected.

Placing Database Keynote Legends

Tool	Tool set
Callout	Basic

5 If necessary, click Show Database Controls to access the keynote legend database parameters.

The dialog box is divided into two sections, with the database information on the left and the keynote legend information on the right. The buttons in the center of the dialog box move information from the database to the legend and vice versa.

Parameter	Description
Active Database, Sections in Database, Notes in Database, Note Text, Database Filter, and Prefs	Edits the database sections, notes, note text, search filters, and saving preferences as described in Placing Database Callouts
Notes in the Selected Keynote List Object	Edits the keynote legend notes and description as described in Inserting Callouts or Keynotes; the Relative Path column indicates whether the associated database is referenced by a relative path (check mark) or absolute path (no check mark)
Update >	Overwrites the selected keynote legend note(s) with the selected database note
< Update	Overwrites the selected database note with the selected keynote legend note
< Add	Adds the selected keynote legend note(s) to the database, placing the note(s) in the current database section
Auto-Locate	Automatically locates the database, section, and description of a selected keynote legend note, if the note originated from a database
< Locate	If the selected keynote legend note originated from a database, locates the note’s database, section, and description
Hide Database Controls >>	Hides the database portion of the keynote legend dialog box; edits made with the database hidden are not reflected in the database

6 Click OK to change the keynote legend, replacing the notes with database notes.

Placing Database General Notes

The dialog box is divided into two sections, with the database information on the left and the general notes information on the right. The buttons in the center of the dialog box move information from the database to the general notes and vice versa.

A sample database is located in the Vectorworks application folder: [Vectorworks]\Libraries\Defaults\Notes\GeneralNotes.txt

Tool	Tool set
General Notes	Dims/Notes

Parameter	Description
Active Database, Sections in Database, Notes in Database, Note Text, Database Filter, and Prefs	Edits the database sections, notes, note text, search filters, and saving preferences as described in Placing Database Callouts
Notes in the Selected General Notes Object	Edits the general notes and description as described in Placing General Notes; the Relative Path column indicates whether the associated database is referenced by a relative path (check mark) or absolute path (no check mark)
Add >	Adds one or more selected database notes to the general notes
Update >	Overwrites the selected general note(s) with the selected database note
< Update	Overwrites the selected database note with the selected general note
< Add	Adds the selected general note(s) to the database, placing the note(s) in the current database section
Auto-Locate	Automatically locates the database, section, and description of a selected general note, if the note originated from a database
< Locate	If the selected general note originated from a database, locates the note’s database, section, and description
Hide Database Controls >>	Hides the database portion of the general notes dialog box; edits made with the database hidden are not reflected in the database

The note in the Notes in the Selected General Notes Object list will be placed as a general note.

Adding Text to a Database

Text objects can be added from the drawing to a selected database. This is convenient for retrieving text from older, converted files for use with the Notes Manager or when adding frequently-used text to a database for easy future insertion as an annotation.

The Add Text to Database dialog box opens. Specify which text objects to select and indicate in which databases to search for duplicated text.

Command	Path
Add Text to Database	Text

Parameter	Description
Add Text Meeting These Criteria	Specifies the criteria for selecting text objects to be added to a database
Selected Text Only	Adds only selected text to the database; when deselected, adds text from all text objects in the file
Layers/Classes	Adds only text from the specified layers and/or classes to the database; when deselected, adds text from text objects in all layers or classes in the file
Exclude Text Already in One of These Databases	Lists the databases in which to search for duplicated text; the text search is case sensitive and the match must be exact. If duplicated text is found, it is not added to the database.
Add	Adds a database to the text search database list
Change	Allows changes to a selected database’s location
Remove	Removes a database from the text search database list

2 Click OK. If any of the text is not found in the text search database(s), the Notes Manager: Add Text to Database dialog box opens.

3 The text to be added is listed on the right. As described in Placing Database Keynote Legends, the text can be added to the active database in the desired section.

Reconciling Database and Drawing Notes

Command	Path
Reconcile Notes	Text

The Reconcile Notes command handles differences between the database and the notes in the drawing. For example, if database callouts have been placed and the database is edited afterwards, differences must be reconciled.

Parameter	Description
Callouts obtained from database	Selects database callouts
Callouts not obtained from database	Selects ordinary callouts and keynote callouts that are not linked to a database
Callouts that used to get their text from a database	Selects callouts that were once database callouts and obtained note text from a database
Callouts that never got their text from a database	Selects callouts that did not obtain note text from a database
General Notes objects	Selects general notes
Layers/Classes	Select the layers and classes with notes to include for reconciliation

2 Click OK to reconcile the notes. If any of the notes reference databases, the Notes Manager attempts to locate those databases. It searches first in the same folder as the current file; if not found, it searches in the same place relative to the Vectorworks program executable. If the databases still cannot be found, the Notes Manager tries to locate them with fully-qualified paths.

Place database files from another user in the same folder as the drawing file so that the Notes Manager can easily locate the databases.

3 If a database referenced by notes cannot be located, the Cannot Locate Database(s) dialog box opens. For each database that cannot be located, click Browse to specify the database location.

5 If one or more notes cannot be located in the database, or are not from a valid database, an alert dialog box opens. Indicate whether you want to search for the notes.

If there are no additional database files to be specified, click No and proceed to step 8. If the notes could be located in another database, click Yes to specify the database location.

6 The Specify Additional Databases to Search dialog box opens. Click Add to specify additional databases where the notes are located. Click Remove to delete a selected database from the list. The number of notes which have been located is displayed.

8 If some notes have still not been located, the Notes Manager: Reconcile Notes dialog box opens.

The dialog box is divided into two sections, with the database information on the left and the notes to be reconciled on the right. The buttons in the center of the dialog box move information from the database to the general notes and vice versa.

By using the center buttons, reconcile each note manually. As a note is reconciled, it is removed from the list.

Parameter	Description
Active Database, Sections in Database, Notes in Database, Note Text, Database Filter, and Prefs	Edits the database sections, notes, note text, search filters, and saving preferences as described in Placing Database Callouts
Notes That Need To Be Reconciled	Displays the note text, type of note, database name and location, layer and class name, and database reference type (relative or absolute) for the notes that have not been reconciled
Update >	Overwrites the selected note(s) to be reconciled with the selected database note
< Update	Overwrites the selected database note with the selected note to be reconciled
< Add	Adds the selected note(s) to be reconciled to the database, placing the note(s) in the current database section
Auto-Locate	Automatically tries to locate the database, section, and description of a selected note to be reconciled, if the note originated from a database
< Locate	If the selected note to be reconciled originated from a database, tries to locate the note’s database, section, and description

Locating Databases on a Network

To use databases efficiently in a multiple-user environment, the database files should be placed on a network. There, they can be accessed concurrently by several users who will then conform to office standards and will not need to retype notes.

On Windows, choose databases by browsing from the Network location rather than from a mapped drive letter. If you select databases from mapped drives, the database references are then dependent on drive mapping.

A conflict could arise if you and another user edit the same note in the same database at the same time. If this occurs, the Resolve Note Conflict dialog box opens when you close the Notes Manager dialog box.

On the left, your version of the note displays, and on the right, the other user’s version displays. Select which version of the note to save by selecting Mine is better or The other note is better.

Converting Notes from Previous Versions

Command	Path
Convert Old Notes to New	Text

Databases created in previous versions of the Notes Manager are automatically converted to the current version when they are selected by clicking Choose to select a database.

Databases and notes created in Vectorworks versions prior to version 11 can be converted for use in the current version. Callouts created in those versions are automatically converted to the current format. They can be used as ordinary callouts, keynotes, or database callouts. Other notes objects, such as Text Notes, Keynotes, and General Notes created by previous Notes Manager versions, as well as Vectorworks text objects, must be converted. Vectorworks text objects are converted to general notes.

Select the command. The Convert Old Notes to New dialog box opens. Select the type of old notes to convert.

Parameter	Description
All updatable objects	Converts any note-related items in the drawing
All selected objects	Converts any note-related items in the current selection
Just the following objects	Select the type of objects to be converted (Text Notes, Keynotes, General Notes from version 8.52 to 10, and text objects)
Layers/Classes	Specifies the layers and classes to be searched for objects to convert

Gerenciamento de Notas

Conceito: Gerenciamento de Notas