Conditions
Conditions act as filters to ensure that only the desired files are processed. They work by evaluating the properties of each file and can be used to include or exclude files from the publishing process.
General Behavior
PDMPublisher will only process files that evaluate any of the set conditions as true. If no conditions are defined, all files are processed. If one or more conditions are set, at least one must evaluate to true for the file to be included.
Each condition and group has a checkbox on the left. This checkbox allows you to enable or disable individual conditions or entire groups without deleting them, which is useful for temporarily changing logic.
For conditions to work correctly during publishing, you must ensure that “Export references to individual file formats” is checked in the export options. If this option is not enabled, PDMPublisher will not evaluate conditions on each referenced file individually, and the filtering logic will not apply as expected.
You can also import and export conditions. Exporting allows you to save your logic as a reusable file, and importing lets you quickly load pre-defined conditions. If a group is selected during import, the imported conditions will be added into that specific group.
Nested Groups Support (AND/OR)
PDMPublisher supports nested condition groups, allowing you to build advanced logical trees using AND and OR operators. This makes it possible to define complex scenarios such as publishing only drawings in a specific state or parts with certain property values.
- Each condition and group can be enabled or disabled using its checkbox.
- New groups can be added by clicking the + (AND/OR) button next to any existing group.
- Logical nesting allows you to combine multiple layers of conditions for fine-grained control.
- Imported conditions can also be nested if you select a target group before importing.
Condition Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Variable | The variable name to evaluate the condition on. |
| Condition Type | The type of comparison or rule to apply. |
| Value | The value to compare against. |
| Configuration | The configuration to read the variable from. Use @ for general or custom tab values. If left empty when processing assemblies, the referenced configuration will be used. Otherwise, the Custom tab is used. |
Special Variables
These built-in variables appear at the top of the variable list:
- FileName: File name (e.g. 123456.SLDDRW)
- Revision: Current revision cached
- Version: Current version cached
- Workflow: Workflow name of the file
- State: Current state name of the file
Operation Types
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| TextEqualTo | Checks if the text is exactly equal to the value. Supports * wildcard. |
| TextNotEqualTo | Checks if the text is not equal to the value. |
| TextLengthLessThan | True if text length is less than the value. |
| TextLengthBiggerThan | True if text length is greater than the value. |
| TextContains | True if the text contains the value. |
| TextDoesNotContain | True if the text does not contain the value. |
| NumberEqualTo | True if number equals the value. |
| NumberNotEqualTo | True if number is not equal to the value. |
| NumberLessThan | True if number is less than the value. |
| NumberBiggerThan | True if number is greater than the value. |
| DateEqualTo | True if date equals the value. |
| DateNotEqualTo | True if date is not equal to the value. |
| DateLessThan | True if date is earlier than the value. |
| DateBiggerThan | True if date is later than the value. |
| YesOrNoEqualTo | True if value equals Yes or No. |
Order of Evaluation
PDMPublisher follows a clear evaluation sequence when resolving variables and configurations:
- Configuration-Specific Property Lookup
PDMPublisher first tries to retrieve the value from the referenced configuration of the file. - Fallback to Custom Tab
If the variable is not found in the referenced configuration, PDMPublisher falls back to the Custom tab. - Assembly References with Empty Configuration Field
When processing an assembly and the configuration field is empty, PDMPublisher evaluates the condition against the referenced configuration(s) of the children (parts or subassemblies).
This evaluation order ensures maximum compatibility with different property setups, including multi-configuration parts and complex assemblies.