Smart Instrumentation generates a specification based on a pre-defined spec form that you associate with the source item. Each form consists of one or more spec pages, which, in turn can contain one or more sections. A spec page that does not include sections you define in the Section Editor is considered a single-section page. A spec page that contains sections you define in the Section Editor is referred to as composite.
When you first create a specification for an item, you must specify the form number to create the item-form association. On subsequent occasions, you only need to specify the item number to display the specification. It is only possible to generate a spec in the Specifications module. On generating a spec, the software automatically creates a unique document number for the spec.
Each specification is made up of data portions. For example: general data, process data, construction data, purchase data, a note field, and a specification header, which is the title block. The General Data portion of the spec includes details that were entered in the Instrument Index module. The Process Conditions portion values are derived from the Process Data module (if available) along with calculation results from the Calculation module (if available). If you defined multiple cases for a given tag, the specification displays the process data from the governing case.
You can generate the following types of specifications:
Single-item specification
A document with details about a single item, or a specific process data case of an instrument. The source form for such a document can only contain single-section pages.
Multi-tag instrument specification
A document with details about two or more instruments. A multi-tag instrument specification includes common pages with fields that are identical for all of the instruments, and a SEE LIST page with values that differ from instrument to instrument. A multi-tag specification is only available when the item type is instrument. The source form for such a document can only contain single-section pages.
Loop composite specification
A document with details about a loop and its instrument tags. The source form for such a document must contain sections you define in the Section Editor: one loop section and one or more instrument sections.
Instrument composite specification
A document that integrates data about several instruments or process data cases of an instrument. In contrast to multi-tag instrument specifications, an instrument composite specification does not have common pages and can include tags whose process functions are not identical. The source form for such a document must contain sections you define in the Section Editor. Each section in a composite spec page contains data pertinent to a specific instrument tag or process data case.
It is possible to generate specs either in the Specifications module, or in the Domain Explorer. In the Specifications module, you can generate one spec at a time, and open this spec on completing the generation. In the Domain Explorer, you can only generate instrument specs but you can generate specs in batch mode, if you defined specification options in the instrument type profile of the instruments you select in the Domain Explorer. For details, see Define Specification Options in an Instrument Type Profile.
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If you want to generate a non-instrument spec (for example, a panel spec or a hook-up item spec), you must first restore the appropriate library forms.
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You cannot generate specifications for virtual tags.
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It is only possible to generate one spec at a time.
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To view special characters in specification fields, for example & (ampersand), you must use two characters to view the one. For example, if you want to display &U&, then you need to enter &&U&&.
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The character ~ (tilde) cannot be placed in specification fields at the end of a string, you must place another character after the ~. Without the extra character the field does not appear in the specification.
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To use double quotes “” at the begging of a field, you must enter a space before the quotes. For example, instead of “A dimension” you enter <space>”A dimension”.