The added value of modules
- Reduction of the effort required to create identical contents through multiple usage of a (partial) document in other documents
- Mapping of variants and configurations by combining different modules on complex manufacturing and process levels
- Mass changes of documents by passing on adaptations in a module to any documents that uses this module
- Usage of any other document as a template using "Unboxing"
Use modular documents
You can also insert other documents into your existing document at the step level. The inserted documents are then called modules. In this process we also speak of nesting or modularization of documents.
Basically the following applies:
- Every document can always be a module
- Modules can be inserted into each document
- There are no hierarchical levels at first. These are only created by "nesting"
Use the instert Module function to insert an entire document as a so-called module analogous to a new step.
Note that a document needs to be published before it can be inserted (not necessarily visible).
It is generally recommended to create individual, usually smaller documents that you can then use as modules in other documents as in the modular principle. Since each document can always be used as a module at the same time, the document itself becomes a module carrier as soon as other modules are inserted.
Once you have opened a document in the Editor, you can see in the sidebar whether modules have been inserted, and if so, where. In this view, you can also set whether it should always be used in the latest version or in the currently existing version (fixed version). By default, the latest version is used, which means that changes in the module itself are propagated through the hierarchy levels. If you do not want this, you can fix the current version by clicking on it.
Modular tree in the meta information
In the Editor, you can display in various ways how documents are linked together via modules. To do this, first open the information ribbon of a document.
On the one hand, you will find a tree structure that displays all modules used in this document. In addition to the modules on the first level, all other hierarchy levels are displayed in this tree, making it easy to understand the relationships and nesting of different contents.
On the other hand, a tabular overview of the modules used in the document and their current version is available under the Modules section. By clicking on individual modules you can open them directly.
In addition, the Usage tab shows you in which documents the current document itself is used as a module.
"Unboxing" of modules
Inserted modules (i.e. nested documents) can be "de-nested" - we call this unboxing.
In doing so, the steps of a module are inserted into the document without the module bracket. This allows you to edit the steps individually. The embedded module is completely transferred into the document. There is then no link to the module anymore.
This allows you to insert documents in the form of modules as templates into other documents.
If it should turn out at a certain level that a variant is to be handled more specifically, "unbox" the corresponding module and adapt it specifically.
Application example:
Specific variant mapping through multiple nested documents
Level 1: entire document
Level 2: components
Level 3: partial components
Level 4: generic building blocks of partial components
Level 5: ...
Depending on the level on which the products, components, partial components or also processes differ, the module structure can be resolved by unboxing and adapted variant specifically.
In addition, appropriate steps can be added at each level in the corresponding document, in this example the process step Clutch basket and...
Document counter in the search
By showing additional columns (with Adjust Columns), you can display in the Search how often the document is used as a module and how many modules it contains.
Currently, the documents are displayed and counted up to the first level.
For each document you can easily see how many modules it contains or how often this document is used as a module in other documents.
