Customize the property pane layout

Tekla Structures shows the properties of most model objects in the property pane. You can customize the property pane to better suit your needs. You can select separately for each object type which properties you wish to see in the property pane. With Property pane editor you can show, hide and organize the settings in the property pane. You can also add your most needed user-defined attributes (UDAs) directly to the property pane.

To open Property pane editor , on the File menu, click Settings > Customize > Property pane.

With Property pane editor , you can

organize properties to a suitable order or to suitable groups
remove properties you do not use or need
create your own groups for properties that you find relevant, including user-defined attributes (UDAs)
add properties, including user-defined attributes (UDAs), to an existing group
create nested property groups
rename properties or groups
save the customized property pane layouts

The customized property pane layouts are saved to the PropertyTemplates.xml file in the ..Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Trimble\TeklaStructures\<version>\UI\PropertyTemplates\ folder. If you cannot find the folder, ensure that you are able to view the hidden files and folders on your computer.

Company administrators can distribute the customized property pane layouts to the whole organization, in the same way as customized ribbons or customized tabs.

Add a property or a property group

Property pane editor has three columns:

Object type list on the left. The list shows all the objects which have a property pane. Select from the list the object type whose property pane layout you want to modify.
Each object type's tooltip shows the source from where the object type definition is loaded: the default source, your environment, or a user-defined customization.
Property list in the middle. The list shows all the available properties and user-defined attributes for each object type. You can add these properties and UDAs to the property pane layout as regular properties. Properties which are already in use cannot be added for a second time but you can reorganize them in the property pane layout. Properties which are incompatible with the selected object type cannot be added.
Property pane layout on the right. It shows the current layout of the property pane for the selected object type.

To	Do this
Select the object type whose property pane layout you want to modify	In the object type list on the left, browse through the list or use the Search box to filter content.
Add a new property to the property pane layout	In the middle column's Add section, select Property. In the property list, select a property. Use the Ctrl or Shift key to select multiple properties. Drag the property to the property pane layout on the right. You can drag the property to any group in the property pane.
Add a new group to the property pane layout	In the middle column's Add section, select Empty group. Enter a title for the new group. Drag the group template to the property pane layout on the right. You can create a new group, or insert a new group inside an existing group to create nested groups. You can reorganize the existing groups by dragging them.
Add the More button to the property pane layout	If you have accidentally removed the More button from the property pane layout, you can add it back to the property pane layout. In the middle column's Add section, select Special. Drag the More button to the property pane layout on the right.

Change the name of a property or a property group

To	Do this
Rename a property or a property group	In the property pane layout, select the property or the property group that you want to rename. Click. In the Rename dialog box, enter a new name and click OK. Alternatively, right-click the name of the property or the property group and select Rename.
Restore the original name of a property or a property group	In the property pane layout, select the group or the property whose name you want to restore to the original. Right-click and select Restore original name.

Do this

Rename a property or a property group

In the property pane layout, select the property or the property group that you want to rename.
Click.
In the Rename dialog box, enter a new name and click OK.

Alternatively, right-click the name of the property or the property group and select Rename.

Restore the original name of a property or a property group

In the property pane layout, select the group or the property whose name you want to restore to the original.
Right-click and select Restore original name.

Copy properties from one object type to another object type

You can copy properties from one object type to another object type, for example, from steel beam to steel plate.

In the object type list on the left, select the object type from which you want to copy properties.
In the property pane layout on the right, select the properties you want to copy.
Use the Ctrl or Shift key to select multiple properties.
Clickto copy the selected properties.
Alternatively, right-click and select Copy property.

The copied properties are shown in the middle column, under the Content section.
In the object type list on the left, select the object type to which you want to copy the properties.
In the Add section, ensure that the Copied properties option is selected.
Drag the Copied properties box from the middle column to the property pane layout on the right.
The name of the copied group and the content of the group is shown in the middle column until you copy another group or close Property pane editor.

If you copy nested groups, all the nested groups inside the main group are copied, too.

Note:
Properties that are already in use cannot be added for a second time. If you copy properties that are already in use, the copied properties have the text In use in the Content section.

Properties that cannot be added to the selected object type have the text Incompatible in the Content section.

Remove a customization

To	Do this
Delete a property or a property group	Select the property or the property group to be deleted. Use the Ctrl or Shift key to select multiple properties. Click Alternatively, right-click a property or a property group, and select Delete.
Discard changes	Click the Revert all button to discard changes and to revert to the previous save.
Remove a single customization	Click the Restore button to remove the customization of a selected object type's property pane. Alternatively, right-click the selected object type and select Restore to default.
Remove all customizations	Click the Restore all button to remove the customization of all property pane layouts.

Save the changes

When you are happy with the changes, save the customized property pane layout.

Click the Save all button.
When you return to Tekla Structures , Tekla Structures asks if you wish to reload the changed property pane templates. Click Yes to take the customized property pane layout in use.

User-defined attributes (UDAs) in the customized property pane

In the property pane, the More button in the Custom properties section opens the user-defined attributes (UDAs) dialog box. If you customize the property pane, you can add your most important UDAs directly to the property pane, so that you do not need to open separate UDA dialog boxes.

When you create or modify model objects, UDAs are automatically applied together with all the other object properties. UDAs are automatically applied regardless of them being in the property pane or in the UDA dialog boxes.

UDAs with the following unit types are supported and work correctly if they are added in the property pane: Option , String , Integer , Float , Date , Distance , Weight , Force , Moment , Angle , Factor , and Area. UDAs with other unit types need to be used through the UDA dialog boxes.

Example: How to add IFC related user-defined attributes to the property pane layout and copy them to another object type

This example shows how to add a group of IFC related user-defined attributes (UDAs) to the steel column property pane layout, and copy the group to the steel beam property pane layout.

In the object type list, select Steel column.
In the Add section, select Empty group. Enter IFC as the title for the new group.
Drag the group template to the property pane layout on the right.
In the Add section, select Property. In the search, enter IFC to search the IFC related UDAs.
Select all the IFC UDAs and drag them to the group you created in the property pane layout.
When you have added the needed UDAs to the new group, copy the group so that you can add the group also to the steel beam property pane layout. Select the title of the group and click the Copy selected items button.

The name of the copied group and the content of the group is shown in the middle column. You can see that the properties are copied from steel column.
To add the copied group in the steel beam property pane layout, select Steel beam in the object type list.
Drag the copied group from the middle column to the steel beam property pane layout on the right.

Now the IFC related UDAs are available both in the steel column property pane layout and in the steel beam property pane layout.

The copied properties are always inside the Copied properties group in the property pane layout. If you want to move the properties, you can drag them outside the Copied properties group and then delete the empty group.
Click the Save all button to save the changes. When you return to Tekla Structures , Tekla Structures asks if you wish to reload the changed property pane templates. Click Yes to take the customized property pane layout in use.