Associating and Disassociating Functional Signals

or Messages with Network Signals and Messages

You can perform an update action that associates or disassociates multiple functional signals and messages (in a functional design from Capital Systems Modeler) with network signals and messages (stored in the dictionary in Capital Signal Modeler) at the same time. This is an alternative to mapping individual functional signals and messages with network signals and messages by using the Name Selection dialog box.

Prerequisites

• You must specify values for particular attributes (as listed in Table 25) on the functional signals and messages that you want to associate or disassociate. These attributes identify the network signals and messages in the dictionary, with which the functional signals and messages will be associated. These can be edited manually in the Properties dialog box for a functional signal or message. Alternatively, you can update them via an extensibility plugin. For more information about developing and using extensibility plugins, see the PluginDevelopment.pdf file that is located in the doc\plugin folder of your Capital installation. Note The bulk update action will remove any existing association that the functional signal or message has with a network signal or message if you: Delete values from these attributes for a signal or message and leave them blank. Update them with values that are incorrect and do not match any network signal or message.

You can run a design rule check “Dictionary signal/message out of date” to identify signals or messages where these attribute values do not match any network signals or messages in the dictionary. See Running Design Rule Checks for information about design rule check functionality.

Table 25: Attributes for Dictionary AssociationAttribute Name

Available on Signal or Message

Description

Dictionary Signal Name

Signal

The name of the network signal from Capital Signal Modeler with which you want to associate the functional signal.

Dictionary Signal Revision

Signal

The revision of the network signal from Capital Signal Modeler with which you want to associate the functional signal.

Dictionary Message Name

Message or signal

On a message: The name of the network message in Capital Signal Modeler with which you want to associate the functional message. On a signal: The name of the network message containing the network signal from Capital Signal Modeler with which you want to associate the functional signal.

Dictionary Message Revision

Message or signal

On a message: The revision of the network message from Capital Signal Modeler with which you want to associate the functional message. On a signal: The revision of the message containing the network signal from Capital Signal Modeler with which you want to associate the functional signal.

Procedure

Decide whether you want to run this action for a build list, a design, or a single signal or message and follow the appropriate procedure:

If you want to...	Do the following:
Run the action on all signals and messages in a build list	In the Project Browser Window on the upper left of the application, right-click the build list name and choose Update Signals/Messages From Dictionary. A progress bar displays until the action is complete.
Run the action on all signals and messages in a design	In the Project Browser Window on the upper left of the application, right-click the design name and choose Update Signals/Messages From Dictionary. A progress bar displays until the action is complete.
Run the action on a selection of signals or messages	In the Design Browser Window (Design tab) on the lower left of the application or in the diagram window, select the required signals and messages, right-click one of the selected objects, and choose Update From Dictionary.

Note

You can create a custom plugin version of this action that will update the values of the dictionary attributes for functional signals and messages, associate the functional signals and messages with ones in the dictionary, and update the attributes and properties of the functional signals and messages with values from the dictionary. For more information about developing and using extensibility plugins, see the PluginDevelopment.pdf file that is located in the doc\plugin folder of your Capital installation.

Results

An Update tab in the Output Window at the bottom of the application lists the updates that have been applied (per design when appropriate). For example:

Copy

Updating Signals and Messages from dictionary on design "FunctionReference:RevA"
Signal Signal_01 has been successfully updated using dictionary signal ‘Signal_01:R3’
Message Message_01 has been successfully updated using dictionary message ‘Message_01:R01’

If the dictionary-related attributes match a network signal or message from the dictionary, the functional signal or message is associated with the network signal or message. The attributes and properties from the network signal or message are applied to the functional signal or message.

If a functional signal or message is already associated with a network signal or message, then the latest attribute and property values from the dictionary are applied to the functional signal or message.

If the dictionary-related attributes have incorrect values that do not match a network signal or message, or if the attributes are blank, the functional signal or message is disassociated from the network signal or message. In this case, any read-only properties (taken from the dictionary) are removed from the functional signal or message, but user-defined properties are not changed. If any signal/message attributes are mapped to a network attribute, then that value is not removed.

The Update tab in the Output Window at the bottom of the application also reports on signals and messages that it could not associate or that it has disassociated. For example:

Copy

Signal Signal_01 is not associated to a valid dictionary signal
Message Message_01 is disassociated from dictionary signal

Parent Topic:

Networks in Capital Systems Modeler

Capital Systems Modeler User Guide, 2512.2606

Unpublished work. © 2026 Siemens