Smart Construction has many features that can be personalized and configured to fit your business and project needs using Microsoft Excel workbook template files.
Smart Construction features that use a template
The following Smart Construction features use template files:
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Rules of progress
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Importing your schedule in the Import project data window
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Importing your Primavera P6 schedule in the Import project data window
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Mapping project configuration data for the Import project data window
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Mapping retrieve properties
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Materials mapping
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Configuring SmartPlant Foundation documents with tags
Template delivery location
The template files are delivered to the Templates folder in the Smart Construction installation directory (browse to [Drive]:\Program Files\SmartConstruction\Templates).
How the templates work
Each template is a Microsoft Excel file that contains a macro. You configure your data as needed in the template workbook and save it. Then, you click the Generate button on the Main tab of the template. The Generate button starts the macro, generating an XML file. Smart Construction uses the generated XML file to configure data in your project.
Getting the newly configured data into Smart Construction varies per service and feature. For example, Smart Construction automatically pulls the mapping for project configuration and schedule data for the Import project data window. You must start a retrieve or refresh work steps in order to pull in the latest Rules of Progress data. And, you must start a retrieve to get the latest retrieve mappings.
How to manage the files
We recommend that you use the document management feature in the SmartPlant Foundation Desktop Client to manage these template files. The SmartPlant Foundation Desktop Client stores the configuration document, allowing users with the proper permissions to check the document out and in with revisions.
Each template (and XML file) has a corresponding configuration document in the SmartPlant Foundation Desktop Client (You can find these configuration documents by clicking Smart Construction > Find > Administration > Configuration Documents).
After you make changes to your template and generate the XML file, we recommend that you attach the Microsoft Excel file and the XML file to its configuration document in the SmartPlant Foundation Desktop Client. For more information, see Attach template files to configuration documents.