SI Editor Table Menu - Tips and Tricks

 

 

Before you begin editing a new Formatted Table it is important to understand how they function. SpecsIntact Formatted Tables are a unique breed specifically designed for the SpecsIntact Editor. There are several menu items available while working in tables, either by choosing the Table dropdown menu or taking advantage of the right-click menus.  In order to make editing Formatted Tables easier, tagsSpecsIntact Tags are used to define key elements and attributes used control content and format as well as run processes and generate reports . These tags consist of an opening and closing tag. A tag -- either opening or closing, is used to mark the start or end of an element. Most tags consist of a beginning-tag <SEC> and ending tag </SEC>, but can also contain some empty-element tags such as <Page />. Tags are will only display while in the Edit Mode, even if the tags display is turned on.  

 

To avoid display issues, do not place text or brackets on the same line as a Formatted Table.

Editing Formatted Tables with Revisions

For the best experience editing Formatted Tables with RevisionsThe Revisions command reveals or conceals Revisions that are tagged in the text. Text to be added is identified with underscoring and the Add Tags, <ADD> and </ADD> . Whereas text to be deleted, or Redlined, is identified with overstriking and the Delete Tags, <DEL> and </DEL>., we recommend duplicating the Formatted Table by: 1) selecting the Table 2) copying, 3) deleting, and  then 4) pasting it below the existing Formatted Table.  By doing this, the ADD and DEL tags will be eliminated from each cell that has been edited, making the Formatted Table easier to edit and read.  

 

In the illustration below, the original Formatted Table was deleted and is now surrounded with DEL tags, whereas the new Formatted Table (duplicate), was added and surrounded with ADD tags.  Therefore, the customer knows you have deleted the original Formatted Table and replaced it with a new one.

 

Using this Feature

To Duplicate a Formatted Table for Editing With Revisions:

1. From the SI Editor, navigate to the Formatted Table you wish to duplicate
2. RIght-clickTo press the right button of a mouse and release it to open a menu on to the Table, choose Select Table 
3. Press Ctrl+C to copy the table
4. Press the Delete key
5. Press Ctrl+V to paste the table

Using Copy and Paste

Cells, Columns or Rows

The SI Editor's Copy, Copy Without Tags, and Paste commands can be used in many ways.  You can either copy and paste text into a table cell(s), column(s), or row(s) or into the same table or other SI tables,

 

First you must Insert the required blank row(s) or column(s).

 

Once you have the blank row(s) or columns, you must highlight the blank cell(s), column(s) or Row(s) After selecting the table cell(s), row(s), or column(s), press Ctrl+V or right-click and choose Paste

 

into other applications, such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or Word tables.

 

After selecting the table cell(s), row(s), or column(s) or table from an Excel spreadsheet or Word table into a SI Formatted Table, you must first Insert either a row(s), column(s) or Formatted Table.

Entire Formatted Table

Some organizations are no longer permit users to Save Excel XML spreadsheets.  SpecsIntact has simplified the process to Import Excel spreadsheets, Word and other application tables using the Copy and Paste command.

 

To copy and paste a Formatted Table  use the Editor's Toolbar Copy and Paste Buttons, Right-click Menu or the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C to Copy, or Ctrl+E to Copy Without Tags or Ctrl+V to Paste.

 

Selected Row(s) or Column(s)

When you are copying and pasting selected Row(s) or Column(s), you will need to insert a new Row or Column to receive the pasted data.

 

The capability to Copy or Paste multiple Table row(s), column(s) or an entire Formatted Table requires SI v4.5.1 or newer

 

Using this Feature

To Copy an Excel spreadsheet, Word or other table into a SpecsIntact Formatted Table:

1. From the SI Editor, go to the Table Menu, and select Insert >Table or select the TagsbarThe Tagsbar is used by the SI Editor to assist the user in preparing and editing specifications by allowing quick access to commonly used tagging commands. If you place your mouse pointer over any toolbar button, you will see a tool tip telling you the command associated with that button. Formatted Table button
2. From the Insert Table window, choose the number of Rows and Columns that match that of the spreadsheet
3. Copy the table from Excel, Word or another application
4. In the SpecsIntact Editor, highlight the entire table using the instructions below to Select Columns, Rows, Cells or Table
5. Right-clickTo press the right button of a mouse and release it to open a menu and choose Paste or press Ctrl+V
6. To Save the changes place the cursor outside the Formatted Table, and press Ctrl+S or select File > Save.

 

Saving Edits

To save edits within a Formatted Table, the cursor MUST be in another cell, outside of the one being edited or outside the table.

 

Edit Mode

The Formatted Tables edit mode is activated by left-clicking in a cell to begin inputting the data, formatting and/or tagging.

 

 

Colors and Tags

While in edit mode, the SpecsIntact Editor will not display colors, and will always show hidden text and tags. These limitations will not apply when viewing or printing tables.

 

Merge and Unmerge

The Merge and Unmerge Cells features are not available from the Table Menu unless two or more cells are selected or the cell is a merged cell.

 

Undo and Redo

The Undo and Redo buttons are not always available, so it appears as though this feature cannot be used. The trick to using Undo and Redo with Formatted Tables, is to place the cursor outside of the Table then select the correct command.

 

Once the SectionA set of files within the Division of a Master or Job that covers specific aspects of construction. is saved, the Undo and Redo features are reset.
 

Right-Click Menus

There are three right-clickTo press the right button of a mouse and release it to open a menu menus available while working with Formatted Tables.

Table Menu

Is activated by placing the mouse over the row or cell then right-clicking. This menu provides options available for changing the entire table.  This menu provides options available for changing the entire table.

 

The Merge and Unmerge Cells feature is not available from the Table Menu or the Editing Menu unless two or more cells are selected or the cell is a merged cell however, the Unmerge All Cells feature is available.  To learn more, see the Unmerge All Cells topic.

 

Menu options that appear inactive require either cell(s), row(s), column(s) or text to be selected.  Click on the image menu option below to display details for each function.

 

 

 

Edit Menu

The third menu is an Editing Menu that is available while in Edit Mode. To activate the Edit Mode menu click in the cell, then right-click.

 

The Edit Menu provides features such as Copy, Cut, Delete, Paste, Undelete Redlined Revisions, Delete Added Revisions, and Remove All Revisions. For additional convenience this menu also provides an extensive pop-up Table Menu.

 

 

Browse To Hyperlink Menu

The second menu is activated by placing the mouse over a hyperlink then right-clicking and choosing Browse to Hyperlink.  Choosing this function will open the hyperlink in your default Browser (i.g. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc.).

 

   

Selecting Columns, Rows, Cells Or Table

Can be done by left-clicking and dragging the mouse cursor -- or --selecting the first cell, holding down the Shift key and clicking on the additional cells

 

 

It is recommended that while working with SpecsIntact Tables the View > Tags command is turned off. It also is encouraged to enter all of the information into the table prior to tagging. This will make editing in SpecsIntact Tables less complicated.

 

Adjusting Row(s) and Column(s)

When adjusting Row(s) begin adjusting rows from bottom to top of the Formatted Table or use the Row Height command.  When adjusting Column(s) begin adjusting the columns from right to left or use the Column Width command.

 

Tailoring

TailoringTagged elements <TAI> </TAI> inserted by the Master Specification writer to indicate specific elements within a specification in order to include or exclude various requirements either by agency or product, thereby pre-editing a guide specification to remove requirements that do not exist in the project and simplifying customization. Options can be applied to an entire table, however, the Tailoring tag must be on the same line as the Formatted Tables TAB tag.  Tailoring within a table becomes more complicated when adding or removing Tailoring Options since there is no way to tailor an entire row or column. In order to apply Tailoring, the data within the cells are tailored individually. When using the Tailoring Options tool to remove these options, blank rows or cells will remain,therefore, they must be manually deleted by the individual editing the Section.

 

Brackets

Inserting Brackets within a Formatted Table is more complex.  The complexity exists when a row or multiple rows need to be bracketed.  

 

One option can be applied by separating a Table into smaller sets of tables, then add the brackets just before the beginning <TAB> tag and just after the </TAB> tag.  An illustration of this method can be found in UFGS Section 26 32 15.00 10 entitled

DIESEL-GENERATOR SET STATIONARY 100-2500 KW, WITH AUXILIARIES, paragraph "Engine-Generator Parameter Schedule."

 

Another way is to consider keeping the data that would be surrounded by brackets in one cell, then place the brackets around that information, and carry the technique across each cell in that row. This way, if the bracketed option is removed all of

the cells contents would also be removed. When the contents are removed from those cells using the Bracket Replacement feature, the row will also need to be deleted. An illustration of this method can be found in UFGS Section 26 32 15.00 10 entitled

DIESEL-GENERATOR SET STATIONARY 100-2500 KW, WITH AUXILIARIES.

 

 

Technical Support Information

Users are encouraged to visit the SpecsIntact Website's Help Center for access to all of our User Tools, including eLearning Modules (video tutorials), printable Guides, Knowledge Base containing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Technical Notes and Release Notes, and Web-Based Help.  For additional support, contact the SpecsIntact Technical Support Desk at (321) 867-8800 or KSC-SpecsIntact@mail.nasa.gov.