Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

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GAZ082
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Location: Buenos Aires City, Argentina

Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

Post by GAZ082 »

The other day saw a video about Fusion360 where the guy used a FC spreadsheet-like-tool to define parameters. Right off the bat It has like a template of sorts where you had a column for Parameter name, then another for value, measure, etc:
Screenshot from 2022-05-17 23-00-07.png
Screenshot from 2022-05-17 23-00-07.png (165.19 KiB) Viewed 917 times
You have everything laid out in a simple way, you just complete the template.

Whereas in FC I have to:

1. Use a column for the value description.
2. Another for the actual value.
3. Then right click, and define the Alias so FC can reference it.

1 and 2 are ok, but whats the point of 3? Is the spreadsheet used for anything else than defining parameters? Am I doing something wrong?
Workshop_Notes
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Re: Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

Post by Workshop_Notes »

GAZ082 wrote: Wed May 18, 2022 2:03 am The other day saw a video about Fusion360...

...what's the point of 3?
Would it be possible to give a link to the video please?

The spreadsheet serves two purposes: (1) it allows you, the designer, to set up parameters that are then used in formulas elsewhere to define the logic of the model; (2) it allows a user to edit the value of those parameters to change the geometry (but not the logic) of the model.

Now, as designer, you will soon tire of writing 'left side blue box upper lid clasp hook size' into every formula that uses it. That is why we have aliases, so you can use 'chs' or similar that is minimally adequate for your purposes.

As a user, you will have no clue what 'chs' refers to, so the distinction between a descriptive cell and the alias attached to its value benefits both user and designer. The Fusion spreadsheet you show would not be intuitive to a user - both sketch 1 and sketch 2 have a linear dimension 2, so the user has to know four things, what each sketch refers to and what linear dimension 2 in a particular sketch refers to.

Also, by implication, not every cell is used for a parameter - some are for descriptive text, some are empty, some have intermediate calculations in them (e.g. the user enters an area but the model needs that area in terms of a characteristic length - easier to do the conversion once, correctly, in the spreadsheet than every time in a formula with random chance of error).

For me, the spreadsheet is great, because in principle I can send it to someone totally unfamiliar with FreeCAD and tell them just to type in the size of the part they want and print off a dimensioned pdf of it from Techdraw.
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

Post by Shalmeneser »

I don't know if there is a macro creating a spreadsheet to recall all the dimensions and their details.
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Roy_043
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Re: Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

Post by Roy_043 »

Maybe Macro_EasyAlias helps?
GAZ082
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Re: Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

Post by GAZ082 »

Roy_043 wrote: Wed May 18, 2022 12:37 pm Maybe Macro_EasyAlias helps?
Oh yes! This should be the default behavior!

Thanks a lot.
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adrianinsaval
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Re: Spreadsheet tool and parameters: why Aliases?

Post by adrianinsaval »

spreadsheets can be used in many ways, organized in rows or lines or used to reference values rather than to be referenced, to calculate stuff. It's not viable to make that a default. It's just that since spreadsheets are more powerful they are more complex to manage. For your use it might be preferable to go with a property container, have a look at dynamic data addon.
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