Overdrive
Pro Global Variables
Global Variables do just what the name implies; they allow you to create variables that only need to be changed in one place but can affect every product in your job. The Global Variables can be accessed from the "File" drop-down menu. This will display the Global Variable screen. This screen is divided into two sections. The section on the left is your list of Global Variables. All the Global Variables available have been categorized and organized into folders to make it easier to find what you are looking for. The right window is the Global Variable help window. This will display a help picture of the Global Variable that is currently selected. Underneath both of the sections is a help text window. Help text will be displayed in this window to better understand what the Global Variable will affect. Edit Drop Down Menu The "Edit" drop down menu will allow you to add and modify the Global Variables. Add Global Variable The "Add Global Variable" command will add a new Global Variable to the folder that you are under. Selecting this option will display the "Add Global Variable" screen. From here you can define the name of the Global Variable; add a value, formula and help text to the variable; and assign a WMF picture to the variable. You can now reference the new global in any product. Edit Global Variable This will allow you to change the value or formula of the Global Variable that is currently selected. Find Global Variable The "Find Global Variable" option will allow to type in the name of a Global Variable you are searching for. Show Lookup Tables Lookup Tables offer a powerful way to organize data and return a value depending on a variable in a product. For example, if we needed to set the quantity of how many hinges will be used depending on the height of the door, we could use a Lookup Table. After selecting the "Show Lookup Tables" menu item from the “Global Context” menu, the Lookup Tables screen will be displayed. This window allows us to change existing lookup table information and even create new lookup tables that we can reference in the products. You can view the list of lookup tables by selecting the drop down menu under "Table Name" on the right side of the screen. The table will then be displayed on the left side of the screen. Each table has column headings so you know what information needs to go in what column. Double-clicking a cell will allow you to edit the value of the cell or enter in a formula for that cell. Using the tools that are available on the right side of the screen will allow you to add and delete rows and columns. To see how to enter formulas in your products that will use the Lookup Tables please see the Excel Advanced Formulas section. Load Template Parts Files This option will load a template parts files into the Global Variable file. This will prevent any name errors from occurring in the Global Variable file. All the options in the Edit menu can also be found by right-clicking on the Global Variable List. This will display the Global Variable context menu that will have the same options as the Edit menu. Using Global Variables in Formulas Expand the branch for the categories called "Cabinet Construction" and the sub-category called “Cabinet Top Condition”. The first Global Variable in the list will be "Full Tops". Set this global to "1". This particular Global Variable will allow you to control whether the cabinet is made with a full top or with stretchers. The Global Variable named “Full Tops” controls one aspect of how the cabinet is constructed. So, if you want to use stretchers instead of a full top, you can modify this Global Variable in this one location and it will cause the cabinets in the entire product list to be drawn with stretchers. One of the places you will use this Global Variable is in the quantity field of cabinet tops. The formula will look like this: =G!Full_Tops. Because the Global Variable is located in a different workbook (or file), the reference is external. Unlike Excel, you will refer to other workbooks by a title instead of a file name. The Global Variables file has a title of "G", so references made to a Global Variable from a parts file would be begin with “G!” followed by the actual defined name. Now let’s change the value of one of the Global Variables. Change “Full Tops” to 0. The quantity of the tops will now be 0 and the stretchers will be 1. The reason the stretchers will be turned on is because the quantity of the stretchers is pointed to a formula that says =IF(G!Full_Tops=1,0,1). In English, the formula reads: “If the Global Variable Full Tops is equal to 1, then I want no stretchers (zero quantity); otherwise, the quantity of the stretchers will be 1.” It is also possible to change the material a part is using depending on Global Variables. This is an example of how a Global Variable can be used in a formula to change the material of a part. Sometimes it is necessary to refer to a “Local Variable” in the global file. The variable “Inside Cut Height Base” is an example. This variable calculates the finished length of a vertical cabinet member (such as a division) and uses the product's height and the toe kick height to calculate the formula. These values are not contained in the global file, but rather in the prompts list of the product. When referring to a variable in the product file from the global file, we call it referencing a “Local Variable”. To refer to a Local Variable from the global file, use “L!” followed by the variable name. Some Local Variables referenced in the global file do not exist in the current product. You can see an example of this if you haven't added a product to the job by viewing the “Drawer Box Variable” category of the Global Variables. Some formulas evaluate to “#NAME?” because the Local Variable does not exist. If you add a “7 drawer base” cabinet to the job and then view the same Global Variables, you will see that they do evaluate properly because the Local Variables exist in that product. If you want to see the value of all the Global Variables and do not want to see the “#NAME?” errors, click the “Load Template Parts File” button from the Edit pull-down menu. This will load all the prompts from a file with default Local Variable settings into the Global Variables, thus resolving the “#NAME?” error.
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