Referencing Resources

The resources of files listed in the References tab of the Organization dialog box, as well as the resources in any VectorWorks file of the same version number, can be referenced through the Resource Browser.

If a file’s resources are referenced through the Resource Browser, the file name is automatically added to the list of referenced files in the Organization dialog box.

To reference the resources of a master file:

1.	To display the resources of the master file in the Resource Browser, either make the master file a favorite or browse the master file (see Accessing Existing Resources).

2.	Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Macintosh) on the desired resource to display the context menu. Select Reference.

3.	The resource is added to the target file as a referenced resource. Referenced resources display with italicized names in the Resource Browser.

4.	The following rules apply to referenced resources.

 

Situation	Description
Resource rename or edit	A referenced resource cannot be edited or renamed
Resource name conflict	If there is a name conflict between a referenced object and another object during an update, an alert allows the other object to be renamed. (If the other object is also a referenced object, it cannot be renamed and the update fails.)
Change user origin of master file	If the user origin of a master file is changed, the location of the referenced resources do not change, if Ignore source user origin is selected in the Edit Reference dialog box
Change master file classes	Changes to the class of a referenced resource are only reflected in the target file after an update if Update class definitions is selected in the Edit Reference dialog box
Resource deleted in master file	If a referenced resource is deleted in a master file and the resource does not exist in any other master file included in an update, when the reference to the master file is updated, an alert displays. Click OK to confirm that the resource is an “orphan,” or click OK to All to hide all alerts about orphaned resources during the current update. Orphaned resources are no longer referenced.

5.	To break a reference, right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Macintosh) on the desired resource to display the context menu. Select Break Reference. The resource remains in the target file, but it is no longer referenced to the master file.