NetSkeme Plus users can streamline and standardize their property settings by defining and customizing component types. Component types are collections of properties that can be assigned to symbols in the library, ensuring consistent property behavior across your drawings.

This article explains how to view, modify, and apply component type settings.

Understanding Component Types

Component types determine:

• Which properties appear in the Property Manager
• Which properties are available as Relevant Properties
• Whether a property’s value is displayed in the drawing
• The order in which properties appear

Editing a component type affects future symbols of that type — not symbols already placed in your drawing.

Viewing the Component Type of a Symbol

1. In your drawing, right‑click the symbol and select Edit Model Data, or double‑click the symbol.
2. The Property Manager opens.
3. The component type appears at the top (e.g., Screw‑in Cartridge Check Valve).
4. Open Extended Model Data to view all properties associated with this component type.
   • Icons indicate whether a property’s value will be displayed in the drawing.
   • The list of Relevant Properties is also defined by the component type.
     

Relevant Properties help you quickly add commonly used fields to a component.

Why Modify a Component Type?

Changes made directly in the Property Manager affect only the selected symbol.
To ensure consistent behavior for all future symbols of the same type, modify the component type instead.

Editing a Component Type

1. Open Preferences.
   
   
2. Navigate to Property Settings.
   
3. Select the appropriate Component Group (e.g., Check Valve).
4. Choose the specific component type (e.g., Check Valve – Screw‑in Cartridge).
   
   
5. The component type will initially show NetSkeme defaults unless previously customized.

Managing Properties in a Component Type

Show a Property in the Property Manager

To ensure a property appears in the Property Manager for this component type, check Use in Property Manager.

Properties for which Use in Property Manager has not been checked will appear in the list of Relevant Properties for symbols of that component type. 

Display a Property in the Drawing

To show a property’s value alongside the symbol in the drawing, check Display in Drawing.

Add a Property

1. Select Add.
   
   
2. Choose a property from the list and Add to Component Type.
   
   
   • Newly added properties are enabled in the Property Manager by default.
     

Delete a Property

1. Select the property you want to remove.
   
   The property is highlighted upon selection. 
2. Click Delete.
   
   

Removing a property from the component type removes it from both the Property Manager and Relevant Properties for future symbols.

Reorder Properties

1. Select a property.
2. Use the up or down arrow to adjust its position.
   
   

Reordering helps keep frequently edited properties at the top for faster access.

Saving or Resetting Component Type Changes

Changes apply to NetSkeme Supplied Data and My Library.
Changes do not apply to corporate libraries.
Existing symbols already placed in drawings will not update automatically.

Future Behavior

Any time you insert a symbol of this component type from NetSkeme Supplied Data or My Library into a drawing, its Property Manager will automatically use the customized settings you defined.