Essential!

It would be a great idea to have multiple AC files sharing the same external attribute 'file'!

It would help solve a lot of co-ordinating problems with multiple files especially in practices whose attribute list is still a work in progress. I feel it is actually a limitation in the program that you need to have every attribute predefined before you start working in multiple files or else it becomes a maintainance problem. It wouldn't do ArchiCAD any harm if it was a little more flexible sometimes and helped people who actually work in a slightly less organised way!

I like the idea that in any of the files you could create a new complex profile, and it would be immediately available for use in the other files, without having to worry too much about index numbers. Something super-flexible like that would be brilliant!

I agree that it is important as well for GS to come up with a more user friendly solution to attribute management. The index number system just feels too 'rigid'. I wonder what the management consequences would be if it did just go by the alphanumeric name? I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Rick Thompson wrote-

...I have 100's of active files with the standard insulation fill in the composites. Now I have to open Attribute Manager for each and every file...

What a perfect scenario for a macro script tool! One macro that opens hundreds of files and repeats the exact same commands on those files while you enjoy that ice cream break...

Mark

I would like to see this, or at the very least an "Expert Mode" to allow the manual manipulation of the attributes name to number mapping to help with synchonization. This has become a pain on some large projects with profiles modified in modules not propagating properly to the files that link them.

I voted essential as well (some time ago now) Also voted Essential on a very similar wish today.

I'm faced with this issue once more (see below)

I have a large project setup with a Master Teamwork file with 10 hotlinked teamwork files(with nested modules) linked into the Master model. Working in AC17.5019 INT.

I have a query regarding management of layers and layer combinations - this project is still fairly early in the planning phase and we're already experiencing difficulties with layer duplication.

I anticipated that attribute management would be an issue on the project so I've been exporting layers (and other attributes) to .aat files and subsequently importing them into the other files and Overwriting all in order to maintain a tidy and consistent layer list. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be working - as far as I understand things, ArchiCAD only recognises the Layer number, but I've got multiple layers on the same number and despite having replaced all layers in all of the files yesterday, when updating the HLMs, further duplication of layers occurs - see screen shot.

To further complicate things the HLMs have nested modules, which makes for rather difficult management! They all have the same original source - i.e they were all saved from a single file, but have since been edited and new layers and other attributes added.

Is there an easier method of layer management in large projects? Any tips would be most helpful!

Also, I believe this is something that GS needs to address - ArchiCAD needs a single Attribute management dialogue that can incorporate multiple files - .pln, .mod and Teamwork files in order to deal with this kind of scenario. I'm fairly sure I'm not the only person wanting this!