Working with Parameters

When you create a part like the hollow cylinder of our "Getting Started" example, you often start by creating a sketch, then you create a pad by extruding the initial sketch, then you add other features to the pad created. The final document is made up of features which define the intrinsic properties of the document. Removing one of these features results in a modification of the document. These features are called parameters. Parameters play a prominent role in knowledgeware applications. They are features that can be constrained by relations and they can also be used as the arguments of a relation.

In addition to these parameters, CATIA allows you to create user parameters. These user parameters are extra pieces of information added to a document.

User parameters are very handy in knowledgeware applications:

	they can be used to add specific information to a document
	they can be defined or constrained by relations
	they can be used as the arguments of a relation.

A given relation may take as its arguments both types of parameters (intrinsic and user).

Displaying Parameters in the Specification Tree

The user parameters are displayed in the specification tree provided you check the Parameters box below the Specification tree settings in the Tools->Options...->Infrastructure->Part Infrastructure dialog box. The user parameter list contains at least the Material parameter. The initial value of the Material parameter is set to None.

In addition, parameters can be displayed with their values provided you check the With Value box below the Parameter Tree View settings in the Tools->Options->General->Parameters dialog box

Copying/Pasting Parameters

The Tools->Options->General->Parameters check boxes allow you to:

	paste a parameter without the formula which defines it. For example: `Holeplus= 15 = Diameter + 10` will be pasted as `Real.i = 15` (if the With Value box is checked)
	paste a parameter as well as the formula which defines it, but only if the parameters referred to in the formula are also selected in the copy. For example: `Holeplus= 15 = Diameter + 10` will be pasted as `Real.i = 15` if the Diameter parameter does not belong to the items selected for the copy but HolePlus will be pasted as `Real.i = 15 = Real.j + 10` if Diameter is selected in the copy (use multi-selection).
	paste a parameter as well as the formula. `Holeplus= 15 = Diameter + 10` will be pasted as `Real.i = Diameter + 10`

Parameters and National Support Languages

CATIA users working with non-latin characters should check the Tools->Options>Knowledge->Parameter Names->Surrounded by' option. Otherwise, parameter names should have to be renamed in latin characters when used in formulas.

To know more about parameters, see the Infrastructure User's Guide.

Adding a Parameter to a Feature
Creating Sets of Parameters