Linking Subjects From an Existing Project

You can link subjects from an existing project.

The following image shows the Link Subject wizard.

When linking, subject names will be copied from the original. You can rename the linked subject, but the name of the original subject must be displayed in the graph.

You can change the descriptions of the linked subject.

When you link subjects that contain child subjects, they will be linked as well. You cannot unlink just one child subject of a linked subject. Additionally, you cannot add new child subjects to linked subjects.

Linked subjects and their child subjects will be marked in the Graph and in the Project Explorer with a parallelogram.

You can link any subject of the current Input Data Model, including root subjects and parent subjects to the current subject. Linked parent subjects will be shown as a hidden node where no attributes/properties can be changed. Such subjects will be shown without children nodes. If this occurs, linking current subjects should be excluded.

You can link subjects that have already been linked.

However, you cannot add, edit, or remove any subject fields. To make any of these changes, you must first unlink the subject. The only value that you can change without unlinking it, is the Reference Value in the Inherited data type.

You can publish linked subjects as Reference Data. You cannot publish hidden subjects.

If there are any changes with the original linked subjects, the subject will be automatically updated without notifications.

If the field of the original subject has a Reference or Identifier data type, then the Reference Value is preserved in the linked subject.

To cut and paste, copy and paste, or move the linked subject to another location, you must first unlink the subject.

Options that are prohibited for the linked subject will be disabled in its context menu.

Editors for linked subjects look similar to regular subjects. All information is disabled except for the Reference Value in the event of an Inherited data type.

Properties for linked subjects contain the same tabs as other subjects. However, only the following general properties can be updated:

• Name
• Short description
• Long description

All information in other tabs is disabled except the Reference Value for the inherited data type.

When you unlink the subject, it becomes a regular subject without any relation to a linked subject, and all attributes can be modified. The unlink action will be enabled only for the root linked subject (subject above the linked subject structure). You will have the following two options:

• Unlink single local subject. Unlinks only the top linked subject but its children stays without changes.
• Whole link subject tree. Unlinks the whole subject tree.