Create a PDF Book from an Item Structure

General Information

This feature allows you to compile various part lists from an item structure into a PDF book, such as a spare parts catalog or a manufacturing part list. You can also compile documents related to the structure into a single PDF file.

• The administrator has the right to edit the XML templates for the PDF book.

You can compile a PDF book only from the latest revision of the item.

The PDF book includes not only the view files of objects of types Drawing, Drawing (Other), Drawing (SW), and Document but also PDF-format main files if they are of type Document or Drawing (Other). This clarification was introduced in version Flow 24.0.4.

About product structures in general: Product Structures.

Create a PDF Book

(1) Select the item whose structure you want to use to create a PDF book.

(2) Choose the action Item > Item Structure > PDF Book.

• Flow opens the Create PDF Book dialog box, which contains three sections.

• The Create PDF Book tab is selected by default in the dialog box.

(3) Select if needed:

• Spare Parts Book

• Consumables Book

(4) Select the XML template that defines the format of the PDF book.

(5) Choose the content language.

• The default language or English.

• Selecting English requires that there is an English version of the PDF view files.

• The same applies to other languages.

(6) Choose the page orientation.

• Landscape

• Portrait

(7) Enter or select search criteria, if necessary, to filter the content to be included in the PDF book from the item structure.

• Do not enter or select search criteria if you want the PDF book to display the entire structure.

Open the PDF book for viewing

(1) Click the link "open here: identifier.pdf"

• Flow will download the file to the browser's download section.

• See download section notes: Browser considerations.

(2) If needed, click the file in the browser's download section.

• Windows will open the file with the program associated with the .pdf file extension (e.g., Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Collect structure documents

(1) Select the item for which you want to create a PDF book from the structure.

(2) Select the function Item > Item Structure > PDF Book.

• Flow will open the "Create PDF Book" dialog window, which contains three sections.

• The "Create PDF Book" tab will be selected by default.

(3) Select the "Collect Structure Documents" tab.

(4) Choose the page orientation or orientations.

(5) Select paper sizes.

(6) Choose the content language.

(7) Enter or select any necessary search criteria based on which the documents will be collected from the item structure.

• Do not enter or select any search criteria if you want to collect all the documents from the structure.

(8) Select any necessary additional options.

(9) Click "Create."

• Flow will generate the PDF file and add it to the browser’s download section.

• See download section: Notes about browsers.

The administrator can create new XML template files to guide the creation of PDF books as needed.

• See: New PDF Book Template