The Set Starting Point rule is used to preset network elements represented in the diagram as starting points.
The Set Starting Point rule can be configured to preset network features or objects currently represented in the diagram as starting points. When those features or objects are junctions with terminals, the rule can be used to preset starting points on the specific terminals as well.
When the diagram is created from network features or network elements selected as input in the network map and a Set Starting Point rule is configured on the template before a Trace rule, it allows you to identify the specified starting points as the only starting points instead of running all the network elements represented in the diagram at the time it runs.
Set Starting Point rule process
Set Starting Point rules are especially useful when generating diagrams from network features or network objects selected as input in the network map. They are of more limited interest when generating diagrams from trace locations. The sections below explain the process differences.
Set Starting Point rule process when generating diagrams from an input selection set in the network map
When generating diagrams from network features or network objects selected as input in the network map, Set Starting Point rules allow you to avoid running unnecessary multiple traces and affecting performance.
When the Set Starting Point rule is configured without an SQL expression or junction terminal, any network feature or network object of the specified network source can be considered as a starting point for the Trace rule process.
When both an SQL expression and junction terminals are configured, only the network features or network objects queried from the specified network source that have the specified terminals can be considered as starting points for the Trace rule process.
Since any content feature always exists in a diagram with its container by default, you may have to specify the content or container feature as the starting point to prevent the trace from failing.
In the rule sequence configured for a diagram template, several Set Starting Point rules can be specified before a Trace rule. Each rule searches for the starting points it expects among the network features and network objects currently represented in the diagram and merges those that are detected in an internal list. When the Trace rule starts, the process considers the starting points in this internal list and runs the trace from only these starting points. If the starting points list is empty, in other words, if none of the network features and network objects in the diagram match the Set Starting Point rules criteria, the Trace rule is skipped.
Trace rules can also be chained to build diagram contents. In this situation, any starting points set by the Set Starting Point rules positioned before the first Trace rule in the rule sequence are considered by that Trace rule when it starts. These starting points are used again when processing the second Trace rule in the rule sequence, unless there are other Set Starting Point rules positioned between the first and second Trace rules. In this case, this second set of Set Starting Point rules is considered to build a new internal starting points list to use as input for the second trace. The principle is the same if there is a third Trace rule configured in the rule sequence, and so on.
When the Trace rule is configured to run the Shortest Path trace type, precisely two starting points—no more, no less—are expected.
Set Starting Point rule process when generating diagrams from trace locations
When generating diagrams from trace locations specified in the network map, Set Starting Point rules may be bypassed. In this situation, the first Trace rule in the template rule sequence will always operate from the starting points among the specified input trace locations, and ignore any internal list of starting points built from Set Starting Point rules set up earlier in the rule sequence.
However, when there are multiple Trace rules in the rule sequence, any other Trace rule after the first one ignores the trace locations in the network map and considers the starting points in the internal list as soon as it is not empty when the trace runs.
Set Starting Point rule configuration
To configure a Set Starting Point rule on a template, use the Add Set Starting Point By Attribute Rule tool.
Tip:
When configuring diagram rule by attributes, you can filter out diagram features on network source attribute values regarding the other diagram feature attribute values using the following specific SQL statement: WHERE 'OBJECT' = 'IN_DIAGRAM'. For example, to query the diagram feature with a minimum attribute value in the generated diagram, you can set up any Add <XXX> By Attribute Rule tool with an SQL expression based on the following syntax: <attributeName> = (SELECT MIN(<attributeName>) FROM <networkClassName>) WHERE 'OBJECT' = 'IN_DIAGRAM'.
Imagine that you maintain a sewer network and you want to create diagrams that both show any lift stations upstream to a particular lift station and any downstream lift stations from those upstream. In this case, you will set your diagram template rule sequence by chaining the following rule tools:
- A first Add Set Starting Point By Attribute Rule tool to set the lift station you are interested in as the first starting point.
- A first Add Trace Rule tool to run an upstream trace starting from this input lift station.
- A second Add Set Starting Point By Attribute Rule tool to set all the lift stations returned by the upstream trace as new starting points.
- A second Add Trace Rule tool to run downstream traces starting from each upstream lift station.