Create Palette and Add Features

This topic discusses how to create a new palette and add DFCs to it. To create a new palette, follow the steps below.

On the Designer Express toolbar, click the Palette Manager button to display the Palette Manager dialog.
Enter in the new palette's name, then click Create. In the example below, the user is creating a palette called "Distribution Mains."

Figure 1

After you click Create, the Palette Manager displays the Palette Items screen. This is where you can add DFCs to it and pre-define their attribute values and cost item associations.

Select a DFC in the Class field. This field is populated with all DFCs in the current map.
Enter a description for the DFC. This is how the item will appear in the Design Palette menu.
There are two ways to add items to the palette.
- Click the Quick Add button to add the feature to the palette without modifying its attributes or cost item information. This data can be modified later.
- Click the Add & Edit button to edit the item's attribute values and cost item information before adding it to the palette.

Figure 2

If you use the Add & Edit button to add to the palette, the Details and Cost tabs appear. Use the Details tab to assign attribute values to the fields on the DFC. Use the Cost tab to select a cost item to be associated with the feature whenever it's placed on the map.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Search for Cost Items

The Cost tab supplies a Search field to help locate specific cost items in the list. When you enter a value in the Search field, the tool filters the list using the Code and Description fields. In the example above (Figure 4), all cost items that have "6in" anywhere in the code or description fields are displayed.

Use the navigation buttons and the trail at the top of the Palette Manager form to navigate back to the palette (Palette Items) and add more items.
Click Apply at any point to save changes. When you've finished adding and editing items in the palette, click OK.
The newly created palette appears as an option in the palette field.

Figure 5