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      <title>Mold Base Database EXPRESSIONS</title>
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      <div class="title_topic3" id="xps10_pagetitle">Mold Base Database EXPRESSIONS</div>
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      <p class="para_topic">The EXPRESSIONS section of the mold base spreadsheet has two purposes:</p>
      <ul>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">To create interpart expression links between components. This capability makes it possible for more than one assembly parent to use the same set of components and control them with linked expressions. The expression links are created, as the mold base assembly is loaded.</p>
         </li>
      </ul>
      <p class="para_topic">It is also possible to add a component to a mold base and have expressions from the component control expressions in the mold base. The mold base is updated when the component is updated.</p>
      <ul>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">To expose expressions and values from any open part file to the Mold Base Management System.</p>
         </li>
      </ul>
      <div class="title_division">EXPRESSIONS Formatting</div>
      <p class="para_division">Taking the following expression example:</p>
      <p class="para_division">&lt;component_identifying_attribute&gt;::component parameter to control=</p>
      <p class="para_division">&lt;source_identifying_attribute&gt;::source parameter</p>
      <p class="para_division">The Mold Base Management System reads the cell under the EXPRESSION heading and performs the following:</p>
      <ol type="1" start="1">
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Searches the mold base assembly for a component containing the part attribute listed in the &lt;component_identifying_attribute&gt; section.</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Locates the expression listed in the component parameter to control section.</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Searches the mold base assembly for a component containing the part attribute listed in the &lt;source_identifying_attribute &gt; section.</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Locates the expression listed in the source parameter section.</p>
         </li>
         <li>
            <p class="para_item">Links step 2 to the value of step 4.</p>
         </li>
      </ol>
      <div class="title_division">Example</div>
      <p class="para_division">For example, create a mold base assembly that can be added to a Mold Wizard project. The mold base has a subcomponent that may be used by other assembly parents. So linking the expressions in the component is not useful, since it would be necessary to re-link each interpart expression to whichever parent is used. This linking can be done automatically by the EXPRESSIONS system.</p>
      <p class="para_division">The top-level component is named j123_base.prt and contains a subcomponent named j123_plate.prt.</p>
      <p class="para_division">The top-level file j123_base.prt contains an expression plt_1_thk=10 that you can use to control the thickness of j123_plate.prt. The expression you want to control in j123_plate.prt is plt_thk. The spreadsheet code to automatically link these expressions locates the components by part attribute.</p>
      <p class="para_division">The mold base top-level component and the plate component must contain identifying part attributes. The top-level mold base file must contain the attribute UM_Mold Base, and the plate component must contain the part attribute UM_PLATE. The cell code to organize the linking is as follows:</p>
      <p class="para_division">&lt;UM_PLATE&gt;::plt_thk=&lt;UM_Mold Base&gt;::plt_1_thk</p>
      <p class="para_division">This changes the expression in j123_plate.prt from:</p>
      <p class="para_division">plt_thk=10 to plt_thk=j123base::plt_1_thk&nbsp; </p>
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