Block management

Block management operations are synchronous operations affecting block data, including block properties (such as area and grid settings), construction database and drawings. In COS, these properties are stored in the Hull Block object. The administration of block groups and group properties are stored in the Hull Block List object. In the Hull project folder, the information is combined into the project administration file projectinfo.xml. A number of checkouts and locks are needed when working with block management functions.

In general, multiple users are able to use block management functions at the same time, as long as they are not making conflicting changes. However, there are some exceptions.

The following block management functions can only be fully accessed by one user at a time:

• Building Block Overview
• Block Groups
• Block Order
• Reassign Blocks to Group
• Quick Block Definition Tool

Therefore, if a user is using the Block Groups function, for example, the other four functions cannot be opened with full access either. Furthermore, if one of the five functions is active, it is impossible to enter a block or a drawing in the project. Therefore, it is recommended to close these functions as soon as you have made your changes.