The heart of Land F/X is database management, as Land F/X consists of several databases connected to AutoCAD. As its name implies, the Data Manager is the tool used to explore and browse the data involved in Land F/X.
With Data Manager, one can manage the detail categories, add or edit plant names to the plant database, add nurseries to the nursery list, view the irrigation components and performance data, view the various graphic blocks and edit the insertion characteristics, add and even download the latest code and data updates from Ecografx.
The tabs at the top of the screen are the various database viewing modes within Land F/X. The common buttons at the bottom of the screen function for all of the different data viewing modes selected at the top of the screen. There are some instances where the bottom buttons do not have any functionality, in which case, either nothing will happen or you will be presented with a small information box.
The convention throughout the Data Manager is that when you are Adding an item, you select the parent element, and then click the New button to add a child element. For example, in the Plants database, select an alphabetic character to add a new Genus that starts with that letter, and select a genus and click Add to create a new plant for that genus.
If the item highlighted on the left is a block, it will be displayed in the preview pane on the right. You can access additional functions such as zooming, layer control, and even printing by right clicking on the preview display.
The Print button currently only works for the Standard Details, with two reports possible – one printing all detail categories and sub-category information, or a list of all details, with their category and sub-category definitions.
The Update feature will connect to landfx.com, and query for any updates to Land F/X. It will present you with a dialog box to read about what the updates consist of, and give you an option of downloading them or not. The updates will only affect default Land F/X data and blocks. Only in rare cases will the behavior be anything else (such as if you added a plant of the same name that was later added by ecografX, the update would install the same named plant). Updates to the Data Manager itself require anyone using the Data Manager to close it so that it can be updated. Updated blocks will need to be converted into your office color system before they can be used. In any of these special circumstances, an information screen will appear.
The Sync button synchronizes any added information to the Land F/X database or graphic files.
A typical situation would be where an End User adds a large series of block drawing files to various locations within the Land F/X Blocks directory (LandFX/Blocks), i.e., Detail Components, Discipline Symbols, Graphs, or Material Objects.
After the End User copies or moves a variety of blocks via the Windows Explorer, or other file navigation method, select the Data Manager Sync button to synchronize the added blocks.
The default is for Synchronize database with DWG files. Select OK and Land F/X will scan the Blocks directory for any newly added DWG files. The newly added files will automatically be added to the Land F/X databases, and their slides updated.
All of the End User added blocks will now be available for insertion via the various Land F/X functions.
F Remember: The Sync function is also used to perform database maintenance (or packing of the Land F/X database). This should be done approximately once or twice a year, when nobody else is using Land F/X.
Selecting the Update button will connect the End User with the Land F/X web site and search for any updates that may be available. There are several categories of updates available at the landfx.com:
