4.4 Creating and Managing Objects¶
Everything in a project – workbooks, metrics, filters, rules and so on – is an object. This topic covers creating, organizing, copying and deleting objects from the main window.
Creating a New Object¶
Select the folder where the object should live, then:
- click the + button in the bottom right corner, or press Ctrl+N, to create the folder's default object right away – e.g. a multi-purpose Workbook in the Workbooks folder, or
- right-click in the contents list → New to choose between all the types the folder offers.
What you can create depends on the folder:
| Folder | New … |
|---|---|
| Workbooks | Workbook (multi-purpose), Dashboard (classic), Dashboard with tiles (each visual in its own frame, locked to a grid), Report-style workbook (for printing and PDF), Display (kiosk mode with automatic refresh and rotation between sheets) |
| A dimension under Dimensions | Consolidation, Top N segmentation, ABC segmentation, Pareto segmentation, Quantile segmentation, Custom segmentation, Histogram |
| Metrics | Metric |
| Filters | Filter |
| Rules | Rule (conditional formatting) |
| Styles | Style |
| Distributions + actions | Distribution |
| Templates | Layout |
| FlexTables | New FlexTable |
In all folders except the dimensions you can also create a Folder to organize your objects. Nothing can be created directly in Favorites, Search results or the top Dimensions folder – select a dimension first.
The workbook types are explained in Chapter 7 Designing Workbooks; segmentations in 14.1 What are Segmentations.
Opening and Designing¶
- Open (double-click or Enter) opens a workbook for viewing and analysis.
- Design (right-click → Design) opens a workbook in design mode, ready for editing.
- Other objects open in their editor, e.g. the filter editor or the rule editor.
Organizing Objects¶
| To … | Do this |
|---|---|
| Rename | Select the object and press F2, or click its name once more |
| Move | Drag the object to another folder in the folder tree |
| Copy | Right-click → Copy (Ctrl+C), select the target folder, right-click → Paste (Ctrl+V). If Datashop can't tell where the copy belongs, it asks you to Select folder to paste object. |
| Delete | Right-click → Delete (Del) |
Deleting Safely¶
When you delete a single object, the DELETE dialog first shows which other objects use it, e.g. the workbooks that show a metric. You can pick a replacement object in the dialog, so the workbooks switch to the replacement instead of breaking. Click Delete to confirm.
Deleting a dimension also deletes its units and hierarchies – and is refused while any of them is used elsewhere (build 20284 and later). See Deleting a Dimension in 23.1 Dimensions and Units.
When you delete several objects at once, you are asked to confirm with "Are you sure you want to delete N objects/folders? This action cannot be undone".
[!WARNING] Deleting can't be undone. Check the list of dependent objects before you confirm.
Where Is It Used?¶
Right-click an object → View dependent objects to see everything that uses it, without deleting anything. Double-click an entry to open it.
Exporting and Importing Objects¶
You can move objects between projects, or keep a copy, as Acinta Meta Object files (.amo):
- Export: right-click the object → Export..., or main menu → File → Export metaobject..., and choose where to save the file.
- Import: right-click → Import..., or main menu → File → Import..., and pick the
.amofile. A dialog shows how the imported objects will be merged with what is already in the project – e.g. whether an existing object is replaced or a new one is created.
Loading Changes Made by Other Users¶
When colleagues change the project while you have it open, load their changes with main menu → File (or Tools) → Load changes. Close any open editors first – otherwise Datashop says Refreshing project changes is not possible while there are open edit dialogs. Open workbooks count as editors too: while one is open, others' changes are loaded only after you close it (build 20139 and later).
If someone changes or deletes an object while you edit it, Datashop tells you when you save (build 20250 and later):
- "…" was changed by another user while you edited it. – Yes saves your version and replaces their changes; No lets you keep editing. Cancel the editor to keep their version.
- "…" was deleted while you edited it, by another user or in another window. Your changes can't be saved. – close the editor with Cancel. In a workbook, Save as... still saves it as a new workbook.
[!NOTE] Before build 20250, saving silently replaced the other user's changes, and saving a deleted object created it again.
Load changes is only available when synchronization is switched on – both the project option and <SynchronizeMetadata> in Datashop's settings file. By default it is greyed out (build 20279 and later). See Synchronization in 20.4 Saving and Working Together.