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Reference between objects

When using a document, one may need to refer to another object, such as a table located in another page or in another document.

This is when the concept of reference between objects comes into play. The idea is to use a Component as a data source for other objects called Component Instances. This ensures that any changes to the original data are automatically reflected in all instances, thus keeping the information consistent.

For example, if the numbers or style of the source table change, all references to that table will update accordingly. This inter-object reference system helps maintain data consistency across multiple documents, ensuring that the final numbers remain identical regardless of the document being worked on.

Contents

This section covers the following topics:

  • How does reference between objects work?
  • Components and Component Instances
  • Table Reference (Example: Creating a reference between tables)
  • Updating and Deleting an Instance
  • Instance Formats

How does reference between objects work?

In an ID document, it is possible to refer to the content of an object from other documents and thus keep the information consistent across all files. The objects representing the data source are the Component objects, i.e. they are the root from which all other instances of that data come from. Instances of such information, i.e. objects whose data comes from another object, are Component Instances.

Components and Component Instance

Objects that can become Component and can therefore be instantiated by other objects in the same or other documents are:

  • Table and Chart (from form or excel)
  • Rich Text
  • Amount (from form or excel)
  • Dimension Attribute

Components are marked with a visible indicator when entering object editing and in the Object List. Component Instances are marked with the indicator.

Table Reference

The example below shows the steps to follow in order to insert a Component Instance object whose reference is a Component object of Table type into the document. This procedure is valid for all types of component objects.

Example: Creating a reference between tables

After adding a table to the document, it is possible to create an instance of it.

To make the table a Component:

  1. Select the table in the document
  2. Click Edit on the toolbar. The table editing panel pops up
  3. Switch on the Component button and click Save

To create an instance of such a component:

  1. Open the document in which the instance is to be inserted
  2. Click on New Object in the toolbar. The New Object panel pops up
  3. Enter Object Name
  4. Select the Component Instance in the Object Type list. The component selection tab opens, showing a list of all component objects, the type of data source (Table, Chart, etc.), the name of the component object, and the name of the document in which it is inserted.

  5. Select a component from the list and click Select. The General tab pops up, displaying information on the instance being entered:

  6. Instance object name

  7. Object and document name of the selected component

  8. Additional Instance Information

  9. Click Insert, or

Click on Object Type and select Component Instance again to return to the component list and select a new component

After successfully entering the instance, the content of the selected component object will be displayed inside the document, and the information of the instanced object will be shown in the instance tab, read-only and divided into several tabs according to the type of component object.

Note: In cases where manual data and/or style overrides have been made on the component, these overrides will also be kept in its instance, whereas any overrides applied to the instance will be overwritten at the end of the update.

IMPORTANT: If a Component object no longer exists because it has been deleted or because it is no longer defined as a component, the instance that referenced it can no longer be updated. In this case, the instance can be deleted by entering object edit mode.

Updating and Deleting an Instance

A component instance can be updated or deleted by opening the object in edit mode and using the Update and/or Delete buttons.

Both actions only affect the instance object and not the instantiated components. Updating Component Instances can only be done through a single object update and is excluded from multiple and recursive updating.

Instance Formats

The formats of numbers, percentages and dates that in Components are inherited from the Data Source, will also be applied in the same way in Component Instances.

Whereas, formats that are inherited from the parent document in the Components will not be applied to the instances, but, in such cases, the instances will inherit the formats from their parent document.

Note. Even for those formats that follow different conventions in different languages, the document language will be that of the instance and not that of the component.