New Attribute 
The New Attribute command, accessed on the Schema ribbon, defines a new attribute for the selected class (which will be inherited by all of its subclasses). You will be prompted to enter a name for the attribute, and then the attribute will be created.
When created, the attribute type is set to string by default. This property along with the alias, description, etc. can be changed using the Attribute Properties command.
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By convention, attributes are named using camel case. This is not required, but for consistency of use and ease of utility operations such as scripting, it is recommended. Title case and spaces can be used in the attribute alias.
Attribute names must be unique within an class and its subclasses. While it is valid to have to attributes named type in different portions of the schema, it is not possible to have an attribute named rationale defined at the superclass level and have a different attribute named rationale defined in a subclass. |
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When should I create a new attribute vs. a new parameter? Attributes and parameters are very similar - both exist at the individual entity level, both permission controlled, and both most frequently managed through the property sheet. Attributes are descriptive aspects of the design (description, rationale, etc.) and, once defined, are present for every entity in a given class. Parameters are values - generally numeric with units - that define the design and, while available for all entities of a given class, are only present where specifically added to a given entity. |