Defining Named Paths

Named paths allow you to handle links between models and resource files in environments where users may install PowerDesigner in different locations or have customized their install. PowerDesigner initializes a number of predefined named paths, each of which is preceded by an underscore to point to various file locations that depend on the installation directory.

When you save a PowerDesigner model, project, or workspace, the name of a named path is saved in place of the actual path, and when you open a file, the named path is replace with the locally defined value . For example, if the _DBMS named path is defined as C:\DBMS and you have the path C:\DBMS\syase1550.xdb in your model, then the path will be saved as %DBMS%\syase1550.xdb to allow the model to be opened by another user who stores their DBMS definition files elsewhere.

To view the existing named paths, select Tools > General Options, and then click the Named Paths category.

To add a new named path, click the Add a Row tool and enter a name and a path for the named path.

Note: An administrator may push named paths to users in a general preferences profile (see Controlling Defaults for Options and Preferences).

The following paths are initialized by default:

Name	Path
_DBMS	Folder where DBMS definition files are stored.
_EXAMPLES	Folder where demo examples are stored.
_HOME	PowerDesigner installation folder. This path facilitates the installation of your add-ins without having to modify your XEM or your XML or ActiveX add-ins commands. For example: %_HOME%\add-ins\SpellChecker\SpellCheckAddIn.dll
_JSF	Folder where JSF libraries are stored.
_LIBRARY	Folder where object libraries are stored.
_MODELCATEGORY	Folder where model category files are stored (see Customizing the New Model Dialog).
_OBJLANG	Folder where object language definition files are stored.
_PRCSLANG	Folder where process language definition files are stored.
_RTPLANG	Folder where report language definition files are stored.
_RULESET	Folder where impact and lineage rule set files are stored (see Impact and Lineage Analysis).
_SHARED	Folder where the glossary and library model files are stored (see The Glossary and The Library).
_SMARTWINFORM	Folder where smart winform files are stored.
_WINFORM	Folder where winform files are stored.
_XEM	Folder where extension files are stored.
_XMLLANG	Folder where XML language definition files are stored.

Note: You should not modify the name of a predefined named path. If you do so, the predefined named path is preserved in the list and a new path is created with the modified name and value. If you want to cancel a change to a predefined named path, simply delete it and close the General Options dialog. When you reopen the dialog the path is recreated with its default value.

If you open a file containing a named path not defined on your machine, a dialog will open, offering you the following options:

Ignore the named path and keep the file name unresolved - The link between files is broken and you may have update problems.
Define a new named path ... - Allows you to define the path on your machine.
Browse another existing variable to replace with – Allows you to resolve the path using one of your existing names paths.
Directly browse the target file – Allows you to browse for another target file. The selected file will replace the file you were trying to open