Named Paths

Named paths allow you to resolve links between models and resource files in different environments. To review and edit named paths, select Tools > General Options, and click the Named Paths category in the left pane.

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 Model Creation Options).
_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