Editing a Device Template File

Devices > Remote Devices > Device Template Files > Device Template Files Overview > Editing a Template

Editing a Device Template File

Important: Not all device template files can or should be edited. Device and protocol dictate the flexibility of a device template file. See specific EIE topics to learn what edits, if any, are allowed for a particular EIE.

There are two ways to edit an installed device template file. The first way is to edit the device definition in the Device Definition Service (DDS). This is a good way to quickly make small changes. The second way is to extract, directly edit, and reinstall a device template file. This is best practice for making medium- to large-scale changes.

If you edit a device template file and don’t want the changes to affect existing remote device configurations in the system, assign a unique value to the deviceType attribute. If you do not change deviceType, the new edits apply to all remote device configurations that use a template. Also assign a unique value to the desc attribute because this is what is listed in the Select a Device Type menu that displays available EIE device types.

To Make Small Edits

For small-scale device template file edits, do the following:

In CygNet Explorer, open your DDS.
Right-click in the DDS pane and select Device Definitions....
Select a device template file from the Device Definitions list and then click Edit.
Carefully edit the template to suit your needs.
When you are finished editing your template, click OK.

After clicking OK, dependent devices in the UIS reload automatically. You do not have to restart your UIS, nor do you have to make any changes to your remote device in the remote device editor.

To Make Medium to Large Edits

For medium- to large-scale device template file edits, do the following:

In CygNet Explorer, open your DDS.
Right-click in the DDS pane and select Device Definitions....
Select a device template file from the Device Definitions list and then click Extract from DDS.
Select a file path for your template and type a file name.

Important: Do not confuse the in-use, extracted template with a not-in-use, stored template.

Click Extract.
Carefully edit the template to suit your needs. Use an XML or text editor of your choice.
Validate the edited template. An XML editor only validates templates against XML rules, not CygNet rules. See CygNet Device Template Manager utility.
To reinstall the template to the DDS, do one of the following.
- When you are finished validating your template, use the CygNet Device Template Manager to reinstall (load) the validated template. See CygNet Device Template Manager utility for more information.
- In CygNet Explorer, open your DDS and return to the Device Definitions dialog box. Click Install to DDS, locate the edited template, and then click Install.

When you have reinstalled your edited and validated template, dependent remote devices in the UIS reload automatically. You do not have to restart your UIS, nor do you have to make any changes to your remote device in the remote device editor.

Some Effects of Editing a Template

The table below describes how changes affect existing device configurations.

Item Edited	Edit and Result
Data Group	If you delete a data group from the template and the group had been added to a remote device (either manually or as a default in the template), the Data Group page lists the data group as DataGroup <data group removed from device template file>. You have to manually delete it from the remote device. Use the CygNet DDS Data Group Copy Utility to delete the group in bulk from multiple remote devices.
Data Element	If you delete a data group element from a data group, the element is removed from the remote devices that use the template. If a UDC was mapped to the data group element, the UDC mapping shows as an orphan.
Default Data Group	If you add a default data group to the template, it is not listed on the Data Groups page in existing remote devices. You have to add it manually using the Add button on the Data Groups page. Once you add the group to one remote device, use the CygNet DDS Data Group Copy Utility to apply the change in bulk to other remote devices. If you delete a default data group from the template, it is still listed on the Data Groups page in the existing remote devices. You have to manually delete it from the remote device. Use the CygNet DDS Data Group Copy Utility to delete the group in bulk from multiple remote devices.
Default UIS Command	If you add a default UIS command to the template, it is not listed on the UIS Commands page in existing remote devices. You have to add it manually using the Add button on the UIS Commands page. Once you add the command to one remote device, you can use the CygNet DDS Command Copy Utility to apply the change in bulk to other remote devices. If you delete a default UIS command from the template, it is still listed on the UIS Commands page in the existing remote devices. You have to delete it manually from the existing remote devices. You can delete the command in bulk using the CygNet DDS Command Copy Utility.
Command Parameter	If you change the parameter(s) of a UIS command, the change is not applied to the existing remote devices. You have to manually edit the parameters in those remote devices. Once you have changed the parameter in one remote device, you can use the CygNet DDS Command Copy Utility to apply the change in bulk to other remote devices.
UDC Mapping	If you add UDC mapping to a template, the change does not apply to already existing remote devices. Instead, manually edit mappings in an affected remote device first, using options available on the Uniform Data Code Assignment dialog box in the DDS. Then use the CygNet DDS Data Group Copy Utility to apply the updated mappings in bulk to other existing remote devices.