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 BCF topics - Updating Issues file based

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Lucien Zenners's profile image
Lucien Zenners posted 10-19-2023 07:31

Hi everyone,

I am trying to get deeper into the BCF topics and I think I have reached some limitations.

I have tried the following workflow:

  1. Create Issues in Trimble Connect
  2. Export the Issues as BCF
  3. Import the Issues in ArchiCAD
  4. Edit the status of the Issues in ArchiCAD
  5. Export the Issues as BCF
  6. Import the Issues in Trimble Connect

When I import the updated Issues, Trimble connect will create new Issues with the same name instead of updating the existing ones.

But when I tried a different workflow, Trimble Connect will update the issues, instead of creating new ones:

  1. Create Issues in ArchiCAD
  2. Export the Issues as BCF
  3. Import Issues in Trimble Connect
  4. Update the status of the issues in ArchiCAD
  5. Export Issues as BCF again with the updated status
  6. Import Issues in Trimble Connect

Now I am curious how Trimble Connect determines if an issue already exists a need to be updated instead of creating a new issue?

Cheers,

Lucien

Lucien Zenners's profile image
Lucien Zenners posted 10-24-2023 07:24  Best Answer

Hi @Laura Cook

I have found out the reason why this "error" occurs. 

  • Here is the GUID of an issue exported from Trimble Connect: 453c1aaf-56f5-4b1c-9028-5b52d5229e60
  • Here is the GUID of the same issue when exported from ArchiCAD: 453C1AAF-56F5-4B1C-9028-5B52D5229E60

The only difference is that Trimble Connect uses lower case letters while ArchiCAD uses upper case letters. I have experimented a bit by unpacking the BCF file, changing the GUID and then repackaging the file and can now say with a fair degree of certainty that the problem occurs because of this. 

Cheers,
Lucien

Laura Cook's profile image
Laura Cook posted 10-19-2023 12:39

Hi @Lucien Zenners

Without knowing to much on how ArchiCAD works - I would hypothesize the issue is resulting from how ArchiCAD is handling the exporting of the BCF at step 5. If the identifier is being changed in archiCAD - when it comes back to Trimble Connect - to our system it would be a different BCF Topic (because the IDs have changed). Vs in your second flow - because the identifier originated in ArchiCAD (which I would assume does not change no matter how many times its gets exported) - that ID is maintained by Connect which is how we are able to update the BCF Topic when it gets reimported