# Plot Management

## Introduction

| The Plot Management module provides document plot management functions for documents stored in Agile e6. Documents can be selected for plotting through their core entities (projects, items or documents). This process determines all directly or indirectly assigned documents of a project or item. The Plot Management module retrieves files from Agile e6 and copies them into an exchange directory. An external plot server system arranges the plotting of these files on a default output device or a user-defined output device. Depending on the system configuration various file types (e.g. TIFF files) and document types (e.g. DRAWING) can be plotted.
| Configure File Types for Plotting
| ### Plot Job
| Files
| A plot job file contains information on the plot job: Filename File extension Configuration data The system creates a plot job file for each new plot job.
| Structure
| Plot jobs use the folder functionality of the Workflow module. It is possible to create a set of objects (e.g. multiple documents, items or projects) that can be assigned to a folder and be plotted with a single plot job. In addition, the folder functionality allows plotting of individual object files. It also provides functions for creating plot jobs for all documents assigned to an item or a project. Plot jobs can be created for specific parts of an object structure - e.g. a specific branch of an object structure. Folders allow the implementation of multiple levels of resolution: additional to directly assigned documents, it is also possible to assign documents to sets (i.e. indirectly). Using this method allows to create lists of documents that include multiple instances of a document.
| Types
| Depending on the type of output device, the following plot job types can be differentiated: Standard plot jobs: normal plot jobs on paper media. Reprographics plot jobs: plot jobs for high-quality reprographic plotters which are usually installed in a central location, e.g. in the enterprise's reprographics facilities. Special-purpose plot jobs: special-purpose plot jobs include additional print and punch data (e.g. for microfilms).
| Status
| A status field provides plot status information for each plot job. Plot jobs can be managed through status fields. Each document record that has been assigned to a plot job has a status field. This field provides information about the progress of the plot job.
| Plot jobs can assume the following status values:
Status | Description
CREATE | Plot job has been created but no files have been assigned.
NEW | Documents have been assigned and the plot job is ready for plotting.
PLOT | Plot job has been transferred to the plot server for output.
OK | Plot job has been successfully completed.
ERROR | Plot job has been cancelled as the result of an error.
Status values for documents that have been assigned to a plot job:
“Blank” | Document has been assigned to the plot job.
PLOT | Document has been transferred to the plot server for output.
OK | Document has been successfully plotted.
ERR-FILE | There is no file assigned to the document.
ERROR-TYPE | The plot server is unable to handle the document format of the document.
ERROR | Plot job has been cancelled due to an error.
| Status Files
| Status files (*.sta) are used for the exchange of data between the plot server and Agile e6. They contain information about the output status of individual plot jobs. The plot server returns the current processing status of a plot jobs in a status file (*.sta). The status files are exchanged via a status directory that can be defined in the [Output Path] configuration section. Once the plot server has plotted a file or after the plot job has been cancelled as a result of an error, a new status file is added to this directory. The list of status files can be updated with the Refresh status function. Alternatively, information is read from the plot status files and updated automatically whenever the Plot orders mask is opened. A corresponding message is displayed if no new status files are found. Create Plot Jobs > Refresh Status
| ### Plot default Parameters
| Plot default parameters define the plotting method for a specific output device and define a variety of configuration settings (e.g. plotter, scaling methods, start time and date of a plot job, etc.). Plot default configurations must be assigned to all users before any document can be plotted with the Plot Management module.
| Define and Assign Plotter default Configurations
| ### Set Processing
| Set processing means that a plot job consisting of several documents is processed as a single task by the plot management system. All files are plotted in sequential order. If set processing is disabled, the plot management system needs to create a new plot job for each file associated with a plot order. This may mean that the plot sequence is disrupted by other plot jobs.