Connector Title Renamer

Engineering Tools — Connector Title Renamer (00322)

What this tool does

For every connector you select, the tool reads the connector's master region title, slave region title, and connection-property title, then renames the connector to:

  <master region> - <slave region> - <property>

Existing connector titles are overwritten. Worked examples:

  Top Plate - Bottom Plate - GlueRigid
  Bracket Lug - Fitting Pad - Bolt 1/4-20
  Stiffener Web - Skin OML - WeldSpot
  Face Sheet - Solid - Face Sheet - Core      (matches NX bondline convention)

Why bother

FEMAP creates connectors with auto-generated titles like Connector 17 by default. After a model grows past a handful of connectors that becomes unworkable -- you can't tell at a glance what each connector binds without opening its dialog.

A title-encoded convention solves three problems at once:

  • Searchability. Sort the connector list by title and all glue-to-core connectors group together; all bolt connectors group together.
  • Audit. Inconsistent titles flag region or property mismatches that wouldn't show up otherwise. If you see one connector titled FS_Top - Core - GlueRigid and a neighbour titled FS_Top - Core - GlueWeak, you immediately know there's a mixed-property region that needs investigation.
  • Debugging round-trips. Bulk-deck export + re-import sometimes spawns duplicate connection properties (see Merge Props for the cleanup tool). After the merge runs, re-running the Title Renamer immediately surfaces which connectors still point at the wrong prop -- you'll see <no-prop> in their new titles.

How to use it

  1. Open the tool from Custom Tools > Model Organization > Connector Title Renamer.
  2. Click OK on the explanatory dialog.
  3. Pick the connectors to rename via the standard FEMAP selection dialog (Select All, by group, by ID range, etc.).
  4. Done. Renamed count is reported in the message window; each renamed connector logs its new title for audit.

Edge cases the tool surfaces

The new title for a given connector will contain literal sentinel strings if any of its components couldn't be looked up:

  • <no-master> — the connector's Contact(0) region ID isn't valid (deleted region, model corruption).
  • <no-slave> — same for Contact(1).
  • <no-prop> — the connector's propID points at a missing or deleted connection property. This is the canonical "stale reference after a duplicate-prop cleanup" indicator.

If you see any of these in the renamed titles, the connector has broken references that need attention. Don't ignore them -- the analysis will run but the connector behaviour may not be what you expect.

Naming convention recommendation

For glued bondlines on sandwich panels, the recommended title convention is:

  SRC_<source-region>__TGT_<target-region>     (with two underscores)

or the simpler <master> - <slave> - <property> form this tool generates -- both are fine, pick one and apply consistently across the model. See the NX Glue Source/Target Convention article for why source/target is non-cosmetic.

What it doesn't do

  • Renumber connectors. Only titles change; IDs are untouched.
  • Validate against expected naming. This is a write-only tool. Use it after region/property cleanup, not before.
  • Preserve original titles. No undo. If you've hand-edited a title and want to keep it, exclude that connector from the selection.

Related tools

  • Merge Props — deduplicates property cards (including connection props) after bulk-deck round-trips. Run Merge Props first, then the Title Renamer to refresh the visible state.
  • NX Glue Source/Target Convention — methodology note on why connector source/target matters and how to encode it in titles.

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