Making configuration keywords available in ArcGIS

You can specify configuration keywords when you create datasets in ArcGIS for Desktop or when using ArcObjects. To make configuration keywords accessible to ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcObjects users, you must have a user interface (UI) storage parameter in the configuration keyword's parameter group. Any configuration keywords that do not have a UI storage parameter will not be available to the ArcGIS users.

The UI storage parameters are

UI_TEXT: General user interface storage parameter; to be used with any keyword, other than network or topology keywords, you want to make available to users

UI_NETWORK_TEXT: User interface storage parameter for a parent network keyword

UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT: User interface storage parameter for a parent topology keyword

UI_TERRAIN_TEXT: User interface storage parameter for a parent terrain keyword

These parameters are available in most of the keyword parameter lists present by default in the SDE_dbtune table. However, if you create your own keywords, and you want them to be available to ArcGIS users, you should add the appropriate UI storage parameter to the keyword's parameter list.

Some rules about adding user interface storage parameters

• If there are no UI storage parameters in a configuration keyword parameter group, the configuration keyword will not be recognized by ArcGIS or ArcObjects.
• You should not have more than one UI parameter per configuration keyword. For example, you shouldn't have both UI_TEXT and UI_NETWORK_TEXT in the same configuration keyword parameter group.
• If multiple UI storage parameters are present, ArcGIS will only recognize one of them. If UI_TEXT and UI_NETWORK_TEXT or UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT or UI_TERRAIN_TEXT are in the same group, UI_TEXT will be ignored and the other parameters will be recognized. For example:

  ##SDO_GEOMETRY
  GEOMETRY_STORAGE    "SDO_GEOMETRY"
  ATTRIBUTE_BINARY    "BLOB"
  RASTER_STORAGE	  "SDO_GEORASTER"
  SDO_COMMIT_INTERVAL  1000
  UI_TEXT             "User Interface text description for SDO_GEOMETRY"
  
  UI_NETWORK_TEXT     "User Interface network text description for
                       SDO_GEOMETRY keyword"
  
  END

  In this case, UI_NETWORK_TEXT will be used, mistakenly indicating this is a parent network keyword.

  If more than one of the following is present in the same group—UI_NETWORK_TEXT, UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT, and UI_TERRAIN_TEXT—the first UI parameter encountered for that keyword in the SDE_dbtune table will be used and the subsequent UI parameter ignored. For example:

  ##NETWORK_DEFAULTS
  ATTRIBUTE_BINARY    "BLOB"
  UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT	 "User Interface topology default configuration"
  UI_NETWORK_TEXT     "User Interface network default configuration"       
  B_STORAGE           "PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4"
  #                    TABLESPACE <Network default business table tablespace name>
  <additional parameters>

  Here, UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT will be read first, mistakenly indicating this is a parent keyword of a composite topology keyword.

To add a UI configuration parameter to the SDE_dbtune table, do the following:

Steps:

1. Open an MS-DOS or shell command window.
2. Use the sdedbtune command with the insert operation to add the UI_* parameter to the keyword you want to make available in ArcGIS.
   • If the keyword is used to build tables, feature classes, and indexes, add the UI_TEXT storage parameter to the parameter list.

     sdedbtune -o insert -k MYTBLKEY -P UI_TEXT -v "User-interface parameter" 
     -i <connection information> -u sde
     

   • If the keyword is the parent keyword of a composite keyword for networks, add the UI_NETWORK_TEXT storage parameter.

     sdedbtune -o insert -k NETWORK_STORM -P UI_NETWORK_TEXT 
     -v "User-interface network parameter" -i <connection information> -u sde
     

   • If the keyword is a parent keyword of a composite keyword for topologies, add the UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT storage parameter.

     sdedbtune -o insert -k TOPOLOGY_GEOM -P UI_TOPOLOGY_TEXT 
     -v "User-interface topology parameter" -i <connection information> -u sde
     

   • If the keyword is the parent keyword of a composite keyword for terrains, add the UI_TERRAINS_TEXT storage parameter.

     sdedbtune -o insert -k TERRAIN_SDO -P UI_TERRAINS_TEXT 
     -v "User-interface topology parameter" -i <connection information> -u sde
     

   Note:

   For syntax for each DBMS, see the ArcSDE administration command reference, which is installed with the ArcSDE application server. The command line tools are also installed with the ArcSDE application server, which is available from the Esri Customer Care portal.