135: Shared BoM's
Dave Nichols, 11/03/2004

Build 21.2.1 introduces a new facility that allows methods to share parts lists. This is useful if you have a lot of products using the same parts. You can define the parts list once, then just refer to it from all other products that use the same parts list. This means you only have to update one parts list when it changes, and the change will be reflected through to all references automatically.

You can access this facility by double-clicking on a PART record in a method. Two new PART record types are available:
1. Use same parts as another step
2. Use the outputs of another step as the parts for this one

When you select the Use same parts as another step option, the material selection must refer to a STEP in some other method. Any PARTs in that step are then used in this one. The method behaves as if you had entered the parts directly.

The Use the outputs of another step as the parts for this one option is similar except it treats the OUTPUTs of the referenced step as the parts for this one. This is useful if you have a method that takes something you bought to pieces when you can also build it yourself. You only need to define the parts list once (as the OUTPUTs so that relative values can be assigned).

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