Background information
Product data can be obtained from within ETS via the Online Catalog (in case of an active internet connection) or from device manufacturers as individual files.
Difference is made between the following file extensions:
- Files with the extension .knxprod are product data in the XML-Data format starting for ETS4 until today.
- Product data for older ETS versions have the file extension .vd?. The question mark is for the numbers between 1 – 5 or for an x, depending on which ETS version the data had been intended for.
How to add devices?
A device can be added to a target element in a project (e.g. a cabinet or a room) from the Catalog panel using drag & drop (provided that the target supports this function).
Using the Catalog, you can add one or more devices to the topology or to building parts or trades simultaneously. To do so, increase the amount from the 'Items' counter. In addition, you can specify the area in the building to which the devices should be added, even in different (open) projects.
It is possible to select several devices and to insert these at the same time into the project. The ‘Undo’ action will however remove all these devices in one go. Therefore, it makes sense to insert the devices one by one into the project.
By default, ETS assigns the devices to the first available individual address in the line; after this, the line is 'filled up' until there are no more individual addresses available in the line. Any further devices are also inserted in the line, but they are parked (X.Y.-).
How to import?
In case the products are not available in the Online Catalog, you can import them in your ETS, and then you will be able to add them to your project. To do so, open the project and the Catalogs panel (detailed). After clicking on the button Import you get the following selection box.
Select the file and click on Open in order to have a list of all the products which are contained in the file.
If you do not wish to import all products of this file, you can select 'Import only selected products'. When selecting the products, a search function is available. Mark any products that are to be imported simply by clicking on them. With the help of the Shift key, you can mark a whole range of products. With the Ctrl button, you can select several products.
While importing product data you can still select, if you want to import all language versions of the products’ text elements (parameters, dialogs etc.) into your product store or only those languages selected by yourself. If you do not import all languages, you can speed up the import procedure. Once the import is completed, you can then add the devices in your project as explained before.