Article Bulk Editor
The Article Bulk Editor is a tabular grid that lets you edit multiple articles simultaneously. Instead of opening each article's details panel one by one, you select a group of articles and edit their shared fields in a single spreadsheet-like interface.
When to use
Use the Article Bulk Editor when you need to update part numbers, drawing numbers, revision numbers, or custom user-data fields across many articles at once. Common scenarios include:
- Applying a new external part number range to a batch of articles
- Correcting a shared reference number across multiple parts
- Filling in custom user-data columns for newly imported articles
Opening the dialog
- In the Tree View, select one or more articles (single-click, drag-select, or Ctrl+click for non-contiguous selection).
- Right-click the selection and choose Edit articles from the context menu.
WARNING
The Article Bulk Editor works on manufactured articles, not raw stock. If your selection includes even one stock-material article, the Edit articles menu item is disabled and the dialog does not open.
The table
When the dialog opens, each selected article occupies one row. Columns represent the editable fields for articles. The default columns are:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Article display name |
| External Part Number | Your external reference part number |
| External Drawing Number | External drawing or blueprint number |
| External Revision Number | Revision of the external drawing |
| Internal Part Number | WSi-assigned internal part number |
| Internal Reference Number | Your internal reference number |
| Comment | Free-text comment for the article |
In addition to these standard columns, any custom user-data columns you have defined in the Settings Table also appear as editable columns in the grid. You can show or hide individual columns via the column visibility settings (open the settings icon in the toolbar).
Cell editing
Double-click any cell to start editing it. The cell type depends on the column:
- Text fields (name, comment, part numbers) — free text entry
- Numeric fields — spinner controls with increment/decrement buttons
- Dropdown fields — select from a predefined list of values
- Check boxes — toggle on or off
- Date fields — pick a date from a calendar picker
- Label cells — read-only display (no editing)
Navigate between cells with Tab (forward) and Shift+Tab (backward). Press Enter to confirm the current cell and move down one row. Press Escape to discard your changes and revert to the original value.
Standard copy, cut, and paste shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V) are supported for clipboard operations between cells.
Validation
Each cell validates its value as you type. The cell background colour indicates the result:
- Green background — the value is valid
- Red background — the value has failed validation
The OK button stays disabled until every visible cell in the grid passes validation. This prevents you from accidentally saving invalid data.
Each cell also tracks whether its value has been modified from the original. If you need to undo a change, use the Reset cell action to revert a single cell to its last saved value.
Bulk operations
These operations apply to the currently selected cells. Trim cells, Rename, Open settings, Import CSV, and Export CSV are toolbar buttons above the grid. Reset cell and Clear cell are on the cell's right-click menu. Reset all is a button next to OK and Cancel at the bottom of the dialog.
| Action | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Trim cells | Toolbar | Removes leading and trailing whitespace from selected cells. You choose the position: left, center, or right. |
| Rename | Toolbar | Performs a find-and-replace on the values of selected cells using a pattern. Useful for applying a naming convention across a batch. |
| Reset cell | Right-click menu | Reverts a single selected cell to its original value before any edits. |
| Clear cell | Right-click menu | Blanks the value of selected cells, setting them to empty. |
| Import CSV | Toolbar | Loads values from a CSV file into the grid, mapping columns to the appropriate fields. |
| Export CSV | Toolbar | Saves the current values of all visible cells to a CSV file. |
| Open settings | Toolbar | Opens the column visibility dialog where you can toggle which columns appear in the grid. |
| Reset all | Dialog button | Reverts every edited cell in the grid back to its original value. |
CSV import and export
The Import CSV and Export CSV actions let you move article data in and out of the bulk editor as a CSV file. This is especially useful when you need to coordinate edits with a spreadsheet or another system.
To export:
- Make any edits you need in the grid.
- Click Export CSV in the toolbar.
- Choose a file name and location. The CSV includes all visible columns and their current values.
To import:
- Open the Article Bulk Editor with your target articles.
- Click Import CSV in the toolbar.
- Select a CSV file. The tool maps CSV columns to the matching article fields by header name.
TIP
The CSV delimiter is locale-aware. If your locale uses a semicolon as the decimal separator, the CSV import and export will use a semicolon as the column delimiter instead of a comma. Check your Localization settings if you need to adjust this behaviour.
See also
- Tree View — selecting articles for bulk editing
- Article Context Menu — how to open the bulk editor from the context menu