Renaming tree elements via "More Properties" window does not work properly

[jon_abbott]

As of version 17.1 beta, FlexSim does not properly allow tree items to be renamed via the "More Properties" window. Steps to reproduce this are:

1. Create a blank model
2. Drag a source into the model
3. Switch to tree view
4. Click on the source
5. Under the Quick Properties menu, click "More Properties"
6. In the properties window that opened, change the name of the source to something different
7. Click OK

Note that renaming directly via the tree, or via the name field in the quick properties window does still work properly, however.

This bug was first reported to dev@flexsim.com on 5/26/2016.

[Ben_WilsonADSK]

This happens because the Source's old name still has focus in the tree. Once that field loses focus, it sets the name to whatever was still in the field, which is still the old name.

If, after 5. More Properties, you clicked anywhere in the tree to make that field lose focus, your change in the properties window will apply.

It's like having 2 views open to the same data. If you change data from one view, and hit OK, then hit OK on the other, the last data applied will be the one to stay. The same thing is happening here.

Hopefully this will help others understand why this is happening.

Maybe the dev team has some idea how to update one active view if data is changed from a different active view, but seems like it could be a pretty complex problem, given how many different sorts of interfaces can be open that all look at the same data.

[philboboADSK]

"This bug was first reported to dev@flexsim.com on 5/26/2016."

This is still on the dev list as a potential improvement, but this is a low priority because of the nature of how those GUIs were designed to work as Ben explained. It has always worked this way.

Quick Properties works as you expect because it is explicitly linked to the currently active document view. It is literally editing the highlighted object in the tree view and setting the tree view's edit field to the new name.

The global Properties window is not in any way linked back to the tree view. It is its own stand-alone GUI that applies data from the GUI to the object. Any number of other GUIs could then apply different data to the object afterwards, as the tree view is in this case.

[jon_abbott]

Thanks for the explanations, @Ben Wilson and @phil.bobo. I am still hopeful that one day this can be improved.

[logan_gold]

Still on the dev list (case 2672) as of June 2025.