Description Key Wildcards

I have worked with many Land Surveyors over the years.  Each had their own method of doing things.  Methods that may seem odd to some, work completely for them and their field crews.  So when we got a request regarding Description Keys, using a method that I had never seen, I had alternatives to offer – but alternatives weren’t going to cut it. 

The user wanted to be able to use a wildcard so that anything before the characters would be ignored.  For example, if the code was “PINE TREE” – they wanted it to pick up the “TREE” Description Key they had set up.  The obvious thing to try was to set up a key called *TREE* – afterall, the asterisk works after the key, so why not before?

Well, it doesn’t work that way.  But its just as easy.  All you need to do is add a tilde (~) before the asterisk and the key.  So for example, your field crew shot two trees and added the species name in the description. 

Your company wants ALL trees to use the same Style.  So here is where you set up your description key as ~*TREE*  

     

Notice that both Points took on the Styles set up in the single key.

Hope that helps!