Handling of attributes during paste and hotlink

The following explains how attribute matching and mapping are handled when

you place or update a hotlink file into the host project
you paste elements from one project into another

In these workflows, a mapping occurs for attributes. If an attribute doesn’t exist in the host, or if there is a definition conflict, a new attribute will often be created in the host.

Attribute has a unique name

If an incoming attribute has a name that doesn’t exist yet in the host project, there is no conflict.

The incoming attribute is added to the project as a new attribute, located in the attribute root folder (folders don’t transfer).
The attribute, using its original name, will use the same index number as the original, if that index number is free in the host. If the index is already being used in the host, then the attribute will use the first available index.

Attribute has the same name as existing attribute

If an incoming attribute has the same name as an existing attribute in the host project, this can be considered as a conflict. The result depends on the attribute type and on whether the attribute definitions (apart from the name) match or not:

Note: To help you manage them, the Attributes palette gives you feedback on the source of newly created or added project attributes. See: Data on newly added attributes (Attributes palette)

Attribute type	Attribute setting conflict	Attribute handling after hotlink or paste
Layer	Extension differs.	New Layer attribute is created in the host, with this extension. It is placed in the attribute root folder (folders don't transfer).
Profile	Profile shape differs.	New profile attribute is created in the host, with a postfix (1). It is placed in the attribute root folder (folders don't transfer). What happens if you update the hotlink? Unmodified and already placed hotlink elements will use the new profile that was previously created in the host (e.g. with a postfix of (1)) based on the initial logic described above). Modified or new hotlink elements will use a newly created profile in the host (based on the logic above, with a postfix of (2)) due to the conflict with the original same-name attribute and subsequent copies. Recommendation: If your list of profile attributes contains multiple identical profile names with different postfixes, the likely reason is that the profiles used by the hotlink elements have different shapes than in the host project. To avoid this, edit the profile shapes to make them consistent.
Profile	Any Building Material, Modifier or edge override differs.	No new attribute is created. The incoming element uses the host attribute of the same name.
Profile Composite Fill	'Use with' settings are different, and unchecked for the placed element type.	No new attribute is created. The incoming element uses the host attribute of the same name. The model element will appear correct in 2D and 3D, but the attribute pickers will indicate this attribute as "Missing" (because the attribute has been filtered out due to its “use with” data). Recommendation: To correct this, modify the element’s 'use with' status in the host . (This is the same behavior that occurs for any host-created element, if the 'use with' setting is unchecked after placement.)
Composite	Any Building Material, thickness, or structure set up differs.	No new attribute is created. The incoming element uses the host attribute of the same name.
Building Material Surface	Any setting, such as color or data, differs.	No new attribute is created. The incoming element uses the host attribute of the same name.
Fill Line	Any content or size differs.	No new attribute is created. The incoming element uses the host attribute of the same name.
Zone Category	Any category setting or color differs.	No new attribute is created. The incoming element uses the host attribute of the same name.
Pen Sets Layer Combinations	Pen Sets and Layer Combinations attributes are not transferred.