Header Block

Header Blocks are AutoCAD block-based title frames that automatically display project data — process name, step, sub-step, user, date, version, algorithm conditions, an Equipment Modules summary, and custom annotations. Unlike text-based trackers, header blocks use standard AutoCAD block references with named attributes, making them fully compatible with existing CAD title block workflows. All attribute values update automatically as you navigate between steps, sub-steps, and conditions — no manual refresh needed.

🖱️ How to Access

There are two ways to open the Header Block Designer:

⚠️ An active module must be loaded before the Header Block Designer can be opened.

⚙️ The Header Block Designer

The Header Block Designer is a visual configuration window where you define exactly which data fields appear in your title block, how they look, and how they are arranged. The window is organized into several sections described below.

📋 Preset Toolbar

At the top of the designer you will find the preset toolbar:

📊 Data Fields

The main area of the designer shows a draggable, reorderable list of data fields. Each field appears as a card displaying:

• Display name — the human-readable label.

• Source badge — color-coded badge indicating where the data comes from (Static, Module, Process, Step, User, Condition, Aggregation, Expression, EMs, or Custom).

• "Per Step" badge — shown on custom per-step fields.

• "Algorithm" badge — shown on algorithm-zone fields.

• Tag name — the AutoCAD attribute tag in monospace text.

• Visibility toggle — show or hide the attribute in the block.

• Separator toggle — draw a horizontal line below this field.

• Remove button — delete the field from the preset.

Click + Add Field to open a categorized menu for adding new fields:

⚡ Quick Add: Algorithm Fields

Below the main data fields area, a dedicated section provides fast access to algorithm-related fields:

Condition Field Chips — click any chip to add a single-condition attribute:

Aggregation Chips — click to add aggregated data across multiple conditions:

Custom Per-Step Fields — click + Add Custom Field to create a user-editable field that stores a different value for each step. These use CF_* tags by default.

🧭 Breadcrumbs — Process › Step › Sub-step

When a step is composite (it hosts its own sub-process), you can drill into it and work on its sub-steps. A breadcrumb header tells the reader exactly where in the structure the current drawing sits — for example CIP Caustic › Caustic Wash › Recirculate. The same breadcrumb works on screen while you are drilled into a sub-step, and on the matching sub-step pages of a PDF export.

Adding a breadcrumb

From + Add Field → Sub-step, choose Breadcrumb (Process › Step › Sub-step). This drops a ready-made breadcrumb field that automatically shows the full path from the root process down to the current step or sub-step. You can also build your own header using the individual sub-step fields from the same menu:

Setting the breadcrumb separator

The text placed between breadcrumb segments is yours to choose. In + Add Field → Sub-step, click Set breadcrumb separator… and type whatever you want between segments — for example > (the default), ▸ , or / . The separator applies to every breadcrumb header in the environment.

💡 Tip: Because the breadcrumb resolves live, the same title block reads correctly whether the engineer is looking at the "Caustic Wash" overview or has drilled into its "Recirculate" sub-step — and the exported sub-step pages carry the same breadcrumb automatically.

⚙️ Equipment Modules Summary

The Equipment Modules field places a single, at-a-glance summary of how each Equipment Module is configured on the current step — without having to open the matrix. It lists one line per module:

CIP-Skid: Caustic Wash
Buffer-Loop: Recirculate
Drain-Header: —

Each line reads Module name: assignment, where the assignment is:

💡 The Equipment Modules field is a multi-line attribute that expands to fit however many modules are active on the step, so it never clips a long list.

🔢 Step Number and Page Number formatting

The Step Number and Page Number attributes both display as current / total — for example, 2 / 5 for "step 2 of 5" or 3 / 12 for "page 3 of 12". The total comes from the process's step count for Step Number, and from the configured page set for Page Number.

The slash separator is fully customisable via the Separator field in the Block Appearance section:

💡 Single-number mode: clear the separator field entirely (leave it empty / whitespace) and both Step Number and Page Number collapse to just the current number — no / N tail. Useful when you want a clean "step number" or "page number" display without the total.

The same separator is also used for the Condition Count aggregation.

🎨 Block Appearance

The Appearance section controls the visual layout of the generated AutoCAD block:

💡 Date format tip: Use standard format codes — yyyy for four-digit year, MM for month, dd for day, HH for 24-hour time, mm for minutes. Example: dd.MM.yyyy produces 09.04.2026.

🔍 Live Preview

A real-time preview panel on a dark background updates instantly as you adjust settings. The preview shows both the main zone and the second zone below it (Algorithm or Equipment Modules) when those fields are configured, so you can see the exact layout before placing it in your drawing.

📁 Presets

Presets store complete header block configurations and are saved at the environment level, meaning they are shared across all modules in the same environment.

Three default presets are included:

🔄 Save & Apply — Always Offers to Place an Instance

Every time you click Save & Apply, AseptSoft does three things and then offers to place the block:

1. Saves the preset configuration.

2. Generates or updates the AutoCAD block definition.

3. Synchronizes every existing instance of the block across all layouts (Model space and every Paper Space). Each existing block picks up any fields you added or removed and refreshes its on-screen geometry — text height, multi-line behaviour, justification and position — to match the live preview, while keeping any text you typed into custom fields. This means a change you make in the designer is reflected on the title blocks already placed in the drawing, with no manual re-insertion.

4. Offers to place a new instance. After saving you are prompted to click a point to drop a fresh copy of the block, or to press Enter/Esc to skip. This happens every time, so it is always one click away — whether you are placing the very first block or just want another copy somewhere else.

📐 Two-Zone Layout

Header blocks use a two-zone architecture to separate project information from a secondary block of content (algorithm conditions or the Equipment Modules summary):

┌──────────────────────────┐
│       AseptSoft          │  ← optional title banner
├──────────────────────────┤
│ Process:  │ CIP Caustic  │
│ Step:     │ Pre-Rinse    │  ← Main Zone
│ User:     │ J. Smith     │
│ Date:     │ 2026-04-09   │
└──────────────────────────┘
┌──────────────────────────┐
│      ⚙ Algorithm         │  ← second-zone header bar
├──────────────────────────┤
│ → Safety check | IF ...  │
│ ↻ Flow control | IF ...  │  ← Second Zone
│ ▶ Valve open | DO ...    │    (multiline, expanding)
└──────────────────────────┘

• Main Zone — Displays project information fields (process, step, sub-step, user, date, custom fields) arranged as rows. If labels are enabled, a label column appears on the left with an optional vertical divider.

• Second Zone — A separate bordered area below the main zone with its own header bar. Its header text is configurable (for example "Algorithm" or "Equipment Modules"). Fields in this zone use multiline (MText) attributes that expand vertically as their content grows.

Second-zone fields always stay positioned below main fields. During drag-and-drop reordering in the designer, this separation is enforced — you cannot drag a second-zone field above a main field, or vice versa.

✏️ Custom Per-Step Fields

Custom per-step fields are user-editable text values that store a different value for each step. They are ideal for annotations that change as you move through your process.

Key behaviors:

• Tag names use a configurable prefix (default CF_), e.g., CF_COMMENT, CF_BATCHNR.

• When you navigate to a different step, custom field values switch automatically to show that step's stored text.

• You can edit the value directly in the AutoCAD block attribute — changes are saved to the database automatically (bi-directional sync).

• Custom fields are included in Excel exports alongside other header data.

• Values persist independently per step, so each step retains its own data.

Use cases in pharma environments:

⚡ Algorithm Tracking

Algorithm fields display GRAFCET-type automation conditions using compact symbols for fast visual scanning:

Compact condition format:

Symbol + Description | IF condition | DO success action | ELSE fail action | → success transition | ✗ fail transition

Example: → Safety check | IF sensor>10 | DO open valve | ELSE alarm | → Phase B | ✗ Emergency Stop

Aggregation Modes

Aggregation fields collect data across multiple conditions. The available modes are:

Each aggregation operates within a configurable scope:

🔄 Automatic Updates

Header block attributes refresh automatically in response to these events — no manual action is required:

The system listens for AutoCAD database events to detect new block insertions and user edits to custom field attributes in real time.

📋 Workflow — Setting Up a Title Block

Follow these steps to create and place a header block in your drawing:

1. Open the designer — Use the Headers & Notes window or AseptSoft Settings to launch the Header Block Designer.

2. Select or create a preset — Choose an existing preset from the dropdown, or click New to start fresh.

3. Configure data fields — Add the fields you need using + Add Field and the Quick Add chips. Add a Breadcrumb from the Sub-step menu and an Equipment Modules summary if you want them. Drag to reorder. Toggle visibility and separators as desired.

4. Add custom per-step fields (optional) — Click + Add Custom Field to create editable annotations that vary per step.

5. Adjust appearance — Set text height, border style, justification, date format, and label display preferences. Watch the live preview to fine-tune the layout. If you only want the current step / page number without the "of N" tail, clear the Separator field.

6. Save & Apply — Click the Save & Apply button. AseptSoft saves the preset, generates or updates the block, refreshes every block already in the drawing, and then offers a placement prompt.

7. Place the block — Click a location in your drawing to insert the header block, or press Enter to skip if you only wanted to update existing instances.

8. Navigate your project — Switch between steps, sub-steps, and processes to see all attribute values update automatically.

💡 Tip: You can place multiple instances of the same header block in different locations. All instances share the same block definition and update simultaneously.

🏭 Pharma Example — CIP Module Title Block

A Clean-in-Place (CIP) module header block configured for a caustic wash cycle:

Main Zone:

Equipment Modules Zone:

CIP-Skid: Caustic Wash
Buffer-Loop: Recirculate
Drain-Header: —

When the operator navigates from the Caustic Wash overview into its Recirculate sub-step, the breadcrumb grows its third segment, the Equipment Modules summary re-resolves to that sub-step's assignments, and the custom Comment shows the value stored for that step — all without a manual refresh.

🔗 Related Pages

• Trackers — Text-based targeted header trackers that follow entities in the drawing.

• Notes — Sticky-note annotations for process documentation.

• Algorithm Design — Defining and managing GRAFCET algorithm conditions.

• Export Processes to PDF — sub-step pages carry the breadcrumb header automatically.

• Equipment Modules — what the Equipment Modules summary reports on.