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How to extract a unit type from Orchestra

Bouwdewijn van Duijn
Updated

Short answer

You rebuild the unit type as a .utt file from two parts: its icon folder on the Orchestra server and its unit.xml template from the qp_central database. Zip both together and rename the extension to .utt. You can then import the file into another Orchestra system.

This FAQ uses the unit type statToOpspanelInfo as the example. Replace it with the name of your own unit type in every step.

What do I need before I start?

  • The template name of the unit type. Find it in Orchestra under unit type administration, in the Template name field. Use this name, not the display name, in all steps below.
  • Access to the unit type icon. Either file system access to the Orchestra server, or a login to Orchestra (see the alternative under step 1).
  • Query access to the qp_central database. Use a SQL client such as SQL Server Management Studio. For Postgresql, use pgAdmin.
  • A zip tool, for example 7-Zip. Do not use the zip functionality from windows explorer.

How do I extract the unit type?

  1. Copy the unit type folder. On the Orchestra server, go to media > unit > templates and copy the folder statToOpspanelInfo to a working location. It contains the icon unit.png.



     
    • No file system access? Log in to Orchestra and open the Add Unit Type window. Right-click the unit type icon and choose Copy Image Link.
    • Paste the link into a new browser tab. The part between templates and unit.png is the folder name.
    • Create a folder with that name. Right-click the image, choose Save as and save it as unit.png in the new folder.

  2. Query the template data. Run this query against the database:

    SELECT data
FROM qp_central.qp_central.unit_template
WHERE name = 'statToOpspanelInfo'



     

  3. Save the result as unit.xml. Right-click the result and select Save Results As.... Save it as unit.xml in the folder from step 1. Do not copy the cell directly: the data is large and the copy will be incomplete.
     
  4. Remove the header line. Open unit.xml in a text editor and delete the first line, which only says data. The file must start with <?xml version="1.0" ....


     
  5. Zip and rename. Open the folder, select its contents (unit.png and unit.xml) and zip them, for example with 7-Zip > Add to "statToOpspanelInfo.zip". Zip the files inside the folder, not the folder itself. 



    Then change the extension from .zip to .utt.

Common questions

The query returns no rows. What is wrong? You probably used the display name. The WHERE name = value must match the Template name shown in unit type administration, including upper and lower case.

My unit.xml is cut off. Why? The result was copied from the grid instead of saved. Use Save Results As... so the full template is written to the file.

The .utt file is not accepted. What should I check?

  • The first line data is removed from unit.xml.
  • unit.png and unit.xml sit at the root of the archive, not inside a subfolder.
  • The extension is .utt, not .utt.zip. Turn on file name extensions in Windows Explorer to check.