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Copying Features, Graphics & Text

Contents

These commands duplicate existing model content — customers, pipes, User Graphics, User Tables, User Text, and saved views — to new locations, either one at a time in the GDI Display or in bulk from another saved model. Copies of customers and pipes are assigned the next available Record and Internal ID Numbers rather than reusing the originals’, so check ID assignments after a bulk copy if your workflow depends on them.

GDI Commands

Copy A Customer

Copies an existing customer feature to one or more new locations, assigning each copy to a supply main you select.

  1. Select the Copy Customer item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select Customer To Copy prompt, left-click the customer to copy. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select New Customer Location prompt, left-click the new location. The copy is placed there.
  4. At the Select Supply Main prompt, left-click a pipe. A service line is drawn from the copy to that main, with the tap placed at the intersection.
  5. The Select New Customer Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy Customer item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYCUSTOMER or COPYC on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • Copies of customers are assigned the next available customer Record and Internal ID Number. For example, if the highest existing customer ID Number in the model is 12 and three customers are copied, the copied customers will have ID Numbers 13, 14, and 15, respectively.
  • To create a copy of an existing customer and its service line, use the Copy Customer & Service command. To create a copy of an existing customer at the same location as that existing customer, use the Add Duplicate Customer command.
  • To change a copy’s supply main afterward, use the Reassign Customer Supply Main command; to change the location of the service tap along a supply main, use the Move Service Tap command or grips.
  • To change a customer’s location, use the Move Customer command or grips; to change the Customer Data, use the Edit Customer Data command or left-click the customer feature; to remove a customer feature from the model, use the Delete Customer command.

Copy A Customer & Service

Copies an existing customer feature along with its service line, tapping the copy into a pipe you select.

  1. Select the Copy Customer & Service item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select Customer To Copy prompt, left-click the customer to copy. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select New Tap Location prompt, left-click a pipe. A copy of the service line is drawn from that point, with the customer copy placed at its end.
  4. The Select New Tap Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy Customer & Service item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYCUSTOMERSERVICE or COPYCS on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • Copies of customers are assigned the next available customer Record and Internal ID Number. For example, if the highest existing customer ID Number in the model is 12 and three customers are copied, the copied customers will have ID Numbers 13, 14, and 15, respectively.
  • To create a copy of an existing customer at a new location and assign the supply main directly, use the Copy Customer command. To create a copy of an existing customer at the same location as that existing customer, use the Add Duplicate Customer command.
  • To change a copy’s supply main afterward, use the Reassign Customer Supply Main command; to change the location of the service tap along a supply main, use the Move Service Tap command or grips.
  • To change a customer’s location, use the Move Customer command or grips; to change the Customer Data, use the Edit Customer Data command or left-click the customer feature; to remove a customer feature from the model, use the Delete Customer command.

Copy A Pipe

Copies an existing pipe feature to a new location, optionally including any customers attached to it.

  1. Select the Copy Pipe item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select Pipe To Copy prompt, left-click the pipe to copy. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select Base Node prompt, left-click a node on the pipe. This sets the point the copy will move relative to.
  4. At the Select New Location prompt, left-click the new location. If customers are attached to the pipe, choose whether to copy them too.
  5. On the Fuzzy Tolerance screen, type a value, select a dimensional unit, and click Continue. This lets the copied pipe’s ends snap together with nearby pipes.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy Pipe item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYPIPE or COPYP on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • Copies of pipes are assigned the next available pipe Record and Internal ID Number. For example, if the highest existing pipe ID Number in the model is 12 and three pipes are copied, the copied pipes will have ID Numbers 13, 14, and 15, respectively.
  • To change the Pipe Data, use the Edit Pipe Data command or left-click the pipe feature; to change the location of a pipe feature, use the Move Pipe command, or the Move Pipe End command or grips for one end; to remove a pipe feature from the model, use the Delete Pipe command.

Copy A User Graphic Image

Copies an existing User Graphic Image to one or more new locations.

  1. Select the Copy Graphic Image item from the User Graphics – Image branch of the GDI Command Tree.
  2. At the Select User Graphic Image To Copy prompt, left-click the image. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select Base Point On User Graphic Image prompt, left-click a point on the image. This sets the point the copy will move relative to.
  4. At the Select New Location prompt, left-click the new location. The image is copied there, drawn from the new base point.
  5. The Select New Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Graphic Image item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYIMAGE or COPYI on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • The Display User Graphics option must be “on” for the image to be visible and selectable.
  • To change the User Graphic Image Data, use the Edit User Graphic Image command or left-click the image; to change its location, use the Move User Graphic Image command or grips; to remove it from the model, use the Delete User Graphic Image command.

Copy A User Graphic Line

Copies an existing User Graphic Line to one or more new locations.

  1. Select the Copy Graphic Line item from the User Graphics – Line branch of the GDI Command Tree.
  2. At the Select User Graphic Line To Copy prompt, left-click the line. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select Base Point On User Graphic Line prompt, left-click a point on the line. This sets the point the copy will move relative to.
  4. At the Select New Location prompt, left-click the new location. The line is copied there, drawn from the new base point.
  5. The Select New Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Graphic Line item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYLINE or COPYL on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • The Display User Graphics option must be “on” for the line to be visible and selectable.
  • To change the User Graphic Line Data, use the Edit User Graphic Line command or left-click the line; to change its location, use the Move User Graphic Line command or grips; to remove it from the model, use the Delete User Graphic Line command.

Copy A User Graphic Symbol

Copies an existing User Graphic Symbol to one or more new locations.

  1. Select the Copy Graphic Symbol item from the User Graphics – Symbol branch of the GDI Command Tree.
  2. At the Select User Graphic Symbol To Copy prompt, left-click the symbol. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select Base Point On User Graphic Symbol prompt, left-click a point on the symbol. This sets the point the copy will move relative to.
  4. At the Select New Location prompt, left-click the new location. The symbol is copied there, drawn from the new base point.
  5. The Select New Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Graphic Symbol item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYSYMBOL or COPYS on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • The Display User Graphics option must be “on” for the symbol to be visible and selectable.
  • To change the User Graphic Symbol Data, use the Edit User Graphic Symbol command or left-click the symbol; to change its location, use the Move User Graphic Symbol command or grips; to remove it from the model, use the Delete User Graphic Symbol command.

Copy The User Graphics From A Model

Copies all User Graphic Lines and Symbols from a previously saved model into the currently open model, in one operation.

  1. Select the Copy User Graphics From Model item from the GDI Command List. A message confirms that User Graphic Images will not be copied — click Yes to continue or No to cancel.
  2. On the Open screen, select a User Graphics file (.ugd) and click Open.
  3. A message confirms when the Lines and Symbols have been copied. Click OK to clear it.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Graphics From Model item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYALLGRAPHICS on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • This command does not copy User Graphic Images — only Lines and Symbols.
  • To turn the display of the User Graphics “on” or “off,” use the Display User Graphics command.

Copy A User Table

Copies an existing User Table to one or more new locations.

  1. Select the Copy User Table item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select A Feature In The User Table To Copy prompt, left-click any item in the table. The whole table is highlighted.
    Note: If the selected feature is not part of a User Table, a message may be displayed. Click the OK button to return to the prompt.
  3. At the Select Base Point On User Table prompt, left-click a point on the table. This sets the point the copy will move relative to.
  4. At the Select New Location prompt, left-click the new location. The table is copied there, drawn from the new base point.
  5. The Select New Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Table item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYTABLE on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • To change the contents of a User Table, use the Edit User Table command; to change its location, use the Move User Table command; to remove it from the model, use the Delete User Table command.

Copy User Text

Copies an existing User Text feature to one or more new locations.

  1. Select the Copy User Text item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select User Text To Copy prompt, left-click the text. It is highlighted.
  3. At the Select Base Point On User Text prompt, left-click a point on the text. This sets the point the copy will move relative to.
  4. At the Select New Location prompt, left-click the new location. The text is copied there, drawn from the new base point.
  5. The Select New Location prompt remains active — repeat to place more copies, then right-click to finish.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Text item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYTEXT or COPYT on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • The Display User Text option must be “on” for the text feature to be visible and selectable.
  • To change the User Text Data, use the Edit User Text command or left-click the text feature; to change its location, use the Move User Text command or grips; to remove it from the model, use the Delete User Text command.
  • To copy every User Text feature from another model instead of one at a time, use the Copy User Text From Model command.

Copy The User Text From A Model

Copies all User Text features from a previously saved model into the currently open model, in one operation.

  1. Select the Copy User Text From Model item from the GDI Command List.
  2. On the Open screen, select a User Text file (.gtx) and click Open.
  3. A message confirms when the User Text features have been copied. Click OK to clear it.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy User Text From Model item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYALLTEXT on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Copy Saved Views From Model

Copies all saved views from a previously saved model into the currently open model.

  1. Select the Copy Saved Views From Model item from the GDI Command List.
  2. On the Save screen, select a saved Graphic View file (.vew) and click Save.
  3. If prompted to overwrite an existing file, respond appropriately.
  4. A message confirms when the views have been copied. Click OK to clear it.

This command can be executed by selecting the Copy Saved Views From Model item from the GDI Command List or by typing COPYVIEWS or COPYV on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • To create a saved view from the current limits of the GDI Display in the first place, use the Save Current View command.

Notes & Considerations

  • Copy The User Graphics From A Model, Copy The User Text From A Model, and Copy Saved Views From Model pull content from a separate saved model’s files rather than duplicating something already in the current model.
  • If the Allow Undo Of Data/Graphic Changes environment option is selected, click the Undo icon to restore the last data or graphic change. To access the option, select the Options & Settings item from the Utilities menu, then select the Environment data tab.

See Also

  • Adding Customers & Services
  • Adding Pipes & Nodes
  • Adding User Graphics & Text
  • Creating Taps, Tables & Legends
  • Moving Customers, Nodes & Pipes
  • Moving Text, Graphics, Legends & Views
  • Editing Customer, Node & Pipe Data
  • Editing User Graphics, Text & Tables
  • Deleting Model Features
  • Deleting Graphics, Text, Tables & Views
  • Display & Visibility Settings
  • Customer Loads, Supply Mains & Maintenance
  • Views, Panning, Zooming & Plotting
  • Example: GDI Coordinates, Commands & Grips
  • Example: Selecting, Moving & Viewing Features
  • Example: Fittings, Panels & Palettes
  • GDI Utilities: Undo, Redo, Cancel & Housekeeping

FAQ

  • Why would I convert an arc pipe to a polyline pipe?

    Some GASWorkS editing tools can’t be used on arc-type pipes. Converting to a polyline pipe unlocks those commands while keeping the original shape — GASWorkS places a vertex at each degree of curvature along the arc and connects them with straight segments.

  • What’s the difference between converting one arc pipe and converting all of them?
    Convert An Arc Pipe To A Polyline Pipe lets you pick a single arc pipe to convert. Convert All Arc Pipes To Polyline Pipes runs the same conversion across every arc-type pipe in the model in one pass, and reports how many pipes were updated.
  • What kinds of background entities can be converted into a pipe feature?
    Only Arc, Line, and Polyline type entities — from either a DXF or a shapefile (SHP) background image. Other entity types in the background image can’t be converted directly to a pipe.
  • Do I need anything set up before I can convert DXF service lines to customers?
    Yes — the Facility Type you’re converting to must be set to “Active.” You can check or change that under Facility Settings in the Edit menu. You’ll also need a DXF background image with the service lines already attached.
  • What happens to the Color Legend when I convert it to User Text?
    It becomes a group of individual User Text features that you can manipulate with the standard User Text and Group commands, rather than the fixed Color Legend format. If a Color Legend Text already exists, you’ll be asked whether to delete it, keep it alongside the new one, or cancel.
  • I converted several DXF lines to pipes — why did it also ask me about node data?
    Converting a line can create new nodes at its endpoints. If the Prompt For Data During New Feature Entry option is turned on, GASWorkS shows the Node Data (and Pipe Data) for each new feature in the Data Panel so you can review or adjust the defaults before moving on.

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Updated on July 23, 2026

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