This operation normalizes the storage of display mode data into a pattern matching the current property set of the encyclopedia, and means that display mode data can be correctly transitioned, for example through merge/extract to another encyclopedia with the same property set configuration that has also been normalized.
This is needed because performing I/O where an encyclopedia has not been normalized can result in the displayable properties being changed.
The reason for this is that display mode data is stored by property sequence and that meant that introducing or removing displayable properties for one type could change the presentation of properties because the property set became mismatched with the stored data.
We record displayable properties when the property set is compiled. A comparison of the sequence of displayable properties in the property set and the records tells us whether normalization is needed.
This operation requires exclusive access to the encyclopedia, so a test is made and a confirmation requested before proceeding:
We perform an ‘is normalization necessary’ on merge/extract and other I/O including load and save of stylesheets and we warn the user at that time if normalization is needed, and the user can choose to ignore it if they are not concerned:
If you are proposing to save a stylesheet after making a number of changes then in response to this last message:
1 Cancel the save operation (because as yet it cannot be confirmed to be compatible with other encyclopedias).
2 Use Format > Stylesheet > Set Encyclopedia to store it in the encyclopedia.
3 Close System Architect.
4 Use the Reindex operation – this corrects both diagrams and the stylesheet.
5 Reopen System Architect and the encyclopedia, and then save the stylesheet.
On completion of the above steps you should no longer get the error.
Note if you prefer not to keep the stylesheet in the encyclopedia, use Tools > Encyclopedia File Manager and remove autoexec.sty.
