Message: A polyline does not contain one of its holes.


Reference Number: KB-00385
Last Modified: July 20, 2021

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect InteriorsVertical SeparatorHome Designer Professional



QUESTION

In one of my plan files, I encountered this warning message:

"Warning: A polyline for a slab, roof plane, countertop, etc. does not contain one of its holes (or skylights for roofs) due to this or a previous change. Please either fix or delete this polyline."

What does this mean?


ANSWER


A number of different types of objects in the program can have holes in them. By definition, these holes must be located entirely inside a single containing object.

This message will display if an object or its hole is edited in such a way that the hole is no longer located entirely inside of its containing object.

In order to resolve this issue, you will need to locate the object  and its hole and either edit them so that the hole is located entirely within its containing object, or simply delete the object.

 

Objects affected by this error message:

  • Roof Planes
  • Slabs
  • Custom Countertops
  • Polyline Solids

There are several ways to find the affected object in your  plan. Before doing anything, it is a good idea to make a copy of the  plan file with a distinct name and save it on your Desktop.

 

To find the problem object

  1. Open the plan in which the error is occurring and select File> Save As  from the menu. In the Save As dialog:

    • Click the Save in drop-down arrow at the top of the dialog and select Desktop as the location of the new copy.

    • In the File name field at the bottom of the dialog, erase the old name and name this copy "Trash".

    • Click the Save button to close the dialog and create a copy of the plan.


  2. Look at the upper left corner of the Chief Architect window, right below your parent toolbar buttons, and confirm that the plan file that is now active is called "Trash".  




    • If you do not see this name in the upper left corner, do not proceed to the following steps. Instead, repeat this sequence beginning with Step 1.


  3. To find the problem object, begin deleting sections of the plan until the error message stops appearing.

    • Select Edit> Delete Objects  from the menu to access to use the Delete Objects dialog to delete objects by category. 

    • Delete portions of the plan in a logical progression, such as floor by floor, from left to right or top to bottom.

    • Try deleting by halves - first the left half and then, if the error persists, delete the top half of the remaining drawing, and so on.

    • Use the Edit Area  tools to quickly delete all objects in a particular area.

    • Sometimes it is helpful to close the "Trash" plan without saving your work and then reopen it and start your search again.


  4. When you discover where the problem object is found, make a note of its location and close the "Trash" plan. DO NOT save the changes you made. If you find that you need to continue searching, it will be helpful if this drawing is still intact.

 

To correct the problem

  1. Open original plan and locate the problem object that you found in the "Trash" copy of the drawing.


  2. Once the object is located, you can do one of two things:

    • Edit the object using its edit handles to correct the problem. 

    • Select, delete and then replace the object. Often, this is the best approach because it removes any permanent problems that might have become associated with the object.