Recipe formula validation fails with constraint violation when ingredient specifications updated

PLM Windchill
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1

We’re encountering formula constraint violations in Windchill 12.0 CPS05 when updating recipe ingredient specifications. The validation engine rejects valid ingredient combinations that should pass formula constraints, blocking recipe updates completely.

Error details:


wt.formula.ConstraintViolationException: Ingredient spec exceeds formula bounds
at wt.formula.FormulaValidator.validate(FormulaValidator.java:178)
at wt.recipe.RecipeManager.updateRecipe(RecipeManager.java:423)

This is blocking our recipe management workflow. We suspect the issue involves formula validation constraints not properly evaluating updated ingredient specifications, possibly due to constraint cache synchronization issues or problems with dynamic constraint evaluation when CAD specification linking changes. Has anyone experienced formula validation incorrectly rejecting valid ingredient updates?

2

Formula validation can be tricky when ingredient specs change. The constraint engine might be evaluating against cached specification values rather than current ones. Check if your formula constraints reference specification attributes that get updated - the validation might not be refreshing those references properly.

3

Look at your formula constraint expressions. If they use complex calculations based on ingredient spec attributes, make sure those expressions properly handle null or missing values when specs are in transition. We found that constraint evaluation failed when spec updates temporarily left attributes undefined during the update transaction.

4

Check your CAD specification linking configuration. If recipe ingredients link to CAD specs that define dimensional or material properties, and those specs update, the formula validator needs to re-evaluate constraints against the new spec values. The issue might be that dynamic constraint evaluation isn’t triggering when linked CAD specs change. Look at your event listeners for specification update events.

5

We had similar constraint violation issues. The problem was that our formula constraints were defined with tight tolerance ranges, and when ingredient specifications updated, the new values fell just outside the constraint boundaries even though they were technically valid. Review your constraint definitions to ensure they accommodate reasonable specification variations. Also verify that constraint evaluation is using the latest ingredient spec version, not an older cached version.

6

We encountered this exact scenario. The formula validation was using stale constraint cache data. When ingredient specifications updated, the constraint cache wasn’t invalidated, so validation checked against old spec values. We had to implement explicit cache invalidation when specifications change and ensure constraint re-evaluation happens synchronously with spec updates.

7

We resolved this through systematic fixes addressing all validation constraint aspects:

1. Formula Validation Constraints: Reviewed and updated constraint definitions to properly handle specification updates:

FormulaConstraint.setDynamicEvaluation(true);
FormulaConstraint.setSpecVersionBinding(LATEST);

We also modified constraints to use tolerance ranges rather than exact values, accommodating normal specification variations without triggering false violations.

2. Dynamic Constraint Evaluation: Implemented real-time constraint re-evaluation when linked specifications update:

SpecificationListener.onUpdate(spec -> {
  FormulaValidator.invalidateCache(spec.getLinkedRecipes());
  FormulaValidator.revalidate(spec.getLinkedRecipes());
});

This ensures formula validation always uses current specification values rather than cached data.

3. CAD Specification Linking: Fixed the specification linking mechanism to properly propagate updates to recipe formulas:

CADSpecLink.setAutoUpdate(true);
CADSpecLink.setValidationTrigger(ON_SPEC_CHANGE);

We also implemented bidirectional update notifications so recipe formulas are immediately aware when linked CAD specifications change.

4. Constraint Cache Synchronization: Implemented aggressive cache invalidation strategy:

ConstraintCache.invalidateOnSpecUpdate(true);
ConstraintCache.setSyncMode(IMMEDIATE);

We also added cache coherency checks before validation to ensure constraint evaluation uses fresh data.

Additional improvements included implementing constraint validation logging to track which specific constraints fail and why, adding pre-validation checks that verify specification data completeness before formula evaluation, and creating a constraint testing utility that validates formula constraints against specification update scenarios.

The root cause was multi-faceted: constraint cache wasn’t invalidating on spec updates, dynamic evaluation wasn’t enabled for specification-linked constraints, and CAD spec linking wasn’t triggering re-validation events. After these fixes, recipe formula validation correctly handles ingredient specification updates without false constraint violations.

Key lesson: formula validation systems require tight integration with specification update workflows, including cache management, event propagation, and dynamic constraint re-evaluation to maintain accuracy.