Fixing EPLAN Interruption Point Cross-References by Page

Problem Details

An interruption point (also called a break point or potential carry-over point) on an EPLAN schematic page displays its partner reference as a long descriptive string — for example esquema mando 24V — instead of the expected compact page/column format such as 12.4. The cross-reference itself is functionally correct: EPLAN has found the matching interruption point of the same name and is pointing at it. Only the displayed text is wrong, and it typically overruns the available space on the drawing, colliding with wire labels or the page frame.

Symptoms that identify this specific fault:

• Cross-reference text length varies wildly from page to page instead of being uniform.
• The text matches, character for character, what you typed when the page was created.
• Some pages display correctly (3.2) while others display text — the correct ones are the pages you named numerically.
• Changing the cross-reference format in project settings has no effect on the offending pages.

Root Cause

In EPLAN, every schematic page has two separate identifying properties that are frequently confused:

When a page is created and the descriptive text is typed into Page name, EPLAN accepts it — page names are strings, not integers. Every cross-reference that resolves to that page then renders the full string, because the cross-reference format page/column literally means "page name, separator, column number". The column number is still calculated correctly; it is simply appended to a 17-character page name.

The same mechanism affects every reference type that carries a page identifier, not just interruption points:

• Contact images / contact mirrors on relays and contactors
• Device cross-references between distributed components (multi-part devices)
• Terminal and cable cross-references
• Table-of-contents and target-tracking reports

Solution: Correct the Page Properties

Rename the affected pages so the numeric identifier lives in the name and the text lives in the description. EPLAN updates all cross-references automatically after the change — no manual editing of the interruption points is required.

1. In the page navigator, select the offending page (or multi-select several pages that share the fault).
2. Open the page properties dialog from the context menu (Properties).
3. Move the descriptive text out of Page name and paste it into the Page description property.
4. Enter a numeric page name. Keep the numbering scheme consistent with the rest of the project (for example, all power schematics 1..9, all 24 V control schematics 10..19).
5. Confirm. EPLAN re-resolves cross-references on save/update; if any reference still shows stale text, run a project-wide update of connections and references.
6. Verify the title block now prints the description text — the frame's title-block placeholder normally reads the page description property, so nothing is lost visually.

Renumbering many pages at once

If dozens of pages carry text names, do not rename them one at a time. Use the page renumbering function in the page navigator, which lets you set a start value and an increment across a selection. Renumber first, then paste the descriptions in. Sort the page tree in the intended drawing order before renumbering so the resulting sequence matches the binder order.

Cross-Reference Settings for Interruption Points

Once the page names are numeric, control the reference presentation itself here:

Options > Settings > Projects > <your project> > Cross-references/contact image > Interruption point

This dialog governs interruption-point references project-wide. The option set is deliberately small — it controls the reference display, not the page identifiers — so if the text is wrong here, the fix is almost always upstream in the page properties.

Because these are project settings, changing them affects only the open project. To make the corrected convention the default for future work, apply the same values in the corresponding scheme/default level and save it as your company standard, then base new projects on that template.

Verification

1. Open a page containing an interruption point pair. Confirm the displayed reference is now <number>.<column> and that the column digit corresponds to the physical column in the frame where the partner sits.
2. Click the cross-reference text and jump to the partner. It must land on the correct page at the correct column. A jump that fails indicates a name mismatch between the two interruption points, which is a different fault — interruption points pair by identical name, and the names are case-sensitive in effect.
3. Generate the table of contents report and confirm each entry shows the numeric page plus the description text. Text-named pages will stand out immediately in this report if any were missed.
4. Check contact images on contactors and relays on the same pages; they use the same page identifier and should now be compact.
5. Export or print to PDF and confirm no cross-reference text overflows the column grid or the frame border.

If references still show text after renaming

• The page was renamed but the drawing was not updated — force a project update / refresh so reports and references regenerate.
• The visible string is not a cross-reference at all but a manually placed text element left over from an earlier edit. Select it: a real cross-reference is a property placeholder attached to the interruption point symbol and cannot be freely edited as text.
• The interruption point name itself is descriptive text. That is legitimate — the interruption point name identifies the potential (e.g. 24V-1) and is separate from the partner cross-reference. Only the partner reference should read page/column.

Naming Convention to Prevent Recurrence

Encode plant structure in the structure identifiers, not in free text. Numeric page names keep every cross-reference, contact image, and report column narrow and machine-readable, and they let the automatic renumbering functions work without manual cleanup.