diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.h b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.h
index b3e9d09f01..5286ad7c0f 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.h
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ public:
     void        readFieldData(QXmlStreamReader& xmlStream, PdmObjectFactory* objectFactory) override;
     void        writeFieldData(QXmlStreamWriter& xmlStream) const override;
     bool        resolveReferences() override;
+    QString     referenceString() const override;
 
 private:
     FieldType* m_field;
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl
index 3bcb3dea4c..00c9d01f66 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl
@@ -119,6 +119,15 @@ bool caf::PdmFieldXmlCap<FieldType>::resolveReferences()
      return objHandle != nullptr;
  }
 
+ //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ ///
+ //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ template<typename DataType>
+ QString caf::PdmFieldXmlCap<PdmPtrField<DataType*>>::referenceString() const
+ {
+     return m_referenceString;
+ }
+
  //==================================================================================================
 /// XML Implementation for PdmPtrArrayField<>
 //==================================================================================================
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h
index 4f488d61b9..ac3a56a9dc 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ public:
 
     virtual bool    resolveReferences() = 0;
 
+    virtual QString referenceString() const             { return QString(); }
+
 protected:
     bool            assertValid() const;
     QString         m_childClassKeyword; ///< Must be set in constructor of derived XmlFieldHandle