diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.cpp b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.cpp
index 15ecfc1df4..ca0e4f36e7 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.cpp
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.cpp
@@ -40,6 +40,15 @@ PdmXmlFieldHandle::PdmXmlFieldHandle(PdmFieldHandle* owner, bool giveOwnership)
     owner->addCapability(this, giveOwnership);
 }
 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/// 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+void PdmXmlFieldHandle::disableIO()
+{
+    setIOReadable(false);
+    setIOWritable(false);
+}
+
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 /// Returns the classKeyword of the child class type, if this field is supposed to contain pointers 
 /// to PdmObjectHandle derived onbjects. 
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h
index 8db7870ca7..631ce73765 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafPdmXmlFieldHandle.h
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ public:
 
     bool            isIOReadable() const                { return m_isIOReadable; }
     bool            isIOWritable() const                { return m_isIOWritable; }
+    
+    void            disableIO();
     void            setIOWritable(bool isWritable)      { m_isIOWritable = isWritable; }
     void            setIOReadable(bool isReadable)      { m_isIOReadable = isReadable; }