Customised files – Storage and system placement 11
Xsteel Storage Directory File Structure 13
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Password File
Your Xsteel hardware lock is linked directly to the Xsteel password file (xswrk.dat) located in your “bin”directory (C:\Xsteel\6.0\nt\bin).
The password file can be edited using any text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad.
Also ensure that you install the “Sentinel” driver supplied on the Xsteel installation CD for the hardwarelock to function.
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Plotter Database
The standard installation of Xsteel contains examples of plotter configurations in the Xsteel Plotterdatabase. The plotter database can be accessed by going to the File pull-down menu in the modelingenvironment and selecting Database – Plotters. The following example show a typical networkaccessed plotter configuration.
Printer aliases A free alias for a plotter
Printer This field points to the plotter either locally or on the network e.g. \\”ServerID”\”Share Name”. If the plotter is connected locally, just type the Plotter’sName as given in Window’s Printers Control Panel
Paper Size For a “Large Format” plotter (A1, A0 etc..) this is set to “By Plot Area”, but foran A3, A4 plotter choose the correct size.
File extension You can define the file extension for each plotter or leave it blank. This field isused when creating DXF files. See the example DXF file plotter.
Plot Area h*b Maximum Plotting area
Color Choose either Black/White or Color
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Pen Map This configures which pen number is used for each color. The thickness ofeach pen number depends on the plotter driver, but the range is 1 being thethinnest, to 5 being the thickest.
Note: also environment variable XS_BASE_LINE_WIDTH=0.1 controls thepen thickness. Pen Map value is multiplied with constant given in this variable.
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Standard files – Save Defaults
When starting a new project or just simply setting up Xsteel to suit your particular style of work, you maywish to create a set of “standard” files that can be placed into your Xsteel “system” directory so that allmodels worked on will use the same standard files.
You may have noticed by now that most dialogue boxes with a “Save” option in them (Beam Properties,Macros etc..) have a “standard” setting in the “Load” Window.
This “standard” file is the default file that Xsteel will read and use when applying the command
Save Defaults Command
The Save Defaults command from the Setup pull-down menu in the modeling environment, saves a setof approximately 16 modeling environment user interface standard files such as Beam Properties,Column Properties, Setup Preferences, Project Properties etc..
The user should check each of these dialogue boxes and once satisfied with their content, choose SaveDefaults from the Setup pull-down menu. This will place the standard files listed below into the currentmodel directory. If these files are required for all Models, they can be copied into Xsteel’s “System”directory. E.g. C:\Xsteel\6.0\countries\euro\system
The list of the standard file names and dialogue boxes are as follows:
Other standard files may include saved macros in the modeling environment and drawing editorstandard files such as standard text size, dimension colors, weld symbol colors etc..
To change the “standard” files for any of the above, simply set up the properties of the file as requiredand then save this file as “standard” (Ensure that it is Lower Case).
These “standard” files will be placed in the current model directory. If they are required for all models,they can be copied into Xsteel’s “System” directory. E.g. C:\Xsteel\6.0\countries\euro\system.
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Batch File & Icon setup
Icon Setup
When installing Xsteel, a Xsteel start up icon will be created and can be placed onto your Windowsdesktop. It is advisable to check that the “Start in” directory of the icon is pointing to the directory,directly above where you will be placing your Xsteel models. For example, if you were going to placeyour models under the C:\Xsteel_Models directory, ensure that the “Start in” directory of the icon ispointing to this directory also. This will be the directory where Xsteel places the Xsteel log file(xsteel.log) and any other temporary files.
Note: To check the “Start in” directory of the icon, first highlight the icon, then right click on the mouseand select Properties and go to the Shortcut Page where you will see the “Start in” field.
Batch File
The Xsteel start up batch file contains many environment variables that can be configured to suit yourstandards. The batch file (xsteel_eng_euro.bat) is located e.g. to directory C:\Xsteel\6.0\bat\. Refer tothe online help for more up to date information.
One line in the batch file that may need altering from time to time is the “Runpath” line. This is the linethat nominates the default directory for Xsteel to look for existing, or to create new models. For instance,you may set up different Xsteel batch files for different projects and have the “Runpath” line pointing todifferent directories etc.. to keep the models separate.
The Runpath line in the Xsteel start up batch file is as follows:
set XS_RUNPATH=c:\xsteel_models
The portion highlighted in bold is what can be modified.
Note: The easiest way to edit the batch file is to highlight the Xsteel icon on the desktop, right click onthe mouse and select Edit.It could also be opened using any text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad
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Profile, Material & Bolt Databases
Xsteel comes standard with a range of available Profile, Material and Bolt Databases for different worldmarkets. The default databases will depend on which version you have installed – European, USImperial etc..
Normally you will find that these standard databases will contain enough information for normal day today work in Xsteel, but there may be cases where new profiles/materials/bolts need to be added.
These databases can be accessed from the File pull-down menu.E.g. File – Database – Profiles – Modify
In most cases it is simply a case of completing the required section properties and then picking Add/OKto add the new profile. You will then be asked to either save the database in the Working or GlobalDirectory. The Working Directory is the current model directory and the Global directory is the “system”directory for the databases (e.g. C:\Xsteel\6.0\countries\euro\profil\system).
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Note: You would copy the revised database to the Global directory if this new profile etc.. was requiredin other models.
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Autosave – Setting interval & Recovering etc..
Setting Interval
The interval for the Autosave can be set by picking Autosave from the Setup pull-down menu. Thenumbers represent the number of times commands are picked from the menus. e.g. A setting of 30 inthe model means that after 30 menu picked commands, an Autosave will be performed
Recovering the Autosave file
Every Xsteel model will have the following database files:
Model.db1 Current databaseModel.db1.bak Database at last saveModel.db1_user Database at last autosaveModel.db1_user.bak Database at previous autosaveModel.db2Model.db2.bakModel.db2_userModel.db2_user.bak
Db2 files contain some numbering information (maximum used numbers in each group) relative to theequivalent db1 files. This information used to be kept in the db1 files but has been moved since theintroduction of the multi user database.
When opening a model Xsteel automatically recognizes if the previous session crashed, and askswhether to continue with the autosaved model or the original one.
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Customized files – Storage and system placement
Xsteel File Structure
Xsteel startup batch files e.g. xsteel_eng_euro.bat
objects.inp file - This file controls the list of variables in the “More”dialogue box of any member properties dialogue box.
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Note: With the default batch file settings Xsteel looks for files that it requires firstly in the model directorythat you are currently working in. If the files that it requires are not there it then looks for these files in the“system” directory (6.0\countries\euro\profil or 6.0\countries\euro\system).
Therefore we recommend that you place all files that are required as the default for all projects into the“system” directory and then files that are unique to a project are placed in the model directory.
It is possible to place template files (report templates and drawing templates) in the model directory butthis is not recommended. It only takes one template to be missing from the model directory and theresult will be that all drawing templates will be missing from the drawings. It will also make updating yoursystem difficult if changes are needed to the title block etc.. as all models will need to have these filesupdated, whereas if the templates were stored in the “system” directory, only this directory would needupdating.
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Xsteel Storage Directory File Structure
You can also use environment variables XS_PROJECT and XS_FIRM to define directories whereattributes (the settings on the dialog boxes, i.e. standard files and user-saved properties of joints, parts,drawings etc.) are sought.
The advantage of using these variables is to retain your customized attributes when updating to a newXsteel version.
When you Save new attributes they are always saved in the model directory, but after that they can becopied or moved, for example, to the project directory, where they are also available to other projects.
To use e.g. XS_PROJECT variable you need first manually to create the project folder to somewhereand then set the XS_PROJECT variable pointing to that folder in question. See the example below.
Attributes are now first searched for in the current model directory, and then in the directories defined bythe environment variables. See the search order below:
1. Current model directory
2. XS_PROJECT
3. XS_FIRM
4. XS_SYSTEM
set XS_PROJECT=%XS_DIR%\countries\euro\project\
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If the file is found, the search will not continue to the next level, so if there are files with the same namein separate directories, the file in the highest directory according to this search order is used. This is notthe case, if the files have different names.
For an extensive description of the files that can be read in the directories defined with XS_PROJECTand XS_FIRM refer the Xsteel help file.
Templates and reports are searched for in the directory defined by the environment variableXS_TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY. They are also sought in the directories according to the search ordermentioned above, but the search stops at the directory, where the first template/report file is found andthe search of other templates does not go any further.
