How to edit the INP file (basic)

Items covered

1. Adding pictures

2. Moving input line position

 

Situation

More information

Change the default automatically created dialog to suit the users requirements

 

 

 

After creating a custom component (connection, detail, part) a dialog is automatically created.

 

 

This dialog is controlled by an INP file automatically generated in the model directory

This can easily be accessed through the “Tools” menu. This file can then be edited using a normal text editor such as “Notepad” or “Wordpad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The file will look like this:

This can now be edited to suit the user requirements.

 

First step would be to use Paint to create a picture.  

This should be saved in the teklastructures\”version”\nt\bitmaps directory

 

 

      Hint: use an existing bitmap as a base picture

      NOTE!!! the picture must be saved as a bitmap          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following line can then be added to the INP file

 

picture("lift_brkt", 255, 300)

 

 

 

 

 


                               Picture Name            Picture Size        

 

 

Save the INP file.

 

To see the change (the picture) re-open the model and double click on the custom object to open the dialog

 

Note!: to see any changes to the picture (if re-edited then resaved you must restart Tekla structure

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Note!: The picture is behind the text

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We now have the picture in the dialog, now we need to re position the input parameters.

Re open the INP file and edit the first parameter (In this example "Dimension A")

 

parameter("Dimension A", "D10", distance, number, 1)

 

Edit to:

 

parameter("Dimension A", "D10", distance, number, 14)

 

                                                                          Line Number

 

      NOTE!: one line is approximately 25 pixels          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Save the INP file.

 

To see the changes re-open the model and double click on the custom object to open the dialog   

 

 

The line is now below the picture

 

We can now repeat for the all the other parametersin creasing the line number by one each time:

 

Save the INP file.

 

To see the changes re-open the model and double click on the custom object to open the dialog