You no longer have to think in terms of databases and journal files. These have been combined under File Manager and the naming conventions replaced with a more flexible file description. The software now takes on the burden of knowing the proper file extensions.

Because you are really working with a copy of the file you requested, File Manager chooses a temporary name that is a combination of your login-id and the unique file-id. This is what you see in the banner (along with the good old .db extension).

File Manager is intended to help groups of users work together under the guidance of an administrator. Every time you request a new file from File Manager, the template used is determined by the current location in the hierarchy and the chosen file-type. For more information on templates, please see the appropriate discussion under File Types in this chapter.

A submodel is simply a MSC Patran database, its journal file, and a history file. These three physical files move together as a single logical file. It is the type of file that you most frequently encounter. A SuperModel on the other hand is a collection of submodels that have been assembled, analyzed, and the results stored in the database. This type of file is created by using the Job Definition capabilities of SuperModel.

The term repository refers to a collection of file directories which the File Manager uses to house all of the files available to the user. The location of the directories is established by your administrator and not required to be known by the general user.

The term workspace refers to a file directory designated by the administrator to provide you with disk resources that provide optimum efficiency when working with any of the files managed by the system. Generally, this is a directory local to your machine’s hard drive. Access of any file in File Manager starts by bringing a copy of that file to the workspace for your personal use.