Numerous file operations are provided by the File Manager. This section presents the default interface for each of these operations. Each interface can be customized by the administrator. You may encounter additional options (especially where file types are concerned) or slight differences (in the case of the hierarchy levels and branches). The forms shown here provide the necessary information to get the desired result from each file operation. The File Manager is accessed from the top menu bar, under FM, as shown below.

When File Manager is running, the conventional File menu of the MSC Patran main form is replaced by a menu labeled FM. Selecting this menu displays a pull-down menu that lists the file functions. These functions are presented and described below in the order in which they appear on the menu.

Before covering the actual file operations, it is important to discuss two aspects of interfacing with the system that are common. Traversing the hierarchy and file filtering together control the user’s view of the repository and access to any given file. These forms are accessible from all of the file operation forms and serve a supporting role. After discussion of the hierarchy and file filtering, the File Manager user interface forms are presented in alphabetical order.

The File Hierarchy form allows users to traverse the current file repository. This form provides the user’s current location in the hierarchy tree as well as visual reminders of where files are located.

The File Filter form provides control over which files at a given hierarchy location are visible and available for selection. Controls for file descriptions (string matching), file type, physical state, and security state are all provided.

Forms associated with file operations are presented in alphabetical order. Most of the file forms provide the same generic file selection mechanism. This is presented prior to the actual forms and only the unique functionality and interface characteristics of each form is fully described in the later sections.

This form provides for selecting the file from the list of visible file descriptions. The list of descriptions is controlled by both the current hierarchy location (controlled through the subordinate hierarchy form) and the current file filter (controlled through the subordinate filter form).

This form provides for creating a new file in the File Manager hierarchy. The user can specify the desired file type and designate the description.

The Open function allows users to access existing files stored in the File Manager hierarchy.

Submit is a shortcut for users that want to create a new SuperModel file for subsequent assembly and analysis. The new file is created and users are taken directly to the submodel selection form in the Assembly and Configuration module.

Recent Files provides users with a method for quickly finding recently accessed files.

Close terminates the current workspace model, but leaves MSC SuperModel system running.

Save writes the current workspace model to the hierarchy and leaves the existing model open.

Changes made to a file accessed for either Read Only or Write can be saved to a new file in the system using the following form:

Recover automatically returns the user to the current working session (local files) in the event of an unplanned interruption of an MSC SuperModel session.

The most common use for this function is if the File Manager Server shuts down while the user has a database open and the user gets an error when attempting to save or close a file.

The Abort function does the following: It quits MSC Patran without doing anything to the File Manager Local Workspace and without telling the File Manager server to Unlock the current file. This is almost equivalent to manually killing the MSC Patran session, but more graceful. After the user has aborted a session, the user can launch MSC SuperModel. When the File Manager server is back up and correctly working, use the Recover option from the File Manager menu. This returns you to the same place you were in MSC SuperModel before the Abort command.

The File Manager Utilities options are described in the following section.

The File Manager Administration options are described in the MSC Patran documentation.
These options include:

This form provides for deleting an existing file in the File Manager hierarchy. The user can select multiple files for deletion.

This form provides for transferring files into, out of, and in the File Manager hierarchy. Move deletes the original file and Copy maintains the original file.

This form provides for renaming (or redescribing) an existing file in the File Manager hierarchy.

This form provides for altering the physical state of an existing file in the File Manager hierarchy, namely whether or not the file is stored in a compressed or uncompressed state. Multiple files can be selected for compression.

This form allows the user to move a file out of the hierarchy to an offline storage media and to retrieve a file online back into the hierarchy.

This form provides for manipulating associations between logical files. The ability to create, break, and show user-defined associations is supported.

This form permits the user to import a Patran database stored in the File Manager into the current database. The MSC Patran DB Options and Equivalence Options subforms are identical to those provided for normal Unix database import.

The history of any file maintained by the File Manager may be reviewed by selecting it from the following form.

After selection, the physical file that contains history information is read and displayed in the following form.

Release and Unrelease functions removes or returns a file to working status. Releasing a file prohibits any further changes to the file and it is only accessible for Read access.

Release is available to the system administrator and is located under Administration - Release. Component models and associated results may be Unmerged from Released files.

Unreleasing a file establishes write access privilege.

Lock/unlock is a security feature. Locking a file prevents a file from being write-accessed. Components may not be Unmerged from Locked files. This administrative functionality is sometimes useful if an unexpected exit from MSC SuperModel has left one or more files in a locked state.

Unlocking a file allows users write access.

Modify File Type allows users to modify the type of any existing file. The only restriction is that files may not be modified to a new type of “Supermodel”.

New hierarchy branches may be added or deleted by the system administrator. The user interface is described below.

New file types, in addition to those provided by default, may be added or deleted by the system administrator. The user interface is described below.

The contents of the File Manager hierarchy may be listed and stored in a file. Users may specify the starting point to generate the hierarchy list. The file system path names are printed to the hierarchy listing as well.

The user interface is described below.

The contents of the File Manager hierarchy may be converted to the next version of the MSC Patran database. The user identifies a hierarchy starting point and all MSC Patran databases below that point are converted to the current version.

The contents of the File Manager hierarchy may be converted to the next version of the MSC Patran database. The user identifies a hierarchy starting point and all MSC Patran databases below that point are converted to the current version.