Theory: AutoCAD 2D Analyzer: Interface

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*Manuals*	AutoCAD 2D Analyzer: CHAPTER 4: USER INTERFACE
Home : Manuals : AutoCAD - Analyzer - Interface

The AutoCATS 2-D Analyzer is an interactive, menu driven system giving full control to the user. It features full screen data editing, command buffering, global commands, and on-line help.

4.0 Program Control

1. Menus. At each section throughout the program, options are displayed as menus of key words with a brief description of each option. By typing the selected key word (or command), the program branches to the corresponding option. Commands may be abbreviated to a single character in most cases. Just type enough characters to be unique.

Experienced users may turn off the complete menu displays ("block menu") if they wish, and replace it with a "linear menu" consisting of just the menu key words. This is done by typing /BLOCK. Linear menus will be featured throughout this manual.

Example 1: Block Menu

`AutoCATS 2-D Analyzer MAIN MENU`
`OPTION NAME`	`DESCRIPTION`
`FILE`	`Open/ Save/ Update a neutral file.`
`ENTER`	`Enter model data.`
`1D ANALY`	`1-D Model analysis options.`
`2D ANALY`	`2-D Model analysis options.`
`GLOBAL`	`List global command description.`
`/EXIT`	`Exit program.`
`.... GLOBAL COMMANDS ....`
`/HELP /BLOCK /REF < > /SYSTEM /EXIT`
`CATS>/BLOCK`

Example 2: Linear Menu

FILE ENTER 1D ANALY 2D ANALY GLOBAL /EXIT.... GLOBAL COMMANDS ..../HELP /BLOCK /REF < > /SYSTEM /EXITCATS>

2. Menu Structure. The Analyzer's menus are organized in a "tree structure". A diagram of the menus resembles an inverted tree, with the Main Menu as the trunk and sub-menus as the branches extending below it as shown in Fig. 4.1.

3. Global Commands. At any menu level, several general purpose commands are available. These are displayed as a linear ("global") menu immediately below the regular ("local") menu. Table 4.1 gives a description of each one.

Fig. 4.1 AutoCATS 2-D Analyzer Menu Structure

Table 4.1 Global Commands

/HELP option	Displays a brief explanation about the menu option specified.
/UP	Moves up one level in the menu tree.
/TOP	Jumps to the top of the menu tree (CATS Main Menu).
/BLOCK	Toggles from block menu display to linear or vice-versa.
/REF	Displays the on-line Tolerance Reference Handbook for guidelines in selecting design tolerances.
>	"Redirect input to a file." Prompts for a file name, then echoes all input to an external disk file. Useful for saving a set of commands that are used frequently.
<	"Redirect input from a file." Prompts for a file name, then retrieves a previously stored command sequence and enters it into the command buffer.
/SYSTEM	Submits a system command without exiting the program (e.g. the command to display a directory of disk files or copy a data file from another directory.)
/EXIT	Terminate the program. (Only available from the Main Menu.)

4. Command Buffer. Experienced users may enter more than one command at a time. These are stored in the command buffer and executed in the order in which they are typed. Menus and prompts are suppressed as long as any commands remain in the buffer.

Example 1:

FILE> OPEN TAPEHUB YES (or just O TAPEHUB Y).

Opens data file from the File Menu level and initializes the database.

Example 2:

(any menu)> /TOP /EXIT YES (or just /T /E Y).

Terminates the program from any menu level.

5. Default Responses. When a prompt is given for an interactive response, the choices are usually displayed in parenthesis using upper and lower case characters. Uppercase is used to indicate the default response. Simply entering a carriage return will enter the default value.

Example 1:

Is this the correct database? (Y/n) <CR>

(Here a <CR> is the same as typing "Y").

4.1 File Management

The database containing a designer's assembly, part, and dimension data is stored in a neutral file. Each time you execute the Analyzer you must designate the name of the neutral file to be opened or to be created.

Example 1:

CATS > FILE (Select FILE option from the Main Menu)

FILE > OPEN TAPEHUB (Open existing file TAPEHUB)

Example 2:

CATS > FILE

FILE > NEW GEARNEW (Open and initialize a new file)

Changes to an existing neutral file are not made until the Analyzer is exited or until the UPDATE option is selected.

You can also save out the current version of your data set at any time during a design session by using the SAVE AS command from the FILE sub-menu. Just pick a new file name. If you can't remember the file names you have already used, try the DIRECT command to list the .NF files in your current directory. Use the /SYSTEM command to list any other directory.

4.2 Data Entry and Editing

Input data has been organized into several input screens, where default parameters and previously entered data can be modified. Arrow keys may be used to move forward or backward, up or down, to where modifications are desired. When all changes data have been made, pressing <ESC> and <Q> sequentially will halt input, pass the data to the program, and return control to the menus. Pressing <ESC> and <H> sequentially will provide help.

For example, both the 1D ANALY and 2D ANALY menus feature a MODIFY option which allows you to modify loop, feature control, design spec, allocation, and cost data. Figure 4.2 shows the allocation and process data editing screen, which contains allocation and process defaults for each dimension, including weight factors, fixed flags, Cp, and process standard deviations.

`< ALLOCATION AND PROCESS DATA >`
`Assembly Name: CLUTCH`
`Part Name/`		`Nominal`	`Symmetric`	`Process`		`Stat`	`Dyn`	`Wgt_Fac`		`Fix`
`Dimension`		`Dimension`	`Tolerance`	`Std Dev`	`Cp`	`K`	`K`	`Tol`	`Nom`	`y/N`
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
`1`	`RING/4-5`	`50.80000`	`.012500`	`.004170`	`1.00`	`.000`	`.250`	`1_`	`1_`	`N`
`2`	`ROLLER/2-7`	`11.43000`	`.010000`	`.003330`	`1.00`	`.000`	`.250`	`1_`	`1_`	`Y`
`3`	`HUB/4-6`	`27.64500`	`.050000`	`.016666`	`1.00`	`.000`	`.250`	`1_`	`1_`	`N`
4				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
5				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
6				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
7				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
8				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
9				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
10				`_______`	`____`	`____`	`____`	`__`	`__`	`_`
`Press <ESC> Q to exit, <ESC> H for help, <ESC> C to update`

Figure 4.2 Sample data editing screen.

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