Default directories

During the Tekla PowerFab installation procedure, you need to set default directories. Default directories are the folders where Tekla PowerFab saves information by default. Default directories are used in the program to manage external files.

The intended functionality requires that certain shared directories are set on each Tekla PowerFab user workstation.

If the default directories are to be located on the same server, the server setting should always use the local path to the folders. In turn, each user sets their default directories pointing to the same location.

On the client machines, the shared directories are best set using IP addresses or UNC file paths. The use of mapped drives is not recommended even though they may work.

It is possible for individual users to have their own default directories, but this is not recommended, with the exception of the Log directory.

Set the default directories for saving files

Tip:

To ensure that the default directories are consistent on all computers, you can copy the settings.ini file from the first client Tekla PowerFab installation to C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla\Tekla PowerFab\Settings for all later installations.

Go to File > Default Directories.

The Default Directories dialog opens.
Set the default directories for the content.

See Default directories for server and Default directories for client below.

You can use Windows Recognized environment variables in Default Directories.

The Custom Report directory is not created during the installation and, therefore, you must add it.
1. Click ... on the right side of a field.
2. In the Browse For Folder dialog, browse to find the folder that you want to set as the default directory.
  If necessary, you can add a new folder under the currently selected one by clicking Make New Folder.
3. Select the folder.
4. Click OK.
Note: It may be easiest to copy and paste the path in the available field. You can check the access to the folder or path by double-clicking in the field for the directory.
To update the default directories, click OK.

Preset default directories

You can add any number of preset directory settings with one preset selected as the default. The default preset directory settings are applied to all the machines automatically.

Note:

Only users with administrator rights can add, update, or delete the presets.
If you have multiple databases, preset default directories are available only in the database where you created them.

You can set the default directories for specific databases by selecting Separate Default Directory Settings by Connection Details on the Other tab in Log In > Connection.

To start defining preset default directory settings, do the following:

In the Default Directories dialog, click Preset Maintenance.

The Default Directory Preset Maintenance dialog opens.
To create new preset default directory settings, click New.

When the preset directories are created for the first time, Tekla PowerFab copies the currently used directories.
Enter a name for the preset default directories.
To set the preset default directories as default, select Default.

This is optional.
Click Add.

The name of preset default directories appears on the left under Name.

After selecting the directory preset, you cannot edit the directories. You can open a directory by double-clicking the directory path or by clicking ....

To save the changes, click Save.

To use the default preset, select Use Default Preset in the Default Directories dialog.

If a default preset is selected, every time a new workstation is installed, the default settings are applied. When users log in after changes have been made in the directories, the changes are applied automatically to each work station.

Directory descriptions

The directory structure is as follows:


Directory	Description
Backup	Location for Tekla PowerFab database backup files.
Export	Initial location selected for exported files. User preference.
Import	Initial location opened for the selection of import files. User preference. Once a file type has been selected, the location defaults to the last opened location.
Log	Location for import log and error log text files. This is typically set to a local path on each device so as not to combine information from different devices in the same error logs.
Document Index	Location for files that are linked or attached to records in the program and to be shared among other users. A shared network location required. See also Set the standard categories for attached documents.
Drawing	Drawing directories for each project, type, log, and revision are automatically created within this directory. Drawing files are copied to the appropriate directory during import. A shared network location required.
Update	Location for Tekla PowerFab update files. With the new update file placed in the directory, the user is prompted to run the update when they open the program. A shared network location required.
Custom Report	Location for all customized report files. This directory is not created during the installation and, therefore, you must add it.
Extension	This directory is not visible by default. It must be activated in the administrator settings. See Define Tekla PowerFab administration settings. The purpose of this directory is to allow external software API extensions developed by others for combining and cut lists to be added to the program. See also Use customized extensions for combining.

For Document Index, Drawing, Update, and Custom Report, it is best to use an IP address or an UNC file path. These need to be set to a shared network location normally on a server.

Default directories for server

Backup - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\Backup
Export - %USERPROFILE%\Desktop (User preference)
Import - %USERPROFILE%\Desktop (User preference)
Log - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\Log
Document Index - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\Documents
Drawings - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\Documents
Updates - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\Updates
Custom Reports - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\CustomReports

Default directories for client

The recommended directory structure for clients is the following:

Backup - \\(IP Address)\Shared Folder\Backup
Export - %USERPROFILE%\Desktop (User preference)
Import - %USERPROFILE%\Desktop (User preference)
Log - C:\Users\Public\Documents\Tekla PowerFab\Log
Document Index -\\(IP Address)\Shared Folder\Documents
Drawings - \\(IP Address)\Shared Folder\Documents
Updates - \\(IP Address)\Shared Folder\Updates
Custom Reports - \\(IP Address)\Shared Folder\CustomReports