Customize the dialog boxes of custom components

Tekla Structures automatically creates a dialog box for each custom component you define. Each custom component has an input (.inp) file that defines the contents of the custom component's dialog box. You can customize the dialog box by using the Custom Component Dialog Editor tool.

Alternatively, if you are an advanced user, you can modify the dialog box input (.inp) files manually in a text editor.

Modify the dialog box of a custom component

To open the Custom Component Dialog Editor, select a custom component in the model, right-click, and select Edit Custom Component Dialog Box.


To	Do this
View and edit object properties	Select a dialog box element. For example, a text box. Click Modify > Properties. Now you can view and edit the current properties of the dialog box element. For example, you can check that you have the correct text box under each label in the dialog box. Alternatively, you can double-click the dialog box element. If the dialog box element will not open for viewing and editing, try double-clicking the space right underneath the check box:
Add a dialog box element	Click Insert and select a suitable element from the list. The options are: Tab Page: add a new tab Label: add a label for a text box or list Parameter: add a text box Attribute: add a list Part: add some basic part properties Profile: add some basic profile properties Picture: add an illustrative image of the custom component
Add an image	Click Insert > Picture to show the contents of the Image Folder set in Tools > Options. Select an image. The image must be in the bitmap (.bmp) format. Click Open. Drag the image to the desired location.
Add a tab	Click Insert > Tab Page. Double-click the new tab. Enter a new name, and then press Enter. Note: Each tab may contain up to 25 fields. If you have more than 25 fields visible, Tekla Structures automatically creates another tab.
Show or hide the pixel grid	Click . Tekla Structures displays a pixel grid that makes it easier to align elements in the dialog box.
Move a dialog box element	Drag the dialog box element to a new location. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+X (cut), Ctrl+C (copy), and Ctrl+V (paste). For example, to move a dialog box element to another tab: select the dialog box element, press Ctrl+X, go to another tab, and press Ctrl+V.
Select multiple dialog box elements	Hold down the Ctrl key and click the dialog box elements, or use area selection.
Rename a tab or text box label	Double-click the tab or text box label. Type a new name. Press Enter.
Remove a dialog box element	Select the dialog box element you want to remove. Press Delete.
Remove a tab	Select the tab. Right-click and select Delete.
Add images to a list	Select the list element. Click Modify > Properties. Click Edit Values. Click Browse Add. Select the image you want to use and click Open. Repeat steps 4–5 for any other images you want to use. Click OK to save the changes.
Save the changes	Click File > Save.

Custom component input files

Each custom component has an input (.inp) file that defines the contents of the custom component's dialog box.

When you create a new custom component, Tekla Structures automatically creates an input file for the component. The input file is located in the \CustomComponentDialogFiles folder under the model folder. The input file has the same name as the custom component, and the file name extension is .inp.

When you modify a custom component, you will lose any changes you have made to the input file. However, when you modify the custom component, Tekla Structures automatically creates a backup copy of the input file. The backup copy has the file name extension .inp_bak, and it is located in the \CustomComponentDialogFiles folder under the model folder. Tekla Structures displays a notification when the backup file is created.

Lock or unlock the custom component input file

You can lock the custom component's input (.inp) file to prevent accidental modifications. If the file is unlocked, and someone else updates the custom component in the custom component editor, all your modifications to the dialog box will be lost.

In the model, select the custom component whose input file you want to lock or unlock.
Right-click and select Edit Custom Component Dialog Box.
In the Custom Component Dialog Editor, click the Lock/Unlock button .

If someone modifies the custom component in the custom component editor when the .inp file is locked, the .inp file will not be updated. You can still modify the dialog box in the Custom Component Dialog Editor even if the .inp file is locked.

Custom component dialog editor settings

In the Custom Component Dialog Editor, click Tools > Options to view and modify basic settings in the custom component dialog editor. Click Tools > Change Language to change the language of the custom component dialog editor.


Option	Description
Image folder	The location of the image folder. To restore the default folder setting, click Default.
Project folder	The location of the project folder. When you create a completely new input file by clicking File > New and then save it, the file is saved in the project folder. Note that existing input files are saved under the model folder.
Parameter width	The default width for text boxes.
Attribute width	The default width for lists.
Grid spacing X Grid spacing Y	The spacing of the pixel grid in the X and Y directions. The default value is `5`.
Snap to grid	Select to show or hide the pixel grid.


Option	Description
Language	Select a language from the list. Close and reopen the dialog editor for the change to take effect. You have the following options: Auto: the dialog editor follows the language of the Tekla Structures user interface English Dutch French German Italian Spanish Japanese Chinese Simplified Chinese Traditional Czech Portuguese Brazilian Hungarian Polish Russian Korean