You can collect content, such as macros, extensions, and system and custom components to a group that you create in the Applications & components catalog. You can then publish the group as a catalog definition file to make it available for other Tekla Structures users. For the published content to work correctly in another Tekla Structures installation, the content must also exist in that installation.

1. Click the Applications & components button in the side pane to open the Applications & components catalog.
2. Create a new group:
   1. Right-click in the catalog and select New group.
   2. Enter a name for the group.
   3. Select the group and click the small arrow on the right to add a description to the group.
   4. Add content to the group.

      Some content in the Applications & components catalog may be hidden. To publish the hidden content, select the Show hidden items check box at the bottom of the catalog.

      Note that the model-specific items you add to the group are visible in the modeling mode and the drawing-specific items in the drawing mode.

   5. Add the needed information to the items in the group: description, tags, and additional thumbnail images.

      Use a thumbnail image from the \Tekla Structures\<version>\Bitmaps folder to ensure that the image is available for other Tekla Structures users.

3. Right-click the group and select Publish group to create a catalog definition file.

   The file contains the following information:

   • Name and description of the published group
   • Names and descriptions of the subgroups
   • References to the items that you have added to the group

     The file does not contain the actual items. When other users use the group, they must ensure that the referenced items exist in their Tekla Structures installation and model.

   • Descriptions, tags and thumbnail references of the items in the group

     The file does not contain the actual thumbnail image files.

4. Add a unique prefix to the filename in the Publish group dialog box.

   The filename format must be <prefix>_ComponentCatalog.ac.xml.

5. Click Save.

   The file is by default saved to the model folder.

6. Make the group available for other Tekla Structures users by moving the <prefix>_ComponentCatalog.ac.xml catalog definition file to an appropriate folder:
   • Project, firm or system folder defined in XS_PROJECT, XS_FIRM, or XS_SYSTEM.
   • \attributes folder under the current model folder
   • Extensions folder in \Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common\extensions, or to any of the folders defined in XS_EXTENSION_DIRECTORY.

     The Applications & components catalog also searches the subfolders of these folders. We recommend that you use the extension folders if you have created your own extensions and have included them in the group.

7. Check that the catalog definition file works correctly:
   1. Delete the published group from your Applications & components catalog.
   2. Click > Catalog management > Reload catalog to load and view the published group.