OrcaFlex Manual - Orcina

User Interface, Comparing Data
Workspace files
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A collection of view, graph or spreadsheet windows can be saved using the Workspace | Save Workspace menu item.
This creates a text file with the .wrk file extension containing a specification of the current window layout. The
workspace can be restored at any time with the Workspace | Open Workspace menu item. This can give significant
time savings if you wish to look at a number of different results windows for a large number of OrcaFlex models.
Note that the contents of the windows are not saved to the workspace file, just a logical description of the window.
For example, suppose you saved a workspace containing a graph of Effective Tension of a Line called Riser. If you
then loaded a different simulation file and open that workspace then you would see the Effective Tension of the Line
called Riser in the new simulation file and not the simulation filed open when the workspace was saved. This means
that you can look at the same collection of results for any number of simulation files.
Workspace files are not limited to simulation files – static results and multiple statics results can also be saved.
Default workspaces
As an alternative to loading a workspace by using the Workspace menu items you can associate default workspaces
with either individual simulation files or with entire directories.
� If you define a default workspace for a simulation file then the workspace is restored whenever you open that
same simulation file.
� If you define a default workspace for a directory then the workspace is restored whenever you open any
simulation file in that directory.
Getting the most out of workspaces
We recommend that you save your workspace files in the same directory as the OrcaFlex files. If you do so then the
workspace file will appear in the Most Recent Files list on the Workspace menu.
Workspace files can be very useful if you are sending simulation files to another person. By including a workspace
file with the results of interest you can be sure that they will view the correct information. This can be particularly
valuable when sending files to someone who is not an experienced OrcaFlex user. This can even be useful when
sending files to Orcina for software support because they contain a precise specification of the results you are
interested in.
3.14 COMPARING DATA
The Compare Data menu item opens the Compare Data form, which allows you to find differences between the data
in two OrcaFlex files.
The comparison is done using a user-provided compare program, so when you first use this facility you need to
configure OrcaFlex to tell it which compare program that you want to use; see Configuration below.
You can then compare files as follows:
� On the Files page, specify the two files that you wish to compare. These can be data or simulation files.
� Click the Compare button.
� OrcaFlex then saves the data from the two files to temporary text files and then runs the user-specified compare
program to compare those text files.
As an alternative to comparing two data files on disk you can optionally choose to compare the currently loaded
model with a single file on disk.
Configuration
On the Configuration page you need to tell OrcaFlex the text file compare program that you want to use, and how to
use it. The compare program must be a program that can compare text files passed to it through the command line.
Many such programs are available on the web; we at Orcina have a preference for WinMerge.
Compare Program
This is the compare program's executable file name. You can specify either the full path, or just the file name if the
executable file resides in a directory which is on your system path.
If no program is specified OrcaFlex uses a very basic, built-in, compare facility.