General HydroStatics
Ship Stability Software
Command of the Week
(New or interesting aspects of GHS that you may not know about)

PROJECT


The PROJECT command relates to a working folder. Working folders simplify file access. A working folder (or directory) for each project, together with a Library folder accessible to all projects, allows access to your files by name alone without needing a path prefix.

Immediately after launching GHS, a quick and easy way to return to the most recent working folder is to type the command:

PROJ \

(This assumes that the working folder has previously been selected through the PROJECT command or the pull-down Project menu.)

Next it prompts you for a project name, which you can pick from the list it shows or enter a new one or ignore the prompt. The project name is a convenient means of naming a run file since it becomes the default run-file name.

(The same thing can be done by means of the Project menu, but the command works just as well and may be quicker.)

To help organize a collection of files that may be useful in more than one project, you can designate a folder as your Library for Run and Geometry files. Then regardless of your current working folder, GHS will find files in your Library.

The file search goes in this order:

1. Current working folder
2. Library folder
3. Program folder

Let's say you have a basic Run File named BASIC.RF that you like to use as a starting point when writing a new run. If you keep BASIC.RF in the Library, then you can grab a copy of it for your current working folder:

COPY BASIC.RF NEWJOB.RF
PROJ NEWJOB
EDIT NEWJOB
...
RUN
If BASIC.RF does not exist in the working folder, GHS will find it in the Library folder.

To designate a particular folder as your Library folder, the command is:

MESSAGE LIBPATH fp

where fp is the complete path to the folder, which may be anywhere on your local network. For example,

ME LIBPATH D:\GHSFILES\COMMON\
If the given path does not exist, it will be created.

By default, your Library folder is the subdirectory DATA of your GHS program folder. To make sure the Library and other folders are where you think they are, enter the command,

MESSAGE PATH

What happens if a file in your working folder has the same name as a file in the Library? The one in the working folder will be assumed. If you want to go directly to a file in the library, bypassing the one in the working folder, the name may be prefixed with ^. In the example above, if you want to make sure it copies from the Library, the command would be,

COPY ^BASIC.RF NEWJOB.RF

Project-related working folders together with a Library folder are some of the tools GHS provides to help you get organized. If you are the unique and rare individual who thrives on chaos, you will have the wisdom to ignore this and avoid complicating your life.


Questions, comments, or requests?
Contact Creative Systems, Inc.

support@ghsport.com

USA phone: 360-385-6212 Fax: 360-385-6213
Office hours: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific Time, Monday - Friday

Mailing address:
PO Box 1910
Port Townsend, WA 98368 USA

www.ghsport.com

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