The user chooses a window in the main menu by clicking on a suitable menu text. This either leads to the opening of an answering window or makes a submenu visible. There can be several levels of sub-menus. Some menu options can be marked in grey. This indicates that the so far given input data makes it unsuitable to open the window, and in order to prevent this from happening the menu option has been deactivated. Some sub-menu options are marked with a tick, which indicates that the command is active.

The tools in the toolbar can sometimes be used for a quicker choice of windows.

The program has two program modes: Design and Control.

• In Design required reinforcement for a cross-section in Ultimate Limit State will be calculated.
• In Control any given cross-section with its belonging reinforcement in Ultimate and Serviceability Limit State is being analyzed. Defined input data and shown results always belong to the currently active load case.

File

The File menu option contains several options that are identical to other Windows programs.

New

Starts a new calculation. The short cut is Ctrl+N.

Open

Retrieves input data from a previous calculation. A list on saved input data files (files ending with ccd) is shown. The shortcut is Ctrl+O.

Open Auto Save

Retrieves input data that has been saved automatically (in the TEMP catalogue). This function is normally not needed.

Close

Closes active document.

Save

Saves input data for current calculation in the file with the current file name. Save is not to be used until after having used Save as. The shortcut is Ctrl+S.

Save as

Saves input data for current calculation in a file with a file name different from the current.

Printout layout

The function of the Printout layout enables the user to give a personal touch to the printouts. The print manager is called when the option is activated. The task for the print manager is to enable the user to create a personal template for what the printout is to look like, the size of the pictures etc. or, alternatively choose the standard template that already exists within the program.

Choose a layout template from the list. The program comes with a layout template called Standard.

Click on the More button in order to edit current layout template or to create a new layout template.

A list on layout templates that can be used will now be displayed. The chosen template can be changed to the user’s requirements by clicking on the Edit button. A layout template decides the layout of the printout, i.e. what fonts, colors and so on that are to be used. The layout template named Standard is used in the example below.

Tables

A table can have the following appearances:

• Table with frames
  Frames around the table where each table column is separated from nearby table column/columns with one or more perpendicular lines.
• Table without frames
  Table divided into columns without separation lines.
• Light gray table
  Table without frames where every other table-post has been marked with a soft grey background color to make it more distinct.
• Table with grid
  As for the light gray table option above but now with every line separated with lines.
• Custom coloured table
  This function is the same as that for Grey-white layout but the users can now choose the background color by themselves. A suitable color can be chosen from the color palette by clicking on the … button. The user can set the appearance of the table contents. By clicking on the button to the right of the Table title text the font of the table title can be chosen from a font-dialogue box. This is also valid for the column title and the table posts. Note that too big fonts can cause tables or other objects to fail to fit in the page. If this should happen the table columns, or the width of the objects, will automatically be adjusted in width without any regards to text editing. If the objects fail to fit in the page the print manager will try and create a new page hoping to find more space. This attempt can fail, depending on what personal adjustments the user has made, and the print manager will then cancel the printout generation.

Pictures

The user can set the size of the pictures by choosing one of the following options:

• 1/1 Portrait
  Choose the 1/1 portrait option if you want the pictures to be presented in a whole page size.
• 1/1 Landscape
  Choose the 1/1 landscape if you want the pictures to be presented lying in a whole page size. Depending on earlier printer settings, i.e. if portrait or landscape has been chosen, the print manager will switch from landscape for pictures to portrait for tables and other text material.
• 1/2 Portrait
  Choose the 1/2 portrait option if you want the pictures to be presented in the size of a half page.
• 1/3 Portrait
  Choose the 1/3 portrait option if you want the pictures to be presented in the size of a 1/3 of the page.
• 1/4 Portrait
  Choose the 1/4 portrait option if you want the pictures to be presented in the size of 1/4 of the page. This option is the most economic one when thinking of the total number of generated pages. This is also the most preferable option if you want to obtain smaller printouts.
• Picture
  Press the … button to the right of the picture text if you want to change font size of the picture title.
• Frames
  Mark Frames if all picture objects, that are to be printed, are going to be framed.

Other

• Company
  Press the button to the right of the company text to choose an appropriate font.
• Section title
  Press the button to the right of the section title text in order to change the characteristics of the headings.
• Index
  A table of contents can be obtained by marking this option. All generated objects, as well as the number of the page, on which the object has been printed, can be added to the table of contents. The user can for example set if he wants to obtain a table of contents for all printouts with more than 20 pages. The table of contents is then added at the end of the generated document.

Printout option

With Printout options the input data and the results that are to be obtained in the result window for any future printout are stated. When this option is activated a dialogue box with a list of defined load cases is shown. The printer symbol indicates that the input data and result of the load case will be shown fully or partly in the printout field.

Clicking on a load case makes it possible to go further in the tree structure and by this make a selective choice of what is to be shown. Three predefined options are available: Limited, Normal and Increased.

Print

Used for printing the current document. The shortcut is Ctrl+P.

Export printout to HTML format

The current printout is converted into HTML format that can be read by other Windows programs such as Word, Excel and so on.

Printer settings

This function is used to specify the printout when it comes to type of printer, paper width and so on.

Exit

Ends Concrete Column.

Input

Under this option only title information can be defined. Any other input data is given in the input data field.

Title

Used to write general information on the current calculation.

Convert code version

With this option the user can convert between different

• Country annexes for EuroCode
  or
• Versions of a code for a country (only available up to, and including, version 6.3).

Calculate

Starts the calculation.

The calculation is being performed with the Calculate option. When the calculation has been performed the printout field will be filled with the input data and the results that have been chosen from the printout option (see below). If dynamic reports has been chosen these will also be shown.

Options

The Options menu option contains the options Update all printouts, Update all dynamic reports, Update only active dynamic reports, Select dynamic reports, Search paths, Autosave, Change language and Create start profile.

Update all printouts

Update all printouts that have been selected with the Printout option. This is always done automatically after a calculation but may be needed after loading an old file or after change of printout layout or option.

Update all dynamic reports

Dynamic reports are used for e.g. quickly having one or several results displayed on the screen after a calculation. In this way results don’t have to be scrolled in the printout field after each calculation. With the Update all dynamic reports option you activate the reports that have been chosen in the Select dynamic reports option, which e.g. can be a table result of a design as seen above.

Update only active dynamic reports

Updates only table results.

Select dynamic reports

With the Select dynamic reports option you state what input data or results you want to have shown dynamically after each calculation. The symbol indicates what has currently been chosen for a dynamic account.

Search paths

Used for defining paths to section database, codes and printout settings.

AutoSave

Activates the autosave mode, which saves as a pre-caution the current file automatically at 10 minutes intervals in the TEMP-catalogue. The autosave mode does not replace the Save command.

Change language

Makes it possible to change between languages.

Supported languages:

•  English
•  Swedish

Create start profile

With this option a number of start profiles containing different number of load cases can be defined.

Windows

Shows the current windows.

Cascading

This function is used for arranging the document windows that are shown in a way that makes them cascade each other.

Arrange horizontally

This function is used for arranging the currently shown document windows so that they all can be shown in full.

Side by side

This function places all open document windows side by side, so that they all can be visible at the same time.

Arrange icons

This function is used for arranging the different Calculation example icons that might be on the screen.

2. Test_example*

The * symbol shows that the window that represents this example is active.

Help

Contains the complete manual of the program.

Contents

Shows the table of contents for the program’s online help.

Limitations

Informs about items not handled by the program.

Send report

Used for sending e-mail about the program to StruSoft.

License information

Shows current license information.

About Concrete Column

Shows information about the program, e. g. version number.