Advantages of Tabular Input

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Tips & Tricks

001165 16 December 2015 Tips & Tricks Thomas Günthel Modeling | Structure RFEM RSTAB

RFEM and RSTAB are programs where the graphical input prevails. All data can be entered using dialog boxes and the structure of the project navigator is optimized for the input using the mouse. Nevertheless, you can always speed up the tabular input to reach your goal immediately.

It is possible to quickly enter the points where the coordinates are determined in Table 1.1. The higher speed is usually caused by different grid values or by the values that have too many places and thus a grid would be too fine. In this case, it is faster to enter the values directly. You can use the arrow keys to move through the cells and type in a value, but it is not necessary to press [Enter].

Another advantage is the option to use the copy (CTRL + C) and paste (CTRL + V) functions. You can select any cells with the mouse, copy (CTRL + C) and paste them again to another place (Ctrl + V). Along with the graphical selection and the [Only Filled Rows] button, you can duplicate the elements quickly and effectively.

Furthermore, you can also customize the numbering in the tables. It is possible to copy or delete rows to create empty rows or eliminate them.

If the functions of the current tabular input are insufficient, you can use the functions of Excel by means of Excel export. Exporting and importing are both possible. Cells containing formulas in Excel are replaced with the results of it, so you can use the formulas in Excel without problems. Depending on the export/import settings, there are various formatting requirements. For example, when using the function ‘Import table from active worksheet’, the name of the worksheet is of no relevance. In order to avoid formatting problems, you should first export the table to Excel to use it as a template for the import to RFEM/RSTAB.