The Process > View/Update command launches the View/Update dialog box. The View/Update dialog box is a powerful tool for investigating the design of concrete beams on an individual beam line basis. When the command is issued, the cursor will change from the arrow cursor to the target cursor, allowing the engineer to select a beam line by clicking on any beam in the beam line. The View/Update title bar displays the currently selected Beam Line number as well as the Story where the Beam Line is located.

If an undesigned beam line is selected, it will be designed before the dialog box is opened. If the beam line already has a current design, the saved design will be displayed rather than a new design being executed.

The View/Update dialog is composed of four tabs that display information and allow for user input. A fifth tab displays any design warnings. A graphical display area at the bottom of the dialog is used for a visual representation of the beam line and reinforcement layout, along with a representation of the envelope data for the beam line. The graphical area displays data that is relevant to the tab that is selected.

The engineer can make changes to the longitudinal and transverse reinforcement as well as to some beam material properties, through the View/Update dialog, in order to investigate different designs. The changes made in the View/Update dialog can either be saved with the model using the Update Database button or discarded and the original design kept intact by simply selecting the Close button. There are several buttons on the right-hand side of the View/Update dialog for investigating different designs:

Optimize – Discards any changes made by the user in the View/Update dialog and optimizes the beam line per global criteria and any previously assigned data.

Analyze – Analyzes the beam line using information entered in the View/Update dialog. The existing reinforcement is checked only; no reinforcement is assigned during an Analyze.

Update Database - Updates the model database with the parameters in the View/Update dialog box as well as saves the current design of each beam in the beam line. No optimization is performed on beam lines that have had their database information updated. These beams will only be checked until their design is cleared through the Process > Clear Design command. This is equivalent to the Freeze Design option found under the process menu.

View Results - This button is used to display the detailed design information on each beam in the beam line.

View Summary - This button is used to display a Summary report for each beam in the beam line.

Close - Closes the View/Update dialog box without updating the design. If the beam information was saved using the Update Database button, this information will remain saved but any changes since the command was issued will be lost.

The traffic lights on the View/Update dialog box graphically indicate the status of the design. A Green light indicates the design is current and passes all checks. Yellow indicates the design is not current and an analyze or optimize is required. Red indicates that there are design warnings for at least one beam in the beam line. There is a description of the reason why the beam did not pass on the Design Warnings tab.