The ICAM Database

When post-processors are not being worked on in memory, they are stored on disk in an ICAM database. The database format is proprietary to ICAM. The database is platform independent, allowing it to be used on UNIX and Windows computer types, however starting with V21, ICAM no longer supports the creation or modification of databases on UNIX computers. Starting with V22, ICAM products no longer run on UNIX systems.

Post-Processor File Name Conventions

Each revision of each post-processor is stored in the database under a special name. This name is a combination of the post-processor name and identification number. The default post-processor name is NONAME,1, which can be changed in the “General Information” section of the “General Machine Description” chapter of the Questionnaire, or when saving. The name is of the form:

xxxxxx,nn.vvv;r

The “xxxxxx” part is name of the post-processor. Its length can be a minimum of one character and can have a maximum of 32 characters (including those of the identification number described below). Any combination of letters, digits and underscore “_” characters may be used but the first character must be a letter.

The “,nn” part of the name is an optional identification number of the post-processor. This number can range from 1 through 1. Negative or zero identification numbers are not allowed.

The “.vvv” part of the name is automatically supplied and shows the version number of QUEST that was used to create the post-processor. For QUEST V26, the version identifier appears as “.260”.

The “;r” part of the name is the post-processor revision number. This number increments by 1 each time the post-processor is saved or generated to the database. There is a limit of 9999 revisions of each post-processor that can be kept in the database. Use the database “Purge” and/or “Delete” functions to remove unwanted revisions.

The default name of a post-processor, if unchanged in the General Information section, is:

NONAME,1.260;1

GENER provides a feature to optionally select the post-processor using a MACHIN command in the CL data. The first two parameters of the MACHIN command identify the post-processor name and identification number. The version and revision cannot be specified and default to the highest. For example, the following MACHIN command would select the post-processor listed above (note the version and revision are omitted):

MACHIN/NONAME,1

The Database Navigator

../../_images/quest_dbnav.png

The image at right shows an example of the contents of the Database Navigator window. When Icam Post is first installed, the database navigator window will most likely contain a single empty database named campost.dbf.

If you have an earlier version of the software installed on your system, you might see the old database listed with a small “R” character in the database icon. This signifies that the database is read-only. See “Database Upgrade Procedure” for details on upgrading all post-processors in the old database to the new version. You can also selectively open post-processors from a read-only database and save them to a different writable database.

Databases are secured with a serial number, defined by the PRISER security key entry in your license file. You cannot access the contents of databases created with a different serial number or with the Foundation product, unless you are specifically licensed to do so with a SECSER security key entry in your license file. A database to which you have no license authority is listed with a grey database icon.

Databases

The navigator view can list many databases. You add databases to the navigator using the Database»Open menu-bar selection. You can also add databases by dragging and dropping them onto QUEST from the File Explorer. You create a database (and add it to the navigator at the same time) using the Database»New menu-bar selection. You can organize the order in which databases are listed by dragging and dropping them in the Database Navigator view.

You remove databases from the navigator using the Database menu-bar Close, Close All and Close All But This selections, or by selecting a database and pressing the Delete key. Removing a database from the navigator has no effect on the actual database (i.e., the database is not affected in any way).

A database can be password protected. This will stop unauthorized modification of post-processors using QUEST, while still allowing their use with GENER. Note that the GENER debugger and macro tracing features are not available when running against a password protected database. The Database»Password and Database»Lock menu-bar selections control this feature.

The first time you lock a database, you will be asked for a password (8 characters maximum). A locked database cannot be read or written by QUEST, even by the person who locked it. The database must be unlocked before it can be used by QUEST. To do so, first select it, then choose the Database»Lock menu-bar selection and type in the password to unlock the database. A database need be unlocked only once per QUEST session. Unlocking it makes it available to your QUEST session only, it does not unlock it for other people. To permanently unlock the database, you can either select the Remove Password Protection checkbox when unlocking the database, or you can change the password to an empty string using the Database»Password menu-bar selection. The locked vs. unlocked state of a database can be seen by the choice of icon that appears in the database navigator beside the file name. A red lock symbol indicates a locked database. A green lock symbol indicates an unlocked database. The absence of a lock symbol indicates that there is no password protection.

Synchronization problems can occur when two or more users run QUEST at the same time and make changes to the same database. By default, all database information in the navigator view is updated when QUEST first starts and individual database views are refreshed whenever post-processor data is read, written or deleted from the database. You can manually refresh all databases in the navigator window using the F5 function key. You can have the navigator automatically refresh the database view on a regular time interval using the Database»AutoRefresh menu-bar selection. It’s important to note that what is being refreshed is your QUEST session’s idea of the state of the databases listed in the navigator view. The databases themselves are only updated when you write or delete data from them.

To see the list of actions that can be performed on databases, select a database name in the navigator view and press the right-mouse button. A pop-up menu will appear listing the most common actions:

  • Open: Lists the contents of the database in the main work window. Double-clicking on a database name is equivalent to a Open. The View»By Post menu-bar selection can be used to list a subset of post-processors, control emulators and models in the database matching some criteria.

  • Close: Removes the selected database from the navigator view.

  • Close All: Removes all databases from the navigator view.

  • Close All But This: Removes all but the selected database from the navigator view.

  • Lock: Enables or disables password protection on the database.

  • Generate: Performs a consistency check on every post-processor and control emulator in the database, so that they can be used with GENER and CERUN respectively.

  • Import: Used to import (read) post-processors, control emulators, models and their dedicated counterparts into the database from a dmp file (see Export below).

  • Upgrade: This function creates a copy of the selected database with all post-processors, control emulators and models upgraded to the current version (i.e., V26). It is only available if the selected database has been created with an older release (e.g., V25.1).

  • Export: Used to export (write) a copy of all post-processors, control emulators and models from the database to an external dmp file.

  • Copy to database: Used to directly copy post-processors, control emulators and models from one database to another, avoiding a two step export/import process.

  • Purge: Removes all excess revisions of all post-processors, control emulators and models in the database, optionally resetting revision numbers to “;1”. This operation will not free up disk space. To free up disk space, export the database contents after purging and import the data into a new database. Delete the old database once you are sure that the copy was successful.

  • Listing: Creates a printable or browsable listing for each post-processor and control emulator in the database. The listing shows the responses to all questions as well as all customization. Listings are not generated for models, nor for dedicated post-processors and dedicated control emulators.

Post-Processors

Each database listed in the navigator contains a (possibly empty) list of post-processors. Each post-processor will have at least one revision and quite possibly many revisions in the database. In the database navigator image (see here), there are three revisions of the ABC,1 post-processor: ABC,1.260;1, ABC,1.260;2 and ABC,1.260;3.

You can open a specific revision of a post-processor for editing by double-clicking the revision name (e.g., clicking on ABC,1.260;1 opens the first revision of the post-processor, not the latest one). You can open the most recent revision of the post-processor by double-clicking on the simple name (e.g., clicking on ABC,1 will open ABC,1.260;3, the latest revision of the post-processor). When a post-processor is opened for editing, it will be loaded into memory and its content listed in one of the Navigator tabs. The post-processor name, revision and originating database will all be shown at the top of the Navigator window.

Post-processor revisions shown with a black icon have been saved but not generated. Those with a gold colored icon have been generated and can be used with GENER. Those shown with a blue icon are dedicated post-processors. A dedicated post-processor can be used with GENER under special licensing, but cannot be viewed or edited with QUEST. A dimmed icon with a red “x” in the upper right corner signifies a hidden post-processor. A post-processor marked as hidden (see below) can not be selected by the user in GENER.

To see the list of actions that can be performed on post-processors, select a post-processor name in the navigator view and press the right-mouse button. A pop-up menu will appear listing the most common actions:

  • Open: Opens the post-processor for editing, by placing a copy of the post-processor into one of the Navigator tabs.

  • Hide: Marks the post-processor as hidden, making it unavailable for selection by user in GENER. This is useful to temporarily remove a post-processor from production use, as well as for making component posts of a hybrid post-processor (i.e., super post) unavailable for stand-alone execution.

  • Generate: Performs a consistency check on the post-processor, so that it can be used with GENER.

  • Export: Used to export (write) a copy of the post-processor from the database to an external dmp file.

  • Copy: Used to make a copy of the post-processor in the same database, using a different name.

  • Delete: Used to remove the post-processor from the database. This operation cannot be undone. Once removed (deleted), the post-processor cannot be restored or used.

  • Rename: Used to change the name of a post-processor.

  • Purge: Removes all excess revisions of the post-processor, optionally resetting the revision number to “;1”. This operation will not free up disk space.

  • Listing: Creates a printable or browsable listing for the post-processor. The listing shows the responses to all questions as well as all customization. Listings can not be generated for dedicated post-processors.