AutoSave of Data

HiCAD allows you to create and process up to 18 drawings simultaneously. Miniature views of these drawings are displayed in the Switch drawing tab of the ICN. An automatic data save will be carried out for the drawing on which you are currently working after a certain time interval (Default: 10 minutes). This applies to the first 9 drawings you have opened.

Shortly before carrying out the AutoSave, HiCAD will display the AutoSave window:

If you want the AutoSave to be performed as shown in the window, you can close the window, or wait until the AutoSave is carried out. The window will then automatically disappear again.
If you do not want the AutoSave to be performed, click the Skip button.
If you do not want the dialogue window to be displayed during the current HiCAD Session, activate the corresponding checkbox in the window.
Furthermore, you can change the time interval for the AutoSave. Click the icon and enter the desired value in the corresponding input field.

The automatic back-ups are located in the temp subdirectory of your HiCAD directory. The last data back-up of the first drawing in the Switch drawing tab is saved under the name HICAD_11, the second under the name HICAD_21 etc. The automatic data back-up of the ninth drawing is therefore stored under the name HICAD_91. Similarly, you will find the penultimate back-up of the files in the Switch drawing tab under the names HICAD_12, HiCAD_22 etc. If you are working with two screens, this is the automatic back-up of the second screen.

Example:

Let us assume that 10 drawings have been loaded and you are currently working on the sixth drawing. This file will be saved every 10 minutes under the name HiCAD_61. The last automatic saving under this name will be recopied to HiCAD_62. (Special case: In the case of two screens, this will be the drawing of the second screen). You subsequently switch to the third drawing in the Switch drawing tab. From now on, this drawing will be saved every 10 minutes under the name HiCAD_31, with the existing HiCAD_31 back-up being recopied to HiCAD_32.

Every HiCAD_nn AutoSave comprises the following backup files:

HiCAD_nn.ANS

HiCAD_nn.POM

HiCAD_nn.SZN

HiCAD_nn.SZN.DBA2

HiCAD_nn.SZN.DBA3

HiCAD_nn.SZN.ELREF

HiCAD_nn.SZN.FEA

HiCAD_nn.SZN.FEAARCHIV

HiCAD_nn.ZTL

Please note:

Save the back-up files to a different directory, with a different name, if required; if you do not do this, the files will be overwritten without warning when the next automatic data back-up is performed.
In the case of a system crash, the back-up name HICAD_00 is used. The automatic back-ups are therefore not lost in this case.
To use one of the HiCAD_NN back-ups, load HiCAD_NN.SZN from the TEMP directory and save the file as a SZA file under a different name.
If you activate the Clear temporary directory checkbox when closing HiCAD, the above back-up files will be deleted!

Pre-settings for AutoSave of data

The pre-settings for the AutoSave of data can be specified in the ALGPAR.DAT file in the HiCAD subdirectory SYS.

Time interval and dialogue window

In the ALGPAR.DAT in the HiCAD subdirectoy SYS, go to the entry:

Interval for data back-up (minutes) , Dialog window (0/1) - Intervall fuer Datensicherung (Minuten) , Dialog-Fenster ( 0/1 )

10,1

The first value determines the time interval for the AutoSave of data. Default setting is 10 (minutes).
The second value determines the time for the "count-down" to the AutoSave. Default setting is 1, i.e. 15 seconds before the AutoSave will be performed the dialogue window will be shown. If you enter the value 0, no window will be displayed. If you enter a value larger than or equal to 2, this value will be interpreted as the time for the "count-down" to the AutoSave.

Back-up mechanism

The system file ALGPAR.DAT has a parameter that allows you to switch on a back-up mechanism when saving drawings (0 = off).

Sicherheitsmechanismus beim Speichern 0=aus,1=ein,2=ein und #:~*.SZA erstellen
2
[Back-up mechanism when saving 0=off,1=on,2=on and #:~*create .SZA 2]

This mechanism functions in the following way:

Before a drawing (e.g. ORIG.SZA) is saved, any existing file having the same name is renamed to ~ORIG.SZA.
HiCAD now attempts to save the drawing to ORIG.SZA.
If this succeeds without error, the back-up copy ~ORIG.SZA is deleted. If, however, an error has occurred, the following steps are taken:

If the setting in ALGPAR.DAT = 1, the defective new file, ORIG.SZA, is deleted and the original file, ~ORIG.SZA, is renamed back to ORIG.SZA.
If the setting in ALGPAR.DAT = 2, the defective new file is moved to the HiCAD Temp directory (drive #: in FILEGRUP.DAT) under the name ~ORIG.SZA. The original file, ~ORIG.SZA, is then renamed back to ORIG.SZA.
In both cases, the user will be notified by an appropriate system message that an error has occurred while saving and that the original file has been restored.

Alternatively, you can also change the time interval for the AutoSave via > Settings > Basic settings > General >Operation/Display > Data save interval [min]. Enter the desired value in the corresponding row.