Using Excel in connection design Page 1 of 1

Using Excel in connection design

You can link system components and Excel spreadsheets, so when a component is applied or
modified, an associated Excel spreadsheet application can be run. The configuration information is
passed from the component to the spreadsheet, calculation run within the spreadsheet and
component properties passed back to the connection.

You have the option to use Excel in connection design for all steel components
that have a Design tab in their component properties dialog box.

Tekla Structures includes sample spreadsheet for connection design and a template spreadsheet
you should use to create your own spreadsheet applications to use with Tekla Structures
components.

Before you start:

Create the connections and parts.

Create the Excel spreadsheet for connection type, or use a predefined file. See more in Setting
up Excel files .

To use the Excel spreadsheet for connection design:

1. Double-click the connection to open the connection properties dialog box.

2. Go to the Design (or Design type) tab and select Excel in the External design list box.
3. Click Modify.
4. The connection properties are transferred from Tekla Structures to a connection type specific
Excel spreadsheet, where the properties are calculated.
5. The calculated properties are saved to an output file.
6. The modified properties are transferred back to Tekla Structures and the connection is
modified according to the changes.

Topics
Setting up Excel files

Sample implementation

Indicating component status

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Setting up Excel files

The following list describes what kind of files are needed for performing connection design with
Excel:

Visual Basic script file linking Tekla Structures with external software.

Excel spreadsheet containing calculations.

Component type specific spreadsheet, which contains predefined calculations.

When you run the connection design, the connection properties and information of the main and
secondary parts are transferred to the Input and Component sheets of the spreadsheet.

Connection specific result file, which displays the modified connection properties is stored to
model folder.

This file is created automatically from the Calculation sheet of the spreadsheet.

The file is updated each time you modify the connection.

Calculation results can be stored as Excel spreadsheet, HTML or PDF format, depending on
how calculation spreadsheet is configured.

File names and locations

Excel.vb file (located in the ...\nt\bin\plugins folder) defines the Excel spreadsheet file
names and the locations.
Excel searches for the spreadsheet in the following order and with following name:

1. File named "component_ + number or name + .xls", from the current model folder:
..\*model folder*\exceldesign

For example, ..\test_model\exceldesign\component_144.xls

2. File name and path defined with variable XS_EXTERNAL_EXCEL_DESIGN_PATH :

XS_EXTERNAL_EXCEL_DESIGN_PATH (=%XS_DIR%\environments\country-
independent\exceldesign\) + "component_" + number + ".xls"

By default, the result file is stored in the model folder, and named with component ID (For
example, component_9502_res.xls).

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Sample implementation
Below is descibed the contents of an Excel spreadsheet which is used for End plate (144)
connection:

When user clicks Modify in the End plate (144) properties dialog box, Excel.vb file calls Excel
spreadsheet named component_144.xls.

Contents
The sample spreadsheet includes the following sheets:

Inputs (user inputs on connection dialog).

Tekla Structures transfers the component properties from the component properties dialog box
to this sheet.

Component

Tekla Structures transfers the component geometry and information on the main and secondary
parts (for example, part profiles) into this sheet. The component attributes in the spreadsheet
are the same as in the corresponding .inp file.
See more about .inp files in Input files.

This sheet includes calculations (the calculations can be as Visual Basic macros in the sheet).

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Calculation

Summary of calculation is collected to the Calculation sheet. This page or full Excel
spreadsheet can be stored as a report of the calculation.

Outputs

Excel adds the modified values to the Output sheet. These values are tranferred back to the
connection and connection in the model is modified accordingly.

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Indicating component status

When you use Excel in connection design, you can have Tekla Structures use different colored
component symbols to indicate the status of a component in the model.

To do this, include the error attribute on the Output page of the Excel spreadsheet for the
component. The possible values are:

Value
Color Status

1 Green Bolt edge distances are sufficient.

Passes the connection design check using the UK and US design codes
embedded in the system.

2 Yellow Edge distance(s) are insufficient according to the value in the Coefficients
properties in the Options dialog box (Setup > Options).

3 Red Tekla Structures cannot calculate the component properties. Possible

reasons include:

Incorrect connection direction

Incorrect workplane

Inappropriate connection selected

The connection design check was carried out using the embedded UK
and US design codes and the connection cannot support the loading
defined by the user.

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Using Excel with custom components

You can link Excel spreadsheets to custom components, for example, to check connections.

For custom components, you need to add the property Use external design to the custom
component dialog box:

1. Select the component, then right-click and select Edit custom component.

2. In the custom component editor, click to open the Variables dialog box.
3. Click Add and enter the following information:

4. Save the component and close the custom component editor. The custom component dialog
box now contains the Use external design property.

Spreadsheet location
The template spreadsheets are located in folder ..\TeklaStructures\11.2
\environments\country_independent\exceldesign.

By default, Tekla Structures searches for the spreadsheet in the following order:

From the model folder: ../*your model*/exceldesign/

From folder defined with variable XS_EXTERNAL_EXCEL_DESIGN_PATH

Spreadsheet name
The name of the file must be component_*component name*.xls. For example
component_custom1.xls for a custom component named custom1.

For more information on the required Excel files, file locations and how to perform the connection
check with Excel, see Using Excel in connection design .

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