Data Names

Template files and Tcl commands use data names to access information from the HyperWorks Desktop database. A data name is a string that represents a piece of data.

At output, the solver template replaces the data name string with the value that the data name represents. For example, a node has ID, x, y, z, and system as possible data names in the solver template. If you enter the command *field(integer,id,8) into a template file, HyperWorks Desktop outputs the node ID in an integer format using eight spaces. These data names can also be queried via Tcl using, for example, hm_getvalue nodes id=$id dataname=x.

A data name can also represent pointers to another entity in the database. For an element, the data name node1 is a pointer. node1 points to a node in the HyperWorks Desktop database. If you enter the command *field(integer,node1,8), HyperWorks Desktop issues an error message. HyperWorks Desktop can’t output the correct value because node1 points to a node entity that has many different printable values. To print the node ID, reference the pointer as *field(integer,node1.id,8). A period, . , separates the data name node1 and the data name ID. Via Tcl, this would look like hm_getvalue elems id=$id dataname=node1.id.

Data (except for global data) is only available on template levels two through four. Reference all pointers by placing a period after the name, followed by the data name of the entity type. Certain data names, indicated accordingly, are only available for query via Tcl and not available via the template system.

Data names are provided for the following entity types: