Check out and check in operations

In CADMATIC Hull, check out and check in operations ensure that data in COS (distributed) projects is protected from being modified at multiple sites at the same time. Therefore, you need to check out the data you want to work on to prevent users at other sites from changing the same data. Once you save your changes to the COS server, other sites are able to see the data as well. However, they are still not able to change the data until you check it in.

Important: The project administration must be upgraded in Hull versions from 2023T2 onwards. The project data is not affected, but the converted projects are not accessible anymore in Hull versions 2023T1Rx or earlier.

Important: All Hull users must exit the COS projects before project conversion, otherwise the project administration conversion fails. The failed conversion can be attempted to be corrected manually using the Hull COS Client Command Line Interface (HCC CLI). For more information on the recovery, see the Project Administration subcommands in Hull COS Client Command Line Interface (HCC CLI).

Note: Standalone (local) projects are automatically upgraded by opening them. COS (distributed) projects are upgraded when the COS/HCA server that manages them, is upgraded.

You can open the Check Out/In dialog from all applications (see Check Out/In blocks, for example). The dialog shows available blocks contained in block groups, hull line range subsets, and Plantek symbols. When the dialog is opened from System Management, it also shows Hull norms, Hull shape and Hull Project General (general project data). Additional operations for the data are also available when the dialog is opened from System Management.

The Hull norms contain the project norms, that is, the project settings. Each block group uses one of the existing norm sets.
The Hull shape contains the active hull shape database.
The Hull Project General contains high level project settings not stored in the norms (like the name of the ship).

Show/hide column and button descriptions

Columns

Data set – Shows available block groups, blocks, hull line range subsets and the Plantek application. When the dialog is opened from System Management, also shows Hull norms, Hull shape and Hull Project General.

Note: Clicking an item highlights it. However, data is considered selected only when there is a check mark in the respective check box. You can select individual items and clear individual selections by clicking the respective check boxes, double-clicking the desired item, or clicking the desired item and pressing the Space key.

Data state – Shows the state of data apart from Plantek as follows:

Not in COS – The object has been created on the COS server, but data has never been saved.
Absent – Data is present only on the COS server and not locally.
Absent and Not in COS – Data has not been saved to the COS server, and it is also absent locally at the current site. No operations can be performed at the site until the owner site saves the data, after which a get can be done.
Up-to-date – There is no new data on the COS server. There could still be local changes, requiring to be saved.
Out-of-date – There is new data on the COS server.
Work in Progress – The object is checked out to the current site, and the site owns the object. Thus, the COS state is no longer relevant because other sites cannot work on the data. However, if the object is not in COS or it is absent, the respective state will be shown instead of Work in Progress.
Unknown – An unexpected error prevents determining the state.

For Plantek, the data states are as follows:

Local changes – There are local changes in the planteksymbols directory that need to be saved to the COS server.
Remote changes: There are changes at other sites that need to be downloaded from the COS server.
Local and remote changes – In addition to local changes that need to be saved to the COS server, there are also changes at other sites that need to be downloaded from the server.
Up-to-date: There are no local changes nor changes on the COS server.

Checked out – Shows which site has checked out the data. If the data is not checked out, shows No.

Description – Shows a description for data.

Buttons

The buttons are enabled or disabled according to your selections; operations allowed for at least one of the selected data are enabled. If you select more than one item, the selected operation will only be performed to the data for which it is allowed. For example, if you select a block that is checked out to another site and a block that is not checked out and then click Check Out, only the second block is checked out.

Select/ Deselect all – Select all data or clear the selection for all data in the tree structure. You can select individual items and clear individual selections by clicking the respective check boxes, double-clicking the desired item, or clicking the item and pressing the Space key.

Information – Show information about the highlighted data. The information dialog shows whether an operation was successful or not, and possible errors and warnings are also shown.

Get – Update your local data with the latest changes from the COS server. You have to exit from the block before getting the data.

Note: During a Get operation the following subfolders of the block folder are cleared before getting data from COS: 2d, 3d, 3dshow, shell, cgf and sheets.
This means that files that were locally added in any of these folders will be deleted when getting data from COS. Locally added files anywhere else in the block folder will not be touched.

Get construction – Update your local construction data, welds and the Work Breakdown Structure with the latest changes from the COS server, without getting all the block data. This operation is enabled only when you have selected a block. You have to exit from the block before getting the data.

Tip: Getting the construction data is faster than getting all block data.

Check out – Check out the selected data, and update your local data with the latest changes from the COS server. You have to exit from the block before checking out data. This operation sets a lock on the selected objects preventing changes at other sites.

Check Out Without Get – Check out the selected data without updating your local data with the latest changes from the COS server. You have to exit from the block before checking out data. This operation is enabled only when the dialog is opened from System Management.

Cancel Check Out – Release the lock set by a previous checkout, without saving the local changes to the COS server. You have to exit from the block before canceling checkout. This operation is enabled only when the dialog is opened from System Management.

Save – Save your local changes to the COS server. This operation is enabled whenever the data is checked out to your site. You have to exit from the block before saving. After saving, other sites can see your changes but the objects are locked until you check them in.

If you have selected a block and any CGF files are missing or outdated, they will be recalculated. In this case, the Model creation dialog opens showing you the progress of the operation. If you cancel the operation, saving will be aborted.

Save construction – Save your local construction changes, welds and the Work Breakdown Structure to the COS server, without saving all block data. This operation is available only when you have selected a block checked out to your site. You have to exit from the block before saving. After saving, other sites can see your changes but the objects are locked until you check them in.

Important: The data will be available in Plant Modeller after saving. However, to have the Work Breakdown Structure and custom attributes available, you need to send the settings to Outfitting beforehand. See Send Settings.

Tip: Saving the construction is faster than saving the whole block.

Check in – Save your local changes to the COS server and release the lock. After checking in, other sites can do a checkout on the data and change it.

Refresh – Refresh the whole tree structure. Alternatively, press F5. You can use refresh to see the progress of an action being processed, for example.

Show predefined blocks – Show or hide predefined blocks. This option is selected by default when the dialog is opened from System Management.

Working at and between sites in COS (distributed) projects

When you want to work on a COS project, do the following:

In the Check Out/In dialog, select the desired data.

Note: If you select more than one item, the selected operation will only be performed to the data for which it is allowed.

If you select the top level (block group, for example), all the items below it will also become selected.

You can select all data and clear all selections by clicking Select/Deselect all.

Click Check out. In addition to checking out the selected data, this will also get the latest data from the COS server. The data is now locked from other sites.
Make your changes in the project.
Once you have finished your work and no longer wish to keep the data checked out, select the data and click Check in. All your changes are saved to the COS server, and the locks are released. Other sites now see your changes and are able to check out the data themselves. If you do not wish to release the locks but want other sites to see your changes, click Save instead.

Also note the following:

Block management: All functions related to block management require the appropriate blocks to be checked out. For example, you cannot change the block properties in Tools > Settings > More Settings > Block Properties without checking out the block that will be affected by the changes.
Shape, norms and general project data: If the shape, norms or general project data have been changed, you need to get the changes before you can open a block.
Hull lines: When you want to insert, modify, recalculate, or delete hull lines, you need to check out the related hull line range subset. All blocks should be owned by the site that is implementing changes to hull line ranges.
Shape import: The active shape can be overwritten at any site in the COS network.
Norms: Norms can be imported at any site in the COS network.
HiLTop: All data exchanged using the Design Data Server is stored as construction data. You can use both Save and Save construction to save the data to COS, and Get and Get construction to get the data from COS.
Plantek: The Plantek data does not need to be checked out like other COS data. Therefore, multiple users at different sites are able to add Plantek data at the same time. Users can also work offline on Plantek, if they check out the block before going offline.

Hull keeps track of new models added to the project, and shows the status in the Data State column. Every time a model in the project's Plantek symbols collection (planteksymbols directory inside the project directory) is added or updated, the data state for Plantek shows either Local changes or Local and remote changes. The latter means that in addition to your local changes that need to be saved to the COS server, there are also changes waiting to be downloaded from the server.

When saving the Plantek data to the COS server or getting the latest data from the COS server, the contents of the project Plantek directory are merged with the files included in the attachment for the Plantek object in COS. In case of a conflict, the file with the most recent timestamp prevails.