Introductory Tutorial for APDL-Mode

This project supports your APDL workflows with the FEA suite Ansys.

It provides an editor mode for GNU Emacs for investigating and coding APDL. The mode offers also managing and communication capabilities for various Ansys processes, like interactive code debugging with the solver or inquiring the license manager status, etc. Some features are quite sophisticated but its documentation is accessible for Ansys users with little APDL and Emacs experience.

GNU-Emacs is a modern, powerful and extensible - yet free - editor. High quality software available for every operating system where Ansys is running.

There are no costs and restrictions even in commercial application. Please install GNU Emacs then APDL-Mode from Melpa or download an archive from the APDL-Mode's releases page.

Install APDL-Mode in Emacs: Please type: M-x package-install-file <RET> and select the downloaded tar archive.

Start the editor and open doc/example.mac or any other APDL file (with the extensions mac, ans, inp, dat or anf, otherwise type M-x apdl and <RET>).

In the following M-x or C-c means typing <ALT> or <CTRL> key together with the `x' or `c' key.

Browsing the APDL help with C-c C-b is much faster than searching with the Ansys Help Viewer or online.

APDL-Mode hides the normally uninteresting but usually very large number blocks. On the right hand side is the unhidden content. If APDL-Mode is not yet configured for .dat files please type:

M-x apdl-mode

For commands with a large number of arguments it is cumbersome to count the arguments, M-h facilitates this for you and visualises dynamically at which argument position the cursor is.

Screenshot with the Ansys Classics GUI on the left and Emacs on the right on Win64

Before inserting an entire template you are able to inspect its content in a preview window (C-c C-s) and might just copy the most relevant snippets, please see below and next slide.

Type C-c C-s to choose a template name, use the <TAB> key to complete or to open the completion window of available items.

Create a new APDL file with the suffix .mac and let Emacs auto-insert a skeleton with `outline' headings. Collapse and cycle through "tree views" with <SHIFT>+<TAB> (Emacs 28).

Move the cursor behind a character - here `c' - or word fragment and type <ESC> <TAB> or C-M-i for completing up to date APDL command-, element- and function names.

Type C-c C-v to receive a summary window of all your variable definitions. With an argument (C-u C-c C-v) you will get the current value of your variable at the cursor (Linux only, right).

Move the cursor to a variable definition paragraph or mark, here in yellow, some definitions and type C-c C-a to align them.

Type C-x * * to open the calculator, type y for pasting results directly into the APDL file. And q to quit the `Calc' windows.

In Emacs' lower-half you see the license status (C-c C-l). All described features can be executed through the APDL-Mode menu or with keyboard shortcuts.

You can run the Ansys solver under Emacs and send code lines from above APDL window with C-c C-j (C-c C-c for whole regions) directly to this process. Below you see the interactive solver output and on the left hand side the corresponding Ansys images.

The image shows an Emacs 23.2 frame (in reversed colour mode and compiled with the GTK+ toolkit under GNU-Linux) with a ripped off APDL-Mode menu field

Please check the mode settings with Emacs' customisation system (no programming necessary) use the menu and

Newcomers to Emacs should take the guided online tour to get a background of its capabilities and fire up the interactive tutorial (C-h t) which is translated to various languages.

Please type C-c C-h for the mode manual (there is also a brief introduction of basic Emacs concepts) and C-h m, especially for APDL-Mode's keybindings.

Licensing and costs:

This is free and open software, there are no costs and effectively no restrictions for you using Emacs and APDL-Mode - even - commerically. Both are under the GPL, the Gnu Puplic License copied in the LICENSE.org file.

Configuration:

More detailed instructions might be necessary if you are not using default Ansys installations. Please have a look in the INSTALLATION.org file. The online documentation is at APDL-Modes's documentation site.

Hands-on tutorial and reference:

You will find these in-depth documentation included in the mode's archives on GitHub's releases page or read online.

News and project history:

They are placed in the mode's accompanying NEWS.org file

Besides the documentation, have a look in the GitHub's issues site or send an email to the maintainer. Please use the APDL-Mode bug report functionality, which might provide helpful status information.