Change the Parameter Default Settings
- Last UpdatedJan 16, 2026
- 2 minute read
To change any of the default settings, select Settings > Defaults from the menu. The user will see the ASL Defaults form, showing the current settings, thus:
The form shows the current setting for each parameter and the name of the defaults file from which the settings have been obtained.
When the user first enters the ASL application, the defaults file is defined within the initialization file PDMSUI/DES/ADMIN/SETUP; the file is typically defined as %PDMSDFLTS%/DES-ACCESS.
To change any of the parameter default settings, edit the corresponding entries in the ASL Defaults form.
Note: Three of the settings are defined by using drop-down list, rather than by editing values in text boxes. These are:
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Handrail Joints |
defining the geometry of the joints (ball, cone or tee) |
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Post Type |
defining how and where handrail posts are to be attached |
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Steelwork Type |
defining the type of primary/secondary steelwork (Nodal or Nozzle) to which the ASL items are to be added. This option should be set to Nodal. |
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Note: The Nozzle option is only provided for use with data generated by an old PDMS steelwork application called Nozzle Steelwork, which is no longer supplied or supported. |
The user can save the modified settings, or load a new set of defaults from an existing file, by using the File menu options on the ASL Defaults form in the usual way. This is a convenient way to build up a library of standard ASL design configurations for use on different types of steelwork structures, or to meet different company standards.
Once satisfactory sets of default values have been established, it should not be necessary to change these in normal use, because they usually represent project-wide or company-wide standards.