How to import ezanl into another model

Question

I have a model that I forked. I did this by copying the ezmf file into a "new" directory and modifying it. This "new" model has no analysis cases in the drop down list. I have an original ("old") analysis case (ezanl) that I want to use as the starting point with the "new" model. I tried to create a case with same name, saving the model and then replacing the newly created ezanl file with the old one. It appears that Easy5 actually writes this "new" case to the ezadb and then overwrites the "old" ezanl that I copied into the working directory with the information in the ezadb. How can I get the information in that "old" ezanl into my "new" model.

Rick Clanton · Accepted Answer

Hi Matthew,

The proper way to have done this would be to have also forked your ezadb file when you did the ezmf file. The ezadb file stores all the analysis settings and generates an ezanl file every time a new analysis is run so that is why it keeps getting overwritten. My suggestion would be to go back and fork the ezadb file and go from there. It will cause you the least trouble going forward.

That being said, if you don't want to that (or can't) you have two options:

1) You can force Easy5 to use a particular ezanl file for an analysis by running the analysis from an Easy5 Command Shell. When you run an analysis from the command line, you must specify an ezmf and an ezanl file. (See Command Line options in the help for more info. ) Before you can do this, you must edit the ezanl file and remove (or comment out) the line that says "KEYCODE" on it. (It's like the first line after all the comments at the top of the file.) The problem with this method is that any changes you make to your model or analysis settings will immendiately render your ezanl file "stale" and you will have to generate a new one.

2) This second method is preferred to number 1 above (but is still not as good as forking the ezadb file as I previously mentioned.) Here, you copy portions of the ezanl file into a new aux input file. So you would copy the contents of the ezanl file into a new text file and give it a name like modelname.analysisname.ezax. Then you would edit the file and do the following:

Look through the ezanl file for the section that lists the initial conditions and initial values. After that section, there will be a line that says TITLE UNTITLED (if your analysis has no title) or TITLE <titlename> if you analysis has a title. Delete everything before this line and delete this line as well. 
 Delete the last line that says CALCXIC, SIMULATE

Then save this file and include the name of it on the modifiers tab of the simulation setting form (by selecting "Insert Aux Input File" and then its name.) The settings in here will overwrite what is in the Analysis Settings Form. As was the case with option number 1 above, the problem with this method is that any changes you make to your model or analysis settings will potentially render your aux input file "stale" and you will have to generate a new one or edit this one.