Managing the contents of your material databases is an important task. You may often want to copy a material from one database to another.

If you are copying to your Local Materials.rmt file then it is most conveniently done from the Raw Materials environment using the Copy to Local Materials DB button. More ...

If you are not copying to the Local Materials file then you will need to use the Material File Manager.

Using the Material File Manager to Copy Between Databases.

The File Manager window can be opened from the Raw Materials environment by

• clicking the File Manager button or
• selecting the Material File Manager ... item in the Raw Materials menu.

Fig.1 The File Manager window

The file Manager window opens initially with no materials listed.

The Copy From ... button is used to load the databases containing the material that you wish to copy to another database. I have loaded the Feldspars-A-Z.rmt database in which I have highlighted the Pretend Feldspar material.

I want to copy Pretend Feldspar into a new database called My New Database.rmt so I have clicked on the Copy To ... button and loaded My New Database.rmt which at present is empty.

The final step is to click the Add button and the name Pretend Feldspar will appear in the right hand panel.

Replacing a Material with Another using the File Manager

You may have an occasion where you have made a change to the data for a particular material which occurs in more than one database. e.g. Australian Potash Feldspar is primarily stored where it should be in the Feldspars-A-Z.rmt file. It is also a material which I use regularly so a copy also resides in the Local Materials.rmt file.

If I make a change to the data in this file I would initially make the change to the material in the
Feldspars-A-Z.rmt file. I would then copy that changed material to the Local Materials.rmt file REPLACING the existing occurance of the material in that file.

Fig.2 The File Manager window is set up for replacing a material in a database

Fig.2 Here the File manager is set up to copy the changed Australian Potash Feldspar into the Local Materials.rmt file. When replacing a material in the destination database you must click on the name of the material you are replacing. When you have highlighted the material names clcik the Replace button to complete the task.

Changes made to database files in the File Manager are automatically saved so when you have finished click the Exit File Manager button.

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