Saving Models

• Save To save your ETABS model, click the File menu > Save command or click the Save Model toolbar button,. If the model has just been created and this is the first time it is being saved, the Save Model File As form appears; use the form to  specify a location and name for the  model file. Specify the location and name in the form and click the Save button to save the  model. If the model  exists or has been saved previously, clicking the File menu > Save command or the Save Model button immediately saves the model in the previously specified location, overwriting any earlier versions of the model.

Important Note: We recommend that you make it a habit to save your model file early and often. This helps minimize the lost work that may occur as a result of any power failures, computer malfunctions or unforeseen software behavior. The Options menu > Auto Save Model command can be used to specify that the model be saved automatically. .

• Save As. To save a model in a new location and/or with a new name, use the File menu > Save As command. When the Save Model File As form displays,  specify a location and name for the  model file.

When a model file is saved, ETABS actually saves two different files. It saves both an ETABS database file in a binary format with an .EDB extension and a text file with a .$et extension. Both files have the same name, but with different  extensions. The .EDB database file is the primary file used by ETABS because it contains all information about the model. When an existing ETABS .EBD file is opened, the program automatically saves a copy of this binary file with an extenson of .ebk as a backup.

The text file with the .$et extension is intended as a text backup file of the .EDB file -- not a substitute for the database file.  If something happens to the .EDB file of the model, such as the file becomes corrupted or is otherwise lost, the model can be restored by importing the .$et file. The .$set file is created (an the previous .$et file is overwritten) every time a model is saved. Use the File menu > Import > ETABS.e2k Text File command to import a .$et file. Specify the name of the  .$et file, including the .$et extension, in the resulting form.

A text file also may be created at any time using the File menu > Export > ETABS.e2k Text File command. This creates a text file with an .e2k extension that is identical to the .$et file automatically written by the program. The .e2k files are created only when the File menu > Export command is used. We do not recommend that you try to create your own text input files for ETABS.