Strange errors in file- HELP!

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I am modeling an addition to an existing building.? I originally did the
shell/zoning using just the original building.? I then, after saving a back up
copy of the base building, i went back to the shell and zone drawing screens in
the DD wizard and expanded the shell to account for the addition, and then went
into the zone creation and adjusted my zones.? I was sure to follow the rules
about matching verticies, etc.

Now i am getting errors concerning the zone and plenum.? It appears that the
program is still?seeing plenums and walls that are now non-existent.? The
program says that plenums are being referenced but are not defined (see error
message below).

Anyone got any ideas on how to clear this?

?
?
*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 East Perim Plnm (G.E6) was referenced on line 14898 but never
??????????? defined.
*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 West Perim Spc (G.W4) was referenced on line 15237 but never
??????????? defined.
*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 WNW Perim Plnm (G.WNW7) was referenced on line 15377 but never
??????????? defined.
?
?
****************************************??? 5 ERRORS
****************************************??? 2 WARNINGS
****************************************? 103 CAUTIONS
???? *20195* COMPUTE ..
???? *20196* STOP ..
****************************************??? 5 ABORT-LEVEL DIAGNOSTICS ?

Paul Brooks's picture
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Joined: 2011-09-30
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I've had this happen before as well. What I did was look at the PD2 file as a text doc and checked to see what the reference was coming from, in your case, lines 14898, 15237, and 15377. It seems like this may be zones that are looking for spaces to belong to and you may be able to just get rid of the zones, if they're non-existent.

Matthew Higgins, ASHRAE-HBDP, LEED-AP

Matthew W. Higgins's picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 0

Open the BDL file in text editor and go to those lines, you?ll see which
objects are referencing them so you can make adjustments. (Or just search
the INP file for the text.)

The error might be from identifying surfaces of the spaces as adjacent
surfaces, then removing them.

*David S. Eldridge, Jr.**, P**.**E**.**, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, HBDP*

*From:* equest-users-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:
equest-users-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] *On Behalf Of *Paul Brooks
*Sent:* Friday, July 09, 2010 10:33 AM
*To:* eQuest user forum
*Subject:* [Equest-users] Strange errors in file- HELP!

I am modeling an addition to an existing building. I originally did the
shell/zoning using just the original building. I then, after saving a back
up copy of the base building, i went back to the shell and zone drawing
screens in the DD wizard and expanded the shell to account for the addition,
and then went into the zone creation and adjusted my zones. I was sure to
follow the rules about matching verticies, etc.

Now i am getting errors concerning the zone and plenum. It appears that the
program is still seeing plenums and walls that are now non-existent. The
program says that plenums are being referenced but are not defined (see
error message below).

Anyone got any ideas on how to clear this?

*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 East Perim Plnm (G.E6) was referenced on line 14898 but never

defined.

*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 West Perim Spc (G.W4) was referenced on line 15237 but never

defined.

*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 WNW Perim Plnm (G.WNW7) was referenced on line 15377 but
never

defined.

**************************************** 5 ERRORS

**************************************** 2 WARNINGS

**************************************** 103 CAUTIONS

*20195* COMPUTE ..

*20196* STOP ..

**************************************** 5 ABORT-LEVEL DIAGNOSTICS

David S Eldridge's picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 2000

Hi Paul,

Here's my strategy when this happens to me. I open the *.inp* file and the *
.bd*l file in Word. I then use the Edit, Find feature and search on ERROR in
the *.bdl* file. When I find the line that the error is occurring in I then
fix it in the *.inp* file. Repeat until all errors gone. You probably have
an existing space that shared an interior wall with your now deleted space
and is trying to reference it using" NEXT-TO". Be sure to fix the error in
the *.inp* file not the .bdl file, which I have done a few times. This is
one example of why it is good to familiarize yourself with the Building
Descriptive Language (BDL): you can make these sorts of fixes much easier in
your input deck using than trying to figure it out in DD edit. Just be sure
not to delete any delimiters (..)

Let me know how you do..

Carol

cmg750's picture
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Joined: 2010-10-05
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Carol, Dave, and Mtt:

Thank you for the replies.? I did look in the BDL file, but did not realize I
had to update the inp.

That being said, am I safe in assuming that, if I stay in the DDwizard (not
quite ready to leave yet), every time i add information and compile, I will have
the same error.? The root cause of the error is in the interface, correct?? If
that is the case, then the reality is it just cannot be fixed unless i change
the inp file after compiling?

Thank you again!

?

Paul Brooks's picture
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Joined: 2011-09-30
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Hmm. Well I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are asking, but here
are my recommendations. Finish what you need to do in DDWizard and get out
of it. I wouldn't even try to make the changes you are trying to make while
in the Wizard.

Don't fear DD edit. You can do things in it just as easily as in the Wizard,
and if you get stuck we'll help. Like I said earlier, the easiest way to see
what and where the error is, is to open up the .bdl and .inp files. That
might be even scarier to you than DD edit, and that's okay, you should be
scared. You can mess up in a hurry but with careful work you won't.

Take a deep breath and get out of the Wizard!!

Cheers,
Carol

cmg750's picture
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Joined: 2010-10-05
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one thing you can do is make changes to the .pd2 and .inp files using
notepad once you've figured out what you need to change. for example,
if your EL3 East Perim Plnm (G.E6) was referenced but is no longer
defined, you have a plenum space that belonged to a space that changed
names during a zoning change. look at the .inp file line number, find
out which space the EL3 East Perim Plnm (G.E6) is supposed to correlate
to and change the name accordingly - in the .inp file. once these
references are corrected the simulation should run fine.

you're probably looking at changing EL3 East Perim Plnm (G.E6) to
whatever the new space name is (checking what comes before line 14898
can put you in the right direction on finding the correct name to change to.

and when you have a working simulation always backup your .pd2 (wizard
mode) and/or .inp (detailed mode) files even if you just copy them in
the same directory.

*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 East Perim Plnm (G.E6) was referenced on line 14898 but never

defined.

*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 West Perim Spc (G.W4) was referenced on line 15237 but never

defined.

*ERROR****************************************************************************************

*ERROR*****EL3 WNW Perim Plnm (G.WNW7) was referenced on line 15377 but
never

defined.

Patrick J. O'Leary, Jr.'s picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 200

I have a question, partly due to my ramble a few weeks ago on the
wizards and how I use them. After a long series of adjustments I
shutdown and re-initialize the program. My question is does eQuest take
the INP file and create a new BDL file on opening the project? I'm
referring to the initial run (compile) eQuest does on opening, is it
creating a new BDL file?
To second what everyone else is saying, certain errors are easier fixed
in the INP file, like these ones. The main thing to remember is to
always have a backup copy. The most important one is your last one
before you leave the wizards. Then go for it, if you crash it, copy
your copy and try and other tack.
Bruce

Bruce Easterbrook's picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 0

Bruce,

To your question (My question is does eQuest take the INP file and create a new BDL file on opening the project? I'm referring to the initial run (compile) eQuest does on opening, is it creating a new BDL file?), answer is YES.

____________
Demba NDIAYE

Demba Ndiaye's picture
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Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 200

Let me take a crack at the pi?ata too!

- eQuest Wizard information is stored in the pd2 file.

- When you hit the "Finish" button in the wizards, an .inp file is generated based on the Wizard inputs (which are in the pd2)

- Whenever you run a simulation, whether in detailed or wizard mode, eQuest will first "evaluate" everything in the current .inp file. The generated report is the .bdl file.

As a result of the above, changing anything in the .bdl file will do nothing for you - treat it simply as a report and make changes to the .inp file.

Additionally, if you are ever trying to copy/paste information into a wizard-level project, you will never get anywhere pasting into the .inp because that .inp will get overwritten (a new one is generated) every time you "finish" your wizard screens.

NICK CATON, E.I.T.

Nick-Caton's picture
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I just learned a hard lesson that I'd like to share. I was making a bunch of
CURVE-FIT changes in my .inp file. So many of them that I Saved them, wisely
I thought, while in process. Well, the result of Saving the changes instead
of doing a Save As was that a bunch of Martian, or some unrecognizable
language, got inserted in the Saved .inp file and I couldn't open it. Too
bad it was about 2 hours worth of work. So anyway, buyer beware, all kinds
of weird things can happen in eQUEST, especially when you are using the .inp
file and looking at BDL. The good news is that I have always found a way out
of the pickle.

That is why each and every day I rename my file using the date as part of
the file name, e.g. dambuilding 7-9.inp.

Carol

cmg750's picture
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I guess my question has opened a can of worms but that was why I asked
the question. Maybe the eQuest code writers will have to answer this
one. Maybe I was delirious after 16 hours on the computer when I made
my observations. I noticed that wizard changes were inserted at the end
of the INP file when you press finish. If you then press simulate,
eQuest will do another run of the (a) BDL file. It does not seem to be
a new BDL file, possibly a modified one based on the current INP file ie
changes tacked onto the end, maybe just the old BDL file. Certain line
based errors don't seem to get updated unless the program is shutdown,
opened and recompiled. My new simulation was kicking out on the same
line error as before. Maybe I adjusted the BDL file by mistake, but I
don't think I did, I adjusted the INP file. Finally in frustration I
closed the project and went to bed. Opened the same file in the
morning, it compiled perfect, pressed simulate and that ran too. So the
new question is what is different between doing a save in the program,
simulating, and shutting down, restarting and simulating? When does the
line order in the INP file get updated? Maybe this is why Carol likes
editing in the INP file so much, she fixes the error at the line it
occurred at, rather than the wizard fix which seems to append the INP
file. I did do a INP fix where I noticed the call for a change I had
make had caused the run to fail. I just grabbed the change from the end
of the INP file, moved it up to before the call, saved it and then the
simulation ran.
Contradicting Nick, it seems to me the INP file is the active file for
making changes and the BDL file is the compiled result from the INP file
that is used to run the simulation. If you change the BDL file then it
will be over-written. But on the other hand Nick does know the program
extremely well and has had success changing the BDL file. All this
seems to support my contention that there is a difference in how eQuest
treats a full shutdown and recompile verses one in the program with just
a save. Dating myself here, I haven't written and compiled code since
the days of card readers. For the program to run you have to compile
the whole program. You can have discrete programs making up the whole,
they can be compiled and test run separately, but in the end, you have
to compile the whole program at once. Thoughts?
Bruce

Bruce Easterbrook's picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 0

Thank God a weekend is coming up. Everyone stop simulations and visit their
families.

The .INP file is the raw data entry in DOE-2.,2 that the eQuest .PD2 recognizes
to formulate a run. The .BDL file is the "digested" input information after
DOE-2.2 (the engine) error checks the input. The core program actually uses the
.BDL file for its input.

I suppose you could change the .BDL file. But the eQuest front end (.PD2)
displays what is sees in the .INP files NOT the .PD2 file.

It is finished....

John Aulbach's picture
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You are so right. I will put this down for a while. Put my feet up and
have a cold one.
Bruce

Bruce Easterbrook's picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 0

actually this depends what editing mode you are in.

if your project is saved in detailed edit mode (ddedit) this is correct.

if your project is saved in wizard edit mode this is not correct.
wizard mode writes to the pd2 file and overwrites any changes made in
the .inp file every time you finish/exit the wizard. this is why there
is a warning dialog when switching to/from detailed edit mode that tells
you changes you make in detailed mode will not be saved when entering
wizard edit mode.

if your project is in wizard edit mode then you can modify the .pd2 file
when you are not in equest and you will see those changes reflected next
time you open equest and open the file. i have added multiple ac-units
to .pd2 files so they show up in wizard mode without my having to create
them via the wizard, or copy one to create 5 more of the same packaged
unit variety & then edit the tonnage or cfm. i have also, when changing
zones, copied and pasted from previous pd2 files the window code
segments into the respective facets after the wizard erases all of the
custom windows (like it tells you it will) when you modify a zone size
(or a roof).

Patrick J. O'Leary, Jr.'s picture
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 200