04 - Saving, Loading, and Exporting

Purpose: To detail how users can save their work, open existing projects, and export their designs and data.

Overview

WirePlan Pro allows users to save their entire project, including the loaded image, node placements, scale information, wiring data, and conduit path calculations, into a proprietary .wpp file format. This ensures that all aspects of the design can be preserved and revisited. Additionally, users can export their visual plans to PDF for documentation and sharing, and export summary data to CSV for estimating and further analysis.

Key Sections

Saving Your Project (to .wpp file format)

Users can save their current project state, which includes:

• The original image (or a reference to it if pasted).
• All defined nodes, including their names, coordinates, and elevation deltas.
• The current scale settings (pixels per foot and units).
• All wiring connections, including the outer diameter (OD) and quantity for each wire in every directed connection.
• The state of the conduit path calculation, including the selected algorithm, conduit type, and the calculated segments.
• Relevant UI settings like the selected wiring topology and default cable OD.

How to Save:

1. Navigate to File > Save Project As.
2. A dialog will appear, allowing you to choose a location and filename.
3. The project will be saved with the .wpp extension.

The application version is also saved within the project file to help manage compatibility.

Opening an Existing Project

Users can load previously saved .wpp project files to continue their work.

How to Open:

1. Navigate to File > Open Project.
2. A dialog will appear, allowing you to select a .wpp file.
3. Upon selection, the application will:
   • Clear the current state (image, nodes, paths, etc.).
   • Load the image (either embedded Base64 data or from the saved path).
   • Restore the scale settings.
   • Restore all nodes, including their names, coordinates, and elevation deltas.
   • Restore all wiring connections with their ODs and quantities.
   • Restore the conduit state, including the algorithm used and type setting.
   • Recalculate the conduit path, sizes, and bend counts based on the loaded data.
   • Restore relevant UI settings.

The application will attempt to handle projects saved with different versions, though warnings may be issued for potential compatibility issues.

Exporting the Canvas to PDF (for visual plans)

Users can export the current visual representation of their canvas, including the background image and all drawn elements (nodes, paths, wiring), to a PDF file. This is useful for creating visual plans for documentation or sharing.

How to Export to PDF:

1. Ensure an image is loaded and a plan is visible on the canvas.
2. Navigate to File > Export as PDF.
3. A dialog will appear, allowing you to choose a location and filename for the PDF. The default filename includes the current date (e.g., Conduit_Plan_YYYY-MM-DD.pdf).
4. The application captures the current canvas view and saves it as a PDF with a resolution of 400 DPI.

Exporting Summary Data to CSV (for estimates)

Users can export a summary of their project data to a CSV file. This data is valuable for cost estimation, material take-offs, and further analysis in spreadsheet software.

The CSV export includes:

• Summary Data:
  • Conduit Type (e.g., RMC, EMT).
  • Total Conduit Length (2D path + vertical runs, in current scale units).
  • Total Wire Length (sum of all wire runs, considering quantities and elevation changes, in current scale units).
  • Number of Nodes.
  • Total Number of Bends in the conduit path.
  • Total Number of Junctions (junction boxes).
  • Longest individual wire run length (considering 2D path and elevation).
  • Most bends between any two pull points (nodes).
• Wire Length by OD:
  • A breakdown of total wire length required for each distinct cable Outer Diameter (OD) used in the project.
• Conduit Length by Size:
  • A breakdown of the total length of conduit required for each calculated trade size (e.g., "1/2"", "3/4""). This includes both 2D segments and vertical runs.
• Node Connections:
  • A list of all unique pairs of nodes that are connected by the conduit path.
  • For each pair:
    • Node 1 Name
    • Node 2 Name
    • Conduit Path Length between them (along the calculated path).
    • Number of Bends along the path between these two specific nodes.
    • Number of Junctions along the path between these two specific nodes.

How to Export to CSV:

1. Ensure a conduit path has been successfully calculated.
2. Navigate to File > Export as CSV.
3. A dialog will appear, allowing you to choose a location and filename for the CSV. The default filename includes the current date (e.g., Conduit_Summary_YYYY-MM-DD.csv).
4. The application gathers and calculates all necessary data and writes it to the specified CSV file.