TOPS Pro Tutorial - TOPS - Packaging Software

The icons you see in this figure are often referred to, respectively, as the
Bulk Parameters icon, the Bag Parameters icon, the Carton Parameters
icon, the Shipper Parameters icon, the Unitload Parameters icon and the
Transit Vehicle Parameters icon.
This represents a Package Design Sequence in which you'll find the best
solution for this analysis: bulk product into a bag, into a carton, into a
shipcase, onto a pallet and into a truck.
Next, when you click on any of these icons, a dialog box will appear and
allow you to define the parameters of that particular stage in the sequence.
For example, when you click on the Bottle icon, the Bottle Parameters
dialog box appears, and you'll tell the system precisely how your bottles
are designed in terms of dimensions, weight, shape, etc.
Shortcut Buttons
The Shortcut Buttons, as pictured below, allow you to view and calculate
solutions for an analysis.
Let's briefly define these shortcut buttons:
View Button: Allows you to display and view the solution panels
(Analysis View) for a selected analysis. This function becomes active
only after an analysis has been completed.
Calc Button: Allows you to calculate solutions for an analysis. After
you've selected all the stages for the analysis and defined parameters
for each stage, the Calc button tells the system to generate all possible
solutions for the analysis, given the data you entered.
If you click on the Calc button and your analysis is incomplete – you
forgot to enter a necessary detail – TOPS Pro automatically displays
the appropriate dialog box and prompts you to enter the missing data.
If you've simply made changes to the analysis, the system allows you
to look over the changes you made before you continue.
10 TOPS User Guide Supplement and Tutorial