struct.answer - User Guide

Welcome to struct.answer! This tool provides a robust way to query, extract, and analyze information from structural engineering documents. Use this guide to learn how to set up, manage projects, and make the most of each feature.

Table of Contents

Overview

struct.answer is designed for structural engineers to:

  • Upload and analyze engineering documents.
  • Generate answers to questions using advanced AI processing.
  • Organize files, tags, highlights, and notes across multiple projects.
  • Access robust project management tools, summaries, and custom reporting.

Installation

No installation is required. Download the .exe file, run it, and struct.answer will launch as a standalone application. No additional setup is needed.

Getting Started

Creating Projects

Projects keep your files and questions organized. Follow these steps to create a new project:

  1. Open Struct Answer.
  2. Go to the Projects menu and select Create New Project.
  3. Enter a project name in the prompt, and click OK.
  4. Your new project will appear in the Select Project dropdown for quick access in the future.

Additional Options

  • Switch between projects in the Select Project submenu.
  • View recent projects under the Recent Projects submenu.
  • Delete or duplicate projects from the Projects menu.

Uploading Files

Each project allows you to upload and manage documents for analysis.

  1. Select your project.
  2. Click Manage Uploaded Files.
  3. Choose Add More Files to upload files in .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, or .csv formats.
    • Non-PDF files are automatically converted to PDF format.
  4. View uploaded files in the Manage Uploaded Files window, where you can also summarize, tag, and take notes on each file.

Features

Asking Questions

To leverage AI for querying document content, use the Ask Question feature.

  1. Select a project and ensure you’ve uploaded files.
  2. Enter your question in the text box. Use @mentions to reference specific files or tags.
    • Example: To target specific content, use @filename or @tagname.
  3. Click Ask Question.
  4. View answers in the Answer Display section, and scroll through responses for complex or multi-page answers.

Tips

  • Use keywords relevant to structural engineering to improve answer accuracy.
  • If your question pertains to multiple documents, reference them with @ mentions to ensure they’re included in the analysis.

Document Management

Each project allows for comprehensive document handling with tools for adding, converting, summarizing, tagging, and more.

Adding, Removing, and Converting Files

Files can be added, removed, or converted as follows:

  1. Go to Manage Uploaded Files under Projects.
  2. Use Add More Files to select new files.
    • Files in .docx, .xlsx, or .csv formats are automatically converted to .pdf.
  3. To remove a file, select it in the Manage Uploaded Files list and click Remove File.

Note: Converted files are saved in a dedicated directory for easy access.

Summarizing Files

Generate a summary for any document in your project.

  1. Select the file in Manage Uploaded Files.
  2. Click Summarize to generate a concise overview of the document.
  3. View the summary in the Summaries section within Manage Uploaded Files.

This feature extracts critical insights, helping you quickly understand each document's content.

Assigning and Managing Tags

Tags help organize files within a project by topic or relevance.

  1. Open Manage Uploaded Files and select the file you wish to tag.
  2. Click Assign Tags to open the tagging menu.
  3. Choose from existing tags or create a custom tag.
  4. Click Save Tags to apply.

Tip: Tags can be referenced in questions using @tagname for targeted document analysis.

Highlighting Text

Highlighting key information within document responses is straightforward.

  1. Select text in the Answer Display.
  2. Click Highlight Text to add it to your highlighted items list.
  3. Manage highlights in each project for easy access to important content.

Note-Taking

For each file, you can add detailed notes to document important observations or additional information.

  1. Select the file in Manage Uploaded Files.
  2. Click Edit Notes to open the note editor.
  3. Write your notes and click Save.
  4. View your notes at any time by reopening the editor.

Notes remain within the project, making it easy to track specific details for each document.

Managing Projects

Struct Answer supports various project management tools to enhance organization and efficiency.

Switching Projects

To switch between projects:

  1. Go to Projects > Select Project.
  2. Choose your desired project from the list.
  3. The application will load all files, tags, notes, and questions related to the selected project.

Duplicating Projects

Duplicate an existing project to use it as a template or backup.

  1. Go to Projects and click Duplicate Project.
  2. Select the project you want to copy.
  3. Name the new project and click OK.

Deleting Projects

To delete a project:

  1. Go to Projects > Delete Project.
  2. Select the project to delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion in the prompt.

Undo/Redo Actions

Easily revert actions within the app using Undo and Redo to avoid errors.

  • Undo (Ctrl + Z): Reverse the last action, such as a tag assignment or note addition.
  • Redo (Ctrl + Y): Redo a reversed action if needed.

Generating Desk Study Reports

For in-depth analysis, generate desk study reports based on document content.

  1. Ask a question related to a "desk study" to initiate the report.
  2. The application will analyze relevant documents and generate a structured report.

Desk study reports are comprehensive summaries tailored to structural engineering projects, offering insights across multiple documents.

Privacy and Data Collection

Struct Answer is committed to data privacy:

  • Files are processed locally, with only essential text sent to the AI for analysis.
  • No files or personal information are stored or shared online.
  • Optional usage data collection (e.g., app launches, questions asked) helps improve future features.

Refer to the Privacy Policy in the Help menu for more information.

Support

If you encounter issues, try the Help > Troubleshooting section or contact support:

We hope this guide helps you maximize the value of Struct Answer. Enjoy efficient and insightful document analysis!