This document gives a top level view of how a DNA agent acquires, builds and distributes DNAs for RailCOMPLETE. It assumes that you know what a RailCOMPLETE Definition of Network Assets (DNA) is.

Acquiring DNA source files

Perform the following steps to gain access to the DNA source files on your computer:

• Get access to the relevant GitHub DNA repository. If you are unaware what this is or how to get it, contact Railcomplete AS. The Norwegian DNA is open source and available here.
• Install GitHub Desktop.
• Use GitHub Desktop to clone the DNA repository from step 1. See e.g. this guide.

Now you should have the DNA source code on your computer. It's located wherever you put it during the GitHub Desktop setup. The path is probably similar to \\Documents\\GitHub\\RailCOMPLETE-[XX-YY].

GitHub repositories are organized into branches. They are parallel versions of the same code. See here for a more in-depth explanation.

Most DNA repositories keep their latest stable version on the main branch and ongoing work on the develop branch. DNA found on the develop branch might not be compatible with the newest RailCOMPLETE release, but instead be intended for an upcoming release.

Building a DNA file from source files

You can create a DNA file for use by RailCOMPLETE by running MakeDna.bat in the RailCOMPLETE-[XX-YY] top level folder. The resulting file appears in .\\RailCOMPLETE-[XX-YY]\\[XX-YY]\\DNA.

Creating DNA installers

For an explanation on how to make DNA installation files, see

Creating DNA installers

Distributing DNAs without an installer

If you don't want to distribute the DNA using an installer file, you can create a compressed file containing all the necessary files. The recipient of the file will need to uncompress it at the correct location (%APPDATA%/Autodesk\\ApplicationPlugins\\RC.bundle\\Adm). To create the compressed file you can run the TransferDnaFilesToAzureTmpFolder.bat batch file. Then create a compressed file of folder inside the "TMP" directory that is created by the batch file.

Using DNA installers

When running the DNA installer, the destination folder has the default value of %APPDATA%/Autodesk\\ApplicationPlugins\\RC.bundle\\Adm. This location can be changed if needed. If changed, you also need to change where to look for DNA folders when starting a new RailCOMPLETE drawing.