# No 'History output' file is created in the work directory for Tutorial 34

**URL:** <https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/no-history-output-file-is-created-in-the-work-directory-for-tutorial-34/3017>\
**Category:** General Questions\
**Created:** [October 15, 2025, 9:30am UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/no-history-output-file-is-created-in-the-work-directory-for-tutorial-34/3017 "2025-10-15T09:30:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![steelxpert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@steelxpert](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/steelxpert)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 9:30am UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/no-history-output-file-is-created-in-the-work-directory-for-tutorial-34/3017/1 "2025-10-15T09:30:01Z")

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There is no file created for the bolt working load after following the Tutorial 34 - everything else seems to be working as presented in the video. Do you have any hints how to fix this?

Also, can you please explain the meaning of the “SOF”(?) paramter/command at the end of the ‘History outputs’ user defined field of:

“\*SECTION PRINT, SURFACE=Surface=Internal\_Selection-1\_Pre-tension-1, NAME\*SP1

SOF"

I cannot find a reference for it in the User Manual of CalculiX (v.2.20).

Also, can you please explain why it is not needed to define the same above user field in ‘Step-2’?

And finally, is there any other workaround in the recent version of PrePoMax (v2.4.0) for extracting the bolt working load in the final step?

Link to the PrePoMax file: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q1U8eNdUDM\_fZJlKHi786ERYkJn8arAy/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q1U8eNdUDM_fZJlKHi786ERYkJn8arAy/view?usp=sharing)

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**Author:** ![FEAnalyst](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/feanalyst/32/688_2.png) [@FEAnalyst](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/FEAnalyst)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 9:55am UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/no-history-output-file-is-created-in-the-work-directory-for-tutorial-34/3017/2 "2025-10-15T09:55:32Z")

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> [@steelxpert](#):
>
> “_SECTION PRINT, SURFACE=Surface=Internal\_Selection-1\_Pre-tension-1, NAME_SP1
> 
> SOF"

You have some typos here - it should be NAME=SP1 and “Surface=” is duplicated. In the job monitor, there are warnings indicating missing surface because of that. When you fix those typos, you should get the .dat file.

SOF stands for section forces. In the CalculiX manual, it’s mentioned under the `*SECTION PRINT` keyword description and in the _6.13 Output variables_ table.

It’s defined only in the first step because it automatically propagates to subsequent steps.

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**Author:** ![steelxpert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@steelxpert](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/steelxpert)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/no-history-output-file-is-created-in-the-work-directory-for-tutorial-34/3017/3 "2025-10-15T12:03:09Z")

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Thank you, now it’s clear.