The General tab contains various settings that allow you to customize your HEC-RTS experience, as described below.

Load Last Watershed at Startup

By default, HEC-RTS does not automatically load the last watershed you opened. To enable this feature, select the Load Last Watershed at startup option. The next time you launch the software, the last watershed you worked on will open automatically.

Show Confirm on Exit

By default, HEC-RTS displays a Confirm Exit dialog, asking if you're sure you want to exit the application. To turn off this feature, uncheck the Show Confirm on Exit option.

Show Startup Screen

By default, HEC-RTS does not display the Getting Started dialog when the application starts. To enable it, check the Show Startup Screen option.

The Getting Started dialog shows a list of the last five watersheds you opened. To open one, simply click its name—the dialog will close, and the selected watershed will open.

If the watershed you want to open isn’t listed, click More Watersheds to access the Open Watershed dialog. From there, navigate to the desired watershed and click OK.

To create a new watershed, click Create New Watershed. This opens the Create New Watershed dialog.

Automatically Save Watershed on Exit

By default, HEC-RTS automatically saves the current watershed when you exit the application. If you prefer not to save changes automatically, uncheck the Automatically Save Watershed on Exit option.

For instance, if you disable this feature and rename a time series icon, HEC-RTS will display the Save File dialog to notify you of the change. You can then choose whether or not to save it.

Similarly, if you modify any model alternatives within the watershed, the Copy Model Changes dialog will appear. This allows you to decide whether to save those changes to the base models.

Restore Layout

By default, HEC-RTS saves the layout of your map windows when you exit the application, allowing you to restore it later. Layouts can be saved, managed, and restored as needed. If you do not want HEC-RTS to save and restore layouts, uncheck the Restore Layout option.

Sync Watershed Tree to Map Window

By default, the watershed tree is synchronized with the active map window. This means the tree automatically updates to reflect the currently displayed map. If you prefer to disable this synchronization, uncheck the Sync Watershed Tree to Map Window option.

Watershed Save Interval

By default, the watershed save interval in HEC-RTS is set to zero, meaning the watershed is not automatically saved while it is open. To enable automatic saving, enter a time interval (in minutes) in the Watershed Save Interval box.

Show Tooltips

By default, HEC-RTS displays tooltips. To disable tooltips, uncheck the Show Tooltips option. When this option is turned off, tooltips will no longer appear when you hover over items in the interface. You can also adjust the Initial Delay (how long it takes for a tooltip to appear) and the Dismiss Timeout (how long the tooltip remains visible), if desired.

Cascade Internal Windows

By default, map windows are set to cascade automatically. To disable this feature, simply uncheck the Cascade Internal Windows option.

Recent Watersheds Menu Count

HEC-RTS automatically shows the last five watersheds you’ve opened under File > Recent Watersheds. To change how many recent watersheds are displayed, enter a new number (between 1 and 10) in the Recent Watersheds Menu Count box. If you enter a number smaller than the current setting, the list of recent watersheds will be cleared.