Storage Location

Where does ENERCALC Store Files?

With Windows 7, XP and Vista there is a more standardized structure for file storage locations that software manufacturers such as ENERCALC are strongly encouraged to conform to. Vista is particularly rigid in its requirements for file locations.

In the programming world there is a standard notation for file locations that, when used in program code, allows Windows to return the location depending on the currently logged in user. This is a more uniform method of file storage than prior methods, which typically involved storing files in a "Data" subdirectory of the actual program directory.

The common Windows notation for file locations starts with "CSIDL" (constant special item ID list).

We store two types of ENERCALC non-program files: Non-changing database files and changing user-created files.

▪	Non-changing files are the database files....steel sections, wood sections, seismic response, etc.

▪	Changing files include your ENERCALC Project Files and user-defined databases (like the user-defined steel database).

When your ENERCALC software is installed our installation program asks Windows for the drive and directory locations corresponding to:

CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS and CSIDL_PERSONAL.

What are the typical file storage locations for Windows 7?

Here are the typical locations :

▪	Non-changing database type files are stored in CSIDL_COMMON_Documents. In Windows 7 this location is typically: C:\Users\Public\Documents\ENERCALC Common Data Files\

▪	Changing database files are stored in CSIDL_PERSONAL. In Windows 7 this location is typically : C:\Users\<username>\Documents\ENERCALC Data Files\ <username> is the name you used when you created your user record. Generally this is specific to the current logged-on computer user.

What are the typical locations for the various versions of Windows?

In all cases <username> is your personal folder under My Documents.

▪	CSIDL_COMMON_Documents

Windows 7

C:\Users\Public\Documents\ENERCALC Common Data Files\

Windows XP

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\ENERCALC Common Data Files\

Windows 2000

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\ENERCALC Common Data Files\

Windows Vista

C:\Users\Public\Documents\ENERCALC Common Data Files\

▪	CSIDL_PERSONAL

Windows 7

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\ENERCALC Data Files\

Windows XP

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\ENERCALC Data Files\

Windows 2000

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\ENERCALC Data Files\

Windows Vista

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\ENERCALC Data Files\

How does the software know where to look for these files?

When the Structural Engineering Library is launched it looks in the Windows Registry for the current user and extracts the ENERCALC file locations established by that particular user on the Settings > General Settings & File Locations screen.

All of these values are stored in the Windows Registry for the current user. This allows different users of a computer to have their project data files and user-created databases accessible in their own folders.