INTERMEDIATE CAD FILE MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 INTERMEDIATE CAD FILE MANAGEMENT Intrductin File mismanagement is the dwnfall f many brilliant individuals. If yu are wise, yu wn't be ne f the peple wh meet disaster due t pr file management. Cmputers and their inner wrkings are largely mysterius t the typical user. Hwever, many technical aspects, ften daunting at first, can be mastered. A functinal knwledge f cmputer systems is necessary in tday s prfessinal and technical fields, and the mre fluid a user can be with the system the better. What gd is a perfectly finished prject if yu can't find the file? Can yu recver smthly if yu find a file has been crrupted? Let s face it: the cncepts f file management are essential fr survival in the cmputer realm. Read n t learn mre... Key Elements f File Management There are tw imprtant elements f file management: 1. Organizatin 2. Backup Let's lk at each f these in turn. Organizatin Organizing cmputer files may seem freign t a persn wh is new t the wrld f cmputers. Indeed, sme cmputer veterans are ften nt terribly rganized. It helps t draw a cmparisn. If yur cmputer culd be cmpared in structure t a kitchen, think abut hw well yur kitchen is rganized. When yu place dirty dishes in the dishwasher, d yu depsit them all in ne lump, clse the dr, push 'g', and hpe fr the best? When yu stack silverware in the drawer, d yu just dump the entire array f utensils in the drawer in a single pile, then hunt t find what yu want later? Prbably nt. Similarly, it is unwise t dump all yur cmputer files in ne flder and hpe fr the best. Windws Explrer Windws Explrer, which ships with the Windws perating system, is a prgram that prvides a means f rganizing cmputer files. Figure 1 belw shws a typical Windws Explrer windw with Cmputer highlighted. Nte the fllwing: 1. Windws Explrer facilitates navigating abut yur cmputer, the lcal netwrk, and attached strage devices (flash, zip, etc.). Becme familiar with it. T pen Windws Explrer, dubleclick the Cmputer icn n yur desktp, r click n the Start buttn in the lwer left crner f yur display, and then click n Cmputer. 2. This windw displays an item fr each f the strage devices yu can access. These devices may r may nt be physically attached t yur lcal cmputer. Each device is assigned a single letter, fllwed by a cln, fr example, C: r U:. 3. Ntice that there is a split in the windw currently it is in split pane view. In this view, cntents f the item highlighted in the left pane are shwn in the right pane. In this instance, Cmputer is highlighted in the left pane. Therefre, the cntents f the cmputer are shwn n the right, in these categries: ix

2 Hard Disk Drives: this is the disk drive installed in yur lcal cmputer Devices with Remvable Strage: this includes CD/DVD drives and USB drives Netwrk Lcatins: these are all the external drives t which yu have access Cmputer windw Figure 1. The Cmputer windw Figure 2 shws a particular path expanded, which creates the tree view. Admittedly, the 'tree' part f this may be a little hard t cnceptualize. Hwever, cnsider the fllwing attributes f this view: A flder can cntain files and sub-flders. Figure 2 shws the cntents f a flder named Dcuments and Settings that resides n the C: drive. This is an imprtant flder that cntains many files and sub-flders. In Figure 2, the final flder in this path named Raming is highlighted in the left pane. The cntents f this flder appear in the right pane. The address bar abve the split panes displays a pathname. Nte that the pathname in the address bar crrespnds t the flders that are pen. The last flder in the path is the ne that is highlighted n the left, with the cntents shwn n the right. x

3 Raming flder Figure 2. Tree View Flders In the business wrld, printed infrmatin is rganized in filing cabinets. Within a filing cabinet are drawers. Inside the drawers are flders. And within each flder is sme number f files. The files are the real entities, the nes cntaining the infrmatin. The filing cabinet and the flders are simply cntainers that rganize the files. The Windws perating system prvides an analgus structure: A disk drive is similar t a filing cabinet. A flder (als called a directry) prvides the same functinality as a manila flder in a file cabinet. A file cntains sme type f infrmatin, just like a file in a filing cabinet. Figure 3 depicts the rganizatinal structure f a User flder in A&E CAD. Nte the fllwing: The flder that is highlighted in the left pane is the Dcuments flder, which is yur A&E CAD user flder. When yu lgin, yur user flder is mapped t the U:\ drive and shwn with yur lgin name. SAVE YOUR FILES THERE. See the Backups sectin belw fr further details. Within the Dcuments flder shwn in Figure 3 are varius sub-flders, sme f which cntain yet ther flders. This is a typical rganizatinal structure. Even thugh the flders belw the U:\ drive (as highlighted) are expanded in the left pane, the tp level cntents f the U:\ drive, which is highlighted, are shwn in the right pane. Nte the crrespnding address in the address bar abve the split windw. Dcuments is anther name fr yur U:\ drive. xi

4 Yu can create sub-flders within yur Dcuments flder. Fr example, yu might want t create a sub-flder fr each class yu are taking. Within a class flder, yu can create additinal flders fr each prject. If necessary, yu can create yet ther flders fr cntributing files, r the files themselves. This structure is similar t a well-rganized file cabinet. Nte The amunt f time it takes t rganize flders and files int an rderly structure is minimal cmpared t the amunt f time necessary t find a lst r misplaced file. Indeed, cnsider the amunt f time necessary t cmpletely re-create a file when yu dn't find it. Organizatin f yur User directry is extremely imprtant. Dcuments flder Figure 3. A&E CAD Dcuments Directry Backups If yu belnged t an electrical crew, yu wuld quickly learn a cncept that is enfrced upn every member f the crew. Fr example: Suppse yu are an electrician, and yur assigned task is installing a circuit in a new junctin bx. There is anther electrician nearby, and yu ask her "Are these circuits ht?" Her respnse: "D yu have yur tester?" Nw, let's cnsider anther scenari: Yu have wrked all weekend at hme n yur final prject. The files represent hurs f diligent wrk, very imprtant data. The prject is safe and secure n yur flash drive, and yu cnfidently lgin t an A&E CAD cmputer. While attempting t pen yur file, yu get an errr. After unsuccessfully trubleshting the prblem, yu ask Tech Supprt fr help. Yu are greeted by a questin: D yu have a backup f yur data? File mismanagement is the dwnfall f many brilliant peple. Dn't let it be yurs. Back up yur data frequently! A&E CAD Backup and Data Recvery Prcedures The A&E CAD Tech Supprt crew has an exhaustive backup regimen fr departmental data. A&E CAD servers perfrm backups f all data that is n the server every evening. If yur data is in yur Dcuments flder, it is backed up. If yur data is nt in yur Dcuments flder, we have n cntrl ver it and yu may have n backup. 1. Keep cpies f yur files in yur Dcuments (U:\) flder. If yu d nt save r cpy yur files here, we cannt back them up fr yu. 2. Keep cpies f yur files at hme. These backups may seem redundant, and they are. This is called redundant data management. xii

5 3. Make sure yu are wrking n the mst recent cpy f a file. Manage and delete the lder, unnecessary cpies f the files. 4. Certain prgrams (AutCAD, MS Wrd, MS Excel, etc.) can create a backup every time yu save a file. Yu can als direct these prgrams t make incremental autmatic saves. Our AutCAD installatin is cnfigured t create a backup cpy every time yu save a drawing. Backup files are stred in yur Dcuments flder and have the same name as yur drawing file but a.bak extensin. Our AutCAD installatin is als cnfigured t perfrm autmatic saves at regular intervals as yu are wrking. Autmatic save files are stred in a flder named C:\Dcuments and Settings\username\Lcal Settings\Temp. They are deleted when yu save yur drawing. These backups and saves becme extremely imprtant if yu lse a drawing. See Tech Supprt fr additinal assistance. 5. If strage space is an issue, learn hw t cmpress files t help manage yur backups. 6. Manage yur backup files as yu wuld any ther file. Keep them rganized. Delete lder, redundant, r unnecessary backups t save disk space. xiii