File Locking (Networking) 🔒
AppliCad Roof Wizard is network aware, and supports networking, file sharing and also has file locking.
File locking restricts the operator from opening a job already being worked on by one of their colleagues.
This prevents inadvertently over-writing some else’s work or data-files with a different version of the job.
In many firms where the estimating office has multiple operators doing estimates they typically save files to the same User folder on a shared network drive - say X:/AppliCad_User for example.
A network is also used to share printers and data backups etc.
Saving job data and pricing data in the same folder is very useful as it ensures that everyone has the same up-to-date pricing files and report templates etc.
In addition, operators can open and check each others work.
In this environment, it is essential that file locking is enabled, thus preventing operators opening a file already open and being worked on by another operator.
This is done under Set Up > Preference Settings > System Preferences.
Once set, a lock file is created each time a file is opened, thus preventing that file being opened again by someone else on the network.
The lock file is reset when the file is saved and closed, thus allowing others to access that file.
Note: A job file in Roof Wizard is the DAB file (a CAD database file) eg Bobs-Builders.DAB which may have all Bob's jobs saved as models (typically the street address or lot number).
When you open a model in a Bobs-Builders.DAB file, the entire DAB is loaded into your computer and the Bobs-Builders.DAB is locked - a file called Bobs-Builders.LOC is created.
This prevents anyone else on the network opening Bobs-Builders.DAB to access another model in that DAB file. This may lead to some inconvenience if not planned for.
If the software has been closed in error and lock files have not been properly cleaned up, it may be necessary to delete them.
This may be done with the button – [Delete] to delete existing lock Files – these are files in the …/User folder with a *.LOC extension.
