In this section we provide an overview of the folders and files that comprise a NewViews installation. We briefly outline how the folders and files are organized and when appropriate, why they are set up that way. For convenience we will assume that you have installed NewViews in folder c:/nv and we will refer to this as the installation folder.
c:/nv/nv2.exe is the NewViews program. This is the executable file that is loaded and run when you run NewViews as a workstation or server, or when you run scripts such as database utilities.
The file c:/nv/workstation.nv2 is used to manage a NewViews workstation and it actually contains a NewViews database. However, instead of managing an accounting database (set of books), this database is used to manage your workstation configuration, including its windows. For this reason we call it a workstation database. NewViews windows are persistent database objects just like objects in accounting databases and that is why, when you run a NewViews workstation, your windows are positioned and configured exactly as you left them the last time you ran the workstation.
By default, the workstation database is named workstation.nv2 and by default it is kept in the installation folder.
This is adequate for the majority of NewViews installations but there may be reasons you want to set things up differently. NewViews is capable of managing any number of workstations on the same computer and running them one at a time, or simultaneously. The most common reason for this occurs when the same computer is used by different people to access NewViews, and each person wants to use their own workstation database. For details on how to do this see Running more than one Workstation.
If you don't want to use the default workstation, you use the -file command line option when you run the workstation. The -file option is followed by the path to the workstation file you want to use. Note: Use forward slashes in the file path, not backslashes. The -file option can be used in the command line of a Command Prompt window, or the text in a Windows shortcut.
If there is no such file it is automatically created. For more details see Running more than one Workstation.
The file c:/nv/server.nv2 is used to manage a NewViews server and it actually contains a NewViews database. However, instead of managing an accounting database (set of books), this database is used to manage a NewViews server. For this reason we call it a server database. The NewViews server database manages the windows used by the server itself, the database folders offered by the server, the connections, and other miscellaneous information relevant to a server such as the port number.
By default, the server database is named server.nv2 and by default it is in the installation folder.
A server is run by running the NewViews program, i.e. nv2.exe, with the -server option. If -server is found anywhere in the command line of a Command Prompt window or a Windows shortcut, NewViews will run as a server. You can also use the -file command line option exactly as described in the section on workstation databases above. However, when used with the -server option, the -file option is used to override the default server workstation file.
NewViews needs a convenient place to put miscellaneous files that do not belong to any database, but which you can think of as part of the NewViews installation. Rather than pollute the installation folder, these files are kept under the folder c:/nv/nv2.dat. For convenience we simply call this folder the data folder.
Several files are kept directly in the data folder:
manual.chm
This is the NewViews manual. It is in the format of a Microsoft compiled HTML help file (.chm). This is the file that is used when you select the NewViews manual from the Windows start menu, or when you issue the Help>Manual command from within NewViews. You can also double-click on this file when in a Window Explorer to pop up the manual.
The manual is updated each time you install a new NewViews version.
program.qw_reg
This is the NewViews registration file. A registration file is a text file and you can open it with a text editor. However, do not change it. If you have it open in a text editor do not save the text editor file. IF YOU CHANGE A REGISTRATION FILE IN ANY WAY, THE NEWVIEWS INSTALLATION WILL BE RENDERED UNUSABLE.
You will notice that the nv2.dat folder also has a number of sub-folders such as object and system. These in turn have sub-folders and in fact there is an entire structure under nv2.dat that strongly resembles the organization of NewViews system and accounting classes. This is no coincidence. NewViews installs and uses a number of files under nv2.dat that pertain directly to various NewViews application classes so it is natural that they be organized this way.
The most common reason for storing information in files under nv2.dat, instead of within a NewViews database, is that the files must be accessed by other external applications. For example, NewViews uses Excel worksheets and/or Excel templates for various reasons such as exporting/importing and printing. Excel cannot access information directly from inside a NewViews database and must instead access the information from files in the Windows directory system. Storing these files under nv2.dat allows Excel to access them and allows NewViews to easily organize and find them when necessary.
The organization of the folders under nv2.dat is also a convenient place for NewViews scripts to store information that survives from one script invocation to another. Information needed by scripts is generally stored in files with the file type ".qw_options". The use of these files is beyond the scope of this discussion and pertains mainly to NewViews script programming. However, if you see files with the type ".qw_options", you will know that they are used to store information pertaining to NewViews scripts.
Each NewViews database is kept in a single file. You can create and manage any number of databases.
The only rule is that a NewViews database file must have the file type ".nv2".
Of course, you can always rename a NewViews database file to give it a different file type, say for backup purposes, but NewViews itself will not attempt to open a database file unless it has the type ".nv2".