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Author:

AkosPfemeter

Creation Date:

2002-10-12

ArchiCAD versions:

• ArchiCAD 7.0

Platform:

• Mac OS X
• Windows

Audience:

• power users

Reference:

• [tracking number]

Introduction

Preferences are various settings that make ArchiCAD customizable. This document summarizes these settings, their storage location and explains how you can work with them in different situations. The following topics will be discussed in this document:

Contents

  1. Description of the different settings
    1. Project Specific Settings:
    2. Working Environment Specific Settings:
    3. TeamWork User Specific Settings:
  2. Storage location of the different settings
    1. ArchiCAD Program File:
    2. ArchiCAD Project Files:
    3. Registry (only on Windows):
  3. How you can transfer these settings among different computers
  4. How you should proceed when different users use the same workstation
  5. What you should do when you upgrade ArchiCAD to a newer version

Description of the different settings

In ArchiCAD there are basically 3 types of settings: settings that are specific to concrete Projects, settings that define the working environment in ArchiCAD irrespectively of the actual project opened and user specific settings in a TeamWork project.

Project Specific Settings:

Working Environment Specific Settings:

TeamWork User Specific Settings:

Storage location of the different settings

ArchiCAD Program File:

The ArchiCAD Program file includes all of the default settings burnt in. These settings will be used:

ArchiCAD Project Files:

Every ArchiCAD project file contains all of the settings specific to that project. Whenever a certain project gets opened its own settings will be read from the project file.

The actual stage of all of the settings will be written into one of the Preferences files when ArchiCAD gets shut down. By the next launch of ArchiCAD creating a new plan these settings will be used. On Windows you can define the storage location of the Preferences files in the Registry. On the traditional Macintosh the Preferences files are always stored in the System Folder / Preferences Folder. On Macintosh OS X the preferences files work the same way as on the traditional Macintosh but each user has got its own preferences files set stored in: OSX/Users/The_Actual_User/Library/Preferences.

Registry (only on Windows):

The registry on Windows contains 2 different types of information.

How you can transfer these settings among different computers

  1. Preferences files can be replaced by each other on the same platform when the Program version equals (Language, Package Version and License Type)
  2. Project specific settings can be transferred in any plan files (even in an empty file)
  3. Registry entries can be Exported/Imported in the Regedit program. You go to a certain entry (e.g. HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareGraphisoftArchiCADArchiCAD 6.5 QENTool Bar) and choose the Export command from the Registry menu. This will result in a file that can be imported on other computers in the Regedit (note that you have to export the file in a different format when the OS version differs on the other computer).

  4. Between projects you can transfer the following settings by using the Attribute Manager AddOn: Layers & Layer Combinations, Pens & Colors, Line Types, Fill Types, Composite Structures, Materials, Zone Categories, Cities. In Attribute Manager you can import these setting either from an existing ArchiCAD project file or from an Attribute Manager file (*.aat).

How you should proceed when different users use the same workstation

  1. In case more then one copy of ArchiCAD is installed on the same computer:
    • On Windows the information stored in Preferences Files cannot get mixed because each ArchiCAD copy has got its own ArchiCAD folder containing its own preferences files. However information in Registry are distinguished only by main localized version (E.g. ArchiCAD 6.5 QEN). It means regarding these settings in case of different sub releases of the same localized main program version (E.g. R1, R2) always the settings of the last used ArchiCAD will be registered. Note that registry entries are stored under HKEY_CURRENT_USER that means every user can have its own entries/settings provided that each user installed a discrete copy of ArchiCAD into a different folder.
    • On the traditional Macintosh Preferences Files are stored in a central location (in System Folder/Preferences) and are distinguished only by main version number (E.g. ArchiCAD 7.0). It means regarding settings stored in Preferences Files in case of different localized versions or sub releases of the same main program version (E.g. R1-QEN, R2-GER) always the setting of the last used ArchiCAD will be saved and used.
    • On Macintosh OS X Preferences files are stored user by user (in OSX/Users/The_Actual_User/Library/Preferences) so they can use different settings independently from each other.
  2. In case more then one copy of ArchiCAD is installed on the same computer and is running parallel at the same time:
    • Always the settings of the last quit ArchiCAD are saved into the commonly used files described above and the copies started afterwards will use these settings.
  3. In case one computer is used by more than one user different settings can be used by multiple installation of the program (only on Windows).

What you should do when you upgrade ArchiCAD to a newer version

  1. Upgrading to a newer version means new ArchiCAD folder and differently named Preferences files. It means the settings cannot get transported between main versions, however settings stored in project files will be used irrespectively of the program version.
  2. Between sub releases preferences files may be taken over but it is not guaranteed that this will function between all of the sub releases freely.

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TechNotes/Preferences in ArchiCAD 7.0 (last edited 2008-08-27 15:13:53 by localhost)