Apex sketches

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

What file folder are Apex sketches stored in and what extension does Ala Mode use?

Last night I had completed a lovely sketch of a round house with a round basement, all the walls, plumbing, etc detailed. Went to print it, it printed and then hiccuped and the Apex sketch is gone. And my building sketch is blank. In Day One/Nova the Apex sketch was a separate file of its own, so when I had an assignment for a house I had measured and sketched before, I could just import that sketch. Or access it without being Day One/Nova. But I haven't been able to figure out what Ala Mode does with Apex sketches.

 

[Jerry Bone Jr]

C:\WIN2000\ASKETCH\Files
.axb and .ax2
C:\WIN2000\ASKETCH\APEXWIN2\DATA

 

[Randall Garrett]

Jo Ann,

I believe what WT does during the integration call is simply "assign" a generic name - "sketch.ax2" in this case (?) - rather than name the sketch the same as the report file, which would be more proper IMHO. So, essentially, your last sketch "file" while IN apex (in memory) and our auto-backup file (on disk)) gets overwritten over and ove. If the integration call is succesful, the forms program may store the file in some other place (the root of your question?) per their own settings. There is a setting in Apex which lets you control where you'd like your sketches and other things to be by default, but I believe WT's use of our integration code overrides that so that they can control where the files are. This is a normal "housekeeping" thing...

The backup sketch file (sketch.axb) is temporary and is intended as protection against power outages, system crashes, etc. Apex saves and then updates a temporary AXB file as per your settings ("Event" or "Area" - each time you draw a line, or each time an Area is closed.) This setting is in the Configuration dialog - Misc. tab.

The AXB file exists only for use while you are in Apex, and it is deleted upon successful exiting of Apex. So, unless your system crashed while you were in Apex, the AXB file should no longer be there and you'll have to look for the "sketch.ax2" or whatever it is named. If Apex did not exit properly, the next time you run it, a dialog should come up, asking if you want to load the AXB file. If you had multiple files open, it would lave a list of files to choose from.

I suggest running Apex in Stand-alone mode first, rather than via integration, just to see if anything shows up. If nothing shows up, the original "sketch.ax?" was saved wherever the integration call told it to, or per your Configuration settings.

Another trick for the future is to use a "Save as" occasionally. I believe WT disables this but there is a work-around as requested by many WT users - simply use "Export > File" from the File menu. I believe the Shortcut Key for this is [Ctrl][F12]

If none of the above is appropriate or desirable, I would suggest doing a Windows Search and use something like "*.ax*" as the filter. Sorting the resulting list by date should let you home in on the file you want/need. If you determine that there is an AXB file out there, I would first make a copy - name it something like Sketch-B.ax2 just so you will have something out there to fall back on if necessary.

BTW, unless you are still using Apex v2.x (unlikely), the file isn't likely really a version 2 file. The WT integration just doesn't use a current file extension. But even so, if the file is a valid Apex file, it will skip past the extension and open it anyway, so it is not a problem. I just wanted to make sure you knew that just because WT use of our integration tools names it like a version 2 file, it really is not, so it cannot be opened by Apex v2. If you ever want to see what version made the file you are working on, select "Sketch info" from the File menu.

Hope this helps!

-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..

 

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

Thank you for your reply Randall. I searched for all files on my computer with .ax and only found three sketches that I had imported from old Nova/Day One files. I didn't find a single sketch that I have created since I started using Ala Mode/Aurora. I like your suggestion of doing my sketches in Apex Medina (the latest version since I have a license with you) then importing it into my Aurora file. That way I will have it for future reference outside of the Aurora file. I am already doing my Sales Comparison Grid for each file in Nova/Day One because I do not like the Comps Side by Side feature of Aurora, I can't see the blanks in the grid, they are too small and too confusing. The search and selection of one comparable at a time drives me up the wall. So I create a file in Nova/Day One with the file number I want, enter subject data in the sales comparison grid, search for multiple comparables in my data base, enter the appropriate ones into the grid, research any missing data that I need, make my adjustments then print those grid pages. Then I save the updated data to my data base. About once a week I delete the data base in Aurora, then download the Nova/Day One data base to Aurora, then I do the comps side by side, one property at a time, type in the adjustments from my printed pages--and then finally done with comps in the grid in Aurora. From now on I will create my sketch while I am in Nova/Day One too, then import that sketch into Aurora, that way I will have an accessible sketch file.

When Nova/Day One went out of business, I researched all the various software programs and Aurora was the only one that would transfer my data base (the foundation my business rests on--if it wasn't there I couldn't function). So I have been attempting to learn Aurora ever since, it is very cumberson, time consuming with all it's extra steps, etc compared to Nova/Day One. Maybe I should start with Nova/Day One to write up my report, then convert that file to Aurora so I can complete a 1004MC instead of just doing the parts that don't work. And tomorrow I guess I will be drawing circles again!

 

[Randall Garrett]

Jo Ann,

Bummer on the lost file! Your situation, though, gives me an idea for an improvement to Apex, so at least you'll be contributing to the overall improvement in a fashion... :-\

Since you have Apex Medina, you can use your sketch program with any of the competing forms programs and you can move between them at will... Alternately, there are PDF and drag and drop options if that works better for you. I think Aurora even has a widget thing that makes grabbing a PDF a snap, so maybe what works for you for now is to do the report in Nova/Day One and auto save the sketch in PDF (or other format) and use that to semi-automate things (?)

In any case, let me know if there is anything I can do in the future, especially if you run into a tough one. BTW, if you have the time, I'd love to see the sketch on that "lovely" when you get it done. Looking at those type of things always get me thinking how I can improve the product. Plus, I just like the weird ones... Takes one to know one, LOL.

Happy Easter! Wish my advice had been able to retrieve the file!


-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..

 

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

Here is a scanned copy, the interior walls are such a light blue you might not be able to see them. It was a fun one--even more fun is attempting to find some somparable. There is another round house that has been for sale for about six months--but nothing sold. That other round house was fun also (I think I sent it to you years ago). It had two levels, the top half looked like a doughnut cut in half. The detached garage was egg shaped. The interior walls don't show, but I have all interior walls on both levels, indication of doors, etc. My signature mark on any Apex sketch is the closet, when you open the closet door the word closet faces the room it opens to. Now if I could just get the closet doors to swing open and shut like the shower door icon does, that would even be more fun. I some times move the shower icon all over the screen just for the fun of watching the door swing--and always very carefully have the door facing the room instead of a wall, even though I knew when I finally put it in place the shower door will be shut. I have been waiting for years for an assignment with a Hummer in the garage. When I do put car icons in garages I put the family sedan next to the kitchen door, the F-150 pickup on the far side of the garage, and if a three car the sports car in the middle. Drawing an Apex sketch is more fun than playing a video game!

 

[Randall Garrett]

Holy Moly, Jo Ann! I'll bet that one was fun to measure! How'd you do it - diameter, radius, circumference...?

Glad it was you and not me, LOL!

Thanks for sharing!

-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..