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QB - 03.07 Program Options - Folders (Specifying Where the Program Saves Files and Looks for Updates)

Views: 1647 Last Updated: 11/07/2022 10:01 am 0 Rating/ Voters
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Folder options specify the folder locations for things such as where databases are stored (by default), where backups are created, where exported Bid packages are saved, and other program operations.

You can set these folders to any valid locations. Changing a location could interfere with the proper operation of the software. Some, but not all, of these folder paths provide an error message if the entered path is not valid. Others fail only when the function is accessed, for example, if the path listed under Update Location does not exist or the path is invalid, an error occurs when "Check for Updates" is selected.

Caution
You must have sufficient rights to read/write/update files in whatever location you specify or the program will not function correctly. Please contact your Network Administration for assistance with user rights.

Program defaults are shown in the screen shot above.

Folder What it does/How it is used...
Database Folder Sets a default for where the application saves new databases. Every database stored in this location is listed in the Open Database dialog box, automatically.
When distributing Custom Report files, they must be stored in the "CustomReport" folder in this location.
Backup Folder

When performing a backup of a database, Quick Bid creates an exact copy of the database and adds a number to the name to indicate which backup copy it is. The program then places this copy of the database in the folder specified in this field. On Center Software recommends taking steps to safeguard these backup copies from accidental use or deletion.

Warning
This must not be the same folder as the "Database Folder".
Package Folder When creating a Bid package, this is the folder where Quick Bid creates the QBP file by default. The Bid Package may be saved to any location, this is simply a starting point.
Update Location Folder Allows a company's IT department/Network Administrator to control when their users receive update notifications (this effectively blocks On Center Update Notifications, however Marketing Notifications will still come through). 
See Related Articles for more informaiton.
Proposal Templates By default, your proposal templates must be stored C:\OCS Documents\Quick Bid\Templates to be found by Quick Bid. You can change this if you like. 

Cloud Storage

Many of our clients have asked us if they can store their databases "in the cloud" using a service such as Google Drive, OneDrive/SkyDrive (Microsoft), or DropBox. The short answer is that it is not recommended although some of our customers use the programs in this fashion. Keep in mind, the way some of these services work places a temporary "lock" on files so those files can be uploaded periodically to the 'cloud'. While this is acceptable for a word processing document or a photo, a live database should not be stored in this manner. Access-type databases set/remove file locks on the file to protect it from anyone, any program, from interfering with a user's ability to read-write to the database - if another application or utility places locks on the Access database files, this could cause problems with your software, including corrupt databases and crashes.

You are more than welcome to store your Backups in a cloud-synchronized folder, in fact, we recommend it!  Just set the "Backups" folder to your cloud drive and the backup copies of your databases will be safe and sound.

Please see Related Articles for more information.

Using Quick Bid 4.96 or Older?

Quick Bid 4.96 and older did not include "Proposal Templates" in the Folders tab in Options, you'll have to edit your System Registry to make the change.

Warning
The following steps require editing the Windows Registry. Modifications to the Windows registry, if not done correctly, can cause serious problems with Windows, including leaving your computer in an unusable state.  Please contact an IT Professional to assist you.  Only a Windows Administrator can perform Registry edits correctly.

To change the default location of the Bid Proposal Templates,

Save your customized Bid Proposal Templates to the desired location

Close Quick Bid

Open the Window's Registry Editor (see your Windows Help support documentation or contact Microsoft for assistance with this - the steps are a little different in every version of Windows) - you must run the Registry Editor with Administrator privileges.

Once the Registry Editor opens, browse to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\On Center Software\Quick Bid 4.0\Settings

In the Name window, double-click "TemplatesPath", a small dialog box opens

In the "Value data:" field type the new path to the Templates directory  (be sure to include the 'closing' backslash in the folder name.  For example, if you were moving your templates to "C:\Folder", you would enter "C:\Folder\" - if you do not include the backslash, the program will not work properly. 

Click OK

Caution
If this new Templates folder is on a server, you must use a mapped drive (asigned a drive letter) instead of the server name. For Example, "T:\Quick Bid\Templates" instead of "\\Server\Quick Bid\Templates". For additional information on mapping a network drive, refer to  Microsoft Help and Support document: Article ID: 308582.

Once the path is entered, Close the Registry Editor

Launch Quick Bid

Click on the Proposals button on the Main toolbar

The Template Name field now contains the Bid Proposal Templates from the location specified in the Registry.

This setting is stored for the Current User only, this procedure must be repeated for all users on the PC and all other network users who wish to share this templates folder.

Note
To 'add' the original templates installed with Quick Bid to the list, you will need to place a copy of the "*.dot" files from C:\OCS Documents\Quick Bid\Templates in the new location.

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Product documentation (user guides) describes functionality in the latest version of each major release and may not match the functionality in the version you are using. Please check the Product Information and Downloads pages by clicking one of the product buttons above.

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