Peter and all, >From the frequency of my post, it would sound like one of my favorite features, wouldn't it? I must tell you, however, that the way we find TAB files whose full path is not useable it NOT even on my list of favorite features of our Desktop Mapping product!
However, it does seem a shame that people would needlessly spend time doing search and replace of C's for some other letter or even a more complicated path on many, many files when the software will do it for them! In this regard, I count myself a user. I get examples from many, many users (the hard disk manufacturers stock has risen just on your files, Peter! -) and never has anyone ever told me where to place the files. Nor should they. I extract them to my folder for user issues and open the workspaces. Never once, as long as I actually have all the data, has a workspace failed to open as my preferences are set to include that folder FIRST. MapInfo Professional searches that folder and subfolders and finds the files. It seems a shame to not share that with others. The larger problem of workspaces with links (file references are just links, really) is a well known problem in computing without any revolutionary solutions that I know of. Solutions that I have seen are: Force everyone in an organization to use the same directory structure and/or a more explicit naming convention. Provide, in the software, a more structured approach to storing files as in a repository or catalog. The repository can be shared as in a database. Even when it is not, references are assumed to be relative to the root of the catalog. However, to use data, users must first associate the data with the catalog. Provide find and fix the references tools as we have talked about. Use #2 above but wait until the OS provides a generalized catalog. I think we are a ways away from this, but this is clearly where WinFS and other endeavors are headed. Your thoughts are always interesting. Eric Blasenheim Software Architect MapInfo Corporation Peter Horsbøll Møller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 08/04/2005 02:40 AM To <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "John Elliot" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> cc "MapInfo" <[email protected]> Subject RE: MI-L Moving WOR files Eric, I guess this is one of your favourite features of MapInfo ;-) MapInfo 8.0 comes with the WorkspaceResolver tool, that will improve the built in capabilities of Pro for finding misplaced tables. This tool can show you a list of tables with the specified name and you are then able to select the correct one. I guess a feature request could be to improve MapInfo Pro could be to give the user a list of found tables as the WorkspaceResolver does. Maybe the "compare" method could even be improved to not only look at the table name, but also the folder names and in this way find the best match and use this, or preselect it in the list: Original table: C:\Data\Countries\1999\Denmark.tab List of tables: D:\MapInfo Data\Countries\1997\Denmark.tab D:\MapInfo Data\Countries\1998\Denmark.tab D:\MapInfo Data\Countries\1999\Denmark.tab D:\MapInfo Data\Countries\2000\Denmark.tab D:\MapInfo Data\Countries\2001\Denmark.tab But I'm sure there are some problems in this ! Peter Horsbøll Møller GIS Developer, MTM Geographical Information & IT COWI A/S Odensevej 95 DK-5260 Odense S. Denmark Tel +45 6311 4900 Direct +45 6311 4908 Mob +45 5156 1045 Fax +45 6311 4949 E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.cowi.dk/gis COWI har fået ny hjemmeside. Ydelserne GIS og IT, kort, kortlægning, 3D visualisering og arealforvaltning ligger under SAMFUND. Se mere her : www.cowi.dk COWI has changed its homepage. Our services within cadastre and landadministration, geodataproducts, mapping and GIS can be seen under SOCIETY. See our services here: www.cowi.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 12:39 AM To: John Elliot Cc: MapInfo Subject: Re: MI-L Moving WOR files Mr. Elliot, These may all be fine tools but I thought I would point out, as I seem to once a year or more, that in many cases you don't really need to do anything at all with the workspaces if you don't want to. You can go into the Directory Preferences (under Options, Preferences) and in the bottom pane add one or more directories (with the new drive letter) where the tables should be found. When MapInfo Professional opens the workspace, it will try to find the TAB file in the specified old drive letter, but when that fails, without you being prompted, the search path will be searched for those tables, recursively, in the order specified. The tables are usually opened without any change from you. In some cases, if your disk is large, this might slow things down a bit although NT, XP, etc., cache much directory information. If this is true, then after the workspace was successfully opened, save it again. The newly found paths (on the new drive) will be automatically written to the workspace. The only downside I know of this method is that if your data tables are constantly named the same but in different folders, then we will not be able to distinguish between them. In that case, you have to point specifically to the location of the correct tables by editing the workspaces. Eric Blasenheim Software Architect MapInfo Corporation Mail List: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: on 08/03/2005 10:43 PM ZE10 To: "MapInfo" <[email protected]> cc: Subject: MI-L Moving WOR files I would like to move all my data, including my workspace files, to a second hard drive. Is there a utility that would enable me to rename the drive letter in all my workspaces. I seem to recall seeing this mentioned on the list some time ago. Regards to all, John John Elliot Anzeco Pty. Limited mineral exploration consulting services 26 Casey Circuit, Bathurst, NSW 2795, AUSTRALIA --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 17342
