Archive Working Directory Tool

Owned by Brad Johnson
Last updated: Jan 20, 2023
3 min read

The Archive Working Directory Tool is a helpful new addition to the CadEnhance software suite that allows users to easily archive their working directory or extract a previously archived working directory. This tool is especially useful for sharing files with others, such as when a customer encounters a problem with our software and needs to share their design files so that we can reproduce any issues.

View the video demo here: https://scast.cadenhance.com/archive_tool

The tool is easily accessible from the top menu bar of most CadEnhance tools by going to
Tools/Utils -> Archive Working Directory.

How to open the Archive Working Directory Tool

The Archive Working Directory Tool has two main features:

1. Archive Working Directory

  • Allows users to easily create a .zip archive containing important files and directories within the current working directory. This makes it easy to share the files with others.

  • This feature specifically does the following:

    • Creates a .zip archive: A .zip archive of the current working directory is created and stored in the specified output directory, containing only the important files and directories.

    • Ignores output/junk files: Any output or junk files that are not important to the archive are automatically ignored (e.g., generated HTML files).

    • Includes all referenced files: Any referenced files that are located outside the current working directory will be pulled into the archive to ensure that all necessary files are included.

    • Includes the site directory: The site directory referenced by the environment variable CE_SITE_DIR is copied into the archive. This ensures that the archive contains all relevant configuration settings.

2. Extract Archived Working Directory

  • Allows users to easily extract a .zip file archive and immediately load the archived working directory into the current tool. This feature is useful for opening and using the files contained within an archive that has been shared with you.

  • This feature specifically does the following:

    • Extracts a .zip archive: The .zip file is extracted into a new directory that is created inside the specified output directory.

    • Loads extracted archive: The current tool’s working directory is updated to use the extracted archive directory. The archive config file is loaded in with all of its settings, as well as the site directory if the archive contains it.