Utilities Menu

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Utilities Menu

The Utilities menu contains many useful utilities described below.

Check File Versions

This runs the Check File Version utility explained under Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

View Log Files

Log files can be viewed from the Utilities -> View Log Files menu.

Log files are created by QuoteWerks, the Medic Utility, and the QuoteWerks installer.

Show Logged In Users

The Utilities -> Show Logged in users menu will display a list of the users currently logged into QuoteWerks.

This is useful for administrators using the Medic Utility because it enables them to see who is still logged into QuoteWerks. Most procedures that can be run in the Medic Utility require that no users be logged into QuoteWerks. Having a list of all the users currently logged into QuoteWerks at any given time, the administrator can contact these users and ask them to exit QuoteWerks so that the administrator can then perform the maintenance procedure.

API Info

This will verify that the qw.dll backend dll is intalled, registered, and functioning. Additionally the location, version, and date/time of the file will be displayed.

Edit SITEBOOT.INI File

The Utilities -> Edit SITEBOOT.INI File menu enables you to edit QuoteWerks SITEBOOT.INI file directly. While editing INI files directly, you will be able to change some settings that you cannot change through QuoteWerks itself.

OS Permissions Viewer

This utility enables you to navigate to a folder on a network drive and display the read/write/delete/modify, etc permissions that the currently logged in user has in the selected folder. This is useful for troubleshooting network rights issues.

QuoteWerks Act! Medic Utility

This utility is very useful in debugging complicated Act! integration issues, including detecting and repairing Act! framework registration issues due to failed Act! updates, and blocked (by anti-virus or firewall) TCP ports which interfere with .NET component communication.

Database Maintenance (Access Only)

Sometimes databases become corrupted due to power failures and other unforeseen events. You can use the maintenance features of the Medic Utility to repair these databases.

Microsoft Access databases along with other databases require maintenance from time to time. The most prominent reason for this is that when records are deleted from the database they are only marked as deleted, and not actually deleted. Not deleting records immediately increases the performance of the database. The compact procedure will compact the database thereby removing all deleted records and optimizing the database for speed. Often a compact has a better success rate in fixing a corrupt database than the repair function does.

To repair and/or compact a QuoteWerks database, select the [Maintenance] button on the Medic Utility toolbar:

From the maintenance window, you can select QuoteWerks databases, and then optionally run repair and/or compact procedures on the selected databases.

The QuoteWerks system databases that you can repair and compact are all located in the \QuoteWerks directory. See QuoteWerks System Files for a listing and description of all the QuoteWerks database files that can be repaired. It is strongly recommended that database maintenance be run on a monthly basis at a minimum.

Note:You cannot repair or compact a database that QuoteWerks uses while QuoteWerks is running.
Note:Before the repair or compact process begins, QuoteWerks makes a backup copy of your database with the same base name followed by a numerical sequence for the extension. (Example: PRODUCTS.B01). QuoteWerks increments this sequence each time you do a compact, so the backup file that was just created has the highest numerical sequence. If during the repair or compact procedure an error occurs, you can retrieve your database by renaming the PRODUCTS.B01 file to PRODUCTS.MDB or by utilizing the Utilities -> Restore from backup menu within the Medic Utility.
Note:QuoteWerks databases are in Microsoft Access 2002/03 format.

If your Access database is over 500 MB, you should consider upgrading to the Corporate edition and rehosting to SQL.

Restore Database from Backup (Access Only)

As described above, the Medic Utility creates backups of databases. If a problem is encountered, you can restore a backup. This can be accomplished through the Utilities -> Restore from Backup menu:

When a backup is restored, the existing database is saved as an .RXX file. For example, if you are restoring your DOCS.B11 file, the DOCS.MDB file will be renamed to DOCS.R01, and the DOCS.B11 file will be copied to DOCS.MDB.

Delete Database Backups (Access Only)

The Medic Utility creates a backup of database each time it performs a repair and compact procedure on the database. Backup files are also created when importing data into native product databases within QuoteWerks. Over time, you may accumulate backup files that you wish to delete. You can delete these backup files through Windows explorer, or more easily through the Utilities -> Delete Backups menu in the Medic Utility.

Purge Sync Transactions

This utility will delete sync transactions that are used for keeping the data from multiple installations synchronized. This utility will only be needed in rare occasions. It is not recommended that this utility be used unless directed to do so by QuoteWerks Support Services.

Create Product Database Folders

This utility will create product folders in a native product data source based on information that is in specified fields of each product record.

For example, if you sell t-shirts you can store a product’s size in the CustomText01 field and the product’s color in the CustomText02. This utility can be used to create a folder for each product size and then sub-folders for each product color. This saves you a lot of time over manually creating these folders.

Data Manager for QuoteWerks Databases

The Data Manager is located under the Utilities -> Data Manager menu. It enables you to quickly make changes to multiple records in product databases and your document database. These changes include the tax code field, print picture field, changing the vendor and manufacturer names, copying the manufacturer part number to the vendor part number and visa versa, and copying the first 255 characters of the description to a custom text field, and more. For security reasons, a user login with Master Rights is required to access this feature.

System Database Setup

This utility enables you to modify SQL server connection settings such as server name, database, name, and user id. This is useful in cases where the SQL Administrator needs to change the database name, or login credentials. They can make the changes on the SQL server, and then in this System Database Setup, update QuoteWerks with these changes.

Remove Read Only Properties

When installing QuoteWerks on multiple laptops or remote locations, users often find it easier to save all the configuration information from one QuoteWerks installation to a CD-ROM, and then copy these folders and files from the CD-ROM to another computer. When copying files from a CD-ROM to a Hard Disk, files are saved by Windows with Read-Only Properties (since a CD-ROM is read only). QuoteWerks requires all files within the QuoteWerks directory and its sub-folders to have Read and Write Access. The Utilities -> Remove Read Only Properties menu will remove Read Only Properties to all files within the QuoteWerks directory and its sub-folders.

Edit SITEBOOT.INI File

The SITEBOOT.INI file is available for the medic utility.  This is where any addons that are utilizing the API that need to start with QuoteWerks can be setup to boot when QuoteWerks launches.

Under the [Addons] section of the siteboot.ini file there is a AutoRunXUsers= key. Here you can specify a comma delimited list of users that you want the addon for. For example the AutoRun1=notepad.exe and the AutoRun1Users=John Lewe, Brian Laufer.

Settings Manager Menu

The Settings Manager can be accessed through the Help-> About Menu as well as the medic utility.  For more information on this menu option, see the Settings Manager topic.