C:\Spectrum
When Microsoft came up with Vista (and all later versions of Windows), they
decided to change the location of folders (directories) where users should
put "their" data. In contrast to earlier windows version (like XP) the 'Documents
and Settings' folder ('Dokumente und Einstellungen' in german) has gone.
Instead, there should be folder for each user in the root of drive C.
Much worse, any directory in the former 'Programs' folder, where Spectrum
Lab and including ALL its subfolders used to be installed by default,
doesn't have write permission for users without an admin account. There may
be good reasons to do this, but the ugly consequence is that you cannot have
'all in one place' anymore, and that you cannot make a copy of an installed
Spectrum Lab, including all of its (possibly modified) configurations by
copying for example C:\Programs\HamRadioSoftware\SpectumLab (including all
subdirectories) anymore !
To be prepared for other 'nice surprises' which Microsoft may come up with in future, the following pinciple will be used now (since 2010-06) :
The PROGRAM (Spectrum Lab) and all files which belong to it
will (by default) not be installed into the windows 'Programs' / 'Programs (x86) / 'Programme'
or whever microsoft wants 'Programs' to be installed anymore.
Instead, by default, Spectrum Lab will be installed into C:\Spectrum.
The actual name of that folder is not so important, but it's important to install it
outside the dreadful read-only 'programs' folder (or whatever MS calls it today, or in your language).
If, for some reason, you chose a totally different path to the executable (Spectrum Lab)
and for the 'data' files (configuration, audio files, screenshots, logfiles, etc etc),
how does Spectrum Lab know where its "data files" are located ?
The installer generates a simple text file in the program's "executable"
folder (no problem, because the installer must have write permission for
this folder anyway). This file, called "data_file_paths.txt" is used
to pass the location of the 'data file' directory from the installer (i.e.
InstallSpecLab.exe) to the installed application (here: SpecLab.exe) . See
details in the next chapter. For simplicity, and to avoid a lengthy explanation
of 'Windows Shell Folders' here (*), let's
assume all 'data files' used by Spectrum Lab will be copied into C:\Spectrum
by the installer, as a real directory, not some 'virtualized' crap.
(*) To read a deterrent story about 'where
an application should place its data files', see
http://doughennig.blogspot.com/2007/01/finding-paths-for-special-folders.html
.
Since the Nullsoft-based installer was dropped in favour of the
'Inno Setup' system,
the file 'data_file_paths.txt' will not be automatically created
by the installer anymore (if an installer is used at all, since
Spectrum Lab was designed to be "portable").
But for backward compatibility, or if you want to have Spectrum Lab's
configuration files located outside the folder with the executable
(e.g. "C:\Spectrum\SpecLab.exe"), you can either create "data_file_paths.txt"
yourself, or copy it from an older installation. Example
(contents of "data_file_paths.txt", located in the same directory as the executable):
# File: data_file_paths.txt
# Purpose: Lets SpectrumLab.exe know where all its
# "data files and folders" are, including
# various subdirectories - see manual.
# If this file does NOT exist in the folder
# with the executable (SpecLab.exe), the program
# assumes the 'folder with the executable'
# is also the 'folder with the data files'.
data_files = C:\Spectrum
In addition to data_file_paths.txt, the location of the configuration file(s) also be modified through the command line (details here ). Parsing of the command line parameters takes place after reading data_file_paths.txt, so the command line argument override the settings in data_file_paths.txt .
Due to the problems with hidden 'documents' folders (yet another nuisance with windows), the data folder may be difficult to find - especially if SL was installed a long time ago. To locate the base path, open the 'About' box in Spectrum Lab (main menu, 'Help' ... 'About'). The lower part of the 'About' box will show something like the following :
Exec: C:\Programme\Spectrum Lab\SpecLab.exe Data: C:\Dokumente und Einstellungen\Username\Blah\Blubb\Anwendungsdaten\SpecLab |
Exec: C:\Spectrum\SpecLab.exe Data: C:\Spectrum |
The 'Exec' field shows the full directory and filename of the executable. In this directory, you will also find the uninstaller, the file data_file_paths.txt, the help system (subfolder 'html'), and possibly a few DLLs which may be required to run Spectrum Lab on your system.
See also: SpecLab's main index, Keyword index ("from A to Z"), Configuration files and folders (directories).