Storing Application Data

Storing Application Data

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Prior to Windows® Vista, it was common for applications to store any data they wrote in the folder where the application itself resided (unless the user directed otherwise). Usually, this would have been somewhere in the "C:\Program Files" folder.

Since the release of Vista, Windows® has discouraged applications from writing in "C:\Program Files". While this presents some short-term inconvenience, in the longer term it allows Windows® to offer better security.

To have its way, while still allowing older programs to run properly, Vista put any files that normally would have been written to the Application folder (inside "C:\Program Files") into a special location (called Virtual Store). To help users find these files without having to learn the lengthy new pathname, Vista introduced a Compatibility Files link near the top of the list of Application folder files in Windows® Explorer.

Version 2.0.9 (and earlier) of ChartOverlay stored data files in the Application folder (or Virtual Store) by default. These would include:

Application Data
ChartOverlay.ini	the file in which application settings (options) are stored
ChartOverlayDBLog.txt	the file to which debugging info is written
ChartOverlayDBLog.prv.txt	the previous version of ChartOverlayDBLog.txt; ChartOverlayDBLog.txt is cut off after 250,000 bytes and renamed to ChartOverlayDBLog.prv.txt
ChartNotes	the folder in which your work is saved if you use the Save command
Images	the folder in which your images are saved if you use the Save Chart Picture command

Version 2.2.21 (and later) follows the conventions for Vista (and later) when storing Application Data.

Because the pathname for this folder is still rather long, ChartOverlay provides an Application Data button in the About dialog. This button will open the folder containing your application data.