Moving the right files to the new computer

[DianaK]

Looking for a comprehensive list of all the files I want to move from my old computer to my new computer, just to make sure I don't miss any. I'm sure that list must be somewhere in these forums, I just couldn't find it on a search.   Workspaces .STAs etc.

[Pat Stanford]

If you have already installed VW on the new computer there are a couple of things you want to check to make sure you have everything you need.

 

When I get a new computer, I typically get one with twice as much disk space so I can copy all of my old data over as a separate "archive" user account. That way if I discover that I have missed anything I have a easy way to get back to it.  I just log in as the old computer user, drag whatever I need to a shared folder (on Mac I use the Shared user folder for this) and then log out and back into my original account. The next time I get a new computer I eliminate the "archive" account and use the current account as the new "archive"

 

VW typically stores anything you have customized into your User folder. On the Mac this is at User:Library:Application Support:Vectorworks:2022 (or whatever version you are moving).  The Library is typically a hidden folder You can access it from the Finder Go menu and holding down the Option key.

 

Things you move from the User folder should go in the same relative folder on the new machine.

 

If you are using any custom plug-ins (and as a lighting designer there are probably should be [Autoplot tools, Landru Producer Pack, Benghiat BeamViz, ProjectorViz, the Savvy line of tools].  These should probably be reinstalled on the new machine, but probably live in the Plug-ins folder of your user folder and can possibly be moved over from there. Plug-ins have extensions of vss, vsm, vst, or vss.

 

Customer workspaces have vww extensions in the User folder Workspaces folder.

 

There are also a number of txt and xml files that may be in the User folder, but they are probably created when needed by VW or the plugins that use them or on install.

 

Other than that, the only extensions VW uses are VWX and STA. If you are using Project Sharing you will also have VWXW and VWXP extensions on the shared working files and project files.

 

If you have other questions, please ask again.

 

 

[DCarpenter]

When transferring files over to a new computer I move the Plug-ins, Library, and Workspaces folder over but don't usually pay much attention to the TXT files at the root directory of the User Folder.  I would like to find where my custom page sizes are kept in my User Folder but am stuck trying to find where that info is stored.  Is that info in those TXT files in the User Folder root directory?

 

Dave