QUESTION

What are all those file extensions in QC-Gage? We get this question from time to time so we're creating a KB article that we will update as more file extensions are used.

ANSWER

In QC-Gage, the following file extensions are used:

1. .spl/.sp2 - This is the file extension for spec plans. .spl is in .INI format, .sp2 is ina newer JSON format. These are the measurement plans in the system.
   

2. .qsf - This is the extension for gage scripts. Gage Scripts contain the necessary information to chop up output from your hand gage, file or TCP/IP connection and find the actual, channel number (if applicable), and units (if applicable).
   

3. .tmp - These files are stored in QC-Gage's installation path and Whenever measurements are added to the run screen (either electronically or manually), these files are created/updated. In the event of a system crash, QC-Gage can then recover the running spec plan up to the last measurement taken. Whenever the Finish button is clicked and the final data is sent to QC-CALC, these files are deleted. The process starts all over when the spec plan is launched again. The path to these files is not changeable in QC-Gage.
   

4. .sav -These are incomplete inspection plans that are created when you use the Save/Continue option in a spec plan. This is an option that allows you to save a current session of a spec plan and call it up later to finish it off before sending it to QC-CALC. For instance, you start the session, fill in a couple values and save it. Two hours later, you call it up, enter the remaining values and send the data to QC-CALC. When you enable this option, it uses the Incomplete Inspection Path in the Tools > Options > Set Paths area. By default, this is set to the variable [Use Spec Plan Location] which points to the Spec Plan default folder set just above. They are also deleted when the plan is completed and sent to QC-CALC.
   
5. .sa2 - These are the incomplete inspection plans created when you use the Save & Continue option in your .sp2 format spec plans. These are the same as the .sav files in #5 above except they are formattted differently for compatibility with the newer .sp2 spec plan file format.
   
6. DAT/DA2 - This is the Source File Backup file and again, INI vs. JSON format. These files are saved each time the user hits Finish and are the Spec Plan name with a date/time added. The Tools > Manage Source File Backup menu can be used to delete or recover these files. The location for these files is set by the Tools > Options > Set Paths > Miscellaneous > Incomplete Inspection Location setting and you can also control how long to keep these files around from the same spot. There were problems at one time with the files building up and causing problems.
   
7. -TEMP.DAT/DA2 - This is the same file as the Source File Backup, but this file is only around while the Run Screen is in use. As soon as you click Finish this file is deleted (maybe it is moved to the Source File Backup area). If you were in the Run Screen and the power cut out, in theory this file would remain and when you ran the Spec Plan next it would let you know it found a temporary file and ask if you want to recover that data. The name of this file will be the spec plan name with the -TEMP.DA_ after it and there can only be one of these at a time. This file is in the c:\Program Data\Prolink\QC-Gage 4.0\ (for 4.0) or c:\Prolink\QC-Gage 3.4 (for 3.4).
   
8. .ini - These are all settings files for QC-Gage itself. When you change settings in the Tools > Options area, most of them are stored in .ini files.
   
9. .qbs - These are button files. Button files keep track of the layout of the tabs and buttons on the main screen of QC-Gage. You can share button files across multiple copies of QC-Gage by putting them on the network and mapping each copy of QC-Gage to the button file on the network. This is done in Tools > Options > Shortcut Button.