Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> How do i know its a Central File?

JohanEkstrom

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Joined: Wed, Sep 10, 2008
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What is the best/safest way to check if the file I have opened is a central file or a local copy? Is it possible to see directly if it is a central file?

Usually I click Open and mark the project to see if the Create Local File-box is checked by default or not...but is it really the safest way? Can I see it somewhere directly inside a project which one it is, local or central?

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WWHub

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Joined: Tue, May 16, 2006
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Even if you open the central without clicking the create new local file box checked, you are still working in a "local" tied to the central.  You can see this by clicking on the "Sycronize and modify settings" pulldown where you will see the path to the "central file". 

If you click "save as", you will see the default name and path of the file you are in.  Is that your central?

You should develope a habit of how you name files and where you place them.  The central should be on your network and your local on your machine.  We put the word central in our central file names.

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JohanEkstrom

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Joined: Wed, Sep 10, 2008
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We try to do the same thing and name the files by Central and local and so on. But its not always safe. Suddenly someone has made a copy which he/she believes is a central when its not. There are a few pointers if the file is central or local, like checking the file by Modify Settings/Open/Save...but I was hoping for a definite information window that states wheter its central or not.

Since the routine of handling central files is changing with the Revit versions, it´s to easy to mix em up, since we have some project in 2011,2012 and starting on 2013...

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teafoe5

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Joined: Fri, Nov 12, 2010
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All you have to do is name the central fine with CENTRAL in the naming, then when you make a local copy it will put the user name in with the project name.  Another good practice is to make sure that peoples local save path is to somewhere on their own computer and not located in the same file as the CENTRAL file.  You may want to go around to each computer and change the save paths yourself so that everybody has the same and understands where their local file will be saved.

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