AXW vs ZIP

felixmoldovan
felixmoldovan Junior Member
in NetLinx Studio
Not to be mistaken, I read the documentation and it appears that AMX recommends using two different "packing" options for distribution to remote site (on the go) as opposed to backup (zip).

Turns out that the apw file is nothing more than a zip file (if one changes the extension zip instead of apw) will look very similar to what "backup workspace" generates, just that "on the go" forces me to change the workspace name.

I would appreciate if anybody could explain the major difference and the targeted use between the two of them (why one and not the other) as they seem pretty much the same to me. Thanks!
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Comments

  • DHawthorne
    DHawthorne Junior Member
    There is no difference. My guess would be is they wanted a distinct file extension so such projects are (1) easily identified at a glance, (2) open directly with Studio instead of your ZIP program, and (3) are not easily confused with other archives.
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  • kbeattyAMX
    kbeattyAMX Junior Member
    AXW automatically opens NS2 and creating AXW allows for misc files located in other directories (AXIs,TKOs,TPfiles,IRLs) to be compacted into one file. This is assuming that the APW is mapped properly. I personally like exporting WS to GO because it insures the project is complete in one location.
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  • felixmoldovan
    felixmoldovan Junior Member
    Well, reasonable enough. Just like my wife would say. "Do you want to call it supper or dinner? Cause it's still the same stew we had last night..."
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  • Colzie
    Colzie Senior Member
    I use "Export Workspace Files To Go" when I need to send files to an on-site tech for loading. I rename it to .ZIP, though, to eliminate another layer of confusion. The field guys have varying levels of experience with NetLinx Studio, but almost all know what to do with a zip file.
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  • felixmoldovan
    felixmoldovan Junior Member
    So, following the same logic, if you just want them archived for future reference, you would probably use
    " Tools -> Backup Workspace File" and then change the extension to AXW, for one-click opening.
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  • HARMAN_icraigie
    HARMAN_icraigie Technical Trainer II, Harman Professional University
    AXWs work well for revisioning a full workspace too.
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    A Few Things to Know...

    The Export To Go option does a few things that you may or may not know about:

    - All the file location info that is referenced in an APW file is "relative path" to the location of the APW file. So, if you have files located on different drive from the APW file, the Export To Go will pull the file, stuff it in the AXW and fix up the resulting APW file. That is why we ask for an APW file name when creating an AXW file.

    - Of course you have the option to "Keep Existing Folder Names" when creating the the AXW. If this option is selected, then there is no fix up on the resulting APW file.

    - The developer has a plethora of options on how to create the AXW versus just creating a backup ZIP file from the "Tools-Backup Workspace Files...". This file backup option is useful when you might want to do some major surgery on code, yet not sure if the extremely cool programming paradigm you thought of in the shower will actually work.

    Just a few thoughts I wanted to share...
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