Moving Library Content to the Cloud or Other Custom Location

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

I would like to host library content up on Dropbox, Google Drive, or another 3rd party cloud service. Is there a way to move or relocate the Chief Architect catalog database? 

ANSWER

Libraries can be moved to a different file location by accessing the Folders panel located in the Preferences dialog.

To specify a custom location for the User Library*

1. Select File> New Plan  to create a new, blank plan file.
   
   
   
2. From the menu, click on Edit> Preferences if you're on a Windows PC or Chief Architect> Preferences if you're on a Mac.
   
   
   
3. Select the Folders panel, uncheck the Keep User Library and Referenced Files in Data Folder box, then click the Browse button next to User Library Folders.
   
   
   
4. Choose the folder location that you would like to move your User Library to, then click on the Select Folder button.
   
   In this example, the catalogs are going to be moved and hosted on Microsoft OneDrive.
   
   
   
   
   
5. The User Library Folder should now show the new file path for the folder that you selected.
   
   
   
   
   Note: In X12 and newer program versions, moving the User Library folder will also move the Backdrops, Patterns, Images, and Textures folders with it. This is to ensure that custom items that have been added to the User Library don't lose reference to their associated files.
   
   
   
6. Click OK to confirm the change and the dialog will close.
   
   You may receive a message stating "Do you want to copy library files from the old User Library Folder to the new folder? Any files of the same name in the newly selected folder will be overwritten." Choose Yes or No to proceed.
   
   
   
7. The Migrating Library Content dialog may appear displaying a progress bar.
   
   
   
   
   Note: The migration process may take some time, depending on how large your User Library is, along with the location it's being moved to. Alternatively, this dialog may not appear if the migration or location change is not resource intensive.
   
   
8. Once this dialog disappears from the foreground, the library database has been successfully moved to your specified location.
   
   

To specify a custom location for Core, Bonus, and Manufacturer Libraries*

1. Select File> New Plan  to create a new, blank plan file.
   
   
   
2. From the menu, click on Edit> Preferences if you're on a Windows PC or Chief Architect> Preferences if you're on a Mac.
   
   
   
3. Select the Folders panel and click on the Browse button next to System Library Database Folder.
   
   
   
4. Choose the folder location that you would like to move your library content to, and then click on the Select Folder button.
   
   In this example, the catalogs are going to be moved and hosted on Microsoft OneDrive.
   
   
   
   
   
5. The System Library Database Folder should now show the new file path for the folder that you selected.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click OK to confirm the change and the dialog will close.
   
   You may receive a message stating: "Do you want to copy library files from the old User Library Folder to the new folder? Any files of the same name in the newly selected folder will be overwritten." Choose Yes or No to proceed.
   
   

   You may also see an additional message stating: "Changing the system library database folder will stop any current library downloads. Files in the chosen folder may be overwritten." Click OK to proceed or close out of the dialog using the "X" in the top right corner if catalogs are downloading in the background.

   
   
7. The Migrating Library Content dialog may appear displaying a progress bar.
   
   
   
   
   Note: The migration process may take some time, depending on how many catalogs are being moved, along with the location they're being moved to. Alternatively, this dialog may not appear if the migration or location change is not resource intensive.
   
   
   
8. Once this dialog disappears from the foreground, the library database has been successfully moved to your specified location.