Stand-Up
Data Files
Files Types
Stand-Up uses three file types to store information about comics,
and more specifically, the comics in your collection. The file
types are:
In the typical case, you will have one Template File
for each different title (e.g. Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1) in your
collection. You will also have one corresponding User Data File
for each of those titles. Finally, you will have a single
Index File, which defines the way that you group
the titles in your collection.
This picture shows the associated directory hierarchy.
- The "data" directory contains the data for your collection.
- The Index File lives in the "data" directory.
- The Template Files live in the "template" directory.
- The User Files live in the "user" directory.
This directory tree can live anywhere on your computer. Stand-Up
remembers the last index you were using, and automatically re-opens
it when the program is started.
The Stand-Up distribution contains a small example file set, which
you can modify to suit your requirements.
Alternatively, you can use the File -> Open... menu item
to open a new file. The "template" and "user" directories will
automatically be created in the directory where you specify the new
Index File.
See the Tutorial for more detail.
The Template Files (.tem) files contain all of the information
related to the title in general, regardless of who those comics
it may belong to. Specifically, the template file for a title
may contain:
- The name of the title.
- The list of issues published for this title.
- Some text describing the title.
- Some true/false flags describing this issue.
For each issue in the title, the template file may contain:
- The cover date.
- A line of simple information.
- Names of the Editor, Writer, Artist, etc.
- The current market "Near Mint" value.
Template files are generic to anybody. A number of template
files for Marvel comics are available at the Stand-Up
Home Page
for download in ZIP file format.
For a detailed description of the Template File syntax, refer to the
File Syntax page.
The User Data Files (.dat) files contain all of the information
related to the particular comic book that you own. Specifically,
user data file for a title may contain:
For each issue in the title:
- The grade (Near Mint, Very Fine, etc.) of your copy.
- A note about your particular copy, e.g. ("Present from my Dad")
The User Data Files are specific to your comics. A User Data
File for any individual comic title is automatically created when
you first tell Stand-Up that you own an issue from that title.
For a detailed description of the User Data File syntax, refer to the
File Syntax page.
Your Index File (.idx) describes how you perceive the comics
you own. It allows you to structure the titles in the way that
best matches how you view your comics.
Generally, you only need one index file - which is called
"default.idx".
An index file describes how you structure your comics. This may
match with other people's view, or it may not. If you download
my Marvel Comics templates from the Stand-Up
Home Page,
you will see that it includes a "default.idx" file to get you
started. You will probably want to modify this to suit your
tastes.
For a detailed description of the Index File syntax, refer to the
File Syntax page.
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