ID Number: Q74602
3.00
WINDOWS
Summary:
In the Microsoft Windows graphical environment, a private profile or
initialization file, as the name suggests, is designed to be used when
a program initializes and terminates. A profile stores a limited
amount of information from one program session to the next. A profile
is are not designed to serve as a database.
More Information:
Windows assumes that an INI file is not larger than 64K; file access
is not guaranteed beyond that point. Even if a text editor is used to
extend the file, Windows does not search for information past the 64K
boundary.
Also, Windows performs a linear search of INI files; therefore, the
longer the file becomes, the longer it takes to access an item at the
end of the file. Each time an application accesses an INI file,
Windows opens and closes the file which incurs additional overhead.
One alternative to using initialization files to store large amounts
of information is for the program to write to and maintain its own
files. This approach is faster, more flexible, and more reliable than
using profile for purposes for which it is not designed.
Additional reference words: 3.00