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SUMMARYThis article explains when, where, and how Microsoft Word for Windows creates temporary files. MORE INFORMATIONDefinition of a Temporary FileA temporary file is a file that is created to temporarily store information in order to free memory for other purposes, or to act as a safety net to prevent data loss when a program performs certain functions. For example, Word determines automatically where and when it needs to create temporary files. The temporary files only exist during the current session of Word. When Word is shut down in a normal fashion, all temporary files are first closed and then deleted.Why Does Word Create Temporary Files?Speed:If there is not enough memory available to keep the document with all its edits in memory and still perform manipulations such as sorting, dragging, scrolling, and so on quickly along with any other applications that are running, then Word moves part of its code that is not being used or part of the document that is not being edited from memory to disk. This movement to temporary files on disk frees more memory for text manipulation or storage of the parts of the document that are being actively edited. Data Integrity: Word uses temporary files as a "safety net" to protect against system errors in its file-saving scheme. By saving to a temporary file first and then renaming the file to the proper name, Word ensures the data integrity of your original file against problems (such as a power failure or lost network connections) that may occur while the file is being written. Types of Temporary FilesMS-DOS-Based File:These are standard MS-DOS files. Document-File-Based File: The difference between this file and a traditional MS-DOS file is that multiple programs can read and write to these files without the original owner knowing about it. Additionally, document files have inherent properties that allow Word to create files and directories within files. At startup, Word creates one temporary (direct) document file called ~wrfxxxx.tmp. You can determine that it is a document file because the initial size is 1,536 bytes. This temporary document file is used to store all OLE objects that belong to unnamed documents, Undo, the Clipboard, and documents whose native formats are not document format (for example, .txt, .rtf, and Word 2.0 documents). Word can open document files using two different modes: transacted and direct. These modes are discussed later in this article. Transacted Document Files: Transacted files allow Word to open a file, write to it, and have other programs--such as Microsoft Excel--write to it, but still retain the right to restore the file to the state it was in when Word first opened it. To do this, the document file creates ghost images (typically ~dftxxxx.tmp) of all the changes made to the file after it was opened; if Word keeps all the changes, the contents of ~dftxxxx.tmp merge with the original file, and then saves a complete version of it. Conversely, if Word discards all changes, then ~dftxxxx.tmp is deleted, and the original file does not change. Word opens all of the Word native files using transacted files, which create ghost images in the Temp directory. When you start Word, Normal.dot is typically opened in transacted mode, and a ghost file is created for it called dftxxxx.tmp. FastSave, for example, merges these two files when a save occurs. Direct: Word uses direct storage when opening the temporary document file and when performing either a Save As or a Full Save (non-FastSave save). This type of file is a low (if any) consumer of memory and does not create a ghost image when created or opened. Specific Files That Word CreatesThe following tables list some of the specific temporary files that Word creates.
A Simplified View of the Scheme Used to Save an Edited File
Word gains significant performance speed by placing the temporary file in
the same directory as the saved file. If Word placed the temporary file
elsewhere, it would have to use the MS-DOS COPY command to move the
temporary file from the other directory to the saved location. By leaving
the temporary file in the same directory as the saved document file, Word
can use the MS-DOS MOVE command to quickly designate the temporary file as
the saved document.
When and Where Word Creates Temporary FilesThe location where Word creates the temporary files is hardcoded information and cannot be edited. In general, Word creates temporary files for the following types of data.Embedded Word Objects (Temp Directory): When Word acts as an OLE server program, the embedded Word objects are stored as temporary files in the Temp directory. OLE 2.0 requires extra drive storage. When you start OLE programs, Word needs to provide copies of the data to the server. It is not unusual for extensive OLE 2.0 usage in a single session of a program to accumulate a large amount of temporary storage on the hard drive. Scratch File (Temp Directory): When Word runs out of internal random access memory (RAM), it always creates a single temporary scratch file in the Temp directory to hold information. This scratch file holds information that is swapped out from the Word internal file cache, which is allocated from global system memory. The scratch file varies in size from 64 kilobytes (KB) to 3.5 megabytes (MB). The default cache size in Word is 64 KB. For more information about increasing the cache size in Word, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q212242: WD2000: Where Settings Are Stored in the RegistryRecorded Macro (Temp Directory): When you record a macro, Word creates a temporary file in the Windows Temp directory. Converted Files (Temp Directory): The word processor converters supplied with Word create temporary files in Rich Text Format (RTF), which Word uses to access specific converters. Locked Files (Temp Directory): When you open a file that is locked, either because it is open in another window of Word or because another user on the network has it open, you can work with a copy of the file. Word places this copy in the Windows Temp directory. Likewise, if a template attached to a document is locked, Word automatically makes a copy of the template in the Temp directory. The copy of a locked file does not automatically update the original owner's file. Saved Files (Same Directory as the Saved File): When you click Save on the File menu, the following happens:
When Word copies and pastes between documents, it may create a temporary file in the same directory as the source file--especially if the source file is saved or closed. The temporary file represents the information that was referenced by the Clipboard prior to saving the file. Word creates this temporary file by renaming the old copy of the file to a temporary file name. Owner File (Same Directory as Source File): When a previously saved file is opened for editing, printing, or review, Word creates a temporary file with a .doc file name extension that begins with a tilde "~" followed by a dollar sign "$" followed by the remainder of the original file name. This temporary file holds the logon name of person opening the file and is known as the "owner file." When you attempt to open a file that is available on a network and is already open by someone else, this file supplies the <user name> for the following error message: If the Owner File is damaged or missing the error message changes to: NOTE: Word automatically deletes this temporary file when the original file is closed from memory. Automatic Save: Word Auto Recover Save Directory: The temporary file created when Word performs an automatic save is stored in the Temp folder, unless there is not a valid Temp folder; Word then saves the temporary file in the same folder where it saves the document. The Location of Temporary Files When You Close a FileWord may occasionally have to maintain a link to a file after it is closed. This occurs when text has been copied to the Clipboard from the file. When you close a file, Word attempts the following actions:
Additional query words: tmp temp
Keywords : kbfile kbnetwork kbdta wd2000 |
Last Reviewed: September 15, 1999 © 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use. |