Maintaining or discarding the local metadata cache

When users log out of a session, the application caches metadata about IDOs and forms to two XML files on the local computer. The file can persist between sessions, so that when users start a new session, the application uses the cached data, and users can open forms quickly.

Thesse are the metadata cache files:

  • config]IDOMetadataCache[windowsuser.xml
  • config]FormsMetadataCache[windowsuser.xml

where:

  • config is the name of the configuration used for the session.
  • windowsuser is the user name (ID) of the user logged in to that session.

These files are stored in drive\documents and settings\windowsuser\Local Settings\Application Data\Infor\WinStudio on the user's computer.

The persistent local metadata cache feature applies only if both the Application Server and its clients are running version 8.02 or above of the application.

Discarding/Refreshing the cache

The cache files contain the last login timestamp. If the IDO or forms metadata has changed since the last login, because of software patches or new customizations, the cache must be discarded and refreshed. Caches are discarded when any of these events occur:

  • The application checks the "last changed" timestamp for the IDO and forms data against the last login timestamp stored in the XML cache files. If the "last changed" timestamp is more recent than the last login timestamp, the application discards the appropriate cache.
  • If a new user using a different language logs into the application using the same local computer, the forms strings cache on the local computer is cleared automatically.
  • A user selects the Form > Definition > Unload form and global objects menu option to manually discard both caches on the local computer.
  • An administrator clicks the Discard IDO Cache button in the Configuration Manager utility for the specified configurations. This changes the "last changed" timestamp for IDO metadata, so the next time users connected to that configuration log in, their IDO metadata cache is cleared.
  • An administrator clicks the Publish Form Change button in the Configuration Manager utility for the specified configurations. This changes the "last changed" timestamp for forms metadata, so the next time users connected to that configuration log in, their forms metadata cache is cleared.

How "Last Changed" timestamps are updated

The objects database updates its "Last Changed" information by means of a trigger, but the forms database does not.

To reset the "last changed" timestamp when form changes have been applied using SQL rather than through the form server, use the Publish Form Change button in the Configuration Manager utility. Click this button when either of these events occur:

  • You create new Application Event System handlers that suspend inserts. You might need to manually mark form metadata as modified, because the application caches form information about whether new operations are suspended.
  • You install an on-demand patch.
    Note: When you install a service pack, you do not need to click this button.

To reset the "Last Changed" timestamp when changes have been made to IDO metadata, use th Discard IDO Metadata button in the Configuration Manager utility. This should be done when new IDOs have been added or when new properties or methods have been added to existing IDOs.

Disabling metadata caching

Because the metadata cache could potentially consume a large amount of disk space on the local computer, administrators can disable it by setting the Persist WinStudio Metadata Cache process default to 0 (zero).