Submitted by rleap on 2021/07/06 14:53

I am an ECCO user that is new to IQ and would like to have input on how to most efficiently set up IQ. I almost exclusively use ECCO as an outliner. In ECCO I
established a file for each subject. Each file would have a small number of related Notepads. The files would be kept in related folders on my computer. I am
questioning whether to use this method with IQ or to just have one IQ file with all my grids for all subjects. I could then group the grids in the one file. I
am leaning towards just having one file, but would appreciate any insight on how others approach this issue.

If I use separate files is there a way to associate items in separate files, or are separate files walled off? I was unable to find if this is possible in the
online documentation.

Thanks,

Comments

You can use links to grids or items in another IQ file as described in http://infoqubeim.com/drupal5/node/3972 :

2. Creating IQ:// protocol links (i.e. URI links)

If the content is to be used outside of InfoQube, it can be useful to use URI links instead of regular links.
 
The format is: IQ://C:\SomeIQBase.sndb/items/ItemID, or

  • /items/ItemID1,ItemID2, (...)
  • /views/Surface
  • /views/Calendar
  • /views/ViewName
  • /views/ViewID

 To copy the link to the clipboard:

  • Select one or more items and do Edit > Copy > Copy Item URIs
  • Right-click on a tab > Copy View

The clipboard will now contain a universal link, such as: IQ://C:\Users\AUser\Documents\IQBases\JohnDoe.SNDB/items/1580

 

Switch to the other application and do Edit > Paste (or similar command)

To test a link, enter it in the address bar of a browser and hit Enter. Focus should switch to the link target (item, grid, etc)

You could also put a shortcut file in the appropriate file folders to link to relevant grids / items in your IQ database - just as you would create a shortcut to a file or a URL, except the link would be in the IQ://C:\SomeIQBase.sndb/items/ItemID format as shown above.

You say "I could then group the grids in the one file"

Do you (or anyone) know if this is possible? (I've never tried to myself)

I believe you can sort the grids manually (in manage grids) and this sort is kept in the drop-down list of grids.

Re the choice, I've always used one file so can't really comment about using multiple files.

Hi rleap,

I am questioning whether to use this method with IQ or to just have one IQ file with all my grids for all subjects

Unless you need to share specific content with others, I would recommend using a single file. The benefits being enhanced search, integration, linking and fluidity. Plus, unlike Ecco, there are no limits to the number of grids (notepads), fields (folders) or items

Pierre_Admin
IQ Designer

How do I ?