AseptSoft Core Documentation
AseptSoft Core Documentation
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File System

AseptSoft organizes all project data, user settings, and exports under a structured file system. Understanding this structure helps when locating databases, commits, merge histories, and export outputs.

Convention: Bold names are folders. Italic names are files.

🗂️ Settings Scope Reference

AseptSoft uses a scoped settings system. Each setting belongs to one of the following scopes, which determines where the setting is stored and how broadly it applies:

Scope

Friendly Name

Description

None

None

No scope — internal use only

Environment

Environment-wide

Applies across all projects using this classification environment (e.g., valve libraries, tag rules)

Application

Application-wide

User-level preferences stored in %APPDATA% (e.g., update settings, UI theme)

Module

Module-specific

Applies only within a single module (e.g., export templates, simulation settings)

PID

Drawing-specific

Applies only to one P&ID drawing (e.g., classification overrides per drawing)

Project

Project-wide

Applies to the entire AseptSoft project (e.g., shared team settings)

📁 Project Storage

All project data is stored under a database.aseptsoft folder adjacent to the host project file (AutoCAD DWG or Plant 3D project):

Structure

<Host Project Location> (varies by platform — see Host Project Definition)

  • database.aseptsoft/

    • <PID Name>.aseptsoftdrawingdb — Drawing-specific databases storing classification and tag information for each drawing (AutoCAD basic)

    • <Branch Name>/ — one folder per branch (main, user1, user2, etc.)

      • AseptSoftDatabase.aseptsoftprojdb — Project-wide database storing the list of AseptSoft modules for each PID, plus backup entity information

      • <Module Name>.aseptsoftdb — Module-specific databases containing all module data: Processes, Steps, Valves, States, Conditions, Attributes, etc.

      • pulls/<Module>/ — merge history

        • <relative path to source>/ — contains a database copy of the destination created right after the last merge, used as the three-way merge parent. Also contains a .log file with the merge log

      • Commits/ — commit snapshots

        • <Module Name>/ — one folder per module

          • <Commit>.aseptsoftdb — snapshot databases saved at different points in time

      • Exports/<Module Name>/ — export outputs

👤 User Application Data

Per-user settings and templates are stored under %APPDATA%/AseptSoft. These are Application-wide settings:

Structure

%APPDATA%/AseptSoft/

  • ModuleDataTemplates/ — .aseptsoftdb databases for storing and importing States, Parameters, Variables, and Connectors templates

  • Settings/

    • database.aseptsoft/

      • AseptSoftApplicationDatabase.aseptsoftappdb — Application-wide user settings database. Most settings are managed automatically. Contact us for custom settings or editors

  • <Host Platform Name>/ — platform-specific data (Autodesk AutoCAD or Autodesk AutoCAD Plant 3D)

    • ClassesDefinitions/

      • database.aseptsoft/

        • environments.aseptsoftclassdb — Environment-wide class definitions database. For AutoCAD: defines how block references map to Valves/Instruments and tag-building rules. For Plant 3D: stores the Instrument classification selection list

    • ExportTemplates/

      • DialogsExportTemplate.vsdx — Visio template for customizing Dialog exports

💊 Pharma Example: Setting Up an Environment

When setting up a pharmaceutical plant environment, the classification environment (stored as an .aseptenv file) defines how AseptSoft recognizes your standard valve library:

Component

Classification

Example Block Definitions

Diaphragm Valves

Control (Valve)

DV-DN25, DV-DN50, DV-DN80

Butterfly Valves

Control (Valve)

BV-DN100, BV-DN150

Temperature Transmitters

Instrument (Phenomenon: Temperature)

TT-STANDARD, TT-SANITARY

Pressure Transmitters

Instrument (Phenomenon: Pressure)

PT-STANDARD, PT-SANITARY

WFI Sources

Source (Fluid: WFI)

SRC-WFI, SRC-WFI-HOT

Clean Steam Sources

Source (Fluid: Clean Steam)

SRC-CS, SRC-PURE-STEAM

This environment file can be shared across all pharmaceutical projects by placing it in the project's Environments folder. When a colleague opens the project, they automatically receive the same valve library classification — ensuring consistency across the engineering team.

For more on setting up environments, see First Time Setup.

💾 Database Technology

All .aseptsoftdb, .aseptsoftprojdb, and .aseptsoftclassdb files are LiteDB databases — a lightweight embedded NoSQL database. They are single-file, portable, and do not require a separate database server.

📏 Path Length Handling

AseptSoft monitors file path lengths and will prompt you to select a shorter directory if paths approach the operating system limit. If you encounter path-related errors, try moving your project closer to the drive root (e.g., C:\Projects\ instead of deeply nested paths).