Local files and storage

Workspace paths, stored jobs and changing drives safely.

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Know what is stored locally Change paths without losing history Back up the whole working set Record the active locations Make a dated copy with the app stopped Test a copy before retiring the original Relocate in stages

LOCAL FILES / BACKUP PLANNING

Keep the working set together.

Default packaged Windows layout. Your active paths in Settings take precedence over this illustration.

WORKSPACE%LOCALAPPDATA%\AxialFluxSim

Saved projects

Project YAML holds the machine and study inputs you saved. Include any project files you saved elsewhere, too.

Before copying: Keep imported CAD and other external input files with their recorded locations. A project file is not a copy of every referenced source asset.

Preferences, caches and other run folders

%APPDATA%\AxialFluxSim\app_settings.json stores path and concurrency preferences separately from the workspace. Keep a copy as a configuration reference; review its old paths before reusing it on another computer.

.cache/ and .meshes/ are solver/visualization and mesh-preview caches; logs/ holds application logs. Include them if preserving the whole workspace or diagnosing an issue. Command-line outputs can also live under build/runs/ or explicitly chosen directories.

This map is not a complete inventory of your files. Check custom output folders and external assets. Restoring engineering data does not transfer an activated licence to another computer.

Plan a consistent backup

Reading checklist only. These checks do not inspect files, copy data or verify a backup. Progress clears when you leave this guide.

Record the Active storage paths in Settings, including individual overrides.Save project files; finish or cancel running work, then close the app and local server.Copy the database, complete job folders, projects and external inputs as one dated set.Keep a second copy on another device or your own backup service.Review the restore checks below before retiring any original files.

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Read the restore checks →

01Know what is stored locally

Projects, simulation inputs, job artifacts and results remain on your computer. The installed app has a local backend; the website and online account service handle identity, purchases and licensing rather than simulation jobs.

On Windows, packaged workspace defaults live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\AxialFluxSim. Preferences live at %APPDATA%\AxialFluxSim\app_settings.json. Source runs can use the checkout instead. Settings shows the active locations for your installation.

02Change paths without losing history

Open Settings to choose a workspace root or override results database, job, cache, mesh-preview and application-log locations. Paths must be absolute and writable. A database path must end in .db, .sqlite or .sqlite3.

Storage and job-concurrency preferences apply at the next app/server start. Saving a path does not move or delete existing files. A new results database appears empty; historical field paths may still point to the original job folders.

03Back up the whole working set

Save the project YAML, results database and the job folders containing fields and logs. A database alone may not contain every artifact needed to reopen a field visualization. Close the app and ensure jobs have stopped before making a consistent file copy.

Store a copy on another device or your own backup service. Website account recovery restores access to purchases; it does not restore engineering files that only existed on your workstation.

04Record the active locations

Before copying files, open Settings → Storage. Record Active for Workspace and each entry under Individual storage locations: Results database, Simulation job files, Solver & visualization cache, Mesh preview cache and Application logs. Also record the Projects location and settings-file location shown in Settings. A custom location can be outside the workspace root.

If a row says Next start, the current session still uses Active. If a row says Controlled by, an environment or server override takes precedence; changing the saved preference will not override that control. Record the application version with your backup so a later restore can be checked against it.

The illustrated paths above are Windows defaults, not a scan of your installation. Source runs normally use the checkout as the default workspace. Saved projects and command-line outputs may also exist in folders you chose yourself.

05Make a dated copy with the app stopped

Save the project YAML and note any imported CAD or other external input files it depends on. Keep those source files too; copying a project YAML is not an archive of every referenced asset.
Finish or cancel running and queued work. Close the application and its local server before copying the database or job folders. Closing a browser tab alone may leave a source-run server running.
Copy the active results database, complete job folders and saved projects into one dated backup set. Include external inputs and outputs in custom locations. Preserve the original folder layout and record the original absolute paths.
Keep app_settings.json as a configuration reference. Its saved paths may be wrong for another machine; do not assume restoring preferences relocates data or transfers a licence activation.
Put a second copy on another device or your own backup service. A second folder on the same drive does not protect against that drive failing.

The website checklist is a reading aid. It does not access your disk, run a backup or certify the copied files.

06Test a copy before retiring the original

Keep the original files and your backup intact while checking a working copy. The app can write to the database it opens; do not use the only backup copy as an active workspace.

Check	Expected observation	If it differs
Restart with the intended paths	Settings shows the intended Active database and job directories	Check saved values, next-start state and any Controlled by overrides
Open a saved project	The expected machine and study inputs load	Check the project location and any external CAD/input paths
Inspect an existing result	Its identity, conditions, warnings and stored values agree with your retained record	Confirm that you opened the copied database rather than a new empty one
Open a stored field view from a run that recorded fields	The retained field artifacts open	Check the original recorded paths and full job folders; a result row alone is insufficient

Try more than one representative study. Opening a project does not prove that every result and artifact has been preserved. If a run never recorded fields, it is not a useful field-restore test.

07Relocate in stages

Changing a storage preference is not an automatic migration. First make and check a backup. With the app and server stopped, copy the working set to the intended writable destination while keeping the originals. Set the workspace and any individual overrides deliberately, then restart the app/server and review Active again.

An individual database or job-folder override can still point outside a newly selected workspace. A new empty database can be valid but show no history. Historical records can retain absolute artifact paths to the old job folders; keeping the same relative layout on a different drive does not guarantee those paths resolve.

If old fields stop opening after relocation, keep the originals available and restore the previous path settings to check the previous working arrangement. Do not delete the old job folders just because the results list appears. Use the support report if the expected paths and artifacts cannot be reconciled; include the application version, original/active locations and exact message, omitting private project content.

This guide follows the development Settings UI and storage-path implementation. Packaged availability is tracked separately in release status. This guide does not claim a newly qualified backup or migration tool.