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This section describes the types of files used and produced by Companion.
All files usually reside in the project folder.
Most files use Unicode UTF-8 encoding.
Full file names have three parts:
•Path that identifies the folder in which the file is stored
•Name
•Extension that identifies the type of file
The file name extension is usually 3 or 4 characters that identify the file type and these letters are often used to refer to that type of file. For example, a Companion project master file is often referred to as a QDF file because its extension is ".qdf".
When a file name is shown in full, the path (which may contain \ to denote levels) and name are separated by \ (backslash) and the name and extension are separated by . (full stop). For example:
C:\My Projects\2006\Drink survey\Coffee.qdf
This is the QDF file called "Coffee" which is in the "Drink survey" folder. This folder is in the "2006" folder which is in the "My Projects" folder on the C drive.
TIP: the extension is not usually shown if the Windows Explorer View option "Hide extensions for known file types" is set. We recommend turning this setting off.
In naming files, you should not use any special characters and care should be taken when changing the name of a file. You should rarely need to alter the extension when copying or renaming a data file.
IMPORTANT: be careful not to use . (full stop) in a file name except before the extension. Also try to avoid quotes or speech marks.
These can be imported and exported:
Master files is the name given to the files in a project that contain all the information about a project. A project folder will also contain many output (report) files.
Master files should be backed off (copied onto CD, tape, or the cloud) at regular intervals whilst you are working on your project, and also when the project has been completed.
TIP: whenever a main master file is saved, a copy of the file is put into a sub-folder called Archive (created automatically).
The main master files for a project are:
Other files used to hold project information are:
Response texts file (code frames)
You may also have used other files that were not produced by the software and you need to back up these as well. This may include:
•Questionnaire document
•Data (and metadata) that has been imported
•Edited output files
Some file types used by the program are:
CSV files (including Excel and OpenXML)
Many reports are produced when using the software.
Some report files are specifically requested and you usually have the option to choose the output file name if you do not want the default name to be given to the report.
Other reports are generated automatically to report errors or provide lists of changes.
For further information see: