FAQ & scope
Common questions about using the Viewer, and the boundaries of what it does.
Opening and speed
How fast does a large application open on first use?
We measured an application with 1000 sequences stored on a local disk: the first open takes 30 seconds and the second takes 3 seconds.
The first open parses everything and writes a local cache. On later opens the Viewer compares the backbone files and reuses cached models for unchanged sequences; only changed sequences are parsed again.
If the application sits on a server and you open it through a UNC path, load time depends on network speed.
I added files on disk but the Folder view did not change
The Folder view shows a snapshot taken when you opened the application. The Viewer does not watch the file system. Click Refresh in the view header to enumerate again. That does not re-run parsing, validation or TOC merging. See 04 The five views.
An application will not open and says the entitlement does not cover it
Entitlements are enforced at application level. If any sequence in the application falls outside your entitlement, the Viewer refuses to open the whole application. Check entitled regions and expiry under Help → License Information, or ask your licence administrator to adjust the scope. See 13 Regions, versions & licensing.
Interface and finding things
Why are some tabs or reports missing?
Three causes, none of them a fault.
- The report is region-specific; Promotional Materials is US only.
- The region or version does not support the view; JP v3 hides Regulatory Activity and Studies.
- You hid the view under Settings → Content & views → View visibility.
The reasons are in 04 The five views and 10 Reports & export.
Why can't search find a word inside a PDF?
Search covers structure and metadata: titles, paths, file names, sections, attributes, sequence numbers, lifecycle states and so on. It does not index PDF body text. Use the in-page find of the PDF reader instead. See 07 Search.
Reports, drafts and data
What does Unknown mean in the checksum report?
It means a parse failure or a digest that could not be calculated, so no comparison was possible. When a declared file is missing from disk, the result is NotFound instead. "Cannot be calculated" is never recorded as Mismatch; Mismatch requires an explicit difference. All four results are listed in 10 Reports & export.
My attached draft sequence disappeared after a restart
That is expected. The attachment lasts only for the current workspace, and a draft is not written to the parse cache or included in reports. When you reopen the application, the interface shows only the sequences that actually exist in the application folder. Attach the draft again when you need it. The full description is in 12 Attach a draft sequence.
Can I restore defaults, and will clearing the cache lose anything?
Restore defaults is at the bottom of the settings dialog. Clearing the parse cache affects cached parse results only. It does not delete bookmarks, settings or Recent entries. See 11 Tools & settings.
If the problem remains
- Get the local diagnostic logs from Help → Open logs folder and give them, with the steps you took, to your licence administrator or support. Logs do not record submission content.
- Check whether the task falls outside the product boundaries in 01 Overview.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Application | A complete submission object, usually containing several sequence folders |
| Sequence | One numbered submission folder, for example 0000, 0001 |
| Leaf | A concrete document declared in index.xml |
| RA | Regulatory Activity: sequences grouped by submission type and tracking number |
| STF | Study Tagging File, the v3 file describing studies and their documents |
| Envelope | Regional sequence metadata: submission type, dates, applicant |
| CV | Controlled Vocabulary, driving v4 terms and document types |
| Current / Cumulative | Whether retired documents are hidden in tree views |
| Repository | A set of local folders on the Welcome page that the Viewer scans automatically |
| Draft sequence | A sequence folder attached temporarily to the current application, valid for this session only |