Here are details about working with FormCalc SST data files.
Password Protecting FormCalc SST Files
FormCalc SST gives you a way to protect data files from unauthorized changes with a simple password-protect-on-save option.
How to password protect a file
1.When saving a file for the first time (i.e., when using File > Save As), FormCalc SST will ask if you want to password protect the file.
 | If FormCalc SST fails to ask, it's likely that you have turned off the message. To re-enable it open the Preferences dialog, find the page with a Re-enable all "Don't show again" messages button, and click it. |
2.Click on the Yes button if you want to password protect the file.
| The Create File Password dialog will open. |
3.Enter the password you want to use.
4.Click OK to close the dialog.
| A file save dialog will open. |
5.In the file save dialog, choose a location (folder) and name for the file.
6.Click Save to save the file and close the dialog.
File passwords FAQ
When will FormCalc SST ask for the password?
Because this is a password-protect-on-save system, FormCalc SST will only ask for the password when you save the file. This protects it from unauthorized changes but not from unauthorized access and use.
Also, once you have supplied the file's password, FormCalc SST won't ask you for it again during the current session. In other words, you will be able to save the file repeatedly without having to supply the password each time. For added security then, when you are done editing and saving a file, be sure to close and reopen the file (or exit and restart FormCalc SST). This will reset the file's password entry for the session, so that anyone wanting to save the file again will have to supply the password.
Who can access the file or use it in FormCalc SST?
Anyone with sufficient Windows login permissions to access the folder where the file is located can use the file in FormCalc SST, copy it to other locations, etc.) The file's password does not limit access; it only prevents unauthorized users from making changes to the file.
 | Having a password does not protect a file from being deleted! To prevent unauthorized users from deleting files, either make the files read-only, or limit users to read-only access to the folder where the files reside. |
What if I forget the password?
No problem! Just open the file in FormCalc SST and use File > Save As to save it under a different name—and optionally, password protect this new copy of the file.
.SSF versus .SST Files
Early versions of FormCalc SST used the .SST extension for data file names; for example, mydatafile.sst. The current version uses .SSF instead; for example, mydatafile.ssf.
Why the change? Some FormCalc SST users were sharing common data files by putting them in a DropBox folder (
www.dropbox.com). For most file types this would have caused no problem whatsoever. But the .SST extension is also used for Microsoft Serialized Certificate Store files, and placing one of FormCalc SST's .SST files in a DropBox folder caused Windows to try to automatically access it as a Serialized Certificate Store file, resulting in an error message. Due to the popularity of DropBox, we switched to using a different filename extension to avoid problems for FormCalc SST users.
Must my files have the .SSF extension?
No. Though .SSF is now the recommended filename extension, FormCalc SST will still load .SST files.
However, if you have files with the .SST extension and want to use them with DropBox or a similar file synchronization service, you may need to load them into FormCalc SST and choose File > SaveAs to save them with the .SSF extension.
Or you can simply rename the files manually (changing the extension to .SSF) in Windows Explorer or another file manager. This is permissible because .SSF and .SST files are identical internally.
File Management FAQ
(FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions.)
How are FormCalc SST files identified?
FormCalc SST files all have the filename extension .SSF (.SST in prior versions).
Are .SSF files compatible with Microsoft Excel?
Yes and no:
•You may be able to load an .SSF file into Microsoft Excel, depending on which functions are present in the file used. (Not all FormCalc SST spreadsheet functions are compatible with Excel.)
•You cannot load files saved from Microsoft Excel into FormCalc SST, even if they have the .SSF filename extension.
Where are .SSF files stored?
By default, FormCalc SST stores files in a folder location like the following (varies slightly depending on the version of Microsoft Windows you use):
| C:\Users\Public\Documents\FormCalcSST |
However, you may store the files in any location you prefer.
Can I access .SSF files across a network?
Yes. Unlike the old version of FormCalc (FormCalc SST's predecessor), FormCalc SST can work with files stored anywhere on a network. This, along with password protection, lets you store .SSF files in a central location for access by all FormCalc SST users, with little risk of users making file changes which might negatively affect other users.
| Backup your .SSF files often! Passwords and read-only access are no protection against losing files due to a hard drive crash, fire, or flood. |
Can two or more users share .SSF files by putting them in a DropBox folder?
Yes. This is how some users share .SSF files without being on the same local area network.