onenote creates two files

Question

Hi,

I'm having difficulty understanding why when I start a new onenote document (if that's the right word) I get two files - One with the extension .one and the other with an extension .onetoc2 (which stays at a size of 5kb)?

Do I really need two and if not how can I turn one off (if so which one)? If I do need to have both which one should I backup up or do I have to backup both?

Thanks

Tom

Answer 1

Hi Tom,

[...why the onetoc2 file contents cannot be hold within one files...]

Actually, Bernd has mentioned the answer. "The Ordering".

Think of this simple example in real life.

1. You have a list.

Book, in the drawer

Pen, on the table

Eraser, in the bag

or,

2. You put a label for each item.

put a label on the Book: "in the drawer"

put a label on the Pen: "on the table"

put a label on the Eraser: "in the bag"

Imagine you are standing in your room and want to find those items.

Which method is more useful to you? The first one, isn't it ?

Also, why OneNote does not use a single .onetoc2 file for *all* items in *all* levels ?

 I think the reason is 'performance'. It is faster to manage (read, write, modify) if the list is for the current folder especially if the user has big and complex notebook.

e.g. a list of items in your bedroom, a list of items in your kitchen VS a big list of items in your entire house.

I hope, at this stage, we can accept what Entegy mentioned [... Let OneNote take care of it. ...]

:)

Thanks

.

Answer 2

The onetoc2 file contains the sections color and ordering.

Bernd

Answer 3

Halo again Tom,

[... But it doesn't seem to matter which of the files I click on (either the "*".one or the "*".onetoc2) the full onenote opens up....]

You might do further test.

Using Windows Explorer, supposed in folder "123" , you see:

"halo.one" ,

"hi.one" ,

"you.one" and

a ".onetoc2".

In OneNote, Close the notebook you are going to try if it is opened.

Move ( *move* ; do not remove) "halo.one" to another folder, and double click "you.one"

After you see the result, close the notebook and move back "halo.one" to folder "123".

Now, move ".onetoc2" to another folder, and, again, double click "you.one".

I hope you could see the difference now when toc is absent.

Thanks

.

Answer 4

Thanks for the reply.

I have created new onenote documents for different projects (stored in different folders on my hard drive) and I had noted that when I look at the tabs on the left of onenote I have seen a tab for the other documents.

But it doesn't seem to matter which of the files I click on (either the "*".one or the "*".onetoc2) the full onenote opens up.

Answer 5

Halo Tom_g35 ,

OneNote creates and uses both .one and .onetoc2

.one is the section in which your pages are stored and .onetoc2 is the table of contents of that section.

As an ordinary user, I have no idea how OneNote exactly work with those files.

However, I think, to understand the structure, it is a good idea if you do the following:

Make a sample "notebook" , which has 2 "section-groups".

For each section group, make 4 "sections" (you will have 8 sections)

e.g. section-group-A : s1, s2, s3, s4

For each section, make various numbers of "pages" as you wish, say 2 pages in section 1; 9 pages in section 2, etc.

Then, go to Windows explorer and see the result.

The smallest unit in your notebook is a "page" , but the smallest unit in Windows Explorer is the "section"

There will be s1.one, s2.one, s3.one, s4.one , an a single file .onetoc2

The Units:

In Onenote, you see:   notebook    >>    section-groups    >>    sections    >>    pages

In WinExp, you see:   folder +1 .onetoc2   >>   subfolder/s +1 .onetoc2   >>   .one file/s +1 .onetoc2

Concerning with manual backup (copy to external media), I copy the *main-folder* , which is my notebook, via Windows Explorer.

I usually click the button "optimize All Files Now" before backing-up them.

Please, correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks

.