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Recovering a Damaged LOGDRAFT Legend

Last Revised August 23, 2013

Problem: After successfully working with LOGDRAFT projects for a while, suddenly upon opening a project either a) the program reports that the file LEGEND.GDT is missing or could not be opened, or b) upon opening a project the user discovers that one or more of the following menu dropdowns are missing all options: stratigraphy pattern selections, USCS classification selections, sampler type selections or monitoring well sections.

Explanation: A legend file is inaccessible or corrupted.

Solution: If you can open your project file but your stratigraphy, sampler, USCS or monitoring well section menus are blank, the first step is to see if the project uses a custom legend that can be reverted to the default version. Click on the "Legend" menu entry: if there's a "Revert to the Default Legend" option underneath, select it.

If your project isn't using a custom legend then you have a problem with the program's default legend to resolve. When you try to open a project, if you're getting an error message stating that the file LEGEND.GDT is missing or could not be opened, and the path the program gives to that file is somewhere on your network, the first step is to see if you have a file security problem (i.e., the network permissions for that file are set so that you are not allowed to open or write to it). Check with other users of the software to see if anyone can open your project from their computer. If the project can be opened from another machine, you need to reset the network permissions on the file to allow full read/write/delete privileges for all users.

If no one can open LOGDRAFT projects, it's likely the program's default legend is damaged and will need to be replaced. Begin the process by determining where that file is stored: Start the software, then select "Options" > "Setup General Options", then click on "Files" in the left-hand navigation panel. The path listed in the "Report, data entry form and shareable config files path" box is where you'll find your legend file.

With this information in hand, start Windows Explorer and navigate to that directory. Is there a LEGEND.GBK file in that directory? This file holds the most recent backup of your legend, so if it exists you can try using it to replace your damaged version:

  1. Find the file LEGEND.GDT, right-click on it and select "Delete".
  2. Right-click on the file LEGEND.GBK and select "Rename".
  3. Give the file the name LEGEND.GDT (in other words, keep the LEGEND part, but change the extension from GBK to GDT). You'll get a warning from Windows because you're changing the file extension: click on the "Yes" button.

After you've changed the backup's extension, open your project again. If you still have problems (or you didn't find a .GBK backup file), you'll need to restore your LEGEND.GDT file from somewhere. Possibilities include:

  • Your own backup. If you're backing up the directory where LEGEND.GDT is stored, restore the file from your backup. (If you're not backing up that directory, please start backing it up after you're up and running: in addition to your default legend, this directory also stores any report or data entry form customization you've made, so loosing its contents could cost you quite a bit of work.)

  • Another user's copy. If your LEGEND.GDT is stored on your C: drive, then you may want to get a compatriot's version of the file: go to their machine, start their LOGDRAFT program and find where LEGEND.GDT is located by using the "Options" > "Setup General Options" procedure outlined above, then copy the LEGEND.GDT file from that directory onto a removable USB drive or a network share and from there over to the LEGEND.GDT directory on your computer.

  • The as-shipped version. An original copy of your legend is kept in the program's installation directory (find that directory by right-clicking on the shortcut you use to start the program, then selecting "Properties" and look at the path listed in the "Target" box). Right-click on the LEGEND.GDT file in the program's installation directory, select "Copy", then navigate to the "Options" > "Setup General Options" directory, right-click in the directory and select "Paste". Click on the "Yes" box when you're warned about overwriting the existing file.

  • Finally, if you've exhausted all other options, use our support contact form to request a copy of any LEGEND.GDT file we might have retained on file for your office.