Why rewrite a file?
With UA's portfolio system, files may be automatically rewritten to implement changes in contract specifications, portfolio settings, stock splits, etc. Any time you manually edit the database, make a change to a portfolio item, or change various Portfolio Settings within UA, the software will automatically rewrite the affected export format files.
A change in portfolio settings will affect all charts and files within the selected portfolio. Your changes will cause each affected file to be rewritten on the next download. A change or correction to a particular file will only cause that one file to be rewritten. In the absence of such changes and rollover conditions, all files will be appended rather than rebuilt, which takes less time. Writing a file can take up to one minute per contract, so this rewriting feature is used only as needed to maintain your specific portfolio and data integrity.
If you make any of the above changes and would like them to be implemented right away, use the Portfolio Menu's "Rewrite File Immediately" feature. This menu option results in the selected file or files being written to disk immediately.
Any portfolio that has been disabled will not be appended or re-written during the normal data distribution process. Use this "Rewrite" feature to update any file within a disabled portfolio.
For more about rewriting files, see the Writing Exported Files topic in the File Export Options chapter.