The Portbrws.ini is an optional file for Windows users to include with their Portfolio CD-ROM. Its function is to open up a specified catalog when the Portfolio Browser is launched.  There is a Portbrws.ini file included with the Portfolio Browser and it is set to open up the sample catalog.  If you open the sample portbrws.ini file you'll see:

[open]
catalog=sample catalog.fdb

With this file, when initially launching Portfolio Browser you will get a message stating that it can't find the sample catalog.fdb, unless there is a file named sample catalog.fdb in the same folder as the Portfolio Browser.

What this .ini file is telling Portfolio Browser is that there is a file called Sample Catalog.fdb that it should open.  If you place your catalog in the same folder as the Portfolio Browser.exe file you would need to edit the existing portbrws.ini file.  It would look more like:

[open]
catalog=clip art.fdb (or whatever the name of the database is).

If the catalog is in a different folder than the browser application, you will need to edit the portbrws.ini file to reflect the actual path.

Suppose we have a CD-ROM which has the following directory structure (see below). On the root level of the drive we have 2 folders, Browser Folder and Folder 1, and a catalog, catalog3.fdb. Inside the Browser folder are the browser and portbrws.ini, and catalog1.fdb. In Folder1 is a catalog, catalog2.fdb, and a folder, Folder2. Inside Folder 2 we have catalog3.fdb.

D:\
  Browser Folder\
    Portfolio Browser
    portbrws.ini
    catalog1.fdb

  Folder1\
    catalog2.fdb

    Folder2\
      catalog4.fdb

  catalog3.fdb


In order to automatically open catalog 1 we need a portbrws.ini file which looks like:

[open]
catalog=catalog1.fdb

In order to automatically open catalog3.fdb, we need a .ini file which looks like this:

[open]
catalog=..\catalog3.fdb

..\ means go up one directory level. ..\..\ would mean go up two directory levels. In this particular example ..\..\ wouldn\t work, since there aren't enough directories to go up twice.

In order to automatically open catalog2.fdb we need to go up one level and then into another folder. The .ini file would look like:

[open]
catalog=..\Folder1\catalog2.fdb

And lastly, to open catalog4.fdb, the file would look like this:

[open]
catalog=..\Folder1\Folder2\catalog4.fdb


This is an optional file and does not have to be included when you burn the CD-ROM.  It just makes things a little bit easier for the end user when they launch the Portfolio Browser.

