Learn the Difference between NSF and NTF Files
In this article I am going to describe the difference between NSF and NTF files which are being used in IBM Lotus Notes Email Client. I have written this article because now days IBM Notes users are seeking to migrate NSF file to PST. Therefore my motive is to let them know about some brief knowledge of NSF file.
IBM Lotus Notes is considered as one of the most sophisticated email platforms used by many organizations for the experience of phenomenal email communication. Though NSF (Notes Storage Facility) is the main storage file used for storing data like emails, contacts, tasks, etc., there are other files like NTF that are associated with Lotus Notes. NTF (Notes Template Facility) is the template file for the purpose of design elements. In this blog, we will be discussing about the difference between NSF and NTF files used in Lotus Notes.
NSF File:
The .nsf extension is the database file associated with IBM Lotus Notes and Domino Server. These databases can be easily downloaded from Lotus Notes Domino Server to work with a functional database in offline mode. Any changes made during this mode will be synchronized by Domino Server to the master database. NSF file can also be used for data replication process. The NSF file can be accessed by IBM Lotus Notes and IBM Domino Server.
NTF File:
The .ntf extension is the Lotus Notes Template file developed by IBM and this file format is used mainly by large enterprises. It contains forms, source code or other design elements used by application not documents. Additionally, user can create a template by creating application with NTF file extension or choose ‘Application is a template’ option in Application properties. It allows master template to make design changes automatically to applications created with it. Files with NTF extension can be opened using IBM Lotus Notes in Windows systems.
| NSF | NTF |
|---|---|
| It stands for Notes Storage Facility | It stands for Notes Template Facility |
| It is used to store Lotus Notes data in document units containing user emails and other items in binary form | It is used to hold design elements only in Lotus Notes and it contains no documents |
| User cannot create NTF file from NSF database file | User can create NSF database file from NTF design file |
| It is used to store collaborative business information associated with a Lotus Notes account user | It is used to store custom Lotus Notes modules to integrate into larger Lotus Notes infrastructure |
| NSF files can be used for mails, personal address book, saved bookmarks, database subscriptions, web browser info, etc. | Design elements in NTF includes Actions, Agents, Views, Pages, Columns, Fields, Forms, Sub forms, Framesets & Outlines. |
| Example is names.nsf file that is used to store all the user’s personal contacts and configuration settings. | Example is pernames.ntf, which is a type of template called personal address book that helps in creating names.nsf |
| If the default contacts file names.nsf is corrupt or deleted, user can recreate it using personal address book template. | Personal address book template cannot be recreated using names.nsf file. |
Why User May Want To Use NTF Over NSF
Here are some reasons why user can use an NTF file over an NSF as a template:-
- To hide the Database from the open dialog in the Lotus Notes client
- To prevent it from being opened in the internet or web
- To make other developers recognize it easily as a template
Additionally, the NTF files also consume less disk space. User can use NSF as templates to perform web testing before refreshing the production database.
Conclusion
The blog has described about the difference between NSF and NTF Files used in Lotus Notes email client. As discussed above, NSF is used for storing data in documents while NTF stores database templates with pre-defined settings to create file easily based on same parameters. Moreover, Each file format has been explained in depth along with the noticeable differences between the both.