[notification type=”error”] This is archived information. No support is available anymore for IMatch 3. [/notification]
This article explains how to upgrade to the current version of IMatch from IMatch 3.5 or 3.6.
Upgrading from legacy versions of IMatch (IMatch 3.4 and older) is not supported. These versions are almost 10 years out of date.
1. Buy IMatch
Go to the shop page and follow the instructions given there. The purchase process is quick and safe. Our distributor myCommerce sends you an email with your license code immediately after your purchase has completed.
2. Install IMatch
Log into the customer portal using your email and license key and download the current version of IMatch. After the download has completed, double-click the installer executable to install IMatch on your computer. Follow the instructions given on screen for a clean install. See also the installation instructions page for more information.
If you want to install IMatch on the same computer as IMatch 3, make sure that you have IMatch 3.6.0.118 installed. You can download this version as usual via the photools.com customerWeb site.
3. First Steps
The IMatch Learning Center has free video tutorials for IMatch. The videos cover topics like installation, creating your first database and all major IMatch features.
The Quick Start Guide contains handy cheat sheets for all frequently used IMatch commands. You can open this PDF from the Help menu in IMatch.
Open the IMatch help system from the Help menu in IMatch or by pressing the <F1> key. The First Steps topic explains the general principles of IMatch and contains pointers to other topics helpful for first-time users. The special For IMatch 3 Users help topic covers the major differences between IMatch 3 and the current version of IMatch.
The Visual Index in the help system shows all major IMatch features and contains links to the associated help topics. Great to see what’s included!
4. Convert Your Database
In2014 we introduced an improved database format for IMatch. To use your existing IMatch 3.x database with current versions of IMatch you have to convert it into the new database format. The 32-bit version of IMatch includes a Database Converter tool which performs this automatically. Note: No conversion is required for IMatch 5 databases.
[notification type=”warning”] The IMatch 3 database converter is only included in the 32-bit version of IMatch. Install the 32-bit version if you need to use the database converter. You can later replace it with the 64-bit version. Just download and install the 64-bit edition, it automatically replaces the 32-bit version. [/notification]
You can run this converter from the Database menu in IMatch, or via the IMatch program group in the Windows START menu. Click on the help button or press <F1> while in the Converter dialog to display step-by-step instructions.
4.1 Manual Category Transfer
Since IMatch 3 is now (2017) very old, the database converter is no longer actively maintained.
Some users have reported that the database converter fails to convert category assignments. The new IMatch database contains all categories, but they are empty. If you are affected by this, you can work around this problem by manually exporting and importing your categories. This is quick and easy.
- In IMatch 3, use the Database menu > Import & Export > Export Category Schema command.
Make sure you enable the ‘with file links’ format in the export dialog. This exports the category schema and the file assignments.
The result of this process is a file on your hard disk. - In the current version of IMatch, open the Import & Export panel via View menu > Panels > Import & Export.
Click on the Run button for the Category Import module. Select the file you have created in Step 1.
This imports both the categories and re-assigns the files.
5. Help and Support
Give yourself a few days to become acquainted with IMatch. You will notice many similarities between IMatch 3 and the current IMatch version, but there are also many new features you might want to learn about and try out for yourself.
Start by creating a small test database and add copies of some of your files to it. This way you can try out everything without risking any important data. Read the introductory help topics in the IMatch help for guidance.
The premier place for IMatch support and know-how exchange is the free photools.community. Here you can search thousands of existing topics to find information and answers.
For other support options, see the Support & Contact section here on the web site.
