Viewer not advancing to next picture

[Damit]

I am having trouble with the viewer.  I was able to advance and go back with the right and left arrows and with the wheel of my mouse, as instructed in the help section on some folders, but in others, the viewer panel will not advance. I get an error sound from windows as if I am requesting an invalid command.

[jch2103]

Right-click when you're in the Viewer to bring up the context menu. The 4th item is Auto Advance. 

[Tveloso]

If this is still an issue for you, I'm sure Mario will want to see a Log File from an IMatch session where that has occurred.

You may find the cause by searching the log file for "E>" or "W>"...

[Damit]

Right-click when you're in the Viewer to bring up the context menu. The 4th item is Auto Advance. 

I have toggled that on and off and have the same result.

If this is still an issue for you, I'm sure Mario will want to see a Log File from an IMatch session where that has occurred.

You may find the cause by searching the log file for "E>" or "W>"...

Searched for E> and did not find any, but lots under W>.  I will attach the log.

Thank you both for your responses.

[Mario]

Tip: ZIP log files before uploading. This reduces their size by 90%.

IMatch reports that the last session was not shut-down correctly.
Did IMatch crash or hang or did you force it to close with the Windows Task Manager?

You have no spell checker dictionary installed. IMatch cannot do spell checking. The IMatch Spell Checker

Many warnings from ExifTool about invalid metadata in your files. This is not uncommon, especially when you allowed Microsoft software to modify metadata in your files. Also many files with out-of-sync IPTC digests (check sums) which indicates you have created metadata with non-compliant or sun-standard software.
ExifTool will fix that when you write back the files for the first time.
You can find the file names by searching for W>.

ExifTool also reports "ETWARN:Warning: Error rebuilding maker notes (may be corrupt)". Which means that some software has modified metadata in your files but did not take care for the proprietary maker note data. Which usually does not affect other software, except (like ExifTool) it actually knows about and reads the maker notes.
Again, wrong software used to create / modify these files. This problem is not easy to repair, not even for ExifTool. Best to open and re-save these files in a proper image editor like Photoshop.

"Warning: [minor] Error reading PreviewImage" can be ignored.

You have tried to write-back to off-line or read-only files (IMatch reports PTMetabase::Write-back Cannot write to off-line/read-only file N:\[] ....). Or your user account does not have sufficient privileges to write back to these files.

ExifTool also reports "ETWARN:Error: Temporary file already exists" a couple of times. This is sometime happening when ExifTool crashes while reading or writing a badly corrupted file. You have to delete the temporary files manually in Windows Explorer. The names are listed in the log. Search for Error: Temporary file already exists.

There is also a ton of messages about invalid file formats rejected by both WIC and LibRaw, I'm too lazy to sort out the details for you. Search for W> to find the file names. ARW, MOV, AVI I think mostly. There are just too many variants of video formats and even FFMPeg does not support them all.

If all that was happening while you were working in the Viewer (especially all the failed write-backs), this may effect the Viewwr for sure.

If you sort out the write-back problems (file system privileges?) and repair the files with broken metadata by writing back once and fix the files with the corrupted maker notes, things should run much smoother.
Also watch out for yellow warning icons shown on images in the File Window. These indicate that ExifTool failed to read / write data for the file. Which means that there are problems with the file: The Warning Icon

[Damit]

Thank you, Mario.  It seems I have some work to do.    Thank you for taking the time to walk me through some of this. I will try to make it the rest of the way and report back.

I checked the last log I sent you back on the 5th and do not see all these Warnings.  I have only used ACDSee since, and only on a few files, so I am not sure what caused all these problems. Any ides?

[Mario]

I referred to the log you have attached above.

I have only used ACDSee since, and only on a few files, so I am not sure what caused all these problems. Any ides?

That could be it. And you have used Microsoft software to modify metadata in your files (probably without noticing it).

This is very common - users often recognize the bad shape the metadata in their files is in the first time they use an application which actually cares and makes use of metadata. Like IMatch.
I have seen much worse when institutes or companies try to get a grip on DAM and start using IMatch. Image collections created by dozens of people over 2 decades with a wide range of applications. Metadata mess at it's finest.

None of the warnings in the log (except maybe the corrupted maker notes, which might need resaving the image) is bad. It just need some cleanup by ExifTool during write-backs. Or you can ignore it.

Please understand that my time is very limited and that I cannot support you with problems like this.

[Damit]

Thank you Mario!

To address some things: I do not remember IMatch not closing incorrectly, but it has hung a couple of times in the past. Also, sorry about not zipping. I must say, it is awesome that IMatch cares so much about metadata and is doing its job to point me to and also fix some problems. I am glad I chose to work with this program!

I understand your time is limited and if the problems lie outside of IMatch I do not expect you to address it, though I will take it if you do . I also post here to see if others can help, though I really do appreciate any input you offer!

I really don't understand how I could have used Microsoft software to change the metadata, especially since I started using IMatch. I cannot think of how this could have happened, but you did say I could have done it without knowing. I does seem that ACDSee caused some of those errors, as I do remember looking at those files in it after I started working with IMatch. I am going to stop using that really buggy software!! Maybe ACDSee employs Microsoft software to make its changes?

Anyhow, I just installed the dictionary. I ran a backup and restarted IMatch. I checked the log and now I see no errors or warnings. No other errors or warnings were found. All the warnings that existed in the previous log no longer are being reported. Some of the offline files were do to the fact that I moved some files around in Windows Explorer, as I am still getting the hand of the file window and can't seem to have it display folders other than in the tree, so I had to re-scan the files to get everything back in order.

Unfortunately, I am still not able to advance with the viewer. I then did a database diagnostics.  It gave me 3 warnings concerning face annotations. It gave me the number of the file but I have no clue how to find the file (I did search the forum for clues and found none).

[Damit]

I am attaching the latest log and diagnostic file in case they may be of assistance.

Also, the viewer now is starting to work, but intermittently.  I was working with a set of photos and it was not advancing.  Then it started advancing or going back between two photos. Then it worked a few more in the set, at one point giving me a "Loading" message. Then the viewer started allowing back and forward navigation for the whole set of photos in the folder.

I then switched to another folder and the viewer would not advance with those photos.  I went back to the first folder that was working, and it too stopped advancing, even though it could less than a minute before. 

[Mario]

IMatch does not log the Viewer navigating.
No user has ever reported a problem with navigating the Viewer using the cursor keys or auto-advancing when you set a rating or label.

[Damit]

I posted the log and diagnostic to show that I had addressed all errors.

No user has ever reported a problem with navigating the Viewer using the cursor keys or auto-advancing when you set a rating or label.

Well you have one now. Different setups and work flows may function to find bugs that perhaps were not previously found. It is a problem that exists in my set up . I addressed all you which you said could be a problem and I am willing to check anything else. It does reduce the functionality quite a bit to have to choose each picture rather than navigate. I can send in video of the error occurring. I am getting a system error sound each time I try to advance with the left or right arrow or when I move the wheel on the mouse. Again, this stopped for a few minutes and everything worked as it should but then it started happening again. All other shortcuts work and if I press the up or down error nothing happens, as it should, but the point is there is no error sound.  And this is not occurring when setting a rating or label, this is happening when I am just scrolling through the pictures using the viewer.

This does not occurs using the quick view. Something is wrong...

Wait, I think I figured it out. I just noticed when trying to problem solve that there is a "Send to Viewer" in the context menu when you choose a file in the File Window. I then read the Viewer help again and I read a line that said "The Viewer works with a set of files you send to it..." So, apparently I have to select all the files I want to toggle through and then hit enter or use the context menu. 

[Damit]

I think the defaults may be off (which also happened when I was trying to add Metadata tags to the Thumbnails-my first question here), as I have not changed the setting for the Viewer and the option "Single selection loads all files" is set to "No." But the help states "If only one file is selected, the Viewer loads all files in the active File Window and sets the current file to the file currently focused in the File Window. This behavior can be configured under Edit>Preferences>Application>Viewer..."

So one would think that, by default, the option aforementioned should be set to "Yes," by default. I made the switch and everything works as it should and as it did.  Could this have been changed in the last revision? 

Anyhow, I am glad I figured it out.

[Mario]

So, apparently I have to select all the files I want to toggle through and then hit enter or use the context menu. 

Of course.
When you open the Viewer, it loads the files currently selected in the File Window.
If only one file is selected, it loads all files in the scope. Unless the "Single selection loads all files" option has been set to "No".
It is "Yes" by default (just checked) because it usually makes no sense to load just one file.

When you first bring files into the Viewer, this behavior is explained with a popup message.

If the Viewer is already open, you can select a different set of files and bring them into the Viewer with <Return> or send to Viewer. See Sending Files to the Viewer.

When you select the top of a collapsed regular or version stack, the Viewer behaves as explained here: Stacks and Version Stacks