Category export/import

jeknepley · December 26, 2014, 05:28:37 PM

I've successfully synced a very large DB between two PCs and changed the drive letter & volume IDs on both to avoid needing to relocate folders. Next I copied the IMD5 db from PC "A" to PC "B" and (gratefully) saw that IM5 was the same on both PC's with no further fuss.

"Almost" - PC A had categories and file assignments that didn't make it to the "cloned" PC. I read the section on export/import categories and exported A's categories. Then a problem arose when I tried to run the import on B. The system hangs when I click on the import window's ... to select a file name for the category file to be imported. It does this repeatedly with no alternative than to shut down IM5 via the Windows task manager. I'm assuming this is a bug and will report it as such. (This works properly on PC A.)

In the interim, is the category data kept in a separate settings file that I could simply copy from A to B? The same question applies to other settings such as those in the favorites panel that didn't make it from A to B with the IMD5 copy.

Could I expect different results by using the Pack&Go from A to "restore" B instead of simply copying A's IMD5 file to B?

Ferdinand · December 26, 2014, 11:32:00 PM

Quote from: jeknepley on December 26, 2014, 05:28:37 PM
"Almost" - PC A had categories and file assignments that didn't make it to the "cloned" PC.

This should not happen. Something is not right here. Are you sure that you're opening the correct copy of the database on PC B? It's possible that P&G didn't work as intended (there are some reports of that), and you're not opening the latest copy of the database.

Mario · December 27, 2014, 07:54:05 AM

Quote"Almost" - PC A had categories and file assignments that didn't make it to the "cloned" PC.

Categories are stored inside the database. When you copy a database file between two computers and open the copied database on the other computer, the categories will be there. No way for them to get separated.

If you click on the "Open" button for the category import on the other computer and IMatch appears to be not responding, did you check that the dialog is maybe open on a second monitor, or, by accident, behind the IMatch main window (Use <Alt>+<Tab> to check)? Did you install IMatch properly on the other computer? Same version installed on both computers? Did you retain the log file from a session where you experienced the problem? If so, please attach.

Mario · December 27, 2014, 07:54:46 AM

Quote from: Ferdinand on December 26, 2014, 11:32:00 PM
It's possible that P&G didn't work as intended (there are some reports of that)

You refer to what?

Ferdinand · December 27, 2014, 09:26:44 AM

Quote from: Mario on December 27, 2014, 07:54:46 AM
Quote from: Ferdinand on December 26, 2014, 11:32:00 PM
It's possible that P&G didn't work as intended (there are some reports of that)
You refer to what?

There are some reports of P&G not restoring. You felt that it was a problem with permissions, but I don't think that those users resolved their problems, or at least not that I saw. So in this case I wondered whether he thought he had restored a database using P&G, and in fact the restore hadn't worked, and he was opening an older version of the DB. Because as you said, categories just don't disappear like that. I was grasping for a possible explanation.

Mario · December 27, 2014, 09:36:27 AM

As far as I know from my support logs, all problems reported for P&G were "access denied errors". Setting the security permissions correctly or running P&G under an administrative account solves these issues (see also the corresponding section in the P&G help topic). P&G reports in the protocol when it fails to restore a file so the user is aware.

jeknepley · December 27, 2014, 03:15:05 PM

I'll reply further once I get to the bottom of this.

I'm starting from scratch with a complete IM5 uninstall and reinstall. I did get the categories to transfer after the reinstall followed by restoring "B" from an "A" P&G. The P&G did transfer the AppData and ProgramData folders & files, but it timed out on the IMD5 file. After trying a 2nd time with no success, I simply copied the IMD5 from A to B.

Takes a while with a data volume of 9.26 GB, but I've nothing better to do at the moment. PC A works fine (as does B with my IM3 version). Eventually I'll get it straightened out.

Mario · December 27, 2014, 06:38:13 PM

As said, categories are an intrinsic part of your database and always travel with the database.

What do you mean with "timed out"?
What did P&G write to the protocol and the log file? The information in these files (see help for file names and locations) should provide useful info about any problems encountered by P&G on your system while packing or restoring files.

jeknepley · December 27, 2014, 07:07:37 PM

Quote from: Mario on December 27, 2014, 06:38:13 PM
What do you mean with "timed out"?
What did P&G write to the protocol and the log file? The information in these files (see help for file names and locations) should provide useful info about any problems encountered by P&G on your system while packing or restoring files.

I don't recall the exact wording in P&G when it failed to restore the last bit - the IMD5 file. Next time I'll look at the protocol & log files and pass on the info. They've since been overwritten by a recent backup.