Building a new database and re-assign all pictures

[Mees Dekker]

I've been a long time user of IMatch and have a production database of about 45.000 images, and any number of categories (I don't use keywords).

On first sight; this database seems to be OK. When I run diagnosis, compact and optimize, Pack&Go, no errors are ever reported. But some thing is definitely wrong with this database. I get very weird readings in categories @Unassigned and @Uncategorized, my search bar does not work when I first apply a filter.

All this does not happen when I create a new database. I have tried to repair the database (I used a copy of my database of course) but that caused IMatch to stop altogether, another hint of a malfunctioning/corrupt database.

Is there a way to build a new database and to assign all pictures to the same categories as they were in my current database (other than do that by hand)?

[monochrome]

Try the category export / import available when pressing F9, X. I haven't used it myself, but exporting all categories with assignments and re-importing them looks like just what you'd want.

[Mario]

This is definitely the way to go. Category Export / Import was designed for this. If you have used Attributes, you can use the corresponding Import/Export features under Edit > Preferences > Edit Attributes.

[Mees Dekker]

Thank you, Monochrome and Mario.

I'm currently trying this.

[Mees Dekker]

This did it.

Created a new database and loaded all my files into it. Took some 6 hours to do all the work on my 46.000 pictures. I even found some 200 pictures that were not in the old database, including some pictures (scans) of my wedding, years and years ago. Then exported (from the old database) and imported (into the new database) all categories and I am up and running again. Performance is up, although database grow a little bit (by 0.1 Gb)

All categories are back, all numbers add up to the correct totals, search works after applying a filter and vice versa (as it should, but this was the trigger to rebuild my database).

Thanks a lot to Monochrome and Mario for the help and of course these tools that make IMatch such a treat to work with.

[Mario]

That's good news!

Since your old database exhibited such strange and rather unique issues, I suggest you

1. Do daily backups of your settings and database. And keep these for several weeks.
2. Keep IMatch running with debug logging enabled. Keep the log files as well if they contain E> rrors.
3. Run the database diagnosis at least daily.

If the problems with the old database where somehow caused by the hardware or you your workflow or images or whatever, we'll get notice about problems as soon as they happen, and then may be able to trace them back to their root.