Data-driven Categories

[martinn]

Good evening! I was trying to learn more about data-driven categories and tried to follow the example i the help-system creating one for Camera-make. That worked fine but I suddenly realised that all my own categories disappeared. Hmm...makes me a bit scared. I tried to convert the data-driven category to a normal one but no sign of my own categories anywhere. I have of course a back up on a disk but how to act for getting the categories back where they belong?

/Martin N

[Mario]

Creating a data-driven category does not affect any other categories.
And there is no feature in IMatch which could accidentally delete categories.

Do you still have the standard categories IMatch automatically creates with the database? "IMatch Standard Categories" and "IMatch Workflow Categories"?
Note that a make and model category is automatically created under IMatch Standard Categories > Image Files > Make and Model.

[martinn]

No, I can´t find either of them. I haven´t used them but I´ve had made my own Categories below the IPTC-folder.

[Mario]

A folder is not a category.
Do you perhaps have enabled a category filter so you see only some of your categories?
This is the filter tab below the category tree in the Category View: The Category Filter Tab

It can also help to make a screen shot of what you see (Alt+Print), crop, save as JPEG and attach to your reply.

[martinn]

No, of course not a folder but nevertheless had I created a lot of sub-categories under Categories in the attached jpg. Will these be saved in my backup copy maybe?

[Mario]

This looks OK - unless whatever categories are missing.
IMatch does not delete categories by itself so this might be a user error?

Categories are stored as part of the database so they should be in your backup (whatever backup you use).

1. Restore the most recent database backup which has these categories into a temporary folder. Do not overwrite your database!
2. Open the backup DB in IMatch and use the Importing & Exporting Categories feature to export the categories.
3. Open the real database and re-import the categories from the file created in 2.
4. Delete the temporary database.

[martinn]

I will try that. No, nothing is wrong with Imatch. I did something I didn´t know enough about. I´ll let you know. Thank You.

[martinn]

Thank You one more time. It worked like a treat! Next time I will try new things in a test-copy.

[Mario]

Always a good idea to try dangerous stuff in a test database.
And to have daily backups!