Traveling With IMATCH Questions

[kiwilink]

I am going on a 2 day trip so I'm taking my laptop and will install Imatch on it.  I read the "Traveling with Imatch" section in the user manuals and reviewed the "General Discussion" questions before I gave it a try.  I used Pack and Go and created a user on the Laptop exactly the same as the one on Desktop.  After I installed IMATCH on the laptop and restored from the Pack and Go I noticed 2 things:

1)  I had to go back to the desktop and get my jpgs from the ID plate because I had customized the ID plate on the desktop.
2)  I had to go back to the desktop and copy my .imfwl file and import because my Layouts were missing.

Are there any other things I should grab from my Desktop and copy to my Laptop so I have an identical IMATCH on the Laptop?  I mostly want to work on my categories while I'm using the laptop and when I get back I'll create another Pack and Go and restore to my desktop.  The resolution is very different between my Laptop and my desktop but I didn't see anything that would impact me here.  I may or may not make a copy of my images (150,000) and put them on a USB external portable hard disk.

If there are any other files I need can you let me know.  I initially thought everything was in Pack and Go but I was wrong after I started reading the General discussions.

Thanks!

Mike

[Ferdinand]

There have been a few bug reports by users for whom Pack and Go did not work fully.  I wonder if you have had a version of this problem, as I'd have thought that the layouts should have been copied by Pack and Go.  Perhaps also the ID plate if that's stored in the same collection of folders.

[Mario]

File Window layouts etc. are stored as part of the workspace per user / database. They travel with the settings database.
Do you use the same user name on both computers?

If your ID plate links to an image file stored somewhere outside the folders covered by Pack & Go, you will need to copy the file yourself. Pack & Go only packs the folders listed in the help topic (and also shown in the protocol).

[kiwilink]

Hi Mario:

Yes, I use the same name user name on both computers to login to Windows 7  (are you also asking if I use the same username when I install IMATCH and IMATCH during the installation asks for a user name)?

As to the Pack and Go folders, when I customized the ID Plate, I saved the .PNG file to the directory that has the default ID plate files :

\ProgramData\photools\Imatch5\resources\bitmaps

I noticed this is not one of the directories that Pack and Go includes so I will remember to back this up as part of an external backup for IMATCH as well as the .imfwl (Layout) file.  If there are any other files I should backup in order to create an exact copy on my Laptop please advise.

Thanks for the response Mario!

Michael

[Mario]

Pack & Go does not include folders which only contain files anyway installed when you install IMatch. This includes the resources folder. You should not mix your own files with system files installed by IMatch.

File Window layouts are stored in the settings database and are 'per user'. There is no need to export/import file window layouts manually. Did you perhaps not choose the same file window layout? The last used file window layout is stored in the current workspace. Workspaces depend on the database and user.

[kiwilink]

Mario:

When I created the customized ID plate I found the original PNG files in this directory so I stored my customized one there thinking it needed to be in that directory.  I'll remove it and put it in a different directory.  Thanks.

As for the new Layouts I created, when I did a pack and Go and moved it to the Laptop the Layouts never came with it.  I had to export them and then import them into the Laptop.  I created 3 new layouts on the desktop and gave them unique names (see attachment).  Are you saying that these are saved as part of the Pack and Go?  Are they saved in the:

\ProgramData\photools\Imatch5\Presets\system.imfwl    ?

Thanks!

Michael



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

File window layouts are stored inside the "imatch5.pts" settings database and this database also holds all other settings. It is copied by P&G. Did you check that all files were restored, no files reported as failed because of file system privilege issues etc....?

[kiwilink]

Mario:

I figured it out.  Even though I am using the same Win 7 logon name, I am unable to restore to the same directory so I choose a different directory.  I then copy all of the directories to the C:\ProgramData\Photools.com\IMATCH5 folder.  It was not replacing the directories so I wasn't getting the Layouts.  I need to find a better workflow method so it writes over all of the files/folders in the above mentioned directory.

Thanks for the help!

Michael

[Mario]

I am unable to restore to the same directory so I choose a different directory.

IMatch expects the settings database in a specific folder. Just set the file system permissions for this folder correctly and you can restore with P&G - see the Pack & Go help for details.