1. family-historian@groups.io
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Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Lorna Craig
 

Another tip you may not be aware of is that you can link Media files to FH without ever using the Add Media > Insert from File method, thus bypassing the bit where FH asks if you want it to make a copy.   Once you have put the Media file where you want it (in my case in a sub-folder of the FH Media folder - I have many sub-folders) you can simply drag-and-drop the file from there onto the Media tab of the relevant record in FH (which may be an Individual record, Family record, Source record, Place record).  This immediately creates a new Media record linked to the other record.  It's very quick.  I have thousands of Media files linked to FH and would not want them all duplicated elsewhere on my PC.  I do have ample external backups of my whole FH project of course.

To explain my workflow: any media files which are relevant to FH but which are not yet linked to FH are kept in a folder called WIP (Work in Progress) outside FH.  This reminds me that anything in that folder still has to be dealt with.  When I am ready to link a file to FH I move it to the relevant sub-folder of the FH Media folder, than drag-and-drop as described above to link it to FH.

As you will discover, one of the strengths of FH is that it lends itself to a variety of ways of working.

Lorna

On 14/04/2020 10:19, Mike Tate wrote:

Different people work in different ways.

Some users copy the Media files directly into the Project’s Media folder, so there is no duplicate elsewhere.

FH also allows Media files to be linked from any location outside the Project, so there is no copy inside the Project. The copy mode is an option and not mandatory.

Those techniques keep the number of Media files to an absolute minimum, and users would not want FH to delete them, especially as I believe they do not even go into the Recycle Bin.

Also, as I said, the same Media file can be linked to more than one Media record, and deleting one record should not delete the file linked to another record.

 

Yes, FH could give options to delete record only or both record & file, but how would that work when bulk deleting many Media records at once?

Would it be a global option, or would FH ask for each record?

It is worth remembering that the number of scenarios where Media records need deleting are really very rare.

In your case, where I believe the Media record needed renaming, that could be done without deleting the Media record.

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Burton
Sent: 14 April 2020 05:48
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Mike and Adrian,

 

Correct me if my understanding is wrong but when creating the record in FH a copy of the original file, eg, Photo, Birth Certificate goes into the Project file, eg, ‘…\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name’.

 

In my situation I end up with two copies, the original source file (eg, Photo, Birth cert.) in a completely separate folder on my PC, the second within FH in the Media folder above … File Explorer shows two files of the same name, one in FH, the other in a separate folder outside of FH.

 

So when I delete the record in FH I would have expected it, or advised me exactly what I was going to delete and given options, eg, record only, record and file etc., to have deleted the record and the copy of the original document in the Project media folder while I still retain my original source file completely separate from FH.

 

I’m trying to keep the number of file duplicates not only in FH but other applications to a manageable, less confusing, minimum.

 

One thing I have learnt early on, stressed to me by others doing geneaology, is to have backups of all one’s precious files.

 

Regards

John Burton.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Tuesday, 14 April 2020 1:04 AM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

For others who may be following this thread, there is a more complete answer in the FHUG Forums.

 

The reason why FH does not delete the Media file linked to a deleted Media record is it may be a precious file needed for other purposes.

That file may actually be linked to another Media record and the one being deleted is a duplicate.

Also remember, that FH can link to Media files outside the Project folder and thus may be used by other applications.

So FH fails safe and does not delete external files. You would not want the only photo of some special event to be deleted.

 

Regards, Mike Tate


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Mike Tate
 

Different people work in different ways.

Some users copy the Media files directly into the Project’s Media folder, so there is no duplicate elsewhere.

FH also allows Media files to be linked from any location outside the Project, so there is no copy inside the Project. The copy mode is an option and not mandatory.

Those techniques keep the number of Media files to an absolute minimum, and users would not want FH to delete them, especially as I believe they do not even go into the Recycle Bin.

Also, as I said, the same Media file can be linked to more than one Media record, and deleting one record should not delete the file linked to another record.

 

Yes, FH could give options to delete record only or both record & file, but how would that work when bulk deleting many Media records at once?

Would it be a global option, or would FH ask for each record?

It is worth remembering that the number of scenarios where Media records need deleting are really very rare.

In your case, where I believe the Media record needed renaming, that could be done without deleting the Media record.

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Burton
Sent: 14 April 2020 05:48
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Mike and Adrian,

 

Correct me if my understanding is wrong but when creating the record in FH a copy of the original file, eg, Photo, Birth Certificate goes into the Project file, eg, ‘…\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name’.

 

In my situation I end up with two copies, the original source file (eg, Photo, Birth cert.) in a completely separate folder on my PC, the second within FH in the Media folder above … File Explorer shows two files of the same name, one in FH, the other in a separate folder outside of FH.

 

So when I delete the record in FH I would have expected it, or advised me exactly what I was going to delete and given options, eg, record only, record and file etc., to have deleted the record and the copy of the original document in the Project media folder while I still retain my original source file completely separate from FH.

 

I’m trying to keep the number of file duplicates not only in FH but other applications to a manageable, less confusing, minimum.

 

One thing I have learnt early on, stressed to me by others doing geneaology, is to have backups of all one’s precious files.

 

Regards

John Burton.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Tuesday, 14 April 2020 1:04 AM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

For others who may be following this thread, there is a more complete answer in the FHUG Forums.

 

The reason why FH does not delete the Media file linked to a deleted Media record is it may be a precious file needed for other purposes.

That file may actually be linked to another Media record and the one being deleted is a duplicate.

Also remember, that FH can link to Media files outside the Project folder and thus may be used by other applications.

So FH fails safe and does not delete external files. You would not want the only photo of some special event to be deleted.

 

Regards, Mike Tate


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Adrian Bruce
 

Depends how you do it. I drop all my images downloaded from websites straight into my project folder, so it's one copy only. Yes, *my* scans of family photos sit outside my project folder and I manually *copy* them into the project folder, but that doesn't mean that everybody works like that. Even I am not prepared to swear that an image of my relative in the project folder is duplicated elsewhere. I'm very organized - it's just that my organizations change often!

Adrian
Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Victor Markham
 

When I save a media file I save it in my document folder. I then copy it into FH. Should I change my mind and delete the FH copy it always remains in my document folder unless I choose to delete that as well. To that is how things should be. My document folder lists separate surname folders, certificates and census details

On 14 Apr 2020, at 05:47, John Burton <blakey1954@...> wrote:

Mike and Adrian,

 

Correct me if my understanding is wrong but when creating the record in FH a copy of the original file, eg, Photo, Birth Certificate goes into the Project file, eg, ‘…\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name’.

 

In my situation I end up with two copies, the original source file (eg, Photo, Birth cert.) in a completely separate folder on my PC, the second within FH in the Media folder above … File Explorer shows two files of the same name, one in FH, the other in a separate folder outside of FH.

 

So when I delete the record in FH I would have expected it, or advised me exactly what I was going to delete and given options, eg, record only, record and file etc., to have deleted the record and the copy of the original document in the Project media folder while I still retain my original source file completely separate from FH.

 

I’m trying to keep the number of file duplicates not only in FH but other applications to a manageable, less confusing, minimum.

 

One thing I have learnt early on, stressed to me by others doing geneaology, is to have backups of all one’s precious files.

 

Regards

John Burton.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Tuesday, 14 April 2020 1:04 AM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

For others who may be following this thread, there is a more complete answer in the FHUG Forums.

 

The reason why FH does not delete the Media file linked to a deleted Media record is it may be a precious file needed for other purposes.

That file may actually be linked to another Media record and the one being deleted is a duplicate.

Also remember, that FH can link to Media files outside the Project folder and thus may be used by other applications.

So FH fails safe and does not delete external files. You would not want the only photo of some special event to be deleted.

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Burton
Sent: 13 April 2020 15:26
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello Mike,

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Yes, I have found the ‘duplicate’ files in the Project Media folder. Bit disappointing though that when you delete the media record in FH it doesn’t delete the Media file as well. Weakness of the Delete function?

 

I did look at the Query options to look for these duplicates, however, it looks like a Custom query would need creating.

 

I will also take you advice regarding the Knowledge base.

 

Thanks again.

 

Regards

John Burton

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Monday, 13 April 2020 6:57 PM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hi,

When you enter source documents two things happen:

  1. A Media record is created that links to a Media file

  2. A Media file is added into the Project folder structure in the Media folder

When you delete the Media record it does not delete the Media file.

 

So one solution, when recreating the Media record is to browse to the Media file that still exists in the Media folder.

That will be at …\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name.

Otherwise, when you ask FH to recreate the Media file, Windows finds the file already there so gives the new one the (2) suffix.

 

Another solution is to run the Check for Unlinked Media Plugin, but as a newcomer, you may not have discovered Plugins yet.

The best way to learn about them is in the FHUG Knowledge Base > Family Historian Plugins at:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=plugins:about

 

Also from your description, it is not clear whether you have a clear understanding of the Individual, Source & Media records structure.

There is much free introductory tutorial material in the FHUG Knowledge Base at https://www.fhug.org.uk/

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of blakey1954@...
Sent: 13 April 2020 03:31
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 

Re: Name conflict with an existing file

John Burton
 

Mike and Adrian,

 

Correct me if my understanding is wrong but when creating the record in FH a copy of the original file, eg, Photo, Birth Certificate goes into the Project file, eg, ‘…\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name’.

 

In my situation I end up with two copies, the original source file (eg, Photo, Birth cert.) in a completely separate folder on my PC, the second within FH in the Media folder above … File Explorer shows two files of the same name, one in FH, the other in a separate folder outside of FH.

 

So when I delete the record in FH I would have expected it, or advised me exactly what I was going to delete and given options, eg, record only, record and file etc., to have deleted the record and the copy of the original document in the Project media folder while I still retain my original source file completely separate from FH.

 

I’m trying to keep the number of file duplicates not only in FH but other applications to a manageable, less confusing, minimum.

 

One thing I have learnt early on, stressed to me by others doing geneaology, is to have backups of all one’s precious files.

 

Regards

John Burton.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Tuesday, 14 April 2020 1:04 AM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

For others who may be following this thread, there is a more complete answer in the FHUG Forums.

 

The reason why FH does not delete the Media file linked to a deleted Media record is it may be a precious file needed for other purposes.

That file may actually be linked to another Media record and the one being deleted is a duplicate.

Also remember, that FH can link to Media files outside the Project folder and thus may be used by other applications.

So FH fails safe and does not delete external files. You would not want the only photo of some special event to be deleted.

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Burton
Sent: 13 April 2020 15:26
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello Mike,

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Yes, I have found the ‘duplicate’ files in the Project Media folder. Bit disappointing though that when you delete the media record in FH it doesn’t delete the Media file as well. Weakness of the Delete function?

 

I did look at the Query options to look for these duplicates, however, it looks like a Custom query would need creating.

 

I will also take you advice regarding the Knowledge base.

 

Thanks again.

 

Regards

John Burton

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Monday, 13 April 2020 6:57 PM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hi,

When you enter source documents two things happen:

  1. A Media record is created that links to a Media file
  2. A Media file is added into the Project folder structure in the Media folder

When you delete the Media record it does not delete the Media file.

 

So one solution, when recreating the Media record is to browse to the Media file that still exists in the Media folder.

That will be at …\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name.

Otherwise, when you ask FH to recreate the Media file, Windows finds the file already there so gives the new one the (2) suffix.

 

Another solution is to run the Check for Unlinked Media Plugin, but as a newcomer, you may not have discovered Plugins yet.

The best way to learn about them is in the FHUG Knowledge Base > Family Historian Plugins at:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=plugins:about

 

Also from your description, it is not clear whether you have a clear understanding of the Individual, Source & Media records structure.

There is much free introductory tutorial material in the FHUG Knowledge Base at https://www.fhug.org.uk/

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of blakey1954@...
Sent: 13 April 2020 03:31
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 

Internet Hints

Colin_McCullough
 

Is it my imagination that My Heritage hints are very slow in appearing lately
Is anyone else seeing this ??
Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Mike Tate
 

For others who may be following this thread, there is a more complete answer in the FHUG Forums.

 

The reason why FH does not delete the Media file linked to a deleted Media record is it may be a precious file needed for other purposes.

That file may actually be linked to another Media record and the one being deleted is a duplicate.

Also remember, that FH can link to Media files outside the Project folder and thus may be used by other applications.

So FH fails safe and does not delete external files. You would not want the only photo of some special event to be deleted.

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Burton
Sent: 13 April 2020 15:26
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello Mike,

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Yes, I have found the ‘duplicate’ files in the Project Media folder. Bit disappointing though that when you delete the media record in FH it doesn’t delete the Media file as well. Weakness of the Delete function?

 

I did look at the Query options to look for these duplicates, however, it looks like a Custom query would need creating.

 

I will also take you advice regarding the Knowledge base.

 

Thanks again.

 

Regards

John Burton

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Monday, 13 April 2020 6:57 PM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hi,

When you enter source documents two things happen:

  1. A Media record is created that links to a Media file
  2. A Media file is added into the Project folder structure in the Media folder

When you delete the Media record it does not delete the Media file.

 

So one solution, when recreating the Media record is to browse to the Media file that still exists in the Media folder.

That will be at …\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name.

Otherwise, when you ask FH to recreate the Media file, Windows finds the file already there so gives the new one the (2) suffix.

 

Another solution is to run the Check for Unlinked Media Plugin, but as a newcomer, you may not have discovered Plugins yet.

The best way to learn about them is in the FHUG Knowledge Base > Family Historian Plugins at:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=plugins:about

 

Also from your description, it is not clear whether you have a clear understanding of the Individual, Source & Media records structure.

There is much free introductory tutorial material in the FHUG Knowledge Base at https://www.fhug.org.uk/

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of blakey1954@...
Sent: 13 April 2020 03:31
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 

_._,_._,_


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Adrian Bruce
 

On Mon, 13 Apr 2020 at 15:26, John Burton <blakey1954@...> wrote:
... Bit disappointing though that when you delete the media record in FH it doesn’t delete the Media file as well. Weakness of the Delete function? ...

 

Hardly! I'd get very annoyed if I'd used a family photo in FH, decided I didn't want it any more in FH, so deleted the media record to find that it deleted the original family photo as well!

It actually gets quite tricky trying to think how people want to use stuff - what makes perfectly logical sense in one scenario, could be disastrous in another. That's one example.

Adrian
Re: Name conflict with an existing file

John Burton
 

Hello Mike,

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Yes, I have found the ‘duplicate’ files in the Project Media folder. Bit disappointing though that when you delete the media record in FH it doesn’t delete the Media file as well. Weakness of the Delete function?

 

I did look at the Query options to look for these duplicates, however, it looks like a Custom query would need creating.

 

I will also take you advice regarding the Knowledge base.

 

Thanks again.

 

Regards

John Burton

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Monday, 13 April 2020 6:57 PM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hi,

When you enter source documents two things happen:

  1. A Media record is created that links to a Media file
  2. A Media file is added into the Project folder structure in the Media folder

When you delete the Media record it does not delete the Media file.

 

So one solution, when recreating the Media record is to browse to the Media file that still exists in the Media folder.

That will be at …\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name.

Otherwise, when you ask FH to recreate the Media file, Windows finds the file already there so gives the new one the (2) suffix.

 

Another solution is to run the Check for Unlinked Media Plugin, but as a newcomer, you may not have discovered Plugins yet.

The best way to learn about them is in the FHUG Knowledge Base > Family Historian Plugins at:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=plugins:about

 

Also from your description, it is not clear whether you have a clear understanding of the Individual, Source & Media records structure.

There is much free introductory tutorial material in the FHUG Knowledge Base at https://www.fhug.org.uk/

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of blakey1954@...
Sent: 13 April 2020 03:31
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 

 

Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Mike Tate
 

Hi,

When you enter source documents two things happen:

  1. A Media record is created that links to a Media file
  2. A Media file is added into the Project folder structure in the Media folder

When you delete the Media record it does not delete the Media file.

 

So one solution, when recreating the Media record is to browse to the Media file that still exists in the Media folder.

That will be at …\Family Historian Projects\<project>\<project>.fh_data\Media where <project> is your Project name.

Otherwise, when you ask FH to recreate the Media file, Windows finds the file already there so gives the new one the (2) suffix.

 

Another solution is to run the Check for Unlinked Media Plugin, but as a newcomer, you may not have discovered Plugins yet.

The best way to learn about them is in the FHUG Knowledge Base > Family Historian Plugins at:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=plugins:about

 

Also from your description, it is not clear whether you have a clear understanding of the Individual, Source & Media records structure.

There is much free introductory tutorial material in the FHUG Knowledge Base at https://www.fhug.org.uk/

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of blakey1954@...
Sent: 13 April 2020 03:31
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Name conflict with an existing file

 

Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Name conflict with an existing file

Derek Kain
 

Hello Blakey1954,
Have you tried Validate. (File - Validate).
Derek

On Mon, 13 Apr 2020 at 07:20, <blakey1954@...> wrote:
Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 

Name conflict with an existing file

John Burton
 

Hello,
I'm new to FH and have struck a problem when entering Source documents. I entered a Source document then deleted it while trying to standardize all other Source records. When re-entering it I got the 'name conflict ...' error message. I can enter the document but it will add a (2) etc. at the end. I don't want this. It appears the original deletion did not clean up all 'behind-the-scenes' records/links. How do I check for and cleanup the original entry to resolve this? There is only one source file I am trying to enter into FH.
Thank you. 
Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Mike Tate
 

Thank you for the comprehensive feedback and successful outcomes.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Bill Klecka
Sent: 09 April 2020 23:56
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Thanks to everyone for your responses.  I’ve managed to solve both problems.

 

Mike Tate’s suggestion to see the article in the FHUG Knowledge Base was very helpful in fixing the problem with PDF files that are never created.  That article recommends uninstalling the novaPDF print function and reinstalling it.  That worked perfectly, although I can’t imagine why the novaPDF printer might have become corrupted.  But then, as a retired programmer, I know that such weird and unexpected problems happen frequently.  That’s why User Groups such as this one are so important for sharing knowledge about the problems we encounter that shouldn’t have happened.

 

I have confirmed that the only way to save changes to an existing Chart is to use the Diagram > Save Diagram menu command.  I had no idea that Ctrl+S and File > Save saved only the GEDCOM data and not the current Chart.  I guess I was saving changes to my Charts only when I closed them and the program asked if I wanted to save my changes.  For the changes that I lost yesterday, I had done a Ctrl+S (thinking that I was saving my changes to the Chart) and then accidentally moved a text box.  Rather than taking the effort to re-position that box, I closed the Chart and said I didn’t want to save my changes.  So my many changes over the past hour were not saved, and I was shocked to see that they had been lost when I re-opened that Chart.

 

Bill

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2020 2:02 AM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Sorry guys, but none of Save, Ctrl+S or Ctrl+C have anything to do with saving Diagram Charts.

Save and Ctrl+S only save the GEDCOM data.

To save a Chart use Diagram > Save Diagram or Diagram > Save Diagram As > Family Historian Chart.

I bet when you closed the Diagram it asked if you wanted to save the changes and that is the clue it has not been saved.

 

Regarding the PDF printing, it is possible that the Family Historian PDF Nova printer driver or print spooling have been upset.

Se the FHUG Knowledge Base options for resetting those features:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:family_historian_installation_problems#save_as_pdf_file_output_is_not_enabled

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Hanson
Sent: 09 April 2020 09:40
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

 

Regards
John Hanson

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Bill Klecka
 

Thanks to everyone for your responses.  I’ve managed to solve both problems.

 

Mike Tate’s suggestion to see the article in the FHUG Knowledge Base was very helpful in fixing the problem with PDF files that are never created.  That article recommends uninstalling the novaPDF print function and reinstalling it.  That worked perfectly, although I can’t imagine why the novaPDF printer might have become corrupted.  But then, as a retired programmer, I know that such weird and unexpected problems happen frequently.  That’s why User Groups such as this one are so important for sharing knowledge about the problems we encounter that shouldn’t have happened.

 

I have confirmed that the only way to save changes to an existing Chart is to use the Diagram > Save Diagram menu command.  I had no idea that Ctrl+S and File > Save saved only the GEDCOM data and not the current Chart.  I guess I was saving changes to my Charts only when I closed them and the program asked if I wanted to save my changes.  For the changes that I lost yesterday, I had done a Ctrl+S (thinking that I was saving my changes to the Chart) and then accidentally moved a text box.  Rather than taking the effort to re-position that box, I closed the Chart and said I didn’t want to save my changes.  So my many changes over the past hour were not saved, and I was shocked to see that they had been lost when I re-opened that Chart.

 

Bill

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Mike Tate
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2020 2:02 AM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Sorry guys, but none of Save, Ctrl+S or Ctrl+C have anything to do with saving Diagram Charts.

Save and Ctrl+S only save the GEDCOM data.

To save a Chart use Diagram > Save Diagram or Diagram > Save Diagram As > Family Historian Chart.

I bet when you closed the Diagram it asked if you wanted to save the changes and that is the clue it has not been saved.

 

Regarding the PDF printing, it is possible that the Family Historian PDF Nova printer driver or print spooling have been upset.

Se the FHUG Knowledge Base options for resetting those features:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:family_historian_installation_problems#save_as_pdf_file_output_is_not_enabled

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Hanson
Sent: 09 April 2020 09:40
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

 

Regards
John Hanson

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Ian Thirlwell <fh.thirlwell@...>
 

Bill’s original problem was the failure of Save as PDF. I’ve tried to recreate the same problem but can’t. I can open a saved chart, modify it and save as PDF as usual. The other problem, relating to the changes to a chart I think are simply that the modified chart wasn’t saved using the Diagram>Save Diagram as>Family Historian Chart. Hence the old version was loaded instead. File>Save and Ctrl+S, as has already been said, don’t affect charts & diagrams, and the Save as PDF isn’t the same as saving as a chart.
 
Ian
 
 

From: Mike Tate
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2020 9:51 PM
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file
 

Sorry Derek, but the View > Saved Charts command views existing saved charts, it has nothing to do with saving a modified Diagram Chart which requires a Diagram command.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Derek Kain
Sent: 09 April 2020 19:04
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Hello Bill,

Have a look at VIEW, then SAVE CHARTS.

It could be what you want.

Derek

 

On Thu, 9 Apr 2020 at 10:02, Mike Tate <post@...> wrote:

Sorry guys, but none of Save, Ctrl+S or Ctrl+C have anything to do with saving Diagram Charts.
Save and Ctrl+S only save the GEDCOM data.
To save a Chart use Diagram > Save Diagram or Diagram > Save Diagram As > Family Historian Chart.
I bet when you closed the Diagram it asked if you wanted to save the changes and that is the clue it has not been saved.

Regarding the PDF printing, it is possible that the Family Historian PDF Nova printer driver or print spooling have been upset.
Se the FHUG Knowledge Base options for resetting those features:
https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:family_historian_installation_problems#save_as_pdf_file_output_is_not_enabled

Regards, Mike Tate

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Hanson
Sent: 09 April 2020 09:40
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

Regards
John Hanson

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Mike Tate
 

Sorry Derek, but the View > Saved Charts command views existing saved charts, it has nothing to do with saving a modified Diagram Chart which requires a Diagram command.

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of Derek Kain
Sent: 09 April 2020 19:04
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Hello Bill,

Have a look at VIEW, then SAVE CHARTS.

It could be what you want.

Derek

 

On Thu, 9 Apr 2020 at 10:02, Mike Tate <post@...> wrote:

Sorry guys, but none of Save, Ctrl+S or Ctrl+C have anything to do with saving Diagram Charts.
Save and Ctrl+S only save the GEDCOM data.
To save a Chart use Diagram > Save Diagram or Diagram > Save Diagram As > Family Historian Chart.
I bet when you closed the Diagram it asked if you wanted to save the changes and that is the clue it has not been saved.

Regarding the PDF printing, it is possible that the Family Historian PDF Nova printer driver or print spooling have been upset.
Se the FHUG Knowledge Base options for resetting those features:
https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:family_historian_installation_problems#save_as_pdf_file_output_is_not_enabled

Regards, Mike Tate

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Hanson
Sent: 09 April 2020 09:40
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

Regards
John Hanson

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

_._,_._,_


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Derek Kain
 

Hello Bill,
Have a look at VIEW, then SAVE CHARTS.
It could be what you want.
Derek

On Thu, 9 Apr 2020 at 10:02, Mike Tate <post@...> wrote:

Sorry guys, but none of Save, Ctrl+S or Ctrl+C have anything to do with saving Diagram Charts.

Save and Ctrl+S only save the GEDCOM data.

To save a Chart use Diagram > Save Diagram or Diagram > Save Diagram As > Family Historian Chart.

I bet when you closed the Diagram it asked if you wanted to save the changes and that is the clue it has not been saved.

 

Regarding the PDF printing, it is possible that the Family Historian PDF Nova printer driver or print spooling have been upset.

Se the FHUG Knowledge Base options for resetting those features:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:family_historian_installation_problems#save_as_pdf_file_output_is_not_enabled

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Hanson
Sent: 09 April 2020 09:40
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

 

Regards
John Hanson

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Mike Tate
 

Sorry guys, but none of Save, Ctrl+S or Ctrl+C have anything to do with saving Diagram Charts.

Save and Ctrl+S only save the GEDCOM data.

To save a Chart use Diagram > Save Diagram or Diagram > Save Diagram As > Family Historian Chart.

I bet when you closed the Diagram it asked if you wanted to save the changes and that is the clue it has not been saved.

 

Regarding the PDF printing, it is possible that the Family Historian PDF Nova printer driver or print spooling have been upset.

Se the FHUG Knowledge Base options for resetting those features:

https://www.fhug.org.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=how_to:family_historian_installation_problems#save_as_pdf_file_output_is_not_enabled

 

Regards, Mike Tate

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of John Hanson
Sent: 09 April 2020 09:40
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: Re: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

 

Regards
John Hanson

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

_._,_._,_


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

John Hanson
 

Personally I prefer to hit the save button
Keyboard shortcuts are fine but should never be taken as a guarantee to my mind
I have had problems in the past with other programs where you think your keyboard shortcut has worked but hasn’t
I suspect that we have all had the classic is to do a Control-C to copy something and when you do the paste it isn’t what you think it should be

 

Regards
John Hanson - researching the Halstead/Holstead/Alstead names
Researcher, the Halsted Trust - https://www.halsted.org.uk
Research website - https://www.halstedresearch.org.uk

2021 Family History Conference - https://www.elizabethanancestors.org.uk

 

 

From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of bill.klecka@...
Sent: 09 April 2020 06:32
To: family-historian@groups.io
Subject: [family-historian] Print to PDF no longer creates a file

 

Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

Re: Print to PDF no longer creates a file

Victor Markham
 

Sorry it is S not C I was thinking of copy

On 09/04/2020 8:26 am, victor markham wrote:

To save files use Ctrl+C

Victor

On 09/04/2020 6:32 am, bill.klecka@... wrote:
Today, I modified one of my charts and went to print it as a PDF file.  The print/save process seemed to work normally, but it never created the PDF file. In addition, it deleted the previous version of that file, which I intentionally wanted to over-write with my changes.  That's not a big loss, except I didn't get the new file.  I tried this several times being careful to check the options to make sure I was doing it the same way I've done it many times in the past.  I even closed the program and rebooted the computer to see if that would fix the problem; it didn't.  I'm using a desktop PC with a lot of memory and the very latest version of Windows 10.  Does anyone know what's going on?

In addition, Family Historian failed to save the changes to the chart I was working on for over an hour.  I used Ctrl+S to save the file after each significant change, but when I reloaded the chart after rebooting the computer, the old version came up!  When I looked in the Charts directory, I could see that file still had the old date from the last time I worked on this chart.  I suspect this failure to save the chart revisions is related to the problem of saving the PDF file, but I can't imagine what is causing this unless FH 6.2.7 is no longer compatible with some recent update to Windows 10.

Bill

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