Dear Members,

I have been using Family Historian version 6 from January 2016, and then version 7 from February 2021, and was very happy producing reports and charts without any problems until last week, when I was unable to access any reports from the “Publish” button on the application toolbar.

When I click on any report from the menu, I get a small square box on the screen which has inside it a yellow triangle and an exclamation mark, and the words “Report Not Found”. This applies to:

• Individual Summary Report
• Family Group Sheet
• Media Report

When I click on the following I get a box next to the arrow showing  “<empty>”

• Narrative Reports
• Outline Reports
• Record Detail Reports
• Special Data Reports
• All Miscellaneous Reports
• Customs Reports

I have no problems with producing charts, just the reports.

Although I have been using FH for over 5 years, I am no expert, and this problems has really baffled me, as it happened out of the blue.

I shall be most grateful for any helpful instructions/advice from forum members as how best to rectify this problem, and get my Report Publishing facility back working again.

With thanks in advance

Adrian Ratnayake

Sent from Mail for Windows

Have you been doing any ‘file system housekeeping’? It sounds as if the content of C:\Program Files (x86)\Family Historian\Reports may have been deleted or moved.

Hello Adrian,

It seems that something or someone has disrupted the crucial Windows folder where Report definitions are held:

C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Reports\

The simplest solution is to reinstall Family Historian v7.0 over the top of the existing version.

Can you offer any explanation of how that Report folder may have been upset?

Mike Tate

Yes, that is an alternative possibility.

Reinstalling Family Historian v7.0 will cure that problem too.

Mike Tate

To clarify, two folders could have been disrupted:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Family Historian\Reports\ as suggested by Helen

C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Reports\ as suggested by me

Either being upset will cause your symptoms.

Do you have any idea how that could have happened?

Reinstalling FH will fix either or both cases.

Thank you Helen, Mike and Neil for your prompt response with suggestions. I shall endeavour to reinstall FH v.7 and will let you know if it worked.

The FH project is on my laptop (C:\users\aajr4\Documents) but I was reading an article in the Genealogists’ Magazine about lost folders etc due to hard drive failures. Since I already had a WD and Maxtor external drives, I read the FH article in the “HELP” section and decided to backup the entire project from the laptop to both the external drives.

With the project file open I clicked on FILE, BACKUP/RESTORE, BACKUP OPTIONS which took me to a small “BACKUP” screen  with (inter alia) “Default Backup Folder: [C:\Users\aajr4\Documents] <<Select

Since I wanted to backup the entire project folder to drives G:\ (WD) and H:\ (Maxtor),  I deleted the C:\etc etc and replaced it first with G:\  and then H:\ but there was nothing in either drive. I have a strange feeling that by deleting the C:\Users\ etc, etc I caused the problem.

With sincere thanks again for your help.

Adrian

Sent from Mail for Windows

C:\Users\aajr4\... path has absolutely nothing to do with either path involving the Reports folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Family Historian\Reports\

C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Reports\

I suspect you did not actually delete anything but simply replaced C: with G: or H: in the path selector at the top.

i.e.

Changed C:\users\aajr4\Documents to G:\users\aajr4\Documents

It is not surprising that did not work, as there would not be a G:\users\aajr4\Documents path on the G: drive.

You need to select the G: or H: drive and its folders using the left-hand pane in the Enter Backup Filename selection dialogue.

To permanently use a G: or H: drive backup folder then in FH use Tools > Preferences > Backup and Select a Default Backup Folder there.

Beware that backups of Projects only backup Project details.

They do not backup customisations of Diagrams, Reports, Queries, Fact Sets, etc.

That requires a plugin called Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings from the Plugin Store.

See the FHUG Knowledge Base ‘Backup and Recovery’ advice:

https://fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/backup-and-recovery/

Mike Tate

I reinstalled FH v.7 on my laptop and All’s Well……..

Thanks again Helen, Mike and Neill.

Adrian

Sent from Mail for Windows

Thanks again Mike for the additional information, advice and links. I shall download the plugin “Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings” V3.1 from the Plugin Store.

Adrian

Sent from Mail for Windows