Problem with categories

Ask for help and post your question on how to use XnView MP.

Moderators: XnTriq, helmut, xnview

Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

Hello,

I have a problem with my categories. I guess I did something wrong without noticing. When I click a Picture it doesn't show its category any more (in the panel on the right).
In the category filter the pictures are still there, but I cannot open them (they are shown either specially small or not shown at all (see scrennshot).
What happened and how can I repair this?
Thanks in advance!
Attachments
xnview2.jpg
xnview1.jpg
User avatar
xnview
Author of XnView
Posts: 43357
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:31 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Problem with categories

Post by xnview »

you have not changed the path of your files?
Pierre.
Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

Well, that' the problem, I don't know... Maybe I did it by mistake without noticing.. But I thought that the categories where always linked to the files, regardless of where they are?!
boomcat
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 3:39 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by boomcat »

I had a very similar problem took me a good while to fix it.
The issue has to do with the directory of the files. For me i have mine on an external drive so one day when For whatever reason my pc thought that my external was a new device (likely some odd usb error) it changed the root directory to the drive from :E to :F. Since xnview stores its own database files and icons it seems mostly okay, but tit cannot find your actual files so previews and actually attempting to open it will not work. Unfortunately (although im new so i may be mistaken) to my knowledge Xnview really really does not like trying to change the directory in program so its not as simple as opening your catalog and amending. I ended up having to use windows to change the root directory of my external back after hours of re downloading XNview and attempting to reload and restore my database, in the process corrupting a good chunk of it before a realized how simple of an issue it was.

My suggestion is to open your catalog settings page in XN and then open a separate file explorer ensure that the catalogs directories perfectly match that of the ACTUAL files by navigation to them in the windows explorer. If there are any differences I suggest just fixing the actual directories in windows rather than messing with trying to amend them in xnview.
cday
XnThusiast
Posts: 3976
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:45 am
Location: Cheltenham, U.K.

Re: Problem with categories

Post by cday »

You're setting the paths in Integration > Paths to Custom so that you can easily edit the location if needed, but that doesn't always work?

I don't know if it is necessary to restart XnView before the change takes effect?

[Edited]
User avatar
xnview
Author of XnView
Posts: 43357
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:31 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Problem with categories

Post by xnview »

Nimrodel wrote:Well, that' the problem, I don't know... Maybe I did it by mistake without noticing.. But I thought that the categories where always linked to the files, regardless of where they are?!
if you move them with XnViewMP not outside
Pierre.
Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

Thanks for the answers! I still couldn't solve the problem, I'm just too incompetent with computers and don't manage anything without exact directions on what to do; my xnview is in German too, so I'm not sure to find the right menu-buttons :?

Now I'm also confused about something else: If I buy a new computer and install xnview on it and all my photos from an external hard drive; will the categories still be there?
User avatar
xnview
Author of XnView
Posts: 43357
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:31 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Problem with categories

Post by xnview »

Nimrodel wrote:Now I'm also confused about something else: If I buy a new computer and install xnview on it and all my photos from an external hard drive; will the categories still be there?
Do you export categories in file itself or sidecar?
Pierre.
Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

I'm there again, I actually wanted to give up because I just don't understand anything :( but I decided to continue trying, because I really want to be able to use xnview...

Please try to talk to me knowing that I don't understand any informatic language... Thanks a lot for trying to help me! :)

First I would like to know if I can change the language of my xnview from german to english, so I can follow better your instructions?
Do you export categories in file itself or sidecar?
Until now I didn't export anything, and I don't know what the differences mean? Should I export categories, and if yes how?

For the path problem I made another screenshot when you can see on the left the message when I try opening an image from a category folder in xnview (it says "xxx couldn't be found. Please be sure you entered the right name and try again"); on the right the image path when I open it with windows. I can see that the path is not the same: C:\Users\Aline\Pictures\Bilder\Mes Photos\2016 Photos; "Pictures" and "mes photos" are missing in the path from xnview. But I still don't know how to fix it!
Attachments
Sans titre-1 copie.jpg
User avatar
xnview
Author of XnView
Posts: 43357
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:31 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Problem with categories

Post by xnview »

Nimrodel wrote: First I would like to know if I can change the language of my xnview from german to english, so I can follow better your instructions?
Yes in settings>Interface

Until now I didn't export anything, and I don't know what the differences mean? Should I export categories, and if yes how?
In Settings>Metadata, you can enable 'Export DB category', when you change categories, by default, all is saved in the catalog of XnView. But with this option, you can write them in the header of the file (XMP metadata). This is only for TIFF/JPEG/PNG.
For the path problem I made another screenshot when you can see on the left the message when I try opening an image from a category folder in xnview (it says "xxx couldn't be found. Please be sure you entered the right name and try again"); on the right the image path when I open it with windows. I can see that the path is not the same: C:\Users\Aline\Pictures\Bilder\Mes Photos\2016 Photos; "Pictures" and "mes photos" are missing in the path from xnview. But I still don't know how to fix it!
It seems that you have change the path of your photos in windows explorer. You can modify the catalog by using Settings>Catalog>Relocate. Choose the path (C:\Users\Aline\Bilder\2016\) and enter the new one (C:\Users\Aline\Pictures\Bilder\Mes Photos\2016\)
Pierre.
Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

Thank you Pierre for your help!

I just tried to change the path in the catalog but it still doesn't work, or I still didn't understand..
I also wasn't sure where exactly I should change the path; I changed the "Base path of the pictures" but it didn't have an effect. Then I tried to change in the "cached directory" with "relocate" but nothing happened.
Or is it still somewhere else that I have to change?
Attachments
categories.jpg
User avatar
xnview
Author of XnView
Posts: 43357
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:31 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Problem with categories

Post by xnview »

Nimrodel wrote: I just tried to change the path in the catalog but it still doesn't work, or I still didn't understand..
I also wasn't sure where exactly I should change the path; I changed the "Base path of the pictures" but it didn't have an effect.
Did you use 'base path' before?
Then I tried to change in the "cached directory" with "relocate" but nothing happened.
Or is it still somewhere else that I have to change?
Nothing change with categories?
Pierre.
Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

xnview wrote:Did you use 'base path' before?
No; but now I changed it from "C:\Users\Aline\Bilder" to "C:\Users\Aline\Pictures\Bilder\" because I thought this was the right new path.
xnview wrote: Nothing change with categories?
No, but I'm also not sure where in the long list I should change something; I tried for example to change the line " "C:\Users\Aline\Bilder" in "C:\Users\Aline\Pictures\Bilder\": I selected the line, clicked "relocate", wrote the new path in "new path" and clicked ok. But after this the line didn't changed, it still showed the old path.. so it also didnt change anything with the categories.
User avatar
xnview
Author of XnView
Posts: 43357
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:31 am
Location: France
Contact:

Re: Problem with categories

Post by xnview »

Nimrodel wrote:
xnview wrote:Did you use 'base path' before?
No; but now I changed it from "C:\Users\Aline\Bilder" to "C:\Users\Aline\Pictures\Bilder\" because I thought this was the right new path.
I need your xnview.db to check it?
Pierre.
Nimrodel
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: Problem with categories

Post by Nimrodel »

Sorry.. what means xnview.db and where can I find it?
Post Reply