Changing the path of the Catalog/Database

[florit1980]

Hi,

Subject: 0.99.7: Changing the path of the Catalog/Database

XnView: MP 1.3.1 64bits (Oct 11 2022)
OS: Windows 10 / 64bit

I tried to change the direction of the catalog/database (xnview.db) and the thumbs-database (thumb.db) in:
Tools | Settings | Integration | Paths
but it doesn't work.

I tried it both with changing the catalog path to a folder on the local SSD (D:/XNView/) as well as to a fileserver. However, when I changed the path, XnViewMP doesn't seem to find the catalag anymore (but there ist no error notification).
The only effect is that the catalog just doesn't work anymore: I can't use Categories, ratings and other cataloging features (e.g. they are not saved, I can't create new categories). When I change the path of the catalog back to "system" it works properly.

My problem is, that I want to use the catalog together with other users via the fileserver, which seems to be a normal usage of XnViewMP (e.g. described here: viewtopic.php?t=30199)


Effect: The effect of changing the catalog path is that XnView seems to continue working without catalog (like I would have disabled using the catalog in Tools | Settings | Database/Catalog) .

I suppose it isn't really a bug in the software, because other people seem to use XnView exactly like this - to me it seems more like an individual problem.

Thank's for any help!

[xnview]

could you post a screenshot of Settings>Integration - Paths?
when you click on 'open location', is it the good folder?

[florit1980]

Thank you Pierre,
here's the screenshot.
When I click on "open location" it's always the original folder that appears (C:\Users\..\AppData\Roaming\XnViewMP), no matter which folder I selected before.

What I already tried:
* Chosing a folder at a fileserver, at the local SSD (C:, D:), at an external HDD ... that doesn't change anything - the program doensn't seem to find the location of the catalog, and works as if it wouldn't have a catalgo, except I choose "User (System")
* re-installing XnViewMP
* changing just the location of the catalog, but not for the thumbs and other files - or changing two of them or all three of them - that doesn't maker any difference.

Any other ideas what I could try or what the problem might be?

Thanks,
Florian

[gvb]

Hi, I seem to be having exactly the same problem.
Changing the catalog location doesn't do anything...
(Although I think it worked in previous versions.)

[xnview]

there is a bug in 1.3.1 to choose a folder for catalog, what do you have for dbFolder in your xnview.ini?

[florit1980]

xnview.ini says the following, so I suppose there is correct path I have chosen for the catalog (D:/XnView_Programmdaten_D/XnViewMP/) :

[General]
GAnalytics-cid={6559477e-ee9e-4e80-81e7-d71f147c4c22}

[Start]
otherFlag=0
updater=2
language=
otherFolder=E:/BILDARCHIV/XnView_Programmdaten/XnView.db/
dbFlag=2
lastCheck=@Variant(\0\0\0\xe\0%\x89\xe)
dbFolder=D:/XnView_Programmdaten_D/XnViewMP/XnView.db/
dbThumbFlag=4
dbThumbFolder=D:/XnView_Programmdaten_D/XnViewMP/Thumb.db/

and as gvb wrote: it seemed to work in previous versions (unfortunately I don't know which) - so perhaps I try to install an older version ...

[florit1980]

...but interesting: now I changed the paths in xnview.ini manually like this, and now the catalog works:

[Start]
otherFlag=0
updater=2
language=
otherFolder=//files.mauerseglerei.at/Familie/Ritter/BILDARCHIV/XnViewMP_Katalog/
lastCheck=@Variant(\0\0\0\xe\0%\x89\xe)
dbFolder=//files.mauerseglerei.at/Familie/Ritter/BILDARCHIV/XnViewMP_Katalog/
dbThumbFlag=2
dbThumbFolder=D:/2_PROGRAMMDATEIEN/XnView_Thumbs/

so when I understand right what I did is: setting the folder for the catalog to the fileserver: //files.mauerseglerei.at/Familie/Ritter/BILDARCHIV/XnViewMP_Katalog/
and setting the folder for the thumbs-database to the local HDD (=D:): D:/2_PROGRAMMDATEIEN/XnView_Thumbs/

what happened before, when I tried to set the folders via settings/intergration/paths was, that that XnView included the name of the catalog in the path in xnview.ini, e.g.:
//files.mauerseglerei.at/Familie/Ritter/BILDARCHIV/XnViewMP_Katalog/XnView.db/
(see as well my last post)
with the consequence, that the programm didn't find the catalog any more! (of course - this path doesn't exist!)
With the tumbs-database it was the same.

so it seems to be an adequate workaround for this bug to correct the paths in xnview.ini manually.

Thank you, Pierre, for the hint with the xnview.ini!

A last question:
What for is the line with "other folder" in the xnview.ini? Which folder can you set using this line?

[xnview]

What for is the line with "other folder" in the xnview.ini? Which folder can you set using this line?

otherFolder is used for other files saved by XnView

[gvb]

Ok. I also tried the trick with manually editing the .ini file.
At first it didn't work ... until I also pointed the "customPath=" entry to the same catalog folder location.