XnView Software

'base path' is only needed when you use a shared folder between computers

The files are all only on this one computer internal SSD drive, and they are all stored in the directory "/Users/me/Documents/images" (with sub-folders).

you can try to remove 'base path', and you'll have categories

Since we spoke last i have been experimenting with that. There is now a different Categories problem.

Late at night here now, so i will report back tomorrow night.

Restored ~/.xnviewmp from backup and analysed again. (Sorry for the length, but it is complex to explain.)

Start XnViewMP

Base path is set to: /Users/me/Documents/images/

Select Catalog Filter: Drainage (73)
Browser displays 73 thumbnails.
Only 8 have the Categorized icon (from 0829-035741.jpg onwards)

0717-132013.jpg
-- Categorized icon: No
-- Categories panel: No

0829-035741.jpg
-- Categorized icon: Yes
-- Categories panel: Yes

Do "File's Categories > Export": ~/bug-xnview/xley-categories-20240114a-all.xml
-- There are no items with "@" in filename

0717-132013.jpg -- two records
Line 18618: <File filename="/Users/me/Documents/images/2015/07/17Jul2015/0717-132013.jpg">
-- has categories
Line 23727: <File filename="/Users/me/Documents/images/2015/07/17Jul2015/0717-132013.jpg"/>
-- no categories

0829-035741.jpg -- one record
Line 24586: <File filename="/Users/me/Documents/images/2020/08/29Aug2020/0829-035741.jpg">
-- has categories

Removed the "base path" setting by clearing the contents of the field. Press OK.

Quit and re-start.
Base path is automatically set to: /

Select Catalog Filter: Drainage (73)
Browser displays 73 thumbnails.
All 73 have the Categorized icon.
The 8 that did have categories displayed beforehand (from 0829-035741.jpg onwards) now have no thumbnail and are listed at the beginning. The only info in tooltip is filename.

Those 8 files now cannot be opened for full-view via the Browser when listing via the "Catalog Filter".
Their "Information panel" has "Filepath: @2020/08/29Aug2020" and "File size: 0 bytes"
whereas the ones that are now displaying properly, have "Filepath: /Users/me/...." absolute path.

0717-132013.jpg
-- Categorized icon: Yes
-- Categories panel: Yes

0829-035741.jpg
-- Categorized icon: Yes
-- Categories panel: Yes

There is different behaviour via the Browser when listing via the "Folders" tab at the folder 2020/08/29Aug2020
All file do have a thumbnail image, and their "Information" panel shows the "Filepath: /Users/me/...." absolute path.
The images can be opened for full-view.

However their thumbnails have no "Categorized" icon, and no categories are selected in the "Catalog panel".

0829-035741.jpg
-- Categorized icon: No
-- Categories panel: No

Do "File's Categories > Export": ~/bug-xnview/xley-categories-20240114b-all.xml

0717-132013.jpg -- two records
Line 18618: <File filename="/Users/me/Documents/images/2015/07/17Jul2015/0717-132013.jpg">
-- has categories
Line 23727: <File filename="@2015/07/17Jul2015/0717-132013.jpg"/>
-- no categories

0829-035741.jpg -- one record
Line 24586: <File filename="@2020/08/29Aug2020/0829-035741.jpg">
-- has categories

diff xley-categories-20240114a-all.xml xley-categories-20240114b-all.xml > diff-a-b.txt

Rebuild thumbnails
That did not fix those 8 thumbnails and file information.

Do "File's Categories > Export": ~/bug-xnview/xley-categories-20240114c-all.xml
diff xley-categories-20240114b-all.xml xley-categories-20240114c-all.xml > diff-b-c.txt

Quit XnViewMP, and gathered those XML and diff files and the XnView.db to send to you.

xley wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 6:20 am Rebuild thumbnails
That did not fix those 8 thumbnails and file information.

Try to use 'View>Update catalog from files'

No, there is no effect. Those 8 examples are still the same.

Ah there was one change. Now there are only 7 "Drainage" ones in that state.

Do "File's Categories > Export": ~/bug-xnview/xley-categories-20240114d-all.xml
diff xley-categories-20240114c-all.xml xley-categories-20240114d-all.xml > diff-c-d.txt

There are differences in the XML, with some new empty File entries, and one of them actually lost its categories (2022/04/24Apr2022/0424-133057.heic).

Hmm, i think that i might have had a thumbnail selected while i did that operation.

Aha. Select another of those problem thumbnails via the Catalog filter. Do "View>Update catalog from files".
Now there are 6 in that state, as another one lost its categories (2022/04/24Apr2022/0424-133110.heic).

Do "File's Categories > Export": ~/bug-xnview/xley-categories-20240114e-all.xml
diff xley-categories-20240114d-all.xml xley-categories-20240114e-all.xml > diff-d-e.txt

I repeated that "View>Update catalog from files" operation with no thumbnail selected, and Browser at the Folders view.

Do "File's Categories > Export": ~/bug-xnview/xley-categories-20240114e-all.xml
diff xley-categories-20240114e-all.xml xley-categories-20240114f-all.xml > diff-e-f.txt
It has 3 extra File entries, for those that were showing in the Browser. None lost their categories.

I sent you those files.

you have perhaps added categories to files when you had 'base path' so you can't recover them directly.
You must not mix entries with/without 'base path'

I found a way to fix my predicament, by Export the Categories XML, repairing it with UNIX tools, then Import.
Plus a few other steps. I will repeat the process, and send another posting with my steps. Perhaps other people are in the same pickle.

Thanks so much for your assistance.

Copy current for safe-keeping:
Quit XnViewMP
cp -R ~/.xnviewmp/* ~/save-20240117

Restore from previous backup:
cp -R ~/save-20240111/* ~/.xnviewmp

Start XnViewMP

"Settings > Base path" is set to: /Users/me/Documents/images/

Removed the "base path" setting by clearing the contents of the field. Press OK.

Quit and re-start.
Base path is automatically set to: /

From "Categories panel" do "File's Categories > Export" with "Export all":
~/bug-xnview/categories-all.xml
Investigate.
Has many with "@" in filename and no categories.
Has many with "@" in filename and with categories.
Has many with "absolute path" in filename and with categories.
Has many with "absolute path" in filename and no categories.
So a horrid mixture.
Quit the XML file investigation.

Use UNIX 'sed' to fix it.

Replace entries that have "@" to now have the proper path:
sed 's#@#/Users/me/Documents/images/#' categories-all.xml > temp.xml

Remove any entries that have no categories.
This also removes the entries about folders, but XnViewMP put them back later.
sed '\#/>$#d' temp.xml > final.xml

From "Categories panel" do "File's Categories > Import"
using final.xml

At "Settings > Catalog > Catalog maintenance"
Select rows that have "exclamation" icon and "/@" in their path. Delete.
Press "OK"

Quit and re-start

Browse around and verify. All okay.