Family Historian User Group

Hello
can anyone help me with this error. I have just installed V 2.9 plugin of Backup and Restore User Settings.
Here is a screen shot of the error message.
Thanks

I wonder if it might be the "?" in the folder name, you would not normally use question marks in file names.

I suspect you are not running a native Windows OS but some MacOS.
I know that because question marks ? are NOT allowed in Windows file or folder names.

Anyway, that whole folder path looks very unusual.
It is similar to a Project folder path for Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree but there should be no ? and the root folder Family Tree Backups should be Family Historian Projects.

Please explain your system configuration and the purpose of that folder path.

To get to that error message the Plugin has already checked that the folder does NOT exist, but then tries to make it and get the error message that a file already exists. So something odd is going on. Maybe the Plugin is trying to make a folder with the same name as a file that already exists. i.e. Is the Plugin Data folder listed synonymous with a file of the same name in that path?

how_to:family_historian_v6_on_crossover_wine|> Family Historian V6 & Ancestral Sources V5 on Crossover, PlayOnLinux/Mac & Wine says under Problems With Plugins that the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin is not fully operational in non-Windows systems.

Thanks tatewise and jane for your replies. Yes I am using windows on my macbook through Parallels.
It seemed to work with v 2.8, I may try to reinstall that and see if it works.

Thanks again Stephen

The only place I found in the Plugin where it needs to create the Plugin Data folder is in a library module common to many of my Plugins that ensures the Project folder structure has a Plugin Data sub-folder as described below.

So in your example, you have replaced the usual Family Historian Projects folder with your Family Tree Backups folder and that is set in the File > Project Window > Location. Please confirm.

Your Project name is Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree but in that case there should be no ? in the folder pathname, so how has that got there? How does Parallels allow it?
It might be some accented character that FH does not like and substitutes a ? but it still should not be there.
That might also explain the part of the error message that says may have failed to handle accent characters correctly.

Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree\Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree.fh_data\Plugin Data should be the pathname and each component should be a folder without any ? mark.

Can you explain any of the above unusual symptoms?

Hi Mike
I have not been able to resolve this issue, I am not competent enough with the computer to explore different options.
I will leave this plugin for now.

Thanks again
Stephen

I am not asking you to explore different options but just answer a few simple questions. They are not complicated.

Did your experiment with the Plugin Version 2.8 work any better?

In the FH File > Project Window does the Location field refer to ...\Desktop\Family Tree Backups?
If not, then what does it refer to?

Does FH File > Project Window list your Project name as Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree ?
If not, then what does it list?

What is the character at end of the \Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree?\ folder name?

Hi Mike
here are some Screen shots before and after running plugin v2.9.

Sorry, but I am not familiar with MacOS style folder listings, so please explain what you are trying to show me.

How do those screenshots answer any of my questions?

I notice the after screenshot shows Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree? with the problem ? at the end.
Has that just been created when you run the Plugin?

Yes after I run the plugin the ? gets added.

This screen shot should answer your questions.

My original file name was "Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree"
the bracketed bit at the end appeared after I ran the plug in.

Stephen

Thank you, that has given me something to investigate.

It is difficult to repeat your symptoms exactly, because my standard Windows OS does not allow all the characters in filenames that seem to be possible in MacOS. e.g. Windows OS does NOT allow a question mark ? in filenames.

However, I can get similar symptoms if the Project name has an unusual final character.
So I suspect that at the end of Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree after the last e there is a non-alphanumeric character such as an invisible white space or control character.
It looks like the Stella Stuart project name has the same problem.

Please ensure that in Family Tree Backups the folder Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree has absolutely no trailing character after the word Tree and if necessary delete the folder Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree?.

Thanks Mike
this is the route to my project folder.

Please make sure that the folder in the central column Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree has absolutely no hidden trailing character after the word Tree.

Screen shot.

It would help me a lot if you could explain what you do between screenshots.

Did you delete the Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree+ folder?

Was there anything hiding at the end of the Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree folder name?

Does that Project display correctly in the FH File > Project Window now?

Something at the end of the Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree folder name is being detected by the Plugin and because it is not a recognisable ANSI character gets converted to ? when it tries to create the Plugin Data sub-folder.

Can you please perform the following two tasks.

1) Open your Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree Project, run the Attached Backup Project Details Plugin, and post a screenshot of its report window showing what the FH Plugins see in the file path.

2) In File > Project Window click More Tasks > Samples > Reset Sample Project to create Family Historian Sample Project
Open that new sample project and run the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings V2.9 Plugin. Does it run OK?

[ EDIT: Attachment deleted as no longer needed. ]

I think it has worked now Mike.
See screen shot below.

Is this just your sample project backed up? I opened my project and run v2.9, are these the correct files saved?
Although I see the ? again at the end of the Project folder.

Please, please, please, please explain what you were doing before those screenshots.

Please, please, please run the Backup Project Details Plugin attached yesterday in your Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree Project and post its display. I hope it will explain where the ? is coming from.

Which Project was open when you successfully ran the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin?
Was it the Family Historian Sample Project that you had open when you ran the Plugin successfully?
( BTW: It is not my Sample Project but the standard FH Sample Project. )

You misunderstand the purpose of the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin.
That Plugin is nothing to do with backing up Projects. ( Use File > Backup/Restore options to Backup Projects. )
That Plugin is for backing up shared customisations and settings that apply to ALL Projects such as customised Diagrams, Reports, Queries, Fact Sets, Plugins, Property Box, tabs, Records Window columns, Tools > Preferences, etc.
So it does not matter which Project is used to run that Plugin.

I ran the plug in you sent with Sources Stephen Patrick George Friel Family Tree Project. This was the screen shot I posted.
I will do it again. I have not misunderstood the purpose of the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin.
I want it is for the very reasons you explained in your last post.

Stephen

The Backup Project Details Plugin should produce a report like this...

See screen shots below.

1st screen shot.

Now, do you see that character that looks like a square bullet ▪ in the middle of ... Family Tree▪\Sources ...

That is the problem that is causing the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings to fail with a ? in that position when run in this Project.

Please can you delete that rogue ▪ character from the end of the folder name.

Then run the Backup Project Details Plugin to report again so it says ... Family Tree\Sources ... without the square bullet ▪