Exporting from Pocketpedia

[matthjrm]

Hi--

I had to erase the hard drive on my 2019 iMac and reinstall the operating software. I re-added Bookpedia to my computer after that installation, but my entire library is gone. I cannot find the database files on my computer or my external drive.

I do, however, have all of my libraries on my Pocketpedia app. Can I export from that app and import it into Bookpedia on my computer?

Thanks,

matthjrm

[FineWine]

Welcome to these forums.

Because the ~/Library/ folder is hidden by default by the OS, it doesn't show up in your Time Machine but it IS there. Here's how you get it to show:

Open Finder and open the View menu > Show View Options > Show Library Folder - place a tick in the box. The Library Folder will now appear in your Home folder. Now highlight the Library Folder and go to File > Add to Sidebar. It will now appear in the Finder Sidebar.

Now enter Time Machine and you will see the Library folder for any backup date you have.

The database file for DVDpedia is located in your Home folder ~/Library/Application Support/Bookpedia/Database.bookpd. You can copy that entire Bookpedia folder if you so desire.

Also to save you from re-entering all your preferences again, you will find the Bookpedia preference file here: ~/Library/Preferences/com.bruji.bookpedia.plist

Hope this helps

[matthjrm]

This process worked perfectly, but now I lost all the covers of the books in my collections.

I see a folder called "Covers" that contains all the cover images, but I cannot import its contents.

Is there a way to import those images so that they match up with the books they belong to?

Jessie

[FineWine]

If you just restored the Database.bookpd that would be the case. So the best bet is to bring over the entire folder: ~/Library/Application Support/Bookpedia/

Make sure that there is only one Bookpedia folder in the Application Support folder

I would now uninstall the Bookpedia app, only the app and reinstall it again.

To verify that Bookpedia is looking in the correct location for the covers and database go to DVDpedia > Preferences > General > Data folder location:. This path to the data folder will be listed at the bottom of that window.

Each cover has a unique ID number and since the database can't change the ID once an entry is created the only way to create a mismatch or problem is to alter the "Covers" folder or change the "Database.dvdpd" file so both folders MUST be in ~/Library/Application Support/Bookpedia/ .

These are the Folders and Files that should be in ~/Library/Application Support/Bookpedia/ .

Covers
InfoTemplates
Plug-ins
Templates
AddMultiple.xml
autofill.xml
backup1Month.bookpd
backup2Months.bookpd
Bookpedia Backup.zip
Database.bookpd
Database.bookpd-shm
Pocketpedia.bookpd
Pocketpedia.bookpd-shm
Pocketpedia.bookpd-wal

The above entries in blue are Folders do not delete them or their contents.

AND of course do not delete: Database.bookpd OR Pocketpedia.bookpd

The Files with the suffix; .shm & .wal can be deleted as they are changed and recreated automatically again on each starting up of your pedia. You can think of them as a temporary index cache files. The Database and Backup files are self explanatory so not advisable to delete those. The .xml are again a type of index file for your autofill fields and are important so do not delete those two.

Also regular visitors to these forums will know I am big on the following:

1 - When I am updating App's to a new WHOLE number version or upgrading to a new OS version, or I know that there has been a major rewrite of the App such as with the case of all the pedia's and especially as Conor has rewritten them solely for 64bit technology, I do a complete uninstall of the old version prior to update. I achieve this by using a FREE program called AppCleaner which you can download from here. On using this App place a check mark IN ALL the boxes EXCEPT: ~/Library/Application Support/*****pedia , which is the second line down from the top. This is where your data base is located. Ensure that is NOT ticked. You will loose your Preference settings though but they only take a couple of minutes to redo. ONLY DOWNLOAD THE VERSION FOR YOUR macOS If you do not wish to loose your preferences ensure that ~/Library/Preferences/com.bruji.bookpedia.plist is NOT ticked.

2 - There is also one other thing you can do and that is to use, what I call a "Grease & Oil Change" maintenance program called Onyx. This is a FREE program that is a multifunction utility that you can use to verify the structure of the system files, to run miscellaneous maintenance and cleaning tasks, to configure parameters in the Finder, Dock, Safari, and some of Apple's applications, to delete caches, to remove certain problematic folders and files, to rebuild various databases and indexes, and more. I always use it prior and post system OS updates and about once a month. Also especially in this case concerning the new macOS 10.15.* Catalina which has dropped support for ALL 32 bit App's.

This program is available here: Titanium Software - Onyx. ONLY DOWNLOAD THE VERSION FOR YOUR macOS

It is available in many languages and is regularly updated (about once a month).

3 - Also there are some hidden menu tasks that you can perform: 'hold down the option key and click on the main Help menu in each program once and select - each in turn: 'Verify Database', 'Remove Orphaned Covers' and 'Clean Duplicates in Fields' these may not solve your problems but it wont hurt either.

4 - And finally if your particular pedia is actually crashing do check for the Crash Logs. You can find the relevant logs in your Home folder under: ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/

Send them to Bruji Support: support@bruji.com

AND of course always carry out a general machine BACKUP first. Remember that all the pedia's also have the ability to create individual data base backups: File > Export Collection > Backup > Location of your choice

Hope you find these Tips & Hints helpful