* Recovering missing custom facts

[BobB]

Over the years I've set up a few custom facts, though never wrote down what they were. I've recently clicked the button to upgrade to 6.1 and 6.2 and have noticed that I now only have the standard facts and the custom ones have disappeared. Is there any way to get these back (I'm not sure exactly when they disappeared).
I've also noticed that the documentation on new witness facts implies there are standard roles which should be listed as a default, but all I get is a box to add my own. Is this a linked issue or can I not see beyond the end of my nose. I suspect I've got so used to the basics of using FH over the years that I didn't realise some had changed!

[tatewise]

Hi Bob, we might have to do a bit of software forensics to sort things out, and even then may not recover your custom facts.

Usually FH upgrades will retain previous custom settings, but it is not guaranteed.

Can you summarise your major upgrades to FH, Windows, and PC, preferably from when you think the custom facts last existed.

What FH purchased version upgrades have you gone through (i.e. V2, V3, V4, V5, V6)?

How did you upgrade?
Simply installed new version over existing version, or uninstalled old version and installed FH afresh, or what?

What Windows upgrades have you gone through (i.e. XP, Vista, Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10)?

What PC upgrades have you gone through (i.e. new PC needing FH to be installed)?

Have you ever made any backups of the C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian custom settings folder, or used the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin?

[BobB]

Hi Mike, I think I've figured out the problem but I'm still not sure of the solution. My desktop PC was originally Windows XP I think, with a free upgrade to Windows 7 and has now been upgraded to Windows 10. About 6 months ago I bought a new laptop (Win 10) and installed FH on it, synchronising data between the two copies using DropBox. The custom facts still seem to be in place on the desktop, and I imagine that I must have installed a vanilla version on the laptop and not realised that my customisations weren't there (in my defence I've been moving house over the last six months and haven't had much time for family history!). I guess there must be some way of copying the customisations from the desktop to the laptop - can you point me in the right direction?

[tatewise]

Yes Bob, I suspected as much, and your software forensic analysis is perfect.

See the how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide which probably describes how you migrated from desktop to laptop, with the exception of using the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin to copy your customisations.

So run that Plugin Backup tab on the desktop, wait for the backup folder to synch across Dropbox, then run the Plugin Restore tab on the laptop, as instructed in the Migration Guide.

Since you have been running the laptop for 6 months, you may have added customisations to the laptop that supersede the desktop. The Plugin caters for that and asks whether to keep the later laptop version or overwrite with the older desktop version, item by item.