* Delay using Ancestral Source Data Entry Plugin

[davidm_uk]

When I use the Ancestral Source Data Entry Plugin (v4.1) to start AS from within FH, after the plugin displays it's selection window and I choose Census it take about 18 seconds to display the AS Welcome screen (which always displays even though I unticked the "Always Show on Startup" box the previous time I've used it.

When starting AS straight from the Windows Start menu AS loads in about 3 seconds, without the the Welcome screen.

What is the Pluhin/AS doing during the 18 seconds? I don't remember there being this delay until fairly recently (a month or two maybe).

The only other progam running is Avast AV. Using W7 Pro 64bit, on a reasonable fast PC, with lots of ram.

[tatewise]

The Plugin does very little after you click the Data Mode button apart from invoke Ancestral Sources.
It wonder if you may have two versions of Ancestral Sources installed, possibly 32-bit and 64-bit, or some other duplication. This could explain the Welcome Screen problem.
Here are some things to investigate.

(1) Check C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Plugin Data\Ancestral Sources Data Entry.dat
If you double-click this file it will probably open in Notepad and should contain something like:
ASVer=4.0.1
TATE7-Files=C:\Program Files\Ancestral Sources\Ancestral Sources.exe
Which identifies the installation path to the Ancestral Sources executable.

(2) Try using the Plugin Restore Defaults button, and see if the file contents above changes.

(3) Check the two default Ancestral Sources installation paths:
C:\Program Files\Ancestral Sources\Ancestral Sources.exe 64-bit version
C:\Program Files (x86)\Ancestral Sources\Ancestral Sources.exe 32-bit version

(4) Use Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features and see if two Ancestral Sources are listed. If so, then uninstall the older Version of them, or if both the same Version then choose either.

[davidm_uk]

As you anticipated Mike, I had both 32 and 64 bit versions of AS installed, and a few Ancestral Sources Data Entry.dat files in various places. AS was only listed once in Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features.

So I have uninstalled it (uninstall in Programs and Features needed to be run twice before it disappeared), deleted all the instances of Ancestral Sources Data Entry.dat, and deleted the AS Plugin. Then re downloaded and re installed everything.

AS is now loading via the Plugin in just a couple of seconds.

I did notice that despite uninstalling and re installing everything that the Source Name definitions, and other settings, that I'd set up in AS had all been preserved, so I guess that these are held somewhere that doesn't get removed by an uninstall.

Thanks for your help - once again

[tatewise]

I'm glad that has all been fixed.
Uninstalling AS does NOT usually remove its Windows Registry options and settings.
However, I advise using Tools > Backup A.S. Options before un-installation, and then Tools > Restore A.S. Options is available after re-installation, or when moving from PC to PC.

The AS Plugin demonstrates how settings can be saved per PC, per User, and per Project, which is why you found several Ancestral Sources Data Entry.dat files.
The AS Version & installation path are saved per PC, the Plugin window size, position & fonts are saved per User, and the Close on 'Save Entry To File' option is saved per Project.

[johnmorrisoniom]

Is this a point to suggest to Nick, that there maybe should be only ONE AS installer. Said installer will install either the 32 bit or 64 bit version depending on the computer?

[tatewise]

John, I have already posted something along those lines, but Nick has not followed it up.
See AS Installed Twice (11196).

The latest version of AS could quite easily tell if another copy is already installed by checking the Windows Registry.
This is what the Plugin now does to tell users if AS needs to be installed or updated.
If the existing installation path is different from the new installation path then the installer could complain.

[NickWalker]

The latest version of AS could quite easily tell if another copy is already installed

No it couldn't and it is frustrating to be told I could quite easily do something that, as far as I'm concerned, isn't particularly straightforward. This would be a job for the installation system scripts which is not my software and not something I am an expert on and I would probably have to find an hour or two to work out how to do this. I have so little time to spend on developing Ancestral Sources itself (I've not done any AS programming in the last few weeks) that the installation scripts are quite basic.

[tatewise]

Sorry Nick, humble apologies, my false assumption that the installation path Windows Registry entry would be easy to manage.

Nevertheless, this is the second time recently that a user has suffered the problem.

I'll have a look at the Plugin doing some checks.

[NickWalker]

The setup scripts are just a series of settings specifying files to install, locations, registry settings and shortcuts to create, etc. If a program is already installed then it automatically upgrades it. The problem in this case is that the 32 and 64 bit versions are different programs so won't automatically upgrade. So it would take some more advanced scripting to get the installer to check if the other version was installed first and then abort the installation.

[tatewise]

I have been experimenting with the plugin and it looks likely that it can detect how many copies of AS are installed in different folders by inspecting various default paths and Windows Registry keys.
If after more testing it proves successful then the next plugin version could include this feature.
It may not catch all scenarios but should detect the most probable cases.

[tatewise]

This version 4.2 is available from my OneDrive at Ancestral Sources Data Entry.

If it presents any problems then version 4.1 can be downloaded from the Plugin Store.

I believe v4.2 uses the same techniques as v4.1 to determine the installation path(s) of AS, but always tries all six of them to find as many paths as possible, instead of aborting once one path had been found.

Thus it may find 0, 1, or more installation paths.
If 0 then AS is not installed, a download is advised, and some Plugin buttons are disabled.
If 1 then AS is installed once, and version may be latest, but if earlier then a download is advised.
If >1 then AS is installed multiple times, the paths are displayed, and some Plugin buttons disabled.

I am interested if running all six techniques causes any problems, such as error messages or delayed operation.
If it can be run on various Windows OS, with various numbers & versions of AS installed it would help check its design is valid before I publish in the Plugin Store.

[gerrynuk]

Mike,

Just to let you know that I have downloaded and run your new version of this plugin with FH under Crossover. The "Please choose a data entry mode:" screen opened in about 2 secs and didn't seem to find any additional versions of AS.

Gerry