* Weird Problem with FH and Dropbox

[arishmell]

After seeing recommendations in FHUG for Dropbox to synchronise files across several computers, I tried it out.  I had the free 2Gb account at first, but quickly realised how useful it would be and signed up for an enhanced account.  So far so good, but I've run into a really weird problem with my FH Project Folder.

I'm using WinXP and FHv4, and previously my Genealogy folder was located directly on the C drive on both desktop and laptop, to make synching easier.  The Dropbox folder is now under My Documents.  I dragged and dropped the (7Gb) Genealogy folder into Dropbox, and Dropbox promptly started uploading files from the desktop and downloading them to the laptop.  All files have now been copied.

The problem is that I cannot open some of my projects from inside Dropbox!  Others are absolutely fine.  A screenshot of the Project Window shows that some projects are reported as having been updated in 1970 (!) and these are the ones I cannot open.





The second screenshot shows the error report.  All files were put into Dropbox at the same time, and the really weird thing is that if I drag those three project folders outside of Dropbox (into another folder in My Documents), they will open perfectly both through the Project Window and by double clicking on the 'fh_proj' icon in the folder.  If I then drag them back into Dropbox again, they are once more unopenable.

I really hope somebody has some idea what could be going on here!

ID:4237

[PeterR]

I'm certainly no expert in such matters, and I don't use Dropbox, and I expect others will doubtless put us right in due course.  But I suspect that now (having moved to My Documents) some of your total pathname lengths are too big.  It certainly seems that it is the three longest filenames in your screenshot that show the problem.  My only suggestion would be to shorten the filenames, but Jane may well have better ideas.

[arishmell]

Many, many thanks, Peter! I took the folders out of Dropbox, shortened the folder names and adjusted the fh_proj, fh_data and gedcom file names to match, placed the folders back in Dropbox and everything works! So simple when you know how.

Wishing you (and everyone here at FHUG, especially Jane) Season's Greetings and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Maureen

[Jane]

Peter is correct it's a very good idea to keep your file names short. there are some limitations both in windows and on other tools, as you discovered if you make your titles too long.

[arishmell]

I have a particular problem with file names for images. As I'm doing a One Name Study as well as my own family history, I make full use of newspaper indexing sites and download many images from them. Sometimes it's a full page, with newspaper title and date at the top. More often, all I can get is the relevant article, with nothing at all in the image to identify it. This means I get file names like 'Trewman's Exeter Flying Post or Plymouth and Cornish Advertiser (Exeter, England), Wednesday, February 21, 1883; Issue 6016.jpg'. Some citations will include page and column number, and ideally I'd add the name of the individual concerned as well! As you say Jane, this can cause problems and using Dropbox has highlighted this.

I'd love to hear any suggestions for getting round this problem of inseparably attaching a citation to an image without creating impossibly long file names.

Maureen

[Jane]

Why not simply use the IPCT title fields with in the JPG and (I think) TIFF standards, that way you can add the source information into the file. You can do this directly in more recent windows versions.

[arishmell]

Thank you for the suggestion, Jane, but I'm afraid I don't know what IPCT title fields are. I use Win XP, with access to Vista. Otherwise I have Paint Shop Power Suite, also use Irfanview and have access to Photoshop Elements. Are these fields visible to anyone who views the image - when it's in an FH report or on a CD for example? Though actually, I suppose if the image is linked to a source, then the citation could be entered in FH and the file name wouldn't matter. What if I just sent the image to someone in an email - would they be able to see the citation?

The trouble is, when I acquire these images I may be under pressure - a time-limited subscription for example - and don't have the luxury of editing each individual image as I download it. The best I've been able to do is use the citation as the file name. Having done that, I now have hundreds of such images and really need to tidy up the file names while not losing the connection between the citation and the image (my worst nightmare!). I'd be so grateful for some solution to this.

[arishmell]

Having exposed my complete ignorance of image handling above, I went away and experimented on a couple of images. I right-clicked and selected properties, and on the Summary tab I was able to enter the citation and other information. Then I changed the file name, and found I was able to see the citation by hovering the mouse over the file. Was this what you meant, Jane, or is there more to it? I think you've already taught me something very useful today!

[Jane]

No that's the one. I use it a lot with my Photographs, with JPGs, you should find if you copy the file to another computer the data is embedded in the photo and moves with it.

There is a wish list item, to allow FH to write the titles for attached media back to them and to automatically get keywords and titles from attached images.

http://www.fhug.org.uk/wishlist/wldispl ... lwlref=448

[arishmell]

Thank you very much! It will be a slow process with so many files, but as well as improving the length of file names it means I get to examine the image again and reconsider the information therein. It never hurts to re-examine evidence!

Maureen