* Error when running Backup and Restore Settings

[Trivvie]

I have installed FH V6.2.7 on my new laptop (the target laptop) running Win11. I have copied over all my data fro my source Win 8.1 laptop as per the copy and migration guide in the knowledge base. I have registered my new installation copy of FH6.2.7.

When I tried running the Backup and restore plug in I get the error message attached. Do I need to be worried about the meaning of the error message? I can click NO which closes it down so I can then read the Help and Advice.

I have run a Registry backup using Ccleaner but would a windows system restore point be better?

I have gone to Options and unticked the Enable Diagnostic mode and left Utilize Dated subfolders and Allow Restore Registry Data ticked. Do I now go to the Restore tab and hit the big button with Restore all Family Historian Custom and Peference Setting (in red) button?

Liz

[tatewise]

Liz, exactly what did you do to get that error message?
I don't think running the plugin from within FH would produce such a message.
What is confusing me is your screenshot shows the FH7 Plugin Store online page and the error message is referring to a browser Script Error. I suspect it was a temporary FH website glitch. Does it happen again if you repeat the same steps? If so, what are those steps?

What is the version number of the Backup and Restore FH Settings plugin you are running? It should be V3.5.
Have you updated it recently from the Plugin Store?

Enable Diagnostic mode should not be ticked under normal circumstances.
Utilize Dated Sub-folders is only needed if you want to keep separate copies of backups. Usually, the latest is enough.
Allow Restore Registry Data should be ticked otherwise many FH customisations are not restored.

Windows Registry backups (or system restore points) are not strictly needed as the plugin only changes the same Registry entries as FH does.

Yes, when you are ready to restore the settings use the Restore tab big red RESTORE button.

[ColeValleyGirl]

That's a plugin store error, not a plugin error, so focus on whether it happens again and if so, what the steps to reproduce are.

[Trivvie]

I was running version 2.9 of the plug in. I will update it.

I was just running the plug in from Tools/Plugins. I then got a message box in red .....Important please read. I clicked OK continue and then on the Backup and Restore Family Historan Settng 2.9 I clicked the help and Advice button at the bottom. I clicked No on the error message and could then rad the front page of the plug in store info which was behind the error. I couldnot then read any of the tabs at the bottom, it just produced the error message again. I then closed the window and had the plug in box behind where I could see the Backup/Restore and Options boxes which I could open. Clicking the Help and Advice boxat the bottom then gave me the same lop of error message and box behind it

[ColeValleyGirl]

And is it still happening?

What browser/version are you using?

[Trivvie]

I haven't updated the plug in yet....that was what happened with v 2.9

I am using Win 11 but it doesn't appear to open a browser ( My default is Chrome with DuckDuck Go as the search sreen) for this screen as none of the tabs/boxes at the bottom are clickable

[tatewise]

That is a very old pre-FH V7 plugin that tries to use the old KB Help pages. I'm not surprised it failed
So please update to plugin Version 3.5

Windows 11 supports browsers much the same as any earlier Windows versions.
The default browser is Mictosoft Edge but you can download and install any you prefer: Chrome, Duck Duck Go, Firefox, etc.

[Trivvie]

Do I need to run the updated plug in on both the source laptop and target laptop?

[tatewise]

Yes. Everything should be the same version on source and target: FH, AS, Plugin.

[Trivvie]

Thanks

[Trivvie]

And now I get this error message on running it in the source laptop on Win 8.1

[ColeValleyGirl]

That's not an error message -- just hit OK and it will install the md5 module (it's just the first time it's been needed on that laptop and isn't installed by default).

[Mark1834]

It’s probably worth updating the KB page to mention that issue. It’s likely to be the first plugin run on a new PC, so probably happens quite often.

It only applies to the older plugin. The newer Windows-based version is completely self-contained, so does not need any supplementary libraries.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Mark, it also only applies to FH6.

[tatewise]

Yes, it only applies when my latest plugin is first run on a PC with FH V6 or V5. md5 is preinstalled in FH V7.
md5 is needed to cope with excessively long file paths when files are copied to the plugin Backup folder, which is possible if the Backup folder is deeply nested &/or the customisation file has a very long name.
It is a scenario that users have occasionally reported, so I've provided a workaround.

Mark's newer plugin does not work with FH V6 or V5 and may not cope with such long file paths.

[Mark1834]

As we are approaching the panto season, I'll phrase it in a suitable way - "Oh, yes it does!"

Early versions were FH6/7 under 64-bit Windows only, but the current version, released in May this year, is universal. FH5/6/7, 32-bit and 64-bit, and 32-bit emulators (which I think the current version of the original plugin might struggle with). I haven't tested extreme file paths, but no issues have been reported so far.

It does have one limitation that the old plugin does not have though - tying itself to Windows so closely is a two-edged sword, and the backup location cannot contain non-ASCII characters. That's an odd limitation in Windows command scripts that has existed for a long time but not been fixed.

[tatewise]

Sorry Mark, I had not realized it had become FH V5/6/7 universal.
But, yes, my plugin copes with non-ASCII characters in file paths and very long file paths,
i.e. If the ProgramData folder custom file path is such as:
...\Family Historian\Icons\BMD Certificate and Parish Record Enhanced MetaFile (EMF) Icons\CJR-BaptismCertificate.emf
and the Backup folder path is such as:
C:\Users\MikeTate\OneDrive\Documents\Genealogy\Family Historian Projects V7 Bëta\Plugin Backup Folder\
it is rapidly approaching 250 characters!

[Mark1834]

I've been testing -

The Windows plugin is fine for handling all file paths that are within the default Windows limit of 260 characters. That would be expected, as all the copying is done within Windows and is unaffected by any limitations imposed by Lua libraries.

With long paths enabled (Windows 10/11 only), it can go places that other plugins cannot reach. IUP limits the backup folder path selection to 260 characters as it does not support long paths. In practice the limit is about 240 characters, as the Windows Registry extract does not support long paths either (surprisingly).

Windows file copying does support long paths, so the plugin limit is 240 characters for the backup location, plus an unlimited path length for the copied files. That makes it the only plugin that supports extremely long paths, so it would be the plugin of choice for this rare scenario.