Trouble importing SongSelect ChordPro files

[Martin Sapsed]

Hi,

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but I'm having trouble with this. I have V6.3.5.

I usually download the ChordPro file from the website on my PC as I'll also pull down a lead Sheet. I then copy the .txt file into my OpenSong\Songs folder and I'm sure the app just worked its magic and the song was converted to the proper format. 

Now I get a message saying the unknown file has been moved to the Imported folder and there it sits... I've tried the Select Multiple files -> Import option but it doesn't help. The latest one I tried sort of worked but had half a page of gibberish at the top!

What should I do/am I doing wrong?

TIA

[Gareth Evans]

Hi Martin,

You can only place OpenSong (xml) files, images, and PDF files directly into the OpenSong/Songs/ folder.  You used to be able to place text files into the Songs folder (pre v6), but it actually caused problems with duplicate songs being created in the background.

If you have ChordPro formatted songs, then place these in the OpenSong/Imported folder (or anywhere else on your Android device) and then import these as you described using the Multiple files import option.  This will give you far better results than importing simple text files.  You can save the ChordPro files using the .crd, .cho, or ,chopro file extensions and OpenSongApp will recognise them and convert them to OpenSong formatted songs.

Best wishes, 

Gareth

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[Martin Sapsed]

Hi Gareth,

I understand now where I was going wrong, and why I was trying what had worked before (sort of). I had tried the Imported folder but I'd left the extension as .txt (which SongSelect put on) so it didn't go well. Could I suggest clarifying the online documentation slightly when you get a minute? 

Thanks for all your hard work

Martin

[Clifford]

Hello I also had a question about importing tried to import a opensong backup file I created and for some reason it said error?

Did I do something incorrect?

ty

Clifford

[James Nairn]

Clifford.  You must restore a back up,  not import it

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/9df59091-854b-4ecb-8fc4-2a944a755ddcn%40googlegroups.com.

[Clifford]

OK ty for the help so here is a question lets say you have 2 android devices a tablet and a phone. You install open song on both devices. Now lets say you want to transfer songs from one to the other or add more songs and then transfer them back in forth. As I expand the library on one device can I copy that library to the other device? 

Can you do this or will something go wrong?

[James Nairn]

It is some thing I do all the time.  Though I do prefer to label one as the master,  back up to drop box,  and import on the other device. Easier to manage if you treat the device as it is intended  (master/ slave)

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/08e21c21-cfaf-46d1-861e-475ed4665d85n%40googlegroups.com.

[Gareth Evans]

You could also use something like DriveSync and have the two devices synchronised so they both stay up to date:

https://www.opensongapp.com/user-manual/storage/synchronise-storage#h.obw12wx1aa6y

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/CALGOjQaVVOXYRYJmkxrKbi-jUMZ9tF_29_z4k2YW40JVLT-yKw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Clifford]

But how do you back up the master are you creating a backup file?

In that case you would have to restore on the other device right?

[James Nairn]

Correct on both accounts

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/e9cbdda0-a94c-4e1b-b75b-759b7dffa532n%40googlegroups.com.

[Gareth Evans]

I create a backup on the master.  That backup file also gets synchronised as it is created in the OpenSong/Backups/ folder.   Three either device just keeps getting all the new songs.  Drive sync allows one way or two way synchronisation so my third device is normally set to one way (download only), my main device and phone have backup set to two way so whatever changes I make on either device can be uploaded.
The backup file is actually a zip file that you can just extract to a folder and manually recover individual songs if required (you'd need to rename the file to change the extension to .zip)

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/CALGOjQYuVcvOgDb%2BXcoqemViy0jx9X65Uz8NeOKCCe1rqD5dzg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Clifford]

So something wierd happened I tried to make a back up file which was a .osb file on 1 device but then when I tried to load it into my other android device it said error for some reason. What do you think went wrong?

[Gareth Evans]

Can I check that you are trying to import it as described here:

https://www.opensongapp.com/user-manual/songs/restore-from-backup

If you want, send me your backup file and I'll check it out.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/275d5d04-464a-4c1f-819a-e49f0a19c2fan%40googlegroups.com.

[Clifford]

OK I will try it again and see if I get the error again and if I do I can have you look at the file do the names of the files matter?

or song names matter?

[Gareth Evans]

As with any operating system some characters can cause issues in file names, but if the app coped with them before the backup, that shouldn't be a problem.

A quick internet search says the following characters shouldn't be in filenames:

• < (less than)
• > (greater than)
• : (colon)
• " (double quote)
• / (forward slash)
• \ (backslash)
• | (vertical bar or pipe)
• ? (question mark)

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/b8e16f56-def2-4827-a241-4ae47082725cn%40googlegroups.com.

[Clifford]

ok another question lets say I download an android emulator on my windows pc it and lets me download open song and run it if I backup from the emulator and then try and use that file to restore the song list on my real android tablet do you think that could cause a conflict?

[James Nairn]

Lol.  My guess is you will be the first person to answer that question.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/c082db4d-333f-4c3c-b292-1ce30ed1d486n%40googlegroups.com.

[Clifford]

Ha ha ha I was tyring to be creative to see if it would work. Now when you make a backup file .osb which folder does that backupfile have to be in to restore song list correcty?

[James Nairn]

When I make the back up,  I select the destination (in my case it's in dropbox) and then upload to the drop box folder, and when I restore,  I select dropbox and select the back up file to download.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/5000635b-6f23-43c4-903b-fe9d27db98a3n%40googlegroups.com.

[Danny Horton]

I bought a second tablet and I've been having the worst time getting songs transfered. I have all the songs in a backup file, but I was unable to upload all the files I had to do all 300 songs individually. It definitely felt easier before the updates.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/c082db4d-333f-4c3c-b292-1ce30ed1d486n%40googlegroups.com.

[Danny Horton]

Yeah, the app worked super well before the updates. Now I can't upload songs and it is constantly crashing in the middle of my shows. It's been super frustrating. I loved it when I first got the app a few years ago. So what's the best way to backup songs now?

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/5000635b-6f23-43c4-903b-fe9d27db98a3n%40googlegroups.com.

[Danny Horton]

I put everything into Google drive, but maybe I'm not using the correct "dot"whatever, to make them the right files again. I spent a whole day trying to get each song individually uploaded onto my other tablet. It sucked...

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/CALGOjQZ55CR00-c6ZVpnuoVcUub%2B6Ninv%3D6J1XxmDH3CVeq%2BNA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Gareth Evans]

It works fine.  When I program the app and check for bugs, my first test device is the Android emulator built in to Android Studio.  The only issue you may have is getting access to the files.  Emulators tend to run from compressed sandboxed images.  It is possible though.  Emulators also don't allow you to use Bluetooth or related technology such as Google Nearby 

[Gareth Evans]

OpenSong files should not have any file extension when they are in the OpenSong/Songs/ folder.  When sharing OpenSong files with other Android users, the app adds the extensions (.ost) so Android knows what type of file it it.  The app removes this when it placed the song into the songs folder.  The same applies with sets. 

Backup files are simply zip files with an extension that opensongapp claims it knows, do it doesn't default to Android unzip action. 

If anyone has an issue importing a backup, please send it to me and I will test it. If the is a bug in the backup file I'll figure it out and fix it for you.  If it is a big in my code, your backup will let me find it. 

If the app ever crashes, it creates a crashLog.txt file in the OpenSong/Settings/ folder.  Send that to me, ideally with a short description of what you were doing when the app crashed and I'll try to fix it.  Google play console tried to log all crashes, but I know it doesn't always do this well .

Gareth

[Clifford]

Hey so I tried an android emulator on windows called memu it seemed to work good but got error when I tried to upload the backup to my real android phone and tablet. Here is the file what else would you need to check it?

[James Nairn]

Clifford, upload or restore?

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/f1691e63-3087-44be-96da-d7ea58a58335n%40googlegroups.com.

[Clifford]

I was trying to restore from the android emultator to the real android device. So anotherwords this backup file was created using the android emultator memu.

I find the emulator easier to edit some of the files like song data or fixing lyrics or chord sections because my PC monitor is much bigger than the little phone or tablet.

[Gareth Evans]

Hi Clifford,

Thanks for sharing your backup file.  For some reason the bundled 'persistent database' file (NonOpenSongSongs.db) in your backup is corrupted.  This is why the error message is showing.  There is a bug in my code that always checks that file before proceeding (even if you have chosen not to import it) and this is causing the error to be shown.  Despite this, your backup will actually have been imported fine since the database is the last item dealt with.  However, you will need to go to your Songs menu and use the + button at the bottom to select a full rebuild of the index for them to be shown.

I've never seen a corrupted database in the backup file before.  It makes me think your current persistent database is also corrupted.  I'm not sure if emails will let you attach the database file directly to an email, but you can find this file at OpenSong/Settings/NonOpenSongSongs.db.  It would be really useful if you could send this to me to check it isn't corrupted.  If it doesn't let you send it, can you zip it up and send that instead.

As a final check, on the device that you are creating the backup on (sounds like the emulator), can you check you are running the latest version of the app (currently v6.4.0) and if you are, can you try cleaning the database (info here: https://www.opensongapp.com/user-manual/utilities/database-utilities).  If this succeeds, try to create the backup again and send me another copy.

As a temporary workaround until we can figure out why the database is corrupted in the backup file, when you create the backup, untick the 'include persistent database' option.

Gareth

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/opensongapp/ab6f1a65-eb06-4158-b8e3-9c4b4396ead4n%40googlegroups.com.

[Gareth Evans]

Here's your current backup with the persistent database removed.

[Clifford]

OK I will try what you said and get back to you Im not sure I understand what is the persistent database?

[Clifford]

Ok I just checked my version is this one

6.35 so maybe I need to update it?

On Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 1:16:51 PM UTC-5 garethev...@gmail.com wrote:

[Clifford]

Here is the file you were asking about.

[Clifford]

It worked! You were right the emulator was just on the wrong version now everything backing up and restoring correctly!

ty!

Clifford