Toolbox "Move Record" dialog shows no target database

[Ian Scales]

Greetings to our community of Toolbox stalwarts. Ok, I'm not sure when this problem began. If I want to move a record from one Toolbox database to another (all databases are together in the same Windows folder), normally I would use command Database>Move Record. That brings up a 'Select Database' dialog box, with 'Database to move record into'. However, no databases are listed in the selection list. It is blank. 

What should I do to fix this problem?

[ToolBox Support]

Hi, Ian.

The window *should* show all the files that are the same database type as the file you want to copy from. So that is my first question. Even if the markers are compatible (and I trust they are), the actual label inside the file of which database type the file is has to be the same. (The restriction is to prevent accidents like copying a dictionary entry into a text file.)

To check the database type, you can place your cursor in the From file and do Project, Database Types. Toolbox will show a list of the available database types and the one your cursor is in will be highlighted.

Now do the same with your desired Target. 

Note: If somehow you have two copies of a database type and your From is one of them and your Target is the other, I'm not sure that Toolbox will see them as the same.

If they're the same, then you have uncovered a bug. :(  

If they're different, but with basically the same marker set, you can do Cut (or Copy) & Paste between them. Changing database types is a bit of a pain, but it can be done.

Let me know what you discover.

Karen

Toolbox Support

On Tue, Feb 1, 2022 at 5:26 PM Ian Scales <ians...@aapt.net.au> wrote:

Greetings to our community of Toolbox stalwarts. Ok, I'm not sure when this problem began. If I want to move a record from one Toolbox database to another (all databases are together in the same Windows folder), normally I would use command Database>Move Record. That brings up a 'Select Database' dialog box, with 'Database to move record into'. However, no databases are listed in the selection list. It is blank. 

What should I do to fix this problem?

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[ToolBox Support]

I should have mentioned that the Target file has to be loaded. I just assumed it but you didn't actually say it.

Karen

[Ian Scales]

Hi Karen. Thanks for your answer. 
- so as per your instructions, I checked the database type of the source and target Toolbox files, and they are both MDF 4.0 (MDF.typ).

- as per you postscript, if I interpret you correctly, then yes, I have all my lex files open simultaneously in Toolbox.

- all these lex files are held in the same Windows folder, so it's the same directory path for all (except of course, different actual filename.lex).

- version is 1.6.3

So far, no resolution. I may need to reinstall, but I've been slightly apprehensive because I will need to make sure my custom cc tables are preserved. Maybe I should just do that though?

It's true that I can create a new lexical entry in the target file, then cut-paste from source, then delete source entry. I've been doing that since I noticed that this broke, but it's not sweet. 

Here's a screenshot in case it helps:

[ToolBox Support]

Hmmm...

Here's another thought, though it may not work either.

It's possible that one or more of the databases that you want to copy into is write protected. This can happen if you are running more than one instance of Toolbox with one or more of the same files loaded. Or, it can happen if Toolbox (or your whole computer) crashes. 

I can see from your screenshot that the one on top is writable, since the Save icon is dark.

You can check write protection by clicking on the file you want to copy to and see if the Save icon turns grey. (The words "Save" and "Save As" in the File menu would also turn grey.) If that's the case, you should close Toolbox, and do the following:

1) Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the point where you can see the folder icon for the folder containing your Toolbox data.

2) Right Click on the icon. 

Windows will bring up a small menu.

3) Choose "Properties" (usually or always the last on the list).

Windows will bring up a small dialog box.

Near the bottom of the Properties dialog is "Attributes". 

4) Click on the "Read only" checkbox until it is empty.

The checkbox has three values: checked, filled-in, and empty. You want "empty".

5) Click OK and agree to apply to all subfolders.

6) Try Toolbox again.

I'm discouraged about this solution because the one file I can see is not write-protected and usually if this happens in Toolbox, it happens to all the files. If some were writable, they should be listed. So I am more puzzled than hopeful.

If this doesn't work, I'd like to get online with you somehow and poke around on your computer a bit. Skype is easy and lets me see your screen (without any control of your computer). If you don't do Skype, we can do something else. Let me know and we can set up a time.

Blessings,

Karen

Toolbox Support

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/shoeboxtoolbox-field-linguists-toolbox/d4cf4a19-7832-4aa6-b6e4-a282858dcd41n%40googlegroups.com.

[Ian Scales]

Well this is getting weird. I'm aware that if the computer crashes, or I have to switch it off because it goes into one of its idiosyncratic afternoon permanent slumbers, that I have to uncheck the 'read only' properties attributes in the Windows Explorer > right-click> Properties dialog. But now, as  I investigate this, I notice that if I 'Exit' Toolbox properly, and go back into the Windows folder to look at the properties, the files have gone 'read only', even though only a minute before I had gone and specifically 'unchecked' them. It seems I can play this game ad-infinitum and keep getting this same result, round and round. And yet, if the computer had crashed (i.e., at times previous to today's experiments), the 'read only' definitely means I can't edit the file. But this whacky 'read only' status that happens after properly shutting down (today), has no effect -- I can still edit. 

Anyhow, none of this makes any difference to the 'Move Record' dialog box - at all times, whether I've just unchecked the file and/or re-opened Toolbox afresh, it remains blank. 

Sure, lets discuss on Skype (beats lots of typing messages here), I'm in eastern Australia (AEDT) so am active more or less from your lunchtime into your evening. You've got Sunday coming up soon, so I guess you'll take a break until Monday. But set a time -- I'll tell you if there's a conflict.

[Ian Scales]

Update to close this thread. Karen and Alan had a look at the lexical files in the project, and one of them had a single instance of a field marker that was blank. Not sure how that happened, but it was enough to throw the software. Once that blank marker was removed, everything worked as normal.

Thanks Karen and Alan for taking the time to find the fault. 

[toolbox]

A slight clarification.There was a blank marker (backslash only) in the text, but also somehow the list of markers in Database, Properties had just a backslash. The marker had to be changed in the Database, Properties to something with letters after it. (We chose the profound name of \blank.) Then we filtered and found the single \blank in the data. And removed it from both the text and the list of markers.

Didn't know that could happen or how it got there, but when it was found and deleted, all was well. Strange effect, though!

Karen

Toolbox Support