Database not opening

Tap Forms – Organizer Database App for Mac, iPhone, and iPad › Forums › Using Tap Forms › Database not opening

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  • August 30, 2016 at 5:43 AM #19208

    John Harris
    Participant

    Hi Brendan,

    I am trying to open my main database. When I click to open the database I see only an empty database. Can you advise what might be the problem?

    Please see screens attached.

    With thanks John

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    August 30, 2016 at 11:13 AM #19222

    Brendan
    Keymaster

    Hi John,

    Either the forms list on the left is collapsed or there is something wrong with your file.

    Do you have Time Machine you can restore with? Or a recent backup?

    August 30, 2016 at 4:30 PM #19228

    John Harris
    Participant

    Brendan,

    Forms list has not collapsed. Looks like my file is corrupted somehow. Wouldn’t you know it didn’t backup for a few days. This hasn’t happened before – hopefully it won’t happen too often.

    Otherwise the lag issue I mentioned has not happening now.

    Question. – Can I access the file directly – where is it located?

    Cheers – John

    August 30, 2016 at 6:20 PM #19231

    Brendan
    Keymaster

    If you select it from the main Database Documents window you can click on the Show in Finder button at the bottom of that view.

    Do you have Time Machine? You can restore with that too.

    August 31, 2016 at 6:56 AM #19236

    John Harris
    Participant

    I didn’t have time machine set up to run daily – and I hadn’t backed up since the 26th. My bad.

    I’ll have to re-do some formatting and re-enter about 60 students. Could be worse. On on.

    John

    September 2, 2016 at 3:40 AM #19262

    John Harris
    Participant

    Hi Brendan,

    My database file is corrupting in TF5 – will not open. (see dialog – no files attached) Have backed up the file to another mac – will not open on the second computer.

    Can I send you the file to be checked at your end? A bit concerned as TF must be stable to be used seriously at this end. Do you have drop box – what means do you recommend?

    Hope this can be resolved :)

    With thanks – John

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    September 2, 2016 at 10:37 PM #19289

    John Harris
    Participant

    Just to follow up … Please find a screen shot showing that the problem file (XXXX) is 13.6 MB. See also that the same file (XXXX) has no content – formatting or data.
    Bear in mind that the file will not load on a secondary computer running TF5.

    I hope this helps.

    John

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    September 2, 2016 at 10:54 PM #19296

    Brendan
    Keymaster

    Are you able to restore that file using any kind of backup? Did you say you had it on your iOS device too? If so you can make a backup file from there and send it over to the Mac and open it up there.

    September 3, 2016 at 2:42 AM #19298

    John Harris
    Participant

    Brendan,

    I am sorry to be troubling you with this issue. But here’s the synopsis.
    I am not using IOS – only two macs.

    + My working file is showing 13.6 MB, but is loading as an empty file. (as shown in the attachment previously).
    + I am unable to retrieve lost data because I did not backup – I’m happy to wear that. My fault.
    + so . . . when I began re-entering data into a new file which I migrated from the previous version this to corrupted. So it has happened twice.

    As this is likely to happen again, I’ve retreated to the older version until we know what is happening.

    Put simply – The files have 13.6 MB. After crashing, they open as empty databases.

    Happy to continue via email if you prefer.

    Best – John

    September 3, 2016 at 9:17 AM #19300

    Brendan
    Keymaster

    Hi John,

    Yes, please email me.

    Also, try the version of Tap Forms from my home page to see if that fixes the problem for you. It’s newer than the Mac App Store version.

    September 17, 2016 at 9:11 PM #19592

    Frances Cherman
    Participant

    Brendan, I just exact same problem. I opened the file after the crash at around 7:30, and my blank screen looked just like his. If you recall, I said that the app quit without backing up. Well, just now when the document opened and appeared empty, I looked in my backup folder and found an unzipped copy of the file timestamped as “last modified” at 4:15. I opened it, and my It appears that maybe when the app crashed, it started to create a backup in that folder, but it didn’t get zipped. Is that possible?

    September 17, 2016 at 11:16 PM #19604

    Brendan
    Keymaster

    The process of making the backup file is simply to zip the .tapforms file, so I don’t think it would have made a backup file without zipping it. Do you have Time Machine? And which version of Tap Forms are you using?

    September 17, 2016 at 11:21 PM #19605

    Frances Cherman
    Participant

    Yes, I have Time Machine, and I make weekly backups – but losing a week’s or even a day’s worth of work is something I cannot afford. I’m running TapForms Version 5.0.6 (Build 1551). Somehow that unzipped file got into the backups folder, and I sure didn’t put it there, but I’m glad to have it.

    September 17, 2016 at 11:32 PM #19606

    John Harris
    Participant

    Hi Brendan & Frances,

    I’m relieved that I’m not the only one. Not Schadenfreude on my part – but it helps put this problem on the radar. I’m hoping it won’t happen again – loosing data is heartbreaking.

    John

    September 17, 2016 at 11:34 PM #19607

    Frances Cherman
    Participant

    Oh, go ahead and Schadenfreude. Anyone who spells it right deserves to do it. ;-)

    September 17, 2016 at 11:35 PM #19608

    Frances Cherman
    Participant

    On the other hand, you misspelled “losing.” LOL.

    September 18, 2016 at 2:08 AM #19609

    John Harris
    Participant

    Mein Englisch ist nicht so gut!

    September 19, 2016 at 1:37 AM #19622

    Jacques GRAFF
    Participant

    Hi Brendan,

    I also had the same problem.

    Here is what I did to recover data:
    1 Library / Containers / com.tapzapp.tapforms-mac / Data / Documents / Backups
        take the file from the last backup and decompress it.
    2 move it in the Documents folder to replace the corrupted file.
    3 open TF normally this latest version should open

    Recovery is possible if you have a recent backup version.

    Since I am cautious before leaving TF also I do a backup (File / Save) and then after I leave TF and I let it do its own backup, I wait without doing anything, the progress is visible and take enough time long.

    Jacques

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