[reggoboy]

Okay, so this error just started today on my MacBook:

   

I cannot launch the app at all. 

- I tried rebooting. 
- I tried running Disk First Aid on my disk. 
- My disk is not full. 
- My app version is 3.8.14. 
- macOS 14.1.1 (23B81)

I would delete the app and reinstall it, but honestly I'm afraid because I don't even really know where my database is and whether Apple would delete it with the app. Or, how to tell the newly-installed app where to find my database.

I should add that there are actually two copies of the above dialog message that pop up, one on top of the other.

I also tried dragging a copy of the application onto my desktop and launching it from there. Then I get a different message:

   

Thanks in advance!!

Dave

[Zubersoft]

That is incredibly strange... If you open the MobileSheets folder in the storage on the device, you can copy the contents somewhere safe, uninstall and reinstall. This will recover your entire library, but you will lose application settings. If you have another device, you can go to Settings->Backup and Restore->Export Settings and then import those settings on your Mac to recover them. Let me know if you need my help locating the MobileSheets folder. 

Mike

[reggoboy]

I have backups. But I think the sync to my iPad is even more current than my latest backup. So if I can make a backup on my iPad, then I should be able to restore that on the MacBook if somehow my original MacBook data doesn't survive, right?

And yes, I need help locating the MobileSheets folder. I tried searching ~Library, but nothing was forthcoming.

[Zubersoft]

On my machine, I can find all the application settings under /Users/<my username>/Library/Containers/E4100510-1F52-4B24-868F-C21A14C89B09/Data/Library/Application Support/com.zubersoft.MobileSheets and I can find the database and all application files under /Users/<my username>/Library/Containers/E4100510-1F52-4B24-868F-C21A14C89B09/Data/Documents

I don't know if the GUID will be different for you - it very well may be. Using the terminal, you can always navigate to the Containers folder, then do "find . -name mobilesheets.db" and it should find it for you.

Mike

[reggoboy]

Thanks for the reply!

Follow up:

1) When I use the Finder to navigate to  /Users/<my username>/Library/Containers/, there are few if any UUID folders, but there is actually a MobileSheets folder with a special icon on it. Inside it was everything you mentioned. When I copied this folder to a temp area as a backup, the destination folder was named D13FC1B3-223D-4AF1-A064-786B2DD04CEA. So I think it's probably a UUID under the hood, but has special meaning inside the Containers folder, and so Finder resolves the UUID against some mapping and displays the friendly name. And since that "MobileSheets" name appears to be resolved dynamically, that probably explains why I couldn't find it by searching. Anyway, bottom line here is that I found it and in the future I can find it (via Finder) at /Users/<my username>/Library/Containers/MobileSheets.

2) So then I deleted the app off my MacBook. When I went to search for the app in the App Store in order to reinstall it, it shows as $14.99 rather than the "cloud" icon which is what it normally shows when it's the same app you previously purchased, and all you have to do is download it:

   

This is strange, because my Apple ID has already purchased this app, and I'm logged into my MacBook using the same Apple ID I used everywhere. Clicking on that entry in the store shows only a single Review. And the Version History only goes back 10 months to 3.6.7 (is that normal?). And I think the Get Info box for the app on my MacBook mentioned "Beta" before I dragged it to the trash. I'm just wondering if the app has been assigned a new ID in the App Store since I installed it months back, perhaps when it came out of Beta, and therefore doesn't appear the same as the one I've always used. I'm also wondering if the beta expired which caused my original issue??

I could pay the $15 and try to buy it fresh, but that seems odd to have to do that, and I don't know if it will work anyway...

[Zubersoft]

So that's actually "normal" for the Mac App Store for some reason, as far as MobileSheets goes. I've raised this issue with Apple, but they've done nothing to address it. If you click to buy like you are going to purchase it and go through the steps, it will actually say you already own it and won't charge you. I tried this myself just to make sure before suggesting it to users, and several other users have verified that they had to click like they were going to buy it but were not charged.

Mike

[reggoboy]

it will actually say you already own it and won't charge you.

Okay thanks. You're right, and it worked.

It warned it would charge me, then it said it was free because I already owned it.

I installed the app, and it instantly opened and appeared identical to how I left it. I made a full backup, and that backup is 1.7GB, matching previous backups, and suggesting nothing has been lost.

I guess I'm fixed! I have no idea how the app got corrupt, but I'm glad we have a safe path to fix it. 

Thanks!

[Zubersoft]

I'm so glad to hear that. Here's hoping you never see anything like that again.

Mike