[kennethryan]

Hi everyone

I recently got MobileSheets, and I like it so far, but there are a couple of things I'm confused about.  Could someone help me?


1.  How do you "separate" songs that in a single PDF with multiple songs in it?  I want to see/work with the individual songs, not the whole songbook.  I guess I could split the PDF but checking if there is an easier way.

2.  How does the database work?  When I import a PDF, I have the option to generate .png files (which would help for question #1 I guess).  I see it creates folders for each of the PDFs and then places the PDF there --- but is just the storage; I don't see the database file anywhere (I selected the db storage folder to be one that gets backed up to my NAS server, not the default).

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[Oz Cello]

You can certainly have multiple 'songs' from the one pdf without having to split it first and there are a few ways of doing it. For example you could create a song that is the whole pdf then go through it creating individual songs using the 'create snippet' function, or you could create each song by importing the pdf each time (after the first time the app will ask you whether you want to use the original pdf or actually re-import it and you can just select the option to use the original pdf), or you can populate a spreadsheet with the details of each song in the pdf (page numbers, title, composer etc) and then import the pdf with the spreadsheet/csv file - the app will then create all the songs in one go according to the date in the spreadsheet/csv file. Have you had a chance to look at the manual? That has details on all these methods and others too. I think it also has info on how to unhide the database if you want to do that to back it up, although the app has its own options for backup which might be more useful.
Guy

[Zubersoft]

Guy mostly covered it, but the quick guide (https://www.zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/manual/) has a section on breaking up large PDFs, and your choice comes down to using a CSV file, using the create snippet feature (load a score, tap the center of the screen, tap the icon at the very bottom left and then tap "Create Snippet"), or if the PDF contains bookmarks, you can use Import->CSV or PDF Bookmarks to split up the songs based on the bookmark pages. 

As far as #2, that's a little bit of a vague question, so I'm not sure how to answer. The database is a SQLite database that is stored in a private directory on Android (unless the Storage->Expose Database setting is checked), and is stored in the LocalState folder on Windows (C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Local\Packages\41730Zubersoft.MobileSheets_ys1c8ct2g6ypr\LocalState. If Expose Database is enabled on Android, the database will be stored in the storage location (Settings->Storage->Set the MobileSheets Storage Location) if an internal storage folder is selected, or /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.zubersoft.mobilesheetspro/files if an SD card folder is selected.

I don't know what option you are referring to to generate .png files, other than Settings->Other Settings->Convert PDF to Images, but that's generally not needed, and you are better off just importing PDFs, as this opens up more features. A folder is only created for each PDF if you enable Settings->Storage->Create Subdirectory per Song, otherwise they are all just stored directly under the storage location (which is the default behavior). 

Mike

[IanMSpencer]

Hi everyone

I recently got MobileSheets, and I like it so far, but there are a couple of things I'm confused about.  Could someone help me?


1.  How do you "separate" songs that in a single PDF with multiple songs in it?  I want to see/work with the individual songs, not the whole songbook.  I guess I could split the PDF but checking if there is an easier way.

2.  How does the database work?  When I import a PDF, I have the option to generate .png files (which would help for question #1 I guess).  I see it creates folders for each of the PDFs and then places the PDF there --- but is just the storage; I don't see the database file anywhere (I selected the db storage folder to be one that gets backed up to my NAS server, not the default).

Thanks for any help you can provide!

To expand on the CSV suggestion, knowing some simple Excel, I was quickly able to cut and paste the index page (via notepad to put some separators in to keep Excel happy) into a spreadsheet, split that into columns then use the page number in the index to come up with the from/to pages for each song along with the titles. Doesn't have to be too clever, just a hack, and you can add an offset if the book numbering doesn't start from the first PDF page. Take the opportunity to add in other columns as per the manual (so hang on until you've worked out how you want to set up collections, what you might use the custom group field for, etc.) then MS should be pretty much set up for you.

If you get the page numbering wrong, you can soon get into the song entry's file and alter the page numbers - for example, if it is the only one that goes onto two pages and you didn't tweak the CSV, and the song will display the correct bits. The songs share the PDF. Also if the songbook is revised, but with the same pagination (our ukulele group leader is often fixing things), you can just replace the PDF.