[Geoff Bacon]

I'm performing a batch import of a single two page pdf song using the companion

The same song title already exists in the database.

Companion says that it has successfully transferred the file and it shows on the companion file list (it didn't say that the song already existed)
Closed connection - new song is not available in MSP. When displayed, the previous version was unchanged 
Rebooted tablet
Song still not available

Transferred file again. This time the Companion detected that the song already existed and I selected "Overwrite". 
I now have two entries in the database.

I see others have seen similar problems in the past but I don't really understand the explanations.
To me, if I say overwrite, I want the file to be overwritten and I don't expect a new entry (although subsequently thinking about it, that could be an issue if the users has changed the fields)

I tried importing the same file again (twice, with identical settings), neither time did the companion detect that the file already existed and it added another two entries. Editing the entries shows that the all reference the same physical file.

I know that the recommended method of changing a file is you use "Swap File" but the companion doesn't provide this mechanism. This lack of this feature means that I have to physically connect the tablet, instead of using wireless, so that I can xfer the file to the local folder (I don't use dropbox etc and I don't have a mechanism to access the tablet folders using wifi). 

I just find it all confusing that this doesn't work as one (well me anyway) expects.

Geoff

[Zubersoft]

Geoff,

I'm guessing you've changed some of the default storage settings in MobileSheetsPro, which is preventing the duplicate file logic from firing. If I had to guess, you enabled Settings->Storage->Add Unique Id to Filenames, right? If you did, that would mean that every file you import is given a unique filename, so there would never be any conflicts. You might ask, well why did I get the conflict that one time then? The reason is because the database failed to be updated by the companion app for some reason, but the file was successfully transferred to the tablet (with a unique filename such as myfile_234.pdf). Well the next time you imported the file, the same unique name would be used for the file as the last time you imported, as the database was never updated, so it said there was a file conflict. In that case, overwriting is the correct action to take.  The important thing to note is that the application is prompting you for the file conflict, not a song conflict. Imagine you have two files both named some_song.pdf, but they are for different songs that happen to have the same title. Well if you import both those files, you are going to get a file conflict, but the application is going to let you create both songs because it assumes that is your intent. So the file conflict is telling you that you need to decide how to handle two files with identical names, but regardless of what action you pick, a new song is going to be created.

So if we rewind a little, if you turned off "Add Unique Id to Filenames", then special logic is going to fire in the companion app that tries to detect when a swap file action is intended instead of importing a file for a new song.  If you import the same file twice, you will see that it asks if you want to swap the file instead of displaying a file conflict.  If you want to keep using the "Add Unique Id to Filenames" setting, then you are going to have to manually swap the file. You said that the companion app doesn't support swapping, but it actually does. Just right-click on the song in the song list, then click on the "Swap File" option in the context menu. 

Let me know if some of that still doesn't make sense.

Mike

[Geoff Bacon]

Hi Mike

Thanks for the reply but. "Add Unique Id To Filenames" is NOT checked !

My Checked Storage settings are:-

• Let MS Manage Files
  
• Expose Database File
  
• Delete Original After Copy
  
• Copy Audio Files
  

"Create SubDirectories" and "Add Unique Id" are unchecked
I originally had "Create SubDirectories" checked when I first started but I unchecked it a few months ago. Consequently, I have old songs in folders but all new ones are just stored in the Main Storage folder

Geoff

[Zubersoft]

Geoff,

When I import the same file twice, the second time I get a "Duplicate File Name Detected" dialog, and the second option is to "Replace Existing File" which performs a swap. Are you not seeing this dialog? Are you instead seeing the file conflict dialog? If so, something is definitely not working correctly...

Thanks,
Mike

[Geoff Bacon]

Hi Mike,

A dialog popped up the first time but I don't know whether it was the "Duplicate File Name detected" or the "File conflict dialog" (I didn't know there were two types).  I chose Overwrite (I think there may have been a "Replace Existing File").
What is the difference between Overwrite and Replace? - If they are both on the same dialog then perhaps one should be reworded to make the difference more obvious?.

Having selected Overwrite the first time, no dialog was displayed on the subsequent imports.


Geoff

[Zubersoft]

The "Replace" option only shows up when it's offering you the ability to swap in a file for an existing song. If you see the file conflict dialog (which has Overwrite instead of Replace), it's just asking how you want to handle things at the file level, not the song level. So overwrite would overwrite whatever file is in the target destination on the device, which will affect any songs using that file. 

Mike

[Geoff Bacon]

I think I understand, but I still find it confusing that one gets another entry in the database. I suppose some might want that if they are putting it in a different collection and/or setlist; in my case, all the fields were identical so there was no need for a new entry.

Since I initially posted, I have found that you can do a SwapFile in the companion - you just have to select the song/file on the main page and right click it to bring up a dialog that contains it.


Cheers
Geoff