Clients disappeared

[misha]

Hi,

I opened TimeNet and all my clients are gone. My TimeNet Data folder is intact. But for some reason TimeNet is not reading the timesheet folders.

I read that I could re-add every client in my timesheet folder by hand, but that is very time consuming. I did add one client back to the client list but I notice that the invoice number and client code are not automatically inserted. I would prefer to have all this info automatically re-added.

Is this a problem with the TimeNet.plist flie? When I open that file it is just a black window.

Any other ideas on how to fix this?

[Perry]

Hi Misha,

Unfortunately, there is really no way to fix this other than by doing it by hand. However, we've finally been able to investigate the problem down to one of two scenarios:

If any of your clients have the same abbreviation/code, or no abbreviation/code then this problem can occur. The latest version checks for this and won't allow you to leave the code blank or use a code already in use by another client.

We also notice that almost every case of this problem happens on Mac OS X 10.4.x -- do you have 10.4? If so, you might strongly consider updating to 10.5 or 10.6.

Is there any other information you can provide to help me in deducing why this happened? I'm trying to document everything I can find to get to the bottom of this once and for all. Thanks!

[misha]

Wow that is disappointing. I just don't see how there is a problem exactly. I have the files in the folder, does TimeNet not build the client list on the main window dynamically from the folders in my Time Net Data folder? Where is the information that goes in this window stored? I'm sure you have looked into this thoroughly, but I really don't want to re-add dozens of clients.

I am using the latest version of TimeNet so I don't think the issue is a conflicting client code. I am on OS 10.4. Moving to 10.5 would require me to buy new versions of PhotoShop and Dreamweaver (as well, likely as some other old programs I still use occasionally). I'm also, FYI on a powerpc G5.

Misha

[Perry]

Misha,

The client data (which includes not just the client name, but the phone number, address, and all other information) is stored in the same preference file that stores every other application setting. If the clients are not stored properly in the preferences file, they will not appear in the software even though the folders still exist and the data is still in tact.

I'm 99% sure this bug has something to do with Spotlight -- it was introduced originally in 10.4. It seems that when Spotlight is indexing a file, if it happens to be indexing the preferences file at the exact time TimeNet tries to read that file, it won't be able to read the file because it is locked by the system indexer. 10.5 resolved this issue by not locking the file in the first place, but duplicating it in cache and then reading it that way.

Every single case we've had reported on this issue involved 10.4, and I know it's not helpful to you, as you've been afflicted by this problem, but truthfully we haven't had very many reports of this problem, especially when compared to the thousands of TimeNet users out there.

Things you can do:

1. Backup your TimeNet Data folder nightly or weekly, and then if it happens again you can restore from the backup.

2. Disable spotlight indexing for your TimeNet Data folder.

3. Upgrade to 10.5 or later at some point -- this would be the best choice, though I understand it's not always the most plausible one.

[misha]

Than kyou for being so thorough in explaining this. You say that I can back up my TimeNet Data folder and that will solve the problem. Do you mean to also back up the preference file? Is there only the timenet.plist file or is there another file? Is my plist file OK now?

[Perry]

The plist file isn't really needed by TimeNet, it's a system generated file. The preferences are stored in an invisible file in the TimeNet Data folder named ".prefs"

As long as you make a backup of the whole TimeNet Data folder, everything will be good to go.

[misha]

Hi Perry,

I hate to be a pain in the neck about this (and I'm sure this is a pain in the neck), but the clients repeatedly and fairly regularly go missing from my TimeNet. I have to constantly keep a backup of my TimeNet Data file and then use the working backup edited with the current datafile. This is a major bug with this software, which is unacceptable in a commercial product. Of course this is an issue that is new to software. You didn't make a toaster that worked and then make improvements to it and then be responsible for a whole new product.

The problem here appears to be with 10.4. But when I bought the software it was compatible with 10.4, so I expect that it will keep working correctly even with subsequent revisions.

I have no idea what would be involved with this. It's unlikely that you have a 10.4 machine to test with. But the current software is extremely unstable and, as I paid for it, I would like that to be fixed in some way.

I don't know if reverting to an older version of the software is a solution. I'd be happy to help test out the current version on my 10.4 computer.

[Perry]

Misha,

I apologize, I didn't know this was still a recurring issue for you. I don't have a test machine with 10.4 but I have a copy of it on disc. I will dig up an old MacBook and see if I can get it installed on there and do some testing.

I fully agree with you that the software needs to be working, and I know this is a 10.4-specific issue in that it only targets 10.4 users, but we have lots of 10.4 users who don't have this issue, and certainly not recurring.

Are there any other issues non-TimeNet related with your computer? I'm wondering if maybe a data migration or something like that could be the culprit?

Another thing to try is to create a new user account on your computer and use TimeNet under that account for a little while to see if the issue persists.

I'll do some testing and let you know if I find a solution.

[misha]

Thanks a lot.

I haven't been having other issues with the computer. I don't do anything particularly weird with it or have complicated programs on it. I have to say I don't know what you mean by data migration. I don't seem to have errors with my computer with other programs. On the off chance that this is related, I have been noticing that it's slower than usual, but I've mostly chalked that up to the increasing demands of cutting edge websites or web content. I'm on a pretty souped up G5 imac that was the height of technology for 2 months before intel macs were introduced.

FYI I'm on the latest 10.4.11 and TimeNet 3.9.28.

[Perry]

Thanks for the info. By data migration I mean you used some sort of automated migration assistant program to move from your last computer to this one.

It might be beneficial to create a new user account under OS X and see if the problem happens. Sometimes corruption in the user's library or other obscure system related files can cause all sorts of weird glitches.

I was able to find an old eMac that I can wipe clean and install 10.4.11 on. I'll do some testing on that machine and hopefully I'll be able to find some answers.

[misha]

Hi,

Any movement on this? I realize this is a bummer bug on a legacy system, but it really is frustrating to have it frequently mis-working.

[Perry]

I've been unable to actually recreate this error in testing on an eMac running Mac OS X 10.4.11 for the past few weeks. I'll keep looking, but so far I haven't found the "trigger" for this issue yet.

[misha]

It may be that it happens when other applications are opening or closing in the background. Perhaps they use a similar resource or something? However, this just happened to me again and I was careful to not have anything else doing anything while I opened TimeNet. Thanks for checking on this. I don't know if it's helpful but the last time this happened was the 14th of September. So about two weeks of every-other day use.

By the way, is there a reason I'm not getting email notifications for replies? The box is checked below.