A question and a couple of issues

[lonewolf41]

First of all the issues.  I installed your new release yesterday, but I think I did something wrong.  I unzipped the contents into the directory in Xampp per this:

5) You now need to get a copy of the current Nutcracker code tree. Go to
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login and download the zip file.  unzip it into c:\xampp\htdocs\nutcracker if you are using XAMPP

After I did that, I did this: Enter You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login in a browser window to update the installation.  However, after I did that, all the effects I had created earlier in the week were gone.  The only ones left were the ones I originally created on your website.  What did I do wrong? 

Secondly, everything I have done has worked except last night, I was trying to create a garland and the GIF generated OK and everything looked good, but when I went to create my .vir file, it was empty.  I also tried a .lms file and it too was empty so for some reason, it was not generating the output files.  I did it on your site and it worked as expected and I got an output file.  I don't know if there is anything you can even investigate with this info or not, but thought I would bring it up.  FYI...the effect was called garland for my megatree model and my ID is 275.  I tried both firefox and chrome with the same results and I think I also stopped and restarted the Xampp services all with no change.  Other than that, it has worked great.

My last item is I was wondering if there is any way to delete effects from my library (besides what I did above ).  Most of the effects I created on your site were just garbage as I was playing with it to see how it worked.  So I have to sort through all the garbage to find the one real one I want to use.  Sorry if this has already been asked and answered.

Thanks again for the awesome software.  I was able to sequence about 1.5 minutes of my megatree in a couple of hours.

-Keith

[rrowan]

currently when you do an update and run the install.php it will remove all local items. That is why Sean as said many times if you have something you like to either print out the options or upload it to the website.  Sorry you lost some of your work.

Rick R.

[lonewolf41]

currently when you do an update and run the install.php it will remove all local items. That is why Sean as said many times if you have something you like to either print out the options or upload it to the website.  Sorry you lost some of your work.

Rick R.

OK, that explains that portion.  I just didn't see that posted or forgot it.  I already had the effects created and used in my sequence so it was not too big a deal as there was only 3 or 4 anyway...just wanted to understand it..  BTW, how do you upload local effects to the website?

Thanks,
-Keith

[smeighan]

currently when you do an update and run the install.php it will remove all local items. That is why Sean as said many times if you have something you like to either print out the options or upload it to the website.  Sorry you lost some of your work.

Rick R.

OK, that explains that portion.  I just didn't see that posted or forgot it.  I already had the effects created and used in my sequence so it was not too big a deal as there was only 3 or 4 anyway...just wanted to understand it..  BTW, how do you upload local effects to the website?

Thanks,
-Keith

there is no upload capability, that will be added probably  early next year.

what i have said is
1) Make a screen shot of effects you modified, after you run install.php (and completely reload your database), you then go back and make the same changes.
2) Go to meighan.net and enter the same changes/adds to your effect library. This has the benefit on the next download of the zip file your changes will be there and the install.php will leave you with your effects.
3) Use myphpadmin to export the effects_user_hdr and effects_user_dtl tables. After a install.php you then import those exported files. i will make a tutorial for doing this and may cover it in the next tutorial.

Speaking of tutorials, i will NOT be giving one this thursday as i am taking the family yo see Circus Soleil.

[lonewolf41]

OK, thanks for the response.  I hate to duplicate effects on your server as I am trying to conserve your disk space so I will try the export/import.  Also may just take a screen shot of the effect and keep a library of the images.  BTW, any way to just delete old/unused effects from the library?  This should also clear up some space on your server.

Thanks again,
-Keith

[smeighan]

OK, thanks for the response.  I hate to duplicate effects on your server as I am trying to conserve your disk space so I will try the export/import.  Also may just take a screen shot of the effect and keep a library of the images.  BTW, any way to just delete old/unused effects from the library?  This should also clear up some space on your server.

Thanks again,
-Keith

the answer to effects, i have space for 1 million of those. it is the actual generation of the gifs ane the vix,lms,lsp files that take up the disk space.

[lonewolf41]

OK, thanks for the response.  I hate to duplicate effects on your server as I am trying to conserve your disk space so I will try the export/import.  Also may just take a screen shot of the effect and keep a library of the images.  BTW, any way to just delete old/unused effects from the library?  This should also clear up some space on your server.

Thanks again,
-Keith

the answer to effects, i have space for 1 million of those. it is the actual generation of the gifs ane the vix,lms,lsp files that take up the disk space.

AH, good to know, so if we generate the effect and just don't do the last step of producing an import file, we are not using that much space.  Good to know.

Thanks,
-Keith

[jnealand]

A couple of suggestions that would help this out.  With the new spirals implementation I have been going thru my library of effects and regenerating them to fix the issues that were resolved.  I have been going thru them online and not creating the vixen files per the note about space.  I have been using copy and paste to copy the effect list after submission and building a table in excel.  I will then go back on my local install and create the vixen files.  I wish I was a programmer, but I am not.  It seems to me that a report similar to my excel table could be easily created on screen and then we print it off to help in the syncing of files.  Just my suggestion - see attached screen capture.  I would generate this report by effect type.

One other thing that would help is a rename function in the admin screen.  As I get an effect where I like it, I often just change the colors or spiral direction to get another variation.  As I create these effects I often realize I saved it with a bad name or I need a more descriptive name. To accomplish this I must go back and recreate the effect and then go to the admin screen and delete the misnamed version.  That is possible, but it is annoying and wastes time and effort that a simple rename would solve.

Going back via the browser go back command brings up another problem.  I create an effect and check it out with the animated file, but then want to go back and change one setting - say the speed.  When I use the go back function all the other changes I made are lost as the system goes all the way back to the original selection so if I changed colors I must now change them again to get back to where I was.  My solution now is to never use the go back function but just click effects and bring the new effect back up since it will give the prior changes back.  Not sure if you can control the ability to go back so that it brings up the latest changes, but it would help.

[kgustafson]

Let me stew on this a bit.  I am able to get a small bit of code to import this type of information from Excel, XML, etc.  Now that the initial thrust to get version 1 out the door is starting to die down (I am in full bug squash mode right now).  One of the things that we are working on for version 2 is the ability to import and export between local running copies and the database on meighan.net (in essence a sync like behavior to sync the two databases).  I can see the ease of importing and exporting to excel to manage your effects much like you have shown jnealand.

I haven't chimed in on the ongoing discussion about updates wiping effects.  One thing that is difficult to manage is that sometimes the structure of the data actually modifies during the updates.  This makes it nigh to impossible to sync older effects, if it is the effects database that is changing.  This has stabilized somewhat with the release of version 1 and will probably be a non-issue going forward, so we may be able to provide some non-destructive way to save your local effects.  However, this hasn't been the major focus of our efforts pre-Xmas this year.  In the least, we want to provide you the ability to export and import effects, projects, targets, songs, etc.  This will be one of the major features of version 2.

So in broad terms here is the strategy of Nutcracker development:

pre-Xmas 2012 - Version 1.  Get the effects all debugged and working (currently two effects are being fixed/coded).  Get the core functionality of projects working (done).  Get the core functionality of song upload and modification completed (done).  General fixing and testing of all functionality and release for the public to test/use and help with the bug-fixing (after all, we are a small team and can't test all of the code like y'all can!)

post-Xmas 2012 - Version 2. Add import and export capabilities.  Add capability of a 'mega-projects' where you have a song that can use multiple targets (so really allows for multiple projects sequenced to the same song).  Add function to set start addresses.  Add functionality to better sync local and server databases (maybe).  Continue to bug fix and improve user experience.  Continue code efficiency work (speed things up). Add additional effects.  Add a graphical (click and drag) project interface (maybe). I know we are targeting a summer release (if not sooner).   

Kurt

[lonewolf41]

Kurt,
I never got a firm answer on this and I assume it is no, but is there a way to delete effects from out library?  I have some that were just garbage I created for testing purposes before I even knew what I would use it for.

Thanks,
-Keith

[jnealand]

Kurt I understand the time crunch and have no problem waiting for next year for a sync solution, but a script to generate a simple report would be really helpful and a time saver.

Keith - look under admin and you can delete your models and effects.

[smeighan]

Kurt,
I never got a firm answer on this and I assume it is no, but is there a way to delete effects from out library?  I have some that were just garbage I created for testing purposes before I even knew what I would use it for.

Thanks,
-Keith

This has been there for at least 3 months.

Go to the Admin Tabe and select the first option, "Cleanup old Effects and Models"

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login


What we dont have a cleanup for is getting rid of animated gifs or pictures on meighan.net

if you want to get rid of animated gifs and pictures on a local install , go to the following directories


To find your member id, right click and open any animated gif in its own window.
Example: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
The number below the workspaces is your member id

For animated gifs, assuming you member_id = 2. This is my member id.
C:\xampp\htdocs\nutcracker\effects\gifs\2
C:\wamp\www\nutcracker\effects\gifs\2

for static images (jpg,png,gif)
C:\xampp\htdocs\nutcracker\effects\pictures\2
C:\wamp\www\nutcracker\effects\pictures\2


delete or copy to this directory. These directories are your image libraries.
thanks

[lonewolf41]

My bad.  Totally missed the admin tab for cleanup.  Still learning the software...and still behind.  Thanks.

[kgustafson]

Kurt I understand the time crunch and have no problem waiting for next year for a sync solution, but a script to generate a simple report would be really helpful and a time saver.

Keith - look under admin and you can delete your models and effects.

Completely understand this.  What I will probably look at doing is exporting effects as XML.  This does come with little nuances though.  For example, when you have single strand effects, these require multi-table information to be provided and these tables are related to one another (unlike most effects, which have all the attributes listed in a single table).  Translating this to excel is not a straight forward thing (at all) since Excel is not a database.  This can be controlled within XML due the XML structure and the ability to have attributes that relate things together.

Kurt

[jnealand]

I was not thinking of an excel report, but just an on screen table that we could print.  If I have that ability in the online and offline systems, I can easily compare my reports and fix my offline setup after each new download.