I have made many drawings with this program. Today clicked to boot it up, it loaded quicker than normal but I cannot do any drawing. All options are gray. When I try to use a wizard it gives message "external catalogue must be open to use this". All I can do is open saved drawings. I cannot work on them at all. Clicking new just gives a clean screen but nothing else works. I have rebooted a number of times with same results. Nothing new has been added to my machine. I have spent 3 weeks customizing my cataloges with the correct cabinets, sizes, colors, behaviors, etc. I hope I donot have to reinstall the program. This ever happen to anyone? Any thing I can try?
Nothing like this has happened to me and don't remember same issue before, but it sounds like either your catalog is defective or missing or the program is not pointing to it or can't find it.
Try reading this previous info on catalogs to glean any ideas and where and what to look for....
http://forum.turbofloorplan.com/index.php/topic,286.0.html
You could try to do a windows "system restore" to an earlier time when it worked....it destroys nothing and you can return to today's setup.
I'd also open the program and simply try to open your catalog or one you know that works....maybe none was open the last time you closed the program?
You could also install the program again to a different location (don't uninstall existing nor overwrite current folder file path) and see if it works OK (program and your .bld file) and try loading your modified catalog from old location to see if its a catalog problem. Once fixed, uninstall one version to save disk space. And/or copy or point your old program to the new good catalog to see if it works with the old program.
Sounds like a trial and error solution. Catalog files do break but not often....tho some issues if catalog file gets too big....search this forum for "catalog" for other related threads
I did see a repair option somewhere - not at my PC at present to check where. may help.
Before you do anything make a copy of yous catalog folder then if you have to reinstall you can replace the new catalog with your modified one.
Allan
Is this a trial version that has expired?
Jeff
Not a trial version.
Did a system restore before I wrote.
I have narrowed it down to a problem with the master catalog.
File/catalogs/master catalog or catalog manager = nothing in view
File/catalogs/master catalog backup = fully functional program including catalog manager.
Problem is this is a backup of the original catalog. I have spent weeks getting everything correct in the original catalog now I cannot access it. This was the worst thing about this program. The cabinits behavior was incorrect for all cabs, price book was way off. I got everything correct and made 2 drawings now looks like I will need to start again.
What could have made my master catalog not accessable?
2 things come to mind for catalog going bonkers.....
- either file accidentally saved to different location or "pointer" not pointing to the file correctly.....or a really long shot is that windows or program on closing burped an error
- more common for a database (which is what the catalog is) is to become corrupt from a bad data change or file save. All good db programs have an auto-fix (self repair) but I don't know if TFP has one...try looking in help file???
The best solution is to install a known good file and be sure program file setup points to it. Of course you will then lose your previous changes unless you keep a backup copy in the same way you make a backup .bld file for every project....so you can restore if needed.
There is a Repair option (I thought I had seen one somewhere) but it does not seem to relate the Catalog. It is on the File menu but is Repair Project. However it may repair the Projects connection to the database - hopefully! Worth a try.
According to an internet search a BDB file is a Microsoft Works database. Access tries to open it, if you change the extension to MDB but says the ADP is not in the right format. If you know someone who has Microsoft Works, you could get them to try to open a copy of the BDB master catalog and Works may have a Repair option as Access does. Again may be woorth a try.
Allan
Allan,
Have you ever been able to open the TFP12 .bdb file and see the rows/columns/fields etc.?
I was able to open the FP11 db with Access and then use a copy file to do searches for items rather than manually looking folder by folder.
I'd like to be able to do that in TFP. I wrote a suggestion to CadSoft for Envisioneer (parent of TFP) and they thought it was a good idea and would consider doing so in next version (5)....hoping it would trickle down to TFP13.
I am starting over fixing my cataloge. How do you make a backup of this? I cannot even find a .bdb file on my machine using the search function.
Would love to open the cataloge all at once and make all changes instead of doing it one cabinet at a time.
Thanks for allyour help.
You should be able to find the file
TurboFLOORPLAN_Master Catalog.bdb (there is also a metric version)
at this path location (or similar depending on your install)....
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\IMSIDesign\TurboFLOORPLAN Home & Landscape Pro\Catalogs