Database Search in 2015

General discussion of the use of FontExpert font manager
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awald
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:35 am

Database Search in 2015

Post by awald »

Where is it? I have a large database with custom tags, etc. and I cannot search it now!? The only reason to use the software seems to be gone, or hidden. I do not use Libraries as I do not want to be copying my many fonts. The database got converted at upgrade time but how can I access it?

Where are my keywords made in 2014? Where are my categories? Even if I add the fonts to the library, I cannot see them!?

If I restore from 2014 backup, nothing seems to happen.

Previously, I could see the list of all items used in the database, categories or foundries. Now, I see all possible foundries. how can i see only the ones in use? I see no list of used keywords. I only see the standard categories, and they are all empty.

It used to be possible to see the location of a font on the hard drive. No longer.

What am I missing? This seems like a major reduction in functionality.

Should I be downgrading? What is the recommended workflow? My worklists seem to be gone too...
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 321
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:20 am
Location: Proxima Software

Re: Database Search in 2015

Post by admin »

The Database Search feature is replaced by Search in Library in FontExpert 2015.

Please use Tools/Restore from Backup...feature to transfer tags to new version 2015.
The Backup must include tags and all tagged fonts.

There are some differences in using tags in version 2014 and in version 2015.

In version 2014 tags were associated with full path to file.

For example, you assigned keyword to font:
C:\Users\MYNAME\Documents\My Fonts\Acaslon Pro Bold\ACaslonPro.ttf
Assigned keyword: "my caslon 1"
("C:\Users\MYNAME\Documents\My Fonts" is a default path to Groups.)
Then you created a backup.
ZIP file will include folders and db file:
{Groups}\Acaslon Pro Bold\ACaslonPro.ttf
FontExpert.db

In version 2015 tags are associated with unique Font ID calculated from font file.

Only Library files are tagged and can be tagged.
If you restore the previously created backup:
File {Groups}\Acaslon Pro Bold\ACaslonPro.ttf will be copied to Group folder:
C:\Users\MYNAME\Documents\My Fonts\Acaslon Pro Bold\ACaslonPro.ttf
and also it will be copied to LIB folder - a storage of unique fonts in Library, near the FontExpert.db file:
C:\Users\MYNAME\AppData\Roaming\Proxima Software\FontExpert\13.0\LIB\SE\A\Acaslon Pro Bold\ACaslonPro.ttf
And "my caslon 1" keyword will be assigned to a font in Library, and not to a font in Groups folder.
(It is possible reason why you do not see any keywords assigned to fonts in Groups.)

NOTE: Importing all categories

FontExpert 2015 imports from old backup only categories that are assigned to at least one font.
For example, if you had categories:

Categ1
Categ2
Categ3

and Categ1 was assigned to one font, while Categ2 and Categ3 were not assigned to any font, then FontExpert will import only Categ1.

To work around this issue, I suggest the following steps:
1. Create categories (Categ2, Categ3, ...) manually in FE 2015.
or:
1. Install FontExpert 2014 (if you already have version 2015, install version 2014 to a different folder).
2. Restore backup in Version 2014.
3. Assign all categories to one arbitrary font which will be included to backup (e.g. MyFont1.ttf).
4. Tools/Export Tags.... (A file .fetg will be created - it contains all tags).
5. Run FontExpert 2015.
Make sure all fonts tagged in earlier version of FontExpert are already added to Library in version 2015.
6. Tools/Import Tags... Select .fetg file created on step 4.
7. Find MyFont1.ttf and remove Categ2, Categ3, ... assignments from this file.
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