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Sync/Settings window doesn't open

André van Haren
Sat, 12 Aug 2017 10:22:48 GMT

I am trying to add new meta data fields, but the menu/Sync/Settings window doesn't open. When I try this, nothing happens.

Craig Schiller
Sat, 12 Aug 2017 15:35:42 GMT

Do you have a Scrivener project open? I think you need to do that first.

aeonjess
Sun, 13 Aug 2017 06:04:42 GMT

Hi, Craig is correct, if you are trying to change the sync settings then you need to have the Scrivener/Ulysses project open at the time in the binder. This is because each project has its own settings, so the program needs to know which one you want to change the settings for. Jess

markusmcdowell
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 18:31:23 GMT

Im having the same problem. The sync window no longer opens. I have Ulysses and the project both open.

markusmcdowell
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 23:33:23 GMT

I have now tried this on a Mac and a MacBook. Same files (in the Cloud). Nothing happens when I choose "Sync Settings" menu item on either computer. I have also tried other files, same result.

aeonjess
Wed, 30 Aug 2017 00:45:53 GMT

Hi, When you are trying to access the sync settings from the menu, do you have the binder open to sync to the project? If so, what happens when you try to access the sync settings from the binder (by clicking the cog icon in the top left). Does this also not open? Jess

fivethorns
Wed, 25 Oct 2017 18:15:38 GMT

I've been experiencing this bug with every version of Aeon Timeline since I started using the software a few versions ago. I'm on Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, currently using Aeon Timeline 2.2.6. When I sync a Scrivener project with a timeline for the first time, I can set up the sync settings. After that, I can't ever access the sync settings menu again. I do have the binder open to sync the project, but clicking the cog icon simply does nothing. The only workaround I have discovered is to open the timeline in a text editor and delete all the lines in the xml that define sync relationships between the Scrivener project and the timeline. Then I can open the timeline in Aeon, access the binder and start from scratch with the sync settings--one time. After redoing the initial sync settings, the cog icon once again does nothing unless I edit the xml file again. This seems a risky workaround, and I worry about the long-term consequences for the stability of my timeline file. Having only one shot at establishing sync settings is extremely difficult to work with. Being unable to m odify sync settings along the way makes sync virtually unusable for me. Over time I have used Aeon less and less due to this issue. I love the software and am so disappointed that one of the essential features that drew me to it--Scrivener syncing--is the one that is broken for me. If I can provide any additional info about this bug that could help in fixing it, please let me know.

aeonjess
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:13:44 GMT

Hi, The most useful way for us to try to solve the problem for you is if we had access to the timeline and Scrivener file that you are trying to sync. If you email us at [email protected] with these two files (when they are in the broken state), this will help us look into the problem and hopefully be able to fix it for you. We keep all files confidential. Jess

fivethorns
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 02:23:15 GMT

Hi Jess, I appreciate for your reply. Sending any of my files is not an option for legal reasons, however, I can provide the steps to reproduce the bug. Special characters are the culprit. The sync settings menu and gear icon stop working any time I sync an Aeon timeline event field with a Scrivener custom meta-data field that contains parentheses or slashes. Other special characters may trigger the bug as well, but I can confirm parentheses and slashes cause the problem, while asterisks don't. Peeking into the Scrivener project's xml, I can see that every custom meta-data field has an internal name. When this internal name contains forbidden characters, the timeline becomes bugged. (It appears Scrivener sets this internal name when the user creates the field and doesn't change it, even if the user renames the field in the inspector. Understandably, it doesn't matter if the display name in Scrivener's inspector has forbidden characters as long as there are none in the internal name, which Aeon presumably uses.) It would be wonderful if Aeon would include a bug fix fo r this in an upcoming release, but in the mean time, I'll go ahead and post some suggestions here for fellow Aeon users, in case it could help others avoid the bug and fix broken timelines. I want to thank you for your post in another thread where you explained that there's a menu option to delete a Scrivener project's sync data from a timeline file. That has really helped! How to avoid the bug: Any time you create a custom meta-data field in Scrivener, do not put any special characters in the name. Or, simply allow Aeon Timeline to create the fields it needs in your project, as it will always give them a name it can use. Possible fix for timelines already bugged: The following process worked for me every time, however... BACKUP your Scrivener project and your Aeon timeline file before you try any of this! BE WARNED this will destroy the sync relationships between your Scrivener project and your timeline. That means documents will lose their link to events, and you will have to relink them yourself. If you'd rather live with the bug than redo your sync settings and document-event links from scratch, do not proceed. Hopefully you will only have to redo everything once, because after that you can take the above precautions to avoid the bug happening again. A) In Scrivener 1) Open your project. 2) Delete any custom meta-data fields that contain special characters. 3) Recreate these meta-data fields using only letters, numbers and spaces. 4) Close your Scrivener project. B) In Aeon 1) Open your timeline in Aeon. 2) Go to the Sync menu -> Manage Projects... 3) Find the project that has the broken menu bug and delete it from the list. As Jess kindly explained in another thread, this will remove all the sync information for that project from your timeline file. 4) Save your timeline. 5) Now go to the Sync menu again. Do not click "Last Selected Project" as this seems to bypass the sync settings menu. Click Choose Project -> Scrivener... and open your Scrivener project from its file location. 6) You will now see the long-lost sync settings menu! Hooray! Redo all your sync settings. 7) This would be a good time to create another backup. 8 ) After this, you should be able to reopen the sync settings menu as many times as you need to to set things up the way you like. 9) Now the tedious part...relink the documents in your Scrivener project to their respective events on the timeline. Hope this helps! Edited for typos, oops.

aeonjess
Sun, 29 Oct 2017 04:40:49 GMT

Hi, Thanks for being able to work out what in particular was causing your syncing problems, it is very helpful for us. We will look into syncing with Scrivener metadata that has special characters and hopefully will be able to provide a fix in the next update. Jess

fivethorns
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 06:12:29 GMT

Thank you so much for taking a look at the issue! It's great to hear a fix may be possible. I'm glad I could help.