I want to share RM9 data file on external SSD between a Mac and PC Win7. Can this be done?
Yes, with qualifications:
- Run the database tool Rebuild Indexes on opening it for the first time each time you switch machines. There is a slight difference in the way Mac and Windows interpret the sorting of text that causes an Integrity error on the other OS.
- Some settings changes on one will not carry over to the other.
- Win 7 is long in the tooth. That computer should not be on the Internet.
- Many thanks Tom. Very very helpful. Will test it out.
- Do you happen to know which settings will not carry over?
- I take your point about Win7. However, it is not connected to the internet. I have kept it because I have programs that will not run on later versions of Windows. Some cannot be upgraded to later versions.
RM has some settings which are specific to the database in which you are working and it has other settings that are for the program as a whole. In effect, the settings that are for the program as a whole apply to all your databases. But a better way to think about them is that they are program settings rather than database settings. The database settings will carry over between machines. The program settings will not.
In RM7, the distinction between database settings and program settings was made very clear in the user interface. In RM8/9/10, the distinction still exists but the distinction is very fuzzy in the user interface. A quick and dirty way to tell the difference is that the settings you can see when there is not a database open are the program settings and the settings you can only see when a database is open are database settings.
This basically means that the following are program settings: Settings > Program Settings and Settings > Folder Settings. That also basically means that the following are database settings: Settings > General Settings, Settings > Display Settings, Settings > Preparer, Settings > WebHint Settings, and Settings > Latter-day Saints Settings.
However, I used the word “basically” which meant that I was telling a little white lie which really means that the RM8/9/10 user interface is telling a little white lie. Namely, the settings under Settings > Display Settings are really program wide settings that affect all your databases, even though you can’t see or change the setting unless you have a database open. When I complained about this inconsistency, the answer was that you can’t see the actual results of changing any of the Display Settings unless you have a database open. Therefore, the option is not visible unless a database is open, even though it is a program wide setting. To me as a sample size of one, that’s profoundly illogical. But that’s the way it works.
On a different subject but still related to your original question: I’m sure you are aware but I always like to emphasize that having a database on an external device does not mean that the database does not need to be backed up. It still needs to be backed up, and it needs to be backed up somewhere other than on the same external device as where the database itself is actually stored.
Hi Jerry,
Thanks very much for the comprehensive explanation. This helps me a lot to understand what is happening. Thanks also for your advice on backing up.
Regards, Mal
After posting my message about RM’s settings, I realized that my message was incomplete. I was focused on the things you can set via the main Settings tab. But there are a lot of other “settings” throughout RM. For example, in the Pedigree View, you can choose to see either 5 or 6 generations. In the Descendant View, you can choose to see anything from 2 through 7 generations. In People List View, you can choose which columns to see and how wide the columns are. In the Edit Person screen, there are a lot of options available under the 3 Dots icon. Etc.
For the most part, these kinds of settings that are local to a specific screen are database settings rather than program settings. But there are so many of these kinds of settings and they are so decentralized that I can’t be sure that 100% of them are database settings rather than program settings. It would take me hours to do the research to be sure.
Database settings are stored in the database. Program settings for RM on Windows are stored in an XML file which is totally separate from your database or any of your normal folders. Even if I were using an RM database on two different Windows computers instead of on a Windows computer and on a Mac, the two different Windows computers would each have it’s separate XML file for RM.
On my Windows 10 computer, my XML file for RM is stored under
C:\Users\jbryan\AppData\Roaming\RootsMagic\Version 10\RootsMagicUser.xml
where jbryan is my Windows user name and I am on RM10. I have no idea how this works on a Mac, but a Mac must have something equivalent because RM’s program settings work on a Mac.
A quick look at my XML file for RM suggests that in addition to the obvious program wide settings, it is also storing things like Recent lists and column widths for the panels for a number of RM screens. You can look at your own XML file to see what is there.
An XML file is a text file. But everything in an XML file usually looks all run together and hard to see unless you look at it with a program that understands XML files and which formats it in a way that is legible to humans.
Jerry has answered those questions. Another factor is media linked to your databases. You will want those files also on your portable SSD and, ideally, the SSD should be set to appear with the same drive letter on both computers. Otherwise, you may experience the breakage of Media links when switching between computers. This is mitigated to some degree if the media folders are under the database folder because RM uses a variable in the stored media path for the path to the database file.
Many thanks for the help Tom,
All very useful and relevant information.
Mal