Splasm Software Discussions

Couple of problems with my latest update to 2.5.

1) Can you tell me what the account document is now called and where it's held? Previously it used to be accounts.plist (IIRC) and was in Library/Application Support/Splasm/Checkbook2. When I look in that location now there is clearly a gap where the Splasm folder used to be. It is now gone, presumably the item in trash (check book 63) is where it is? Either way, I'd like to know what my current accounts doc is now called and where it is so I can be certain I am happy with it being there and also deal with another issue.

2) Within Checkbook 2 I also used to keep my account back-ups. Not critical as it's working at the moment. But now Splasm/CB2 has been deleted, my back-ups are gone too. I'm not sure that re-installing 63 from the trash will bring back the (full) as opposed to an empty 'CB2' folder.

3) I don't know if this is correct now but when I open CB2.5 it opens up my data. When it closes I am left with what should be the opening screen? It's almost as if it's opening up the data from somewhere but still thinks it's a new install and looking for me to create an account.

I'm tempted to locate the accounts document. Put it somewhere that I'm happy with (along with back-ups) in a place where subsequent updates don't delete stuff en-masse. Then re-install the ap.

I also get a different behaviour for the 2.5.1 update. Before I used to get an 'update and relaunch' option. Now I get a 'learn more' option and have to do a manual download.

Not got well for me this update I have to say

NB: By way of an update: I backed up the account that I now have and created a new one, seeing that it now creates an file names ###.cbaccounts. However, upon searching the whole HDD for a file called ###.cbaccounts the only files that show up are the back up and the newly created one. Very odd, and I get the feeling my old data is all gone

Look through this forum and you will see the answers to many of your questions. Your data is safe and is probably in your documents folder on your hard drive. You can make a backup(s) of your file and place them anywhere. I put mine in Dropbox. The opening (splash) screen is their new launch pad from where you can open a saved file or create a new file, etc. It is always up and is revealed when you close a data file. And yes, with updates you have to manually download and install. For more information on these, just search through the forum and you will find most of what you are concerned about.

Good luck.

I have looked through the forums and the answers to the questions are not there. That's why I'm posting the questions.

Okay. Apparently I was misunderstanding your questions. The forums have been abuzz about topics quite similar to yours [locations and name of files, splash screen/launch pad, saving backups] ever since 2.5 came out. Maybe an email to support might help you better?

Hello! Here's a few answers so things will make more sense.

To answer 1. & 2.: On OS X 10.7 Lion and later, when you update from a previous version of CheckBook to 2.5 or later a data migration occurs from the original ~/Library/Application Support/Splasm Software, Inc. to a new sandbox "container" (a folder containing everything a sandboxed app has access to without asking user permission) at ~/Library/Containers/com.splasm.checkbook2/Data/Library/Application Support/Splasm Software, Inc. The folder is moved, not copied, because that's the way Apple set things up for automatically moving data into a new sandbox container, but all your data is still there.

By default, a new document named Accounts.cbaccounts is created in the ~/Library/Containers/com.splasm.checkbook2/Data/Library/Application Support/Splasm Software, Inc./CheckBook 2 folder, alongside your original Accounts.plist and Backups folder (we keep both - we never delete data intentionally). CheckBook 2.5 asks if you'd like to move the new Accounts.cbaccounts document to a different folder and rename it, but it's easy to skip that question in all the excitement of updating. If you don't move and rename the document it stays at ~/Library/Containers/com.splasm.checkbook2/Data/Library/Application Support/Splasm Software, Inc./CheckBook 2/Accounts.cbaccounts.

Reinstalling 2.3.2 or earlier will just provide the application itself. The data is always separate from the app. Without a ~/Library/Application Support/Splasm Software, Inc./CheckBook 2 folder it'll be completely blank, like it's never been installed.

To answer 3.: You're seeing the Launch window. Older versions of CheckBook only allowed one Accounts file, and very recent older versions had a stopgap feature allowing you to specify the folder where that Accounts file lived - so you could have multiple files if you really wanted to go to the trouble. You can easily create and manage multiple documents in CheckBook 2.5 and later, and the Launch window gives a clear idea of your options when no document is open. If you're used to closing the window to quit the app, you can now go to the CheckBook menu at the top left of your screen and click the Quit menu item, or use the Command-Q keyboard shortcut, or you can close the window and press the Q button on your keyboard.

To locate an Accounts document that's already open in CheckBook 2.5 or later, Command, Control or right-click the name of the document in the title bar of the document window. You'll see the path to the document, and you can click the folder it's in to go right to it.

Unfortunately, sandboxed applications can't replace themselves (not without opening the sandbox and mooting its security), so Lion and Mountain Lion users will see the "Learn More..." option in the update window, which will take them to an update page at our website where they can download a disk image with the latest and greatest version of CheckBook. We weren't happy campers about this.

When you search your Mac with Spotlight it won't return results for items in the hidden Library folder in your home folder. Sandbox containers are in the hidden Library folder, so they can't really be searched with Spotlight. There's a way to show the Library folder full-time - open Terminal.app, paste in "chflags nohidden ~/Library" without the quotes and press the Return key - but Spotlight intentionally won't index it. Files on the Desktop still show up just fine in a Spotlight search.

Sandboxing and proper support for managing multiple documents brought a lot of changes. We know they're a lot for folks to process when they're used to just opening the app, enjoying it immensely, closing the window, and coming back the next day to do it all over again without a second thought. I hope these answers help make things a bit more clear so the transition isn't so rough.

_________________
Keith Gugliotto
Primordial Sea Captain
Splasm Software
https://www.splasm.com

Hi

Thanks for the helpful and prompt reply. Documents all located. Oddly I'd tried pasting the links that were put up in the "missing data 2.5" post and Finder just threw blank. My Library is unhidden so I'd have thought it would show up.

It's certainly a complex path to the documents LOL. Given the way OS forces compliance, what would be the recommended best practice as to the best home for accounts files? Where they are now? Or in a discreet folder in, say, 'Documents'?

As an aside, if I right click the account name in the title bar it brings up the list. Pressin Command and/or Control does nothing though?

You can put your documents anywhere that makes sense for you. Your home Documents folder would probably be good to start. The way sandboxing works, the user has to grant permission to access a particular file by opening it or saving to it. CheckBook 2.5 saves that permission for the last opened document, so when you open the app the sandbox is extended to include the last document and it's automatically opened for you. We automatically create a document for pre-2.5 data in the sandbox container to make sure it's seen immediately, so no worries about data loss, but the very next thing we do is ask if it should be saved somewhere else. If the user chooses not to continue, the data is still visible and things work just like before 2.5 - quit the app, open it up, data shows up, no worries about where the data's stored.

Command-clicking or Control-clicking the name of the document should do the same as right-clicking. Almost every window with a document icon in the title bar, in any app, should do the same. Dates way back to the good ol' days of System 7. Just curious, can you give Command-clicking or Control-clicking a try once more to make sure they're not working?

_________________
Keith Gugliotto
Primordial Sea Captain
Splasm Software
https://www.splasm.com

Hi. Thanks. Just tried again, on a Macbook Pro. Command-click does bring up the path, Control-click does nothing.