DVDpedia library won't open

[NosillaCast]

Been using DVDpedia for AGES and for the first time my library simply won't open. DVDpedia opens with a blank library. I tried double clicking on the library (last modified in April 2012) but while it launches DVDpedia there's still nothing showing. I need to settle a bet about a DVD I SWEAR we own (Ironman) with my son.

[Nora]

So the database opens but it appears blank, is that correct? Could it be that you moved your database folder and DVDpedia doesn't know it? (If that's the case, start up DVDpedia while holding down the Option key and press the 'Choose database' button to navigate to the correct location.)

You can also try to run the latest backup, called "backup1Month.dvdpd", which should be in that same DVDpedia data folder. Double-click the file while to start up DVDpedia and have the database load itself.

[NosillaCast]

thanks Nora. I tried that and again it was empty. That got me thinking, I poked around and the library was only 86kb, and there were no files at all in covers. I tried the backup file, also very small.

And then I realized I probably didn't migrate it over when I installed Lion from scratch on my new Machine in April.

The good news is I kept an old backup from before I migrated and I found all the files.

Now this opens a question - how on earth are we supposed to remember to look in ~/Library/Application Support/ DVDpedia to find those files before an upgrade?

[Nora]

Glad to hear you found your database. Keeping data in ~/Library/Application Support/ is actually the Apple recommended location for third-party app data. (If you've poked around the Application Support folder I'm sure you saw lots of other applications keep their data there as well.) Since the Library folder is no longer visible by default in Lion it's not as easy for users to find the data (which is probably Apple's intention) but if you'd prefer you can move the DVDpedia folder to a different location on your computer such as your Documents folder. For more information about how to move the database into a shared location, take a look at the Help files.

[FineWine]

Now this opens a question - how on earth are we supposed to remember to look in ~/Library/Application Support/ DVDpedia to find those files before an upgrade?

I believe this boils down to good pre-format and/or upgrade planning. I always make a list of my applications I am going to reinstall along with their associated data base locations as well as the location of their pref files (remember pref files & plist files usually contain license details and program setup preferences). Though I have used TimeMachine in conjunction with Migration Assistant in the past, I now only use TimeMachine to bring back those folders/files associated with the programs I am reinstalling. This ensures I have a clean install with no flotsam and jetsam in the fresh install.

[Conor]

It's the default location recommended by Apple for our kind of applications that autosaves. It's a good idea to use the Apple migration assistant as that would have brought all the data from Application Support. Do check your other apps as there a number of apps that would keep data in Application Support. Mail not being as important anymore as users tend to have migrated to IMAP. Glad you were able to bring that back from your previous backup before the update of Mac OS.

[NosillaCast]

Thanks everyone. I don't use Migration Assistant on purpose - I do a LOT of application installs for my podcast and that flotsam and jetsam of which FineWine spoke really stacks up on my system. I also appreciate the instructions on how to move the database. But it sounds like what I need to do is simply remember that the Library folder is REALLY important! You're right, Nora, I do have other apps that have their databases in Application Support, and I saved those, but I think I can't just grab the ones I remember!

Thanks all for teaching me a good lesson and I guess the lesson I offer is to do a lot of backups (I did 3 before this upgrade) and to SAVE one of them for a very long time!