Missing clips/searches

[Toxaris]

Sometimes when I open two or more Sigil sessions, only one will have my clips or stored search procedures. For the other sessions these are empty. Of course it does not happen all the time, but often.

version 0.8.4 (I know, I know), Win 8.1 x64

I know it is an older version, but as far as I know nothing in this area has changed.

[rubeus]

I have this behavior, too. It's available since 0.7 something. Unfortunately, closing and saving in a special sequence will save the clips and searches from the emptied Sigil instance. I never opened that case as i was unable to track it down.

Now i'm zipping by sigil Appdata folder from time to time to have an easy recovery.

[theducks]

Remember, the preferences folder is now being shared (by a multiple you )
All sorts of confusion on who's version of the current settings is really current happens with 2 sessions because Sigil write the current state only when it closes a session

Simple example of a lost state

edit a book
Do multiple (progress) saves
manage to crash Sigil or close it before the other open session closes.
The last used file list knows nothing about a file that has multiple saves done.

I don't know the solution on how to manage (refresh) the states saves so I avoid when possible by using Notepad++ for my reference clips.

1 possibility is to force Sigil into a Read Only mode if it detects that there is already an active (write) Sigil instance (the read only Sigil will not block a new Write Sigil if none exists)

[Toxaris]

That is fine in case of a crash or something like that, but this is different. The first Sigil session works as expected. The second ePUB I open in another session sometimes has not the saved searches or clips the first session does have. Also, sometimes I have the feeling that the second session gets the searches and clips and the first one no longer.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by theducks

Remember, the preferences folder is now being shared (by a multiple you )
All sorts of confusion on who's version of the current settings is really current happens with 2 sessions because Sigil write the current state only when it closes a session

Then that is a bug, because Sigil is permitted to open multiple times.

calibre, for example, should not be run multiple times, and as a result it will lock itself against future instances.

Sigil, calibre editor/viewer, are designed to open against multiple books, and it should be safe.

[rubeus]

Exactly, this has nothing to do with a crash.

Example:

Working on Book 1. Want to look how i did something in the past and i'm opening book 2. Sometimes Book 2 has lost all clips/searches. Closing book 2 now will save this status and all clips/searches are empty.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Then that is a bug, because Sigil is permitted to open multiple times.

calibre, for example, should not be run multiple times, and as a result it will lock itself against future instances.

Sigil, calibre editor/viewer, are designed to open against multiple books, and it should be safe.

The calibre editor has the same problem. If you open two instances, any changes made to options such as the saved searches are only remembered for the last instance closed.

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by davidfor

The calibre editor has the same problem. If you open two instances, any changes made to options such as the saved searches are only remembered for the last instance closed.

Not quite the same problem. Since opening multiple editor instances does not cause you to loose settings/saved searches unless you make changes in more than one instance, in which case you will lose only the changes you made in all but the last instance.

You will not end up with missing settings unless you actually clear the settings in the last instance.

[KevinH]

Hi,
Using a Mac (and testing with 0.8.6 since it is the most stable release so far) I can not recreate this at all. That said ... on a Mac you have only one instance of Sigil using different main Windows for each additional document opened. So you literally are always sharing the settings.

On Linux and Windows, you are actually running multiple instances of the main application, each trying to read/write the exact same settings files with each process having its own settings cache as well. Depending on exactly when the settings files are opened, written to, and closed. This may lead to issues without some sort of OS level file locking that can work across full processes.

I wonder if this is just a Windows issue? I have seen Qt file read and write operations return empty during simultaneous access when playing with Windows via my Parallels Virtual Machine. I assumed it was simply a virtual machine issue, now I am not so sure.

When I get a free moment, I will take a look at it unless user-none or DiapDealer beats me to it.

KevinH

[rubeus]

On Windows, it does not happen all the time...

[KevinH]

Hi,

Originally Posted by rubeus

On Windows, it does not happen all the time...

Thanks ... understood.

Are there any verifiable reports of this problem on Linux at all?

KevinH

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by KevinH

Are there any verifiable reports of this problem on Linux at all

I can experiment a bit there, but I don't really have much in the way of clips/saved searches--and rare's the time I have more than one instance of Sigil open at a time.