Cannot convert project

Question

When I try to convert my project (ATV) PT crashes and when I reopen it, it gives this error:

I got the consultant to give it a go, and he also got an error, but without crashing and with more details:

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There are no unresolved conflicts. The My Paratext 8 Projects folder is on my C drive. Any ideas?

Answer 1

The error from Convert Project looks similar to a problem another user had recently.

The conversion fails if it runs into a place in project history where there was a change/delete conflict on a file (meaning one user deleted the file that another user changed). I haven’t found a way to handle this sort of conflict programmatically - a command needs to be run that requires user input.

Since the details of the conversion failure may still be in your log file, try sending a problem report from Paratext and I’ll be able to confirm whether or not this is the same problem as I’ve seen previously. If it is, I’ll look again to see if there is a way to provide the required information to the command that will fix the issue.

John+Wickberg
Paratext Support

Comments

Thanks, I verified the repository and no errors were found.

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There are lots of “missing verses” (denied in the published books), and there are marker errors in the FRT. Is that a problem?

For me, PT crashes within 2 seconds of starting the conversion, but it does create a folder in My Paratext 8 Projects.

We actually want to create a copy of the project as we are publishing a mini-Bible including excerpts from some books, and we want to be able to continue working on translation without messing up what has been consultant checked and so can be published. Especially as we have digital publications which we want to update, without non-consultant checked selections being included.

I’ve sent feedback via PT. The report number is PTXS-29450.

Thanks!

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Why not create a new auxiliary project? It is easy to do, and inherits the project registration of the parent project. It needs to be based on your existing project. You can then copy whichever books are ready into the auxiliary project, and print from that.

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Could you explain the difference between an auxiliary project and a standard translation? We’ve got the two set up now, but I would prefer not to have to update changes in both projects if possible - but keep some books different where a translation is in progress. I don’t want to change the original project though, that needs to be the publishable version as there are apps/websites with access to it, as well as local translators using it as a front translation who don’t have the skills to swap projects. And we want all the change and consultant note history to be available in one project.

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Here is how Paratext Help defines an auxiliary project:

An Auxiliary Project:

• Is derived from a Standard Translation and is typically not a main project.
• In Paratext 8.0 (and later), it shares the Paratext registration of the project on which it is based. That is, it will not actually get registered itself.
• Is helpful for developers and testers who need test-only projects.
• Can be used to keep a copy of a project for local use by a single user.
• Only allows an administrator to add a user, remove a user, or to change the role of a user.
• Normally allows only an administrator to change permissions for users.
• Can have different users than the users of the base project from which it is derived.

If you have internet access, you can Send/Receive an Auxiliary project via the Internet.
An example of an auxiliary project is one in which a user has written project notes rather than inserting them as project notes in the main project.

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If I’ve understood your situation correctly, you could copy over to the auxiliary project the books which are finished in the main project, they are consultant checked, and you don’t want them edited further. This is easily and quickly done, using Manage Books on the Project menu.
Your main project remains the main project where all changes are made first.
At any time, it is easy to check whether the main project and the auxiliary project are different, using Compare Versions on the project menu to compare the main project with the auxiliary project.
I use auxiliary projects for printing booklets, using PTXprint, placing the books ready for printing in the auxiliary project, once they’re finished in terms of checking.
If you’d like to talk further, my Skype name is anon758749, and I’d be happy to talk more directly.

Answer 2

I would suggest you verify the repository for the project.

Screenshot 2021-06-15 08.21.10942×699 212 KB

You might also make sure that you have no Chapter/Verse or Marker errors before trying the conversion. Does the conversion fail immediately or after it has tried to run? In addition to changing the short name of the project, what other changes are you making?

Answer 3

There are other ways to create a copy of a project. An alternative is to make a backup of the project using Project Menu > Advanced > Backup Project to File
Save the file to a location on your computer (I create a folder called _Backups in my My Paratext 8/9 Projects folder.

Then restore the file using Paratext Menu > Advanced > Restore Project from File
When you restore you should choose “New Project”. You will need to fill in the basic file information (name and such). You can choose to register, or if this is a secondary version of the main project then you could make it an auxiliary project.

Then you will be able to restore the data. There is an option to restore settings that is by default unchecked since you have created a new project, but you can select this to get some of the other settings (Reference settings, Quotation rules, etc.).

The primary difference between this process and the conversion process is that the conversion process maintains the history. But if you are doing this to simply create a copy then Backup/Restore will work. NO NOT RESTORE OVER THE ORIGINAL PROJECT! This can create conflicts.

Answer 4

Thanks, but the reason we want to make a copy is so that the consultant can see all the history in the new one. We don’t want to affect the existing one as there are local translators with very low computer literacy using it as a front translation.

Answer 5

As a note regarding this issue: There was a problem in the project where a change had been made by one user to a figure and the figure was deleted by another user before S/R had been done. The developers were able to address the issue and complete the conversion.

Comments

I would love to get some instruction on how to overcome a change/delete conflict when converting a project. @John+Wickberg says “a command needs to be run that requires user input.”

More details please!

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I found out later that there was a way to run the command so that it would fix the change/delete conflict without prompting the user.

I made a fix to the Paratext code and that change is in Paratext 9.1.104.131 that should be sent out as a pre-release patch soon.

anon758749