[cellisterica@gmail.com]

I tried to do the right thing and save my Setlists. I now know that I used the wrong thing, "Sync Library", and chose the option "Synchronize to backup file".  The complete Setlists is now empty, and I don't know how to retrieve them.

For the backup file I clicked on the the "Local File" option. The following showed up:  Root-storage-emulate-0-Sheet Music

Under that I had 5 options, and I picked "Other". However, that had 4 options, which were the same as the options at the level where I picked "Other", so I didn't understand that I could go further, and I did not pick anything else.

Now I was seeing  Root-storage-emulate-0-Sheet Music-Other

I returned to the previous page, "Device Sync Activity", and pressed "Start". After the "Sync successful" message appeared, I went back to the page with the "Setlists" section, and it was empty. Music in the "Recent" and "Pieces" sections appears to be untouched.

I need my Setlists back, and I cannot figure out where they went, or how to restore them. Help, please.

[Geoff Bacon]

Just in case:  check that you haven't specified something in the Filter text that doesn't match any of your setlist names.

I have lots of old setlists but I don't save them specifically - I just use the companion to take a backup to the pc. You could just perform a backup to local file but I like having it on a different device.

Suggest you name the setlists in the following format "group or venue yyyy-mm-dd " e.g. "U3A Frampton Care Home 2025-07-21"
When creating a setlist, add one or more spaces to the start of the name - this puts it near the top of the setlists page
After the gig, remove these leading spaces from the name (long press, 3 vertical dots, Rename)

Hopefully Mike can fix it for you.

Geoff

[Zubersoft]

You can go to Settings->Backup and Restore->Restore Automatic Database Backup and revert your database to a point within the last few days. You will have to restore all of the missing files though - you'll have to copy them into the storage location (listed under Settings->Storage->Set the MobileSheets Storage Location) and then, if necessary, use Settings->Other Settings->Fix Broken File Paths to repair any paths that are incorrect. You can select Settings->Other Settings->Find Missing Files to verify that there are no missing files.

Mike

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

You can go to Settings->Backup and Restore->Restore Automatic Database Backup and revert your database to a point within the last few days. You will have to restore all of the missing files though - you'll have to copy them into the storage location (listed under Settings->Storage->Set the MobileSheets Storage Location) and then, if necessary, use Settings->Other Settings->Fix Broken File Paths to repair any paths that are incorrect. You can select Settings->Other Settings->Find Missing Files to verify that there are no missing files.

Mike

Hi Mike,

When you say I will need to restore all of the missing files, do you mean files that were added after the time of the backup that is being restored? 
And when you say I'll have to copy them into the storage location, where would I be copying them from?
Any idea why my Setlists disappeared?
Thanks!

[Zubersoft]

If you synchronized to a backup file, it replaces your entire library with what is in the backup file essentially. So if the setlist was blank or didn't exist in the backup file, it would be removed. Or if the songs referenced in the setlist were not in the backup file, it would remove those songs from the library.

My suggestion to restore the database backup will bring everything back as far as the setlists and other data in the library. However, if any PDFs were deleted as a result of synchronizing to the backup file, those files have to be replaced. That's what I was trying to help you resolve, but it will only matter if there are missing files (after restoring the database backup, check for missing files under Settings->Other Settings->Find Missing Files).

You have to have copies of all of the files that are missing. So you need to copy them from that location into the storage location. The synchronization you performed may have deleted files, so they can't be recovered unless have another valid backup file that has all those files in it.

Mike

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

If you synchronized to a backup file, it replaces your entire library with what is in the backup file essentially. So if the setlist was blank or didn't exist in the backup file, it would be removed. Or if the songs referenced in the setlist were not in the backup file, it would remove those songs from the library.

My suggestion to restore the database backup will bring everything back as far as the setlists and other data in the library. However, if any PDFs were deleted as a result of synchronizing to the backup file, those files have to be replaced. That's what I was trying to help you resolve, but it will only matter if there are missing files (after restoring the database backup, check for missing files under Settings->Other Settings->Find Missing Files).

You have to have copies of all of the files that are missing. So you need to copy them from that location into the storage location. The synchronization you performed may have deleted files, so they can't be recovered unless have another valid backup file that has all those files in it.

Mike

I think I understand. Once I restore the database, there is no going back, correct? And there is really truly no way to undo the action I took? Perhaps it should have a warning like the database backup does, so no other computer illiterates will fall into the same trap.

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

If you synchronized to a backup file, it replaces your entire library with what is in the backup file essentially. So if the setlist was blank or didn't exist in the backup file, it would be removed. Or if the songs referenced in the setlist were not in the backup file, it would remove those songs from the library.

My suggestion to restore the database backup will bring everything back as far as the setlists and other data in the library. However, if any PDFs were deleted as a result of synchronizing to the backup file, those files have to be replaced. That's what I was trying to help you resolve, but it will only matter if there are missing files (after restoring the database backup, check for missing files under Settings->Other Settings->Find Missing Files).

You have to have copies of all of the files that are missing. So you need to copy them from that location into the storage location. The synchronization you performed may have deleted files, so they can't be recovered unless have another valid backup file that has all those files in it.

Mike

I think I understand. Once I restore the database, there is no going back, correct? And there is really truly no way to undo the action I took? Perhaps it should have a warning like the database backup does, so no other computer illiterates will fall into the same trap.

My extremely computer literate husband thinks I backed up right over my files that I was trying to back up, so it ended up eating it's own tail. He understands what you are saying, and can't imagine how I could do what I did. So maybe no one else would need a warning.

[Zubersoft]

That is correct - you can't undo a synchronization. The only option is to revert the database and replace missing files. I have considered getting rid of the option to synchronize to a backup file, as it causes confusion for users, and it was only ever added for specific scenarios where users need to extract data from a backup file without replacing annotations.

Mike

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

Just in case:  check that you haven't specified something in the Filter text that doesn't match any of your setlist names.

I have lots of old setlists but I don't save them specifically - I just use the companion to take a backup to the pc. You could just perform a backup to local file but I like having it on a different device.

Suggest you name the setlists in the following format "group or venue yyyy-mm-dd " e.g. "U3A Frampton Care Home 2025-07-21"
When creating a setlist, add one or more spaces to the start of the name - this puts it near the top of the setlists page
After the gig, remove these leading spaces from the name (long press, 3 vertical dots, Rename)

Hopefully Mike can fix it for you.

Geoff

I just figured out that my Windows laptop still has all but the most recent setlists. Can I use "Sync to another device" to safely move them to my Samsung tablet? After last time, I am hesitant to just try it and see...

[Zubersoft]

You can, but if you want to do that, set the the Windows laptop as the server, the other as the client with the sync type set to "Update Client". Also, before doing this, please create a library backup file on your Windows laptop under Settings->Backup and Restore->Backup Library to ensure all of your data is preserved no matter what happens.

Mike

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

You can, but if you want to do that, set the the Windows laptop as the server, the other as the client with the sync type set to "Update Client". Also, before doing this, please create a library backup file on your Windows laptop under Settings->Backup and Restore->Backup Library to ensure all of your data is preserved no matter what happens.

Mike

Thank you! You are very patient and clear--I very much appreciate that!

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

I am at the page where I selected connect as "server" and sync type "Update client". I am on my laptop. The only thing I see to click is "Create Server". Presumable I need to do something to make my laptop be the server, but when I click the create server button, I get a white rectangle with the time and what is probably an IP address, since it has "IP" in it.. There is no indication of what to do--click on the IP thing?

[Zubersoft]

Yes, sorry, click "Create Server", then on the client device, tap "Sync Library->Synchronize to a device", set the sync type to "Client", then tap on the name of the server device when it shows up and tap "Connect".

Mike

[cellisterica@gmail.com]

Yes, sorry, click "Create Server", then on the client device, tap "Sync Library->Synchronize to a device", set the sync type to "Client", then tap on the name of the server device when it shows up and tap "Connect".

Mike

I did it!!!!! Yeah!!!!!
Thank you so much!