database issue
 

i'll get the tedium out of the way first:

AMD sempron LE-1100
2gb ddr2 system memory
MSI k9mm-v motherboard
ATI radeon 7000 display adapter
WinXP Pro SP3, all updates
Hoster 3.321

i've run into a problem that seems very weird. i rebuilt my song database, and everything was normal until it finished. at that time i got a dialog saying "Successfully created 9661 entry 'songs.mdb' database in: c:\mtu\hoster"

there are 9809 .kma files in the source folder (d:\mtu\kma files)

then i get another dialog saying: "'148' duplicate bookID(s) detected. Refer to: c:\mtu\hoster\BuildSongDBLog.txt for details."

i've looked at the log file, and it looks like the last several discs i imported (import by hard drive files is my standard method) are listed there, but none of them have the same disc id. these discs are available to be played in hoster. then i looked in the \kma files directory itself, and i can't see anything odd or unexpected in there.

anyone have an idea what's causing this?

thanks,

shaun
hickory, nc

First off it is the BookID that is classified as Duplicate and not the DiskID. The list will only show the ones classified as a duplicate and does not show the one that was added. Look at the BookID of the first one, then go to Hoster and either in search or on the main screen tyope in that BookID and see if it comes up with the song in the list of duplicates. My guess is it will be different.
Try running the Merge kma files and see if that will clear it up. This may or may not fix it by reassigning new bookids to the duplicates.
However with version 3.XX I ran into this myself but only for 10 files. And I eventually had to reimport them and the ones that were out of place.
I am really wondering though why you haven't upgraded to 4.08? From what you listed for your specs your computer shouldn't have any problems with it.

well, basically i have hoster so that i can support my customers. so when i run into something weird, i try to figure it out in case any of them ends up with the same thing at some point. they are all still using 3.321, plus i really haven't had the money to upgrade.

kind of odd that i'd have this, since i vaguely recall hoster warning me if i try to import tracks with the same bookID as ones that are already in the database.

Sounds like it is time for them to upgrade as well.:g Upgrade is a whole lot less than buying new.
Anyway if that is what you did then the Merge KMA files should fix it.

thanks, your advice was spot on. :)

i also found that if i manually hex edited the .kma files, i could set the bookID correctly that way, but merging the db was, of course, much faster.

oddly, once the merge was complete, i got a new log file with this header:

DUPLICATE KMA FILES (same discID and track#) DETECTED DURING DB MERGE

but when i reference any of them, there are no duplicates. so i'm not exactly sure what the deal is there.

thanks,

shaun

edit: we've discussed doing the upgrade to 4.x. one of them is barely computer savvy enough to manage as it is, so more complex software isn't really of interest to him. the other one is interested in doing it, and may at some point. obviously, any new customers i develop will automatically be 4.x users :)

Your welcome Shaun. Did it bring you total up to the right number (equal to the number of KMA files in the folder)? You can either do another rebuild and see if the count is right or you can open the Songs.mdb in Access and check the total number of records in the table. If not you may have to resort to the Hex editor to correct DiskID-Track numbers in those in the list?
What Hex Editor do you use?

Once you get the Show Display set-up the way you want it (you could help him there) there isn't a whole lot of extra to have to deal with. The marquee is optional and a great way to advertise for the Host and for the venue that you are playing at.The Singer's database is optional to use and great for storing your regular's songs that they sing over and over. Other than that it is pretty much the same. The great thing is it looks much more professional to the singers and audience but is very easy to use.
Maybe you need to try the demo on another computer and show them how easy it is to use.

i believe the number of tracks was correct after the merge.

my hex editor is actually my all-purpose editing tool. it's a programming editor called Boxer (www.boxersoftware.com) developed by a guy named david hamel. it's really good. i've purchased every upgrade of it since 1994, when it was a DOS app. :) if you send it a binary file, boxer automatically opens the file in hex mode. the bookID is almost at the top of the file, so manually changing it isn't difficult at all.

well, like i said, it's been discussed. they'll probably migrate at some point.