Hello, I know that I have to go to “manage trees”, in order to “force-unlock” the database that is locked, but there is no database mentioned in the window that opens, therefore I can not open or unlock the database. I have 3 trees (3 databases), but none of them appear in the window of '“manage trees.”
How can I unlock the hidden or lost database if it does not appear in that window? I have Gramps 6.0.
Thank you.
I also hope that this weird situation (locked databases) will one day be fixed, because it is a well-known strange issue that keeps appearing (and not only with me).
Thank you again.
From your description, somehow the path changed in the Edit → Preferences setting for the Database path in the Family Tree tab.
If this was done in the middle of a session, that would explain why the lock file was never cleared at the end of the session. And why the Manage Family dialog is empty.
After you set the path back to where it was and restart Gramps, you should be able to break the lock again.
It is a little too easy to change preferences accidentally. And, if are also using the Gramps preference to reload the last used tree automatically, the change would be masked until the next time you had an abnormal exit.
I suggest that you try browsing to the path listed.
If that is a valid path, it creates another opportunity. You can always search that folder (and its subfolders) for the lock file. Then delete it manually.
Thank you. I followed the path, it leads to the folder .gramps/grampsdb. There is nothing else in that folder. Also not in the hidden files.
I use Linux Debian 13.
Shall I just upload my backup as a ‘new’ db? I cannot seem to click on ‘close’ anymore either.
No. It seems likely that your path was reset somehow.
I can think of no other reason that 3 trees would disappear. An accidental click on the Delete button in the Manage Family Trees is only remotely possible. (Since there is a confirmation dialog.) But to have accidentally deleted THREE is beyond imagining.
So that brings us back to finding what happened to the database folder path. And, whether the preferences was changed or the folder was moved, reversing that change.
So, why don’t you search for the file named lock using the you OS’ “find”? Then browse to that location. Popping up 1 level would show the database path that would find those Tree databases.
The lock is a simple placeholder. If it exists in the Tree’s database folder, then Gramps considers the Tree to be ‘locked’.
To ‘break’ a lock, Gramps simply deletes that file.
You can do that manually.
But the critical question is: what is the path to the folder with that lock file. (The crtl-l keybinding will change the folder address display from ‘breadcrumbs’ to a text path.)
And does (1 level upwards of) that path correspond to what is in your Preferences?
It is difficult to answer these questions. What does “The crtl-l keybinding” mean?
I do not have windows anymore, it is a little different, maybe I just do not know. Up to a few days ago, all was fine. It is just very frustrating! A reason why I moved to Legacy once, but that is a complex program too, and I like open source programs. If only the help pages were easier to understand.
About the path: a year ago, Enno (from The Netherlands) on this forum helped me with similar problems, but I cannot find him.
When you say the above, I am guessing that you mean that you mean that you “view” by opening those Trees from the Family Trees → Open Recent submenu?
Open Recent uses the “fully qualified” path to those trees. The Manage Family Trees uses the “relative” (to the ‘database path’ preference) path.
@Nick-Hall this has been a rarely recurrent problem for casual users.
I see 3 issues here:
a bug? the dialog that appears offering to break the lock (when trying to open a locked tree from the Open Recent submenu) tries with the relative path, not the fully qualified one.
a feature: Open Recent submenu could indicate/warn when the path differs from the ‘Database path’ preferences.
a feature: the database path field in the preferences could work like the custom types field throughout Gramps and offer a dropdown list of the database paths in the Open Recent submenu.
Ctrl + L is a versatile keyboard shortcut that typically highlights the URL/address bar in a web browser, allows for left-alignment of text in word processors, or clears the terminal screen in command-line interfaces, with its function varying by application but generally focusing on navigation or text formatting. On a Mac, the equivalent is often Command + L.
In Web Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
Action: Moves the cursor and selects the text in the address bar (URL bar).
Benefit: Quickly type a new URL or search query without using the mouse.
In Text Editors & Word Processors (Word, Google Docs)
Action: Left-aligns the selected text or the current paragraph.
Benefit: Creates a clean, consistent left margin for your text.
Sorry, it’s in Dutch! I mean this window; it is empty and I cannot choose anything except for Close Window (Venster sluiten) and New (Nieuw).
Of the previously opened ones, I can open 2 out of the 3 trees.
Perhaps you could post a screen capture? (I can use the images feature in Google Translate to understand the Dutch. And perhaps reply with the same words that you see.)
Most important: a screen captures of the OS window where you searched; and, the Preferences tab with the database path
