Convert/Rescue data from an old Gramps version [3.4.x]

[bambule]

Hello Everybody!

I’ve got an issue with a Gramp data directory from 2013. It would be wonderful, if this old piece of work from my father could be transferred to a usable data format.

I know, there a uncountable threads on ‘moving data from older Gramps versions’ out there in the internet, but none of them could help me out so far.

What I have got is:

XMG:~/restore/.gramps$ tree -D
.
├── [Jun 22 2020] env
├── [Jun 22 2020] gramps34
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] Gramplets_grampletview_gramplets.ini
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] Gramplets_grampletview.ini
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] gramps.ini
│ ├── [Jun 22 2020] plugins
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] Relationships_relview_bottombar.ini
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] Relationships_relview.ini
│ └── [Apr 26 2013] Relationships_relview_sidebar.ini
├── [Jun 22 2020] grampsdb
│ └── [Jun 22 2020] 4d26e59e
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] bdbversion.txt
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] citation.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] citation.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] citation_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] event.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] event.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] event_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] family.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] family.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] family_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] log.0000000002
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] media.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] media.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] media_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] meta_data.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] meta_data.gbkp
│ ├── [Feb 20 2011] name_group.db
│ ├── [Jan 7 2011] name.txt
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] note.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] note.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] note_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] person.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] person.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] person_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] place.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] place.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] place_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] primary_map.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] referenced_map.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] reference_map.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] repo.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] repo.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] repo_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] source.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] source.gbkp
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] source_id.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] surnames.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] tag.db
│ ├── [Apr 26 2013] tag.gbkp
│ └── [Apr 26 2013] tag_name.db
├── [Apr 26 2013] recent-files-gramps.xml
├── [Jun 22 2020] temp
└── [Jun 22 2020] thumb
├── [Jun 22 2020] large
└── [Jun 22 2020] normal

This is the restore from an old linux computer. I’ve got only this .gramps directory. Appartenly the database was last worked on in 2013. The db-files and the gbkp-files contain our family-tree data (family member names are visible when cat’ing the files). I’ve no idea which Gramps version was up to date in 2013. All tips I’ve read so far did not work.

Is there anybody out there who has a clue if these data can be rescued and how to do it? It would be so great if that would work out.

My questions are:

• What Gramps Version did write such data? Can I extract a version hint out ouf these data?
• If we know that original Version, is there a path to convert the data?
• Or is there possibly a external script or something like this to extract the data out of the files?

Thank you so much for reading and helping!

With best regards

Oliver Hahn

[emyoulation]

The Gramps34 directory leads me to expect it was a 3.4.x version. ( 3.4.2 was released 2012-10-28. That version remains downloadable from SourceForge.)

Take look at the recent-files-gramps.xml file. The first few lines in the header generally IDs the application version.

You should be able to use that corresponding outdated Gramps version to read the database files and export them as XML format … our backup & data transfer file structure.

(The Gramps XML files are written with a .gramps or .gpkg file extension. The .gramps files can be compressed or in plain text. The .gpkg files are always compressed & can include the media objects.)

Then import that XML .gramps or .gpkg file into a newly-created blank Tree using the current version of Gramps.

[bambule]

Thank you so much! Your hint with the 3.4.x version led to success!
I setup a 13.04 Ubuntu on Virtualbox und installed gramps 4.3.2-1 on it. After some guessworking with the filepaths I got the old data in the software. An export brought the thing to the current version. Voila!
It’s so cool, that this bunch of work didn’t get lost. Thanks again!
Greetings
Oliver