PSA: PortableApps.com has released Gramps v5.1.3 [now 5.1.5] in portable format. Update your USB key

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The portable version has been stuck on Gramps v3.4.9 for a long time, so this is great news :sunny: Also a great way to have separate unmodified versions of Gramps to test source code changes on Windows!

You can download from:

Mentioned on the Gramps reddit

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I wonder how many PortableApps versions of Gramps exist?
[17 versions on SourceForge, starting with v3.2.5 “I intend to live forever” in Nov. 2010]

It might be worthwhile to collect as many revisions as possible to create a Gramps Recovery thumbdrive image. It would be nice to have a device that could try to load obsolete format DB & .gramps files… without the delay of multiple install cycles.

(Maybe having it could also be a bootable Linux with version that support the really old formats.)

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The PortableApps fork of Gramps has had a lot of traffic:

Gramps Portable has also been posts in online libraries

  • CNET Gramps Portable (updated to v5.1.3) Downloads: 1,748
  • Softpedia Gramps Portable (currently at v5.1.3) Downloads: 5,587
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@emyoulation: Installation of Gramps 5.1.3 as Portable app on 2 Gb (1 Gb free) USB key, Windows 10, French locale

Installation start time: 11:38
End time: 11:49

First run:

  • Laguage: English in opening window
  • Addons installation (all - 140):
    • Preferences window (and so gramps) don’t want to close itself → killing gramps task from task manager
    • requires LifeLineChartView plugin: download failed

      WARNING root: LifeLineChartView: Failed to load the required module svgwrite version 1.4.

      It is not possible to use LifeLineChartView without this module. You can either uninstall this plugin, or download the module.
      WARNING root: LifeLineChartView: Failed to load the required module life_line_chart version 1.7.5.

      It is not possible to use LifeLineChartView without this module. You can either uninstall this plugin, or download the module.

  • Seems ok after Gramps restart
  • LifeLineChartView download retry: always failed

Copy of xml and ini files from my local gramps directory to portable dir:

  • place_formats.xml, report_options.xml, tool_options.xml
  • Ancestry_*.ini, *listview.ini, *bottombar.ini, *sidebar.ini, custom_filters.xml, Geography*.ini
  • Restart: ok, even preferences works

gramps.ini sections manual changes (copy as-it from local to portable):

  • behavior, colors, export, geaography (unless path), interface, preferences, researcher.
  • Restart: OK

Load of last local gramps backup into portable db: OK, try of every gramps categories (dashboard, people…): everthing works fine

Summary:

  • Everything seems to be ok when using it, windows are all well positioned, gramplets content and preferences are there. I’ve used my local media path instead of portable path and each media display well.
  • Only issues:
    • interface is in english by default,
    • first use of preference window wich don’t want to close itself,
    • life line chart view download error.
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Thanks! That Preferences problem is strange. Wonder what’s happening there? We may need to get Paul C. involved.

I hadn’t expected you to try the add-ons. Knew that a licensing incompatibility kept Bart S. from including GraphViz in the download. That might be the cause of your Lifelines install problem.

But the big issue is that the PortableApps doesn’t use the OS language. I will have to ask them about that.

In an entirely different subject… sorry for highjacking your thread about Ordered List formatting. I requested moderator rights and have split the offending posts to a new Note.

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The more I think about it, the more that this sounds like a modal child window was spawned from the Preferences and was mis-stacked below the other layers… or created off-screen. (Possibly the “Check for updated addons now” status window.)
image

If you see Preferences misbehaving again, try pressing the Esc key. If control returns, then we have a wayward child to track down.

Note that validating windows will be created on-screen is one of the bug fix commits for the next release. (Thanks @prculley !)

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Possible but I really don’t see it

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I was burned by that problem when changing dual monitor configurations. Gramps wasn’t checking the virtual screen re-dimensioning.