Restore plist, or edit it directly?

[TraciSlatton (Traci L. SLatton)]

Hello, I am getting the dreaded “contents plist doesn’t exist” error.
I’m trying to recreate a project I worked a long time on--sabinhoward.com
I managed to retrieve an old version.
For one page I’d worked on extensively, I FTP downloaded the rapidweaver folder from my server and then deleted the page and replaced it with the downloaded folder. However then I again got the dreaded “contents plist doesn’t exist error”.
Is there a way to text-edit the plist itself to fix that?

Thanks,
Traci Slatton

[isaiah (Isaiah Carew)]

Hi Tracy,

I’m not familiar with that error. But if you send me the files I might be able to straighten them out for you. I have a little free time later today that I can look at things. I can’t promise I can repair it, but I’ll do what I can…

Either share here, private message, via my email support, slack (slack.yourhead.com), whatever. You should probably dropbox share everything i’ll need to open all of the project files just to be safe. You can box up your add-ons folder using:

And then just share everything using DropBox or whatever.

Isaiah

[TraciSlatton (Traci L. SLatton)]

Greetings Isaiah,

Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate!

I stopped using Dropbox because it was causing weird errors. I moved to iCloud and started saving all my projects to iCloud. I’m concerned that iCloud is now funky. I recently started working with pCloud, do you have any notes about that?

I work from both an iMac and a MacBook Pro. Somehow, they are not in sync and the same rapidweaver stacks do not seem to apply to both. It’s weird. I’ve copied and recopied my stacks files into many different parts of my iCloud drive, because I can’t figure out the 1 (one) folder that both computers can access for stacks and plugins and themes. It’s mystifying. So there is a conflict there. Somehow, my bad.

I worked extensively on my husband’s website www.sabinhoward.com in February and uploaded it. I think I worked on it in mid February. I can not remember which computer I used. (To be fair, I’m working 100 hrs a week these days.)

Today I tried to look for the project file to update it again and lo and behold, I could not figure out where it is.

I found the file I thought was correct and I got the plist error. I right-clicked and showed contents and there was another file inside it but that file was the wrong file.

Also, foundation theme files on one computer often get an error that the theme is not available and the default Anthem file is being applied. If I can get the project file to open, I have to reapply the foundation theme. I don’t know what that is about or how to get Foundation to be my master theme, because that’s the theme I use now. (Foundation 6 is not great, IMO. But the original foundation with BWD stacks and others is truly great. So flexible and easy to use.)

See the screenshot for the weird theme error.

Back to my immediate issue. Isn’t there a way to edit the plist directly using text edit? Because if I could download the page folder from my server using Filezilla, and then re-add that folder to my project package contents, it would save me a lot of time in recreating the final published version.

But when I downloaded the file and tried to copy it into the package contents of the .rw8 I’m working on, I would get the missing plist error.

I even tried to copy the plist into the .rw8 file but that made all hell break loose, as in, no pages would show up at all, only a blank project, even though the project is 100s of mb.

I’m afraid I don’t really know how to use slack though I will try to do so and to send you what may help. My email is tracilslatton723 [at] mac.com if you feel some pity for my plight.

In summary, I don’t know where my final project file is. I have the next to last one and I have to re-do the changes and save it correctly. But it would be ever so much faster if I could download the folders from my server and re-attach them to the rapidweaver project.

thanks,
Traci

[isaiah (Isaiah Carew)]

@TraciSlatton

I stopped using Dropbox because it was causing weird errors.

I stopped using it because it was suddenly using all of my CPUs all day long.

But that’s neither here nor there. I only suggested it as a means of getting your project to me. Project files are really big. Too big to send in an email. Sharing (via Dropbox or similar service), is usually the best way. You share the project files with the service, they give you a URL. Then you send me the URL to me. I can then download the shared files.

I moved to iCloud and started saving all my projects to iCloud. I’m concerned that iCloud is now funky. I recently started working with pCloud, do you have any notes about that?

I think “funky” things will probably happen with anything that syncs files – it doesn’t matter the service provider. RapidWeaver projects are very big and have many moving pieces. This makes them difficult (almost impossible) to sync correctly while you are working on them.

I recommend keeping your working files outside of the Dropbox folder (or whatever service) while you are working on them. If you want to, you can make a copy of project file and move the copy into Dropbox as a backup. But keep the original outside.

I could not figure out where it is

Try using search.

• Cmd-Space to bring up the search field, type in a few characters of the name.
• If something comes up use Cmd-Double-click to open the folder where it’s located.

Also, foundation theme files on one computer often get an error that the theme is not available and the default Anthem file is being applied

OK, now you’re starting up an entirely new and very big problem. I kind of think we should focus on just one at a time?

But this problem needs to be solved. It’s telling you that the RW add-ons folder has been lost – or the contents of it have been changed. I would guess at the last major change, like a big OS upgrade or a big RW upgrade.

I’m afraid I don’t really know how to use slack though I will try to do so and to send you what may help. My email is tracilslatton723 [at] mac.com if you feel some pity for my plight.

That’s OK. The issue here is you need to get me your files. So that I can help with the first problem – getting your project file to open. Right?

For that you need to somehow get me your project files.

Currently my support inbox is at inbox zero (OMG! This NEVER happens!!! ) – so…

1. find a service to use for sharing (like Dropbox – but you don’t have to use dropbox :: 11 Secure File Sharing Sites to Upload, Store & Transfer Files! )
2. share you project
   they’ll give you a URL
3. send me the URL. you can send it here or https://yourhead.com/support – that’s YourHead Support (which is me).

Unfortunately my free time today is already gone.

• Today: I have to go help my son with an assembly language program for his first real programming course in college. I barely remember how to do it myself, but I’m kind of excited about helping. This part of being a dad is completely the best.
• Tomorrow: I drive two hours to the next city over where they have surplus vaccine dose because I’m eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine! (OMG!!! Yea!!!) Then I have to drive two hours back home. So a long day. But I love to drive. This part of life is awesome too.

But Saturday is wide open. So send the files over. I’ll look as soon as I can.

After that we can work on that add-ons folder issue and why that’s giving you error messages too.