Nesting Levels in Tree: Indent & Outdent Options?

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Metta
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Unread post Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:47 pm

I just discovered Mars Notebook this evening, and I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far! Amazingly good feature set for the price, and I couldn't be more pleased with the functionality of the notes editor.

However, I do have one question about nesting items in the tree. I have no problem adding new subsections, but when I try to move an existing item underneath another existing item, I have not been able to nest items more than 2 levels deep:
-- Drag/drop only works if there already is a sub-section at the 3rd level where I want to drop in an existing item, and....
-- there is no option (that I can find) to move items left and right.

Am I missing something here?

Or is it possible these features will be activated when I purchase Mars Notebook? (FYI, I'm just on Day #1 of my free trial.)

With my thanks in advance for your help with this newbie question,
Metta
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Marsianin
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Unread post Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:00 pm

Did you try to move nodes with Shift pressed?
And check if 'Enable node drad'n'drop in tree' is checked in options.
Is there any life on Mars ?
Metta
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Unread post Tue Feb 21, 2017 2:37 pm

Drag/Drop was enabled, but I hadn't used the Shift key.

At first, it looked like the Shift key was going to do the trick, but I almost immediately ran into a scary error message:

The program has found a corruption in your database!
Use File > Database > Repair database to fix it.


Just now tried using this recommended command to fix the problem, with disastrous consequences:
> The contents of my ENTIRE tree disappeared
> Only one note displayed along with the follow-up pop-up error message:
-- Thread Error: The handle is invalid

By way of background, when I first opened the database this morning, I received a notification message that one of my keyboard shortcuts was invalid. However, I had not yet made ANY changes yet to the default keyboard shortcuts.

At this point, I'm at a complete loss.

I did try closing and reopening the database, and fortunately all my data was still there -- but I immediately received the database error message again, and the whole problem repeated itself all over again.

At this point, I'm now wondering: if I submitted a copy of my database to you, would you be able to figure out what happened?

I'd really love to use Mars Notebook on an ongoing basis. However, this was a pretty disconcerting development right after registering and spending hours customizing all the items (tree and notes) in my database.

Thanks,
Metta
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Marsianin
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Unread post Sat Feb 25, 2017 1:20 am

Metta wrote:By way of background, when I first opened the database this morning, I received a notification message that one of my keyboard shortcuts was invalid.
This usually happens when you try to open a second copy of Mars Notebook and it's unable to register same keyboard shortcut because it's already registered. Check system tray for another copy. Same thing happens when you try to open second copy with already opened database.
You can enable only single instance of application in options.

Also database corruption can occur when you use it from external drives or unexpected system reset.
Is there any life on Mars ?
Metta
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Unread post Sat Feb 25, 2017 12:38 pm

Thanks for your helpful feedback.

Looks like both of these issues might have be involved since I installed the software in Dropbox and I may have tried running a second instance to see if it was possible.

Since BOTH of these actions are problematic, it might be good to provide your users with warnings NOT to attempt to run multiple instances and NOT to install MN anywhere except in a standard program location on their hard drive. (Not on a remote drive, not in Dropbox, etc.)

Do you have a help file where this information could be provided? Or, better yet, could these warnings be provided on your web site?

It might save your users a lot of grief. In my case, because I didn't know these issues were the problem, I abandoned MN and (unfortunately) switched to a different application for my current project.

Now that I know what the problem was, I may give MN a try again since it has many great features. However, it would have been very helpful to have known ahead of time about these 2 important limitations.

With my thanks and continuing interest,
Metta
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Marsianin
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Unread post Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:35 pm

Mars Notebook just blocks opened database so running second instance just cannot open already opened database. This will not damage it.

You can install Mars Notebook anywhere you want or even use it as portable but saving database somewhere in the web could result in a damaged database if transmission over Internet was interrupted (make backups).
Version 2.5b support multiuser database access so you can enable it in DB options and open in several instances of MNB.

BTW you can use local Mars Notebook database, enable auto backup in options (at different events) and make Dropbox upload that backup file automatically. This is the best way.
Is there any life on Mars ?
Metta
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Unread post Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:01 pm

If I understand you correctly:
-- Multiple instances of MNB can be run on a hard drive, on a portable drive and/or in Dropbox.
-- Multiple instances of the same database cannot be opened.
-- Attempting to open a 2nd instance of the SAME database will NOT corrupt the database.
-- Backing up files in Dropbox is ok.
-- Best option is to install MNB locally and backup in Dropbox.

Is this correct?

You also wrote: "You can install Mars Notebook anywhere you want or even use it as portable but saving database somewhere in the web could result in a damaged database if transmission over Internet was interrupted."

Do you consider Installing in Dropbox and/or keeping the database in Dropbox to be "saving the database somewhere in the web"?

I'm just trying to figure out what caused the problem in the first place so I can prevent it from happening again -- and I confess that, at this point, I am still confused because it sounds like:
-- running MNB in Dropbox is ok,
-- keeping the MNB database in Dropbox is ok and
-- opening a 2nd instance is ok.

If that's true, then I'm back to square one again -- and I have no idea what cause the corruption (and data loss) within the 1st 24 hours of creating and using my 1st database.

Please advise.
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Marsianin
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Unread post Mon Feb 27, 2017 4:20 am

What do you mean by "running MNB in Dropbox"?
I see no reason to run Notebook.exe from any non-local location.
Running MNB means just run exe file even without any database.

The problem is online database location. Mars Notebook always saves it's database even when you switch to another app or to another node. If Internet is not fast enough it's easy to get database corrupted.
So the best way to get your database online is to use automatic backup option (for example when you exit or lock MNB) to a dropbox folder.

Again. You can try to open already opened database (in another instance) but this ends with error if database doesn't support multiuser mode (can be changed in database parameters - Ctrl+D or menu).
Is there any life on Mars ?
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