RCLogbook 4.2 adds a model type for multicopters to the mix and you might wonder “How can I change one of my existing models to a multicopter?” now that RCLogbook knows about multicopters..
For a variety of reasons, the UI in RCLogbook does not allow you to change the type of a model after it has been created. However, you can change the type through the database import and export functionality. It is a bit more involved, but it works.
What you will need to do is this:
- Make a backup of your database by downloading the fully binary database through the web server or Dropbox (this step is precautionary so you can get back to your original database in case something goes wrong in the following process).
- Export your database in text format through either the web server or Dropbox (if you use Dropbox, this creates a file named “DbExport.txt”).
- Open the text file with the database in your favorite editor (either a text editor or spreadsheet).
- Remove all sections except “Models” and the “[INFO]” lines.
- Delete the lines for each model that already has the correct type (that is, delete the models you do not want to make changes to).
- Change “Helicopter” to “Multicopter” on each model that is left (that is, the ones you want to change). Do not leave trailing spaces or anything after the “Multicopter”. Do not make any other changes to the line unless you want to change things beyond the type.
- Save the file so that you can import it (if you use Dropbox, this file should be called “DbImport.txt”). Note that if you opened it in a spreadsheet, you need to save as tab-separated values.
- Import the saved text file into the database through the web server or Dropbox. Once that is done, check to make sure everything looks in order.
Consult the user’s guide on CleverTangerine for more information on how to backup your database and use the import/export capabilities through either the web interface or Dropbox.
For example, after you get through step (4), your file might look something like this (note that the content will be different depending on what models you have, when you last used them, and so on):
[INFO] RCLogbook Database (Release 4.2.0 with DB v.6)
[INFO] Generated on Feb 6, 2014, 4:44:04 PM
[INFO] With great power comes great responsibility: Use CAUTION when editing a database.
[INFO] ALWAYS backup or checkpoint before importing.
[INFO] For more on the format of this file, see the database import guide or import template (available from the database access page).
[INFO] The database import guide is also available at http://clevertangerine.com/RCLogbook/content/RCLogbook_DIG.pdf .
[SECTION] Models
Model UID Model Name Retired? Type Vendor Last Event Date (M/D/YY) Last Event Time (H:MM A) Total Time (H:MM:SS) Total Events Total Fuel (L) Logs Batteries? Logs Fuel? Default Prop Default Style Model Notes
53 AJ Slick No Airplane 3DHS 7/3/10 10:23 PM 70:44:40 536 0.00 Yes No
8810 Test Model No Helicopter 12/9/13 8:39 PM 0:05:03 1 0.00 Yes No
[INFO] End of file
Now, in this case, let’s say we want to change “Test Model” to a multicopter. So, for step (5) we would remove the line in underlined bold above. Then, for step (6), we would change the “Helicopter” in underlined italics above to “Multicopter”. That would leave us with the following file:
[INFO] RCLogbook Database (Release 4.2.0 with DB v.6)
[INFO] Generated on Feb 6, 2014, 4:44:04 PM
[INFO] With great power comes great responsibility: Use CAUTION when editing a database.
[INFO] ALWAYS backup or checkpoint before importing.
[INFO] For more on the format of this file, see the database import guide or import template (available from the database access page).
[INFO] The database import guide is also available at http://clevertangerine.com/RCLogbook/content/RCLogbook_DIG.pdf .
[SECTION] Models
Model UID Model Name Retired? Type Vendor Last Event Date (M/D/YY) Last Event Time (H:MM A) Total Time (H:MM:SS) Total Events Total Fuel (L) Logs Batteries? Logs Fuel? Default Prop Default Style Model Notes
8810 Test Model No Multicopter 12/9/13 8:39 PM 0:05:03 1 0.00 Yes No
[INFO] End of file
Which could then be uploaded and processed by RCLogbook.
