Usage question: Delete Library

Aspect General
1

Hello. To save time during initial testing, I did not add all folders.

So I have the first library with a few folders - to which I can add more but only from the same or lower hierarchy.

Then a second library which I added the main folder - this helped me discover some files/folders that are in the wrong place.

And now a third but empty one, which will only allow adding folders form the main (OS) disk.

How do I delete libraries or remove all libraries and clear other data (factory reset)?

I have already found photos I forgotten and not yet processed :smiley: so I am really looking forward to letting Aspect show me all my photos :slight_smile:

2

Not wanting to wait, I deleted all the aspectnode files and library folders I could find (after reading a few other posts and release notes).

Finding the files brought sense to only being able to add from a certain hierarchy in the folder structure.

Aspect the started blank, except for the library entries under “File…”. Clicking on them presented the option to remove as the could not be found. After removing all of them, Aspect launched as freshly installed.

New/remaining question: Where is the information like the library entries under the File menu saved?

3

This is currently indeed the approach for getting rid of a library. I would just recommend to use Settings → Library → Scanned Folders to uncheck all scanned folders. This will get rid of the .aspectnode files that are outside of the library folder and makes it less likely to forget something.

As for the library list entry, it should have a an exclamation mark to the right of the library name (I’ve just tested this and it seems like that needs an application restart before it appears, I’ll fix that for the next release). If you then click on the library entry, a message box appears that allows you to remove it from the list:

grafik

I’ve added library deletion from within the application as a feature request internally (#1364).

1 Like
4

Thanks, yes - that is the dialogue I was presented with when clicking on the names of the deleted libraries under the file menu (I just noticed some typos in my last post which made this unclear). So I can confirm it worked as you expected :slight_smile:

Aspect was not running during deletion - so I did not try to see what happens if you delete whilst Aspect is running or maybe the library is open… but that is something I would not do during normal use anyway.

Where does Aspect store the names of the libraries after they are deleted? (Maybe I’ll find it before you answer :smiley: )

5

The library list is part of the settings file, which is actually a JSON text file:

Windows: AppData\Roaming\Bildhuus\Aspect\app.settings
macOS: ~/Library/Aspect/app.settings
Linux: ~/.config/aspect/app.settings

The relevant key is "app.general.libraries" → "localLibraries"

6

Thanks. Yes - I just tried again with deleting app.setting. Works as you described. Don’t know why I didn’t open the file to check the contents before. Must have looked at the wrong file date and thought it wasn’t modified.

So until option is implemented, or for some reason wanting to “reset” under Windows. When Aspect is not running:

  • delete Library files and folders
  • delete cache files under AppData\Local\... (maybe not needed but I would consider best practice)
  • delete app.settings under AppData\Roaming\... (or delete relevant keys from app.settings if for some reason you want to keep other settings).

Aside from discovering forgotten photos, I saw that I need to deal with a few "temporary " folders created over time. So likely I’ll run into a few more “better if this folder…”-situations and want to start again. I could think about it beforehand, but the speed with which Aspect creates the libraries has already made me lazy :smiley:

7

For future reference, I’ve added a troubleshooting document for this to the documentation: Removing a library completely - Bildhuus Aspect