Lost Batch Printing Client List in Cloud Mode

[erlconsult]

I am running Fund Manager from dropbox using cloud mode. Everything works fine except the batch printing. The list of clients for batch printing is lost when I switch computers. Is there something I can do so that I don't have to relink the clients everytime I switch between my laptop and desktop computer?

[Mark]

Hi erlconsult,

Your client list is stored in a file called clientdb.fmc. When not in portable mode, this file is stored here:

My Documents \ Fund Manager

When running in portable mode, it is stored relative to the Fm.exe file here:

<Fm.exe location> \ Data

When you turn on portable mode, if you had a clientdb.fmc file in the original location, it will be moved to the new Data portable folder, but only if a clientdb.fmc file doesn't already exist there.

If you have your client list on any PC you should have it on all of them if you're really running in portable mode on all of them. You might check that you are really starting Fm.exe from the same location on all PCs, and that under this location you have a "Data \ clientdb.fmc" file. If for some reason you don't, or have an old one in your portable Data folder, you can move/copy the clientdb.fmc file from the non-portable location. Just copy it while FM isn't running. Look at the size and date modified of the clientdb.fmc file to get an idea of where your latest changes have been made. It is possible you may have FM installed to both a local drive, as well as your portable drive, causing confusion. Make sure you only have it installed on your portable location, and are always starting it from there. If you have a shortcut you use to start FM, check the properties of your shortcut.

[erlconsult]

It looks to me like the clientdb.fmc file is storing an absolute rather than a relative location. See attachments. I log on with "eddy" on my desktop and "el146. . ." on my laptop. The desktop was installed before you had a cloud version and then changed to a cloud version. I run it from a shortcut on the taskbar. Both the Target and Start folders reference the folder in dropbox where Fund Manager is located.

BTW even though all the data is stored in ..\fund manager\data2016, I found the clientdb.fmc in ..\fund manager\data where I had initially stored the data.

The laptop was only installed as a cloud version.

Thanks,
Eddy

[Mark]

Hi Eddy,

I think I misunderstood the initial problem you were asking about. It sounds like you always see your clients, but the paths to the portfolio for each client is wrong when you switch computers?

Yes, the full path is stored here. You can however quickly change all of them, but you you would have to change them each time you switch computers if the paths are different. To change all of them, edit one of your clients, and browse to the portfolio file. Once you switch the portfolio file you'll see an option "Use Same Portfolio File for All Clients", which will allow you to update all clients to use this *.mm4 file.

[erlconsult]

Mark,
It is really annoying to have to do this each time I switch computers. I wasn't switching very often, so I lived with the problem. But now that I am switching more frequently, I was hoping that there was a better solution. From my perspective the client list goes away because the clients no longer appear in the initial batch print/email window. I have to edit the client list to get them back.

I would imagine this would be even more annoying if you have multiple users accessing Fund Manager.

Could you please add using relative paths for this to your list of future enhancements.
Thanks,
Eddy

[Mark]

Hi Eddy,

Interestingly, we used to store them as relative paths to Fm.exe, but then started storing them as absolute paths because if you switched the location of Fm.exe, but not your data, the paths would be lost also. Maybe the optimal solution would be to store the paths relative only when running in portable/cloud mode. We'll have to give this some thought.