Updating Templot on a Mac

[Izzy]

Could anybody who uses Templot on a Mac laptop advise me on how they cope with new Templot versions without loosing work done? I have been in Australia staying with my son, who gave me a spare Mac laptop to use, and Templot - along with other Windows software such as Anyrail etc - worked just fine using Winebottler, but having generated a track layout the Templot version has now changed to 209a and I can't get access to the previous version to export the work done to date since it doesn't appear possible to update an app within Winebottler as far as I can determine.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Izzy

 

 

[flubrush]

Could anybody who uses Templot on a Mac laptop advise me on how they cope with new Templot versions without loosing work done? I have been in Australia staying with my son, who gave me a spare Mac laptop to use, and Templot - along with other Windows software such as Anyrail etc - worked just fine using Winebottler, but having generated a track layout the Templot version has now changed to 209a and I can't get access to the previous version to export the work done to date since it doesn't appear possible to update an app within Winebottler as far as I can determine.

 

Izzy,

 

From my experience,  Templot versions are always backwards compatible so anything you have saved on older versions will be read in a newer version.

 

Jim.

[martin_wynne]

Hi Izzy,

 

I don't know anything about Winebottler on a Mac -- but using Wine on Linux it is necessary to select the previous Wine bottle for the upgrade installation. Instead of the default which is to create a new bottle for each installation. Generally you can't access one Wine bottle from inside a different one.

 

Having said that, by far the easiest solution is to keep your Templot data files on an external drive such as a USB memory stick. They will then be readily available from any version of Templot in any bottle. For ease just copy the entire previous \TEMPLOT_DEV\ folder to a USB stick.

 

I hope the above makes sense on a Mac -- sorry I don't know anything about Macs.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

[Izzy]

Hi Martin,

 

Many thanks for that, it makes perfect sense. I did try upgrading Templot 209a into the Winebottler 208d install but couldn't get it to work that way. Not having any previous experience of Macs everything has been a suck and see test, I was pleased I could get Templot to work at all on a Mac in winebottler, and just wondered how others using Macs get on with upgrades/new versions.

 

I did output the finished plan as a Jpeg image (should have done it as a PDF) - but I can't get the Mac to print it out properly, either whole or in sections although I did in Sydney (at half size as a test) - and loading it onto my Win 7 laptop no app can read it, saying the file is corrupt/damaged. Sadly it would seem what I did is lost. Now I'm back home in the UK I can go back to my windows machines and will have to do it all over again. Not the end of the world, as at least I know it works!

 

cheers,

 

Izzy

[Adrian]

Hi Martin,

 

Many thanks for that, it makes perfect sense. I did try upgrading Templot 209a into the Winebottler 208d install but couldn't get it to work that way. Not having any previous experience of Macs everything has been a suck and see test, I was pleased I could get Templot to work at all on a Mac in winebottler, and just wondered how others using Macs get on with upgrades/new versions.

 

 

I run Templot in a virtual machine on a Mac. I use Virtualbox, https://www.virtualbox.org, which is free and then use a Microsoft windows virtual machine,

http://www.modern.ie/en-us/virtualization-tools#downloads

 

so then Templot installs and runs just like it would on any Windows PC.

[martin_wynne]

Sadly it would seem what I did is lost. Now I'm back home in the UK I can go back to my windows machines and will have to do it all over again. Not the end of the world, as at least I know it works!

 

Hi Izzy,

 

It's not lost, you just need someone familiar with Winebottler on a Mac to tell you how to access it. You are running Linux+Wine on there, so it shouldn't be too different from my Ubuntu Linux system. I have a program called Nautilus which is the equivalent of Windows Explorer, and you can see the path to the \TEMPLOT_DEV\ folder in the top row (\templot_208d_setup\ is the name of the Wine bottle):

 

 

I could then open Templot's \BOX-FILES\ folder and copy my Templot .box files to wherever I want. Putting them on the USB stick is the easiest way to access them from everywhere, or transfer them to a Windows system. None of this requires Templot to be upgraded or running.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

[martin_wynne]

Hi Izzy,

 

I have now temporarily changed the UK server settings so that your existing Templot 208d or Templot 208c program will run.

 

Reload the .box files you want, and then save them again to somewhere which will be accessible later, such as a USB memory stick. To do that, keep going up one level in the file dialog until you get to the top level, and then open the \media\ folder. You will find your external drives in there. Double-click on USB DISK to see what is in there, and then save your .box file (and any others you want to save):

 

 

 

Please let me know when you have finished so that I can restore the server settings.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

 

edit: 208c added

[Izzy]

Hi Martin, all,

 

 

Very many thanks for all the help and advice, and, oh wow, for changing the server settings just for me - I'll do it straight away - and then advise.

 

Izzy

[martin_wynne]

Hi Izzy,

 

No rush. It's a nice day. If you were planning to mow the lawn, do that first.

 

Martin.

[Izzy]

Hi Martin, all,

 

 

Very many thanks for all the help and advice, and, oh wow, for changing the server settings just for me - I'll do it straight away - and then advise.

 

Izzy

 

 

I've found the box files and copied them, that's great. It took a while to find the correct path, and you are quite correct of course, you don't need Templot running to do this, so thanks again for the trouble you have taken to change the server settings to help me. I'm quite happy digging around in Win machines, and know what to do and where to dig, but it took me a while to discover the settings that revealed the right folders on the Mac.

 

The path is:- Finder/your name/Library/application support/winebottler app name/drive_c/TEMPLOT DEV/box files. The crux being that the library files need revealing through the Finder view menu, which foxed me for a while.

 

Having now used winebottler on a Mac to run Templot I have to say the only issues that seem to have arisen is that you can't easily update the program within the app. You're supposed to be able to do it, but I couldn't get it to. And that you must not minimize Templot whilst it's running, otherwise it seems to lock the computer up, and a forced shut down is needed/re-boot to get it back running normally.

 

Now all I have to do it print the plan full size, try it on the baseboard that already exists, and then decide whether it will be bullhead/etched chairplates/copperclad sleepers, or easitrac plastic chairs on ply sleepers. This is 2mm 2FS and having done two small layouts using one type on each I'm torn as to which is the best overall in this scale.

 

Once again, many thanks for all the help and advice,

 

Izzy