#357 Newly-installed program won't open properly
I am trying to open my newly-installed copy of Open Song on my Windows PC. On opening, the program takes me to a dialog asking me to "Select the OpenSong documents folder" - but there isn't a Documents folder included. I am left with only the option of Exit Program, which then tells me, "Could not create/find Documents folder.Please make sure you have write access to this folder, or select a new Documents Folder from the General Settings (There isn't a General Settings option). Please note that much of OpenSong's functionality will be unavailable without a Documents folder. How can I install a Documents Folder in my OpenSong program? And why is it not included in the first place?
Discussion
Anonymous
I first thought, something must have gone wrong during installation on your computer. But then I run the installer myself on a new virtual machine. I must admit, that dialog asking for the document folder is confusing.
This selection for a document folder had been confusing even when you run it from the settings dialog later on. Therefor I had created a new, more user friendly (I hope) dialog for this purpose which will be part of the next release. But I think you should not have to go through this after a new installation at all. I will see how to change the installer with this in mind.
In order to get your installation up and running, you should just create a new, empty folder from that dialog and then select it. In order to do so, you will have to select New Folder from the menu, the toolbar, or the context menu on some empty space in the folder contents area. After you confirmed that folder, OpenSong will create the subfolders it expects there, and if you opted to install the sample files, it will ask you if you want to copy these sample files to the newly created folders. This folder is intended for your own files and for some files with your setup / configuration. Therefore, nothing is missing when you create the document folder in this way.
When OpenSong asks you for a new OpenSong documents folder, you may choose any folder you like. You need to have full access to that folder, i.e. you must be able create, modify and delete files and folders in that folder. Choose a local folder, or at most a folder on a windows network share, preferably a mapped network drive. By default, choose your System's default document folder (My PC\Documents or however Microsoft choose to name it on your particular version and localization of windows, which usually is some confusing name for C:\Documents. Enter
shell:Personalin the address bar of Windows Explorer to navigate there if you are not sure what I am talking about). Then create a new folder. Name it "OpenSong" to stick with what the program considers the default name for it's documents folder, but really any name will do. In that folder, OpenSong will create subfolders for Sets, Songs, Settings and Backgrounds and it will ask you if you want to copy the sample files to these folders.If you managed to get OpenSong running, but ended up with a document folder in an unfortunate place, you can change that from the general setting dialog. Any files, songs and sets, you created in the former location will not be moved to the new location by OpenSong. You will have to move them using your file manager.
You may also restart by running the installer again, and selecting the option "Reset OpenSong Preferences " on the Additional Tasks page. This will give you the same experience as after the first installation, albeit now with more experience and additional information.
On it's first run, OpenSong may also complain about not finding the Scripture file and/or ask to generate an index for the Scripture file. The former is just a warning, if you decline the second one, that prompt will re-appear the next time you start OpenSong or you open the Scripture Picker window from within OpenSong.