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OpenMarch

File Errors

This page contains several file errors you may come across while using OpenMarch. Please refer to the appropriate section for the error you are receiving and look for the troubleshooting steps for your operating system.

Invalid File Permissions Error

This happens when OpenMarch doesn’t have permission to access or write to a file. If you see the following, it is likely a permissions issue:

  • When opening a file
    • OpenMarch popup saying - Invalid file permissions
    • System popup saying - Unable to open file
    • An infinite loading spinner
  • When editing a show
    • Seeing Error updating pages when trying to edit marchers
    • Not seeing your changes persist when you close and reopen the file

If you see an error similar to You do not have permission to open this file please review the following steps:

Windows

Using the File Explorer

  1. Locate the file in Windows File Explorer.
  2. Right-click on the file and select Properties from the context menu
  3. In the Properties window, go to the Security tab
  4. Under “Group or user names,” select your user account or the group you belong to
  5. In the “Permissions for [Your Username]” box below, check the “Allow” column for Read and Write permissions. A checkmark indicates you have the permission
  6. If “Read” or “Write” is not checked, or if “Deny” is checked, you do not have that specific permission. Contact your system administrator for more information

MacOS

Be sure when MacOS prompts you with “OpenMarch would like to access files in your Desktop folder,” allow it. If you clicked “Do not allow,” or are having issues with permissions, please review the following steps:

System settings

This is most likely the solution to many MacOS file permission issues.

  1. Open System Settings - Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner and select System Settings.
  2. Navigate to Privacy - Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down).
  3. Find Files & Folders - Select Files & Folders from the list of permissions.
  4. Adjust Settings - Review the apps listed and turn access on or off for individual applications, such as Desktop, Documents, or Downloads.

Using Finder

This is only for specific files and is likely just for rare cases.

  1. On your Mac, select a disk, folder, or file, then choose File > Get Info.
  2. If the information in Sharing & Permissions isn’t visible, click the arrow. (You may need to scroll down.)
  3. Click the lock to unlock permission settings:
  4. Select a user or group in the Name column, click the pop-up menu, then choose a privilege setting.
    • Read & Write - Allows a user to open the item and change it.
    • Read only - Allows a user to open the item, but not change its contents.
    • Write only (Drop Box) - Makes a folder into a drop box. Users can copy items to the drop box, but can’t open it. Only the owner of the drop box can open it.
    • No Access - Blocks all access to the item.

You can undo any changes to privilege settings for a user or group in the Sharing & Permissions section since opening the Info window. Before closing the Info window, click the Action pop-up menu at the bottom of the window, then choose “Revert changes.”

Please see the Mac User Guide for more information.

Linux

Using chmod via the terminal

  1. Open a terminal and enter the directory containing your .dots file (e.g. cd path/to/dots-file/)
  2. Type ls -l my-project.dots to verify whether you have read/write permissions
    (see Linux file permissions explained for more information)
  3. Type chmod u+rw my-project.dots to add read and write permissions for your current user
  4. Verify the permissions were updated via ls -l my-project.dots

File Not Found Error

If you see an error similar to The file does not exist at this location this is likely due to trying to open a recent file that has since moved or been renamed. Please review the following steps:

  1. Open the source folder of the .dots file.
  2. Verify the .dots file exists in that folder and has not been renamed.
  3. If the .dots file was moved or renamed, use the Open File menu item in OpenMarch to open the moved / renamed file. Click the X button on the Recent Files section to remove the outdated file.

If you were not using the Recent Files section and you received this error, please submit a bug report.

Server Error

This was likely caused by an internal system in OpenMarch. Please submit a bug report and consider including your .dots file.

”Unable to open file” Error or Render Failure

Please submit a bug report and consider including your .dots file.