Please help I just lost the entire days work again , this is the 3rd day !

[solo]

I have used Q-Cad for several years now , a few years ago I switched to Linux , I use it every day all day , I think I know what I'm doing. The problem started with switching colors it suddenly got really slow (but everything else was just fine), I could almost go get a cup of tea. but now there is a new and much worse problem when I try to create a block I get a warning that the name of the block is invalid , changing the name makes no difference , doing something else makes no difference the warnings keep popping up , even if I go and watch You tube to cool off it switches me back to Qcad to show me the warning , shitting it down is also impossible , when I try to shut it down it says the name of the entire drawing is now invalid and the changes cannot be saved . No matter what I do I get this warning , making a block is now equal to loosing the entire days work ! All I can do is shut the entire computer down , without saving , re start it and , and do all the work again ! I have a idea that it has something to do with the layer system with colors and blocks on the color layers , but I have not changed my work patterns , It just started for no apparent reason , and now I am out of work , unless I can totally avoid using blocks , and for most work that is not a very good option . please help.

[Husky]

Hi,
I'm not familiar with Linux but nevertheless maybe we can narrow down the issue.

Question(s):
What is the used QCAD version?
Do you are able to test that behavior on another computer?
Please attache one of those "failing" drawing to this topic.

[solo]

failed drawing .png (10.21 KiB) Viewed 9168 times

qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_64 , I only have one computer I live in Guatemala , finding a other Linux computer in Guatemala during a quarantine is not possible ..at all. I enclosed a Block almost exactly like the one that failed (the failed one was lost of course) and started the entire mess today . Thank you so much for looking into this .

[Husky]

Thanks - the png doesn't looks suspicious.
To get a better idea we need the dxf or dwg drawing. Is it possible to attache one to the topic which shows the issue?

... when I try to create a block I get a warning that the name of the block is invalid , changing the name makes no difference , doing something else makes no difference the warnings keep popping up , ...

What exactly was the block name?

... I live in Guatemala , finding a other Linux computer in Guatemala during a quarantine is not possible ..at all.

Similar story here! Don't risk anything!!!

[solo]

I think the exact text was Medium manufacturing - spinning and laser welding , then I tried Medium manufacturing - S&L , I tried a few other variations , I am actually limited in what I can post for confidentiality reasons , but there was nothing there that I had not used every day for the last couple months working on that drawing. I think the "invalid name" warning is a red herring I tried every possible variation , I truly don't think the wording of the name is the problem. I think that it all goes back to the dramatic slow down when you try to change colors , in the past it just clicked from one color to the next , but now the computer is really working for a really long time , like maybe a full minute before it switches to the new color. It feels like what ever the computer is doing when I try to change colors is now affecting other functions , like it is "spreading" ......

[solo]

I just thought of something , don't know if this could be something . some times I will instead of typing in a name of a block , I will copy and paste it and some times there are invisible things that get pasted with it , For example if I have some text centered and I edit the text and copy and paste a new word in , it will loose centering because of something "invisible" that got copied and pasted along with the visible word . So I have to go back and delete out the invisible "something" and the the text will go back to center.

[Panchdara]

Hi Solo. Very difficult time we live in.

Just my 2cents - rename the QCAD.ini file and restart QCAD. I've had corruption (somehow) with this file. See https://qcad.org/en/tutorial-resetting- ... figuration.

Hope this helps
Best

[andrew]

First of all, losing a day's work is something that should never ever happen. The good news is that it doesn't have to.

Here's a simple way to make that stop immediately (with any software, under any circumstances):

1. Create a folder for your project (e.g. "MyProject")
2. In that folder, you save your drawing (e.g. "MyDrawing000.dxf")
3. Every 15-30min, save your drawing into that same folder, under a new name, for example "MyDrawing001.dxf", "MyDrawing002.dxf", etc.

These very simple steps give you a complete history over the course of days and weeks with the possibility to go back 15min or 30min or whatever interval you choose whenever necessary. This protects you from data loss due to software bugs, power outages and even own mistakes or a change of mind while drawing. If you choose to save to an external disk, it even protects your data against hardware failures.

A more advanced solution would be to install a fully automated backup system (there are many available for free). It syncs your disk to an external disk every few minutes.

Even a full version control system is an option, but might be overkill in your situation.

[solo]

That is not going to help , I can't make blocks , I am pretty much out of work , so what am I going to be saving ?

[solo]

Linux
Delete the file ~/.config/QCAD/QCAD3.conf
Start QCAD

OPT, qcad-3.23.0-pro-linux-x86_64 , then 14 folders Doc , Examples , Etc. , where is the Configuration file ? It's not in one of the folders or in the individual files on the same page , and the search function cannot ferret it out.

[andrew]

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that once you start making blocks, you can't save anymore, right?

So with this simple system outlined above, you can at that point go back to the version before you made that block and try again, perhaps with a different block name. Or, if you can't solve it, you can then attach that previous working drawing here and tell us what you did next, what block you've created and from which entities with what name, so we can try and reproduce the problem here or tell you where things went wrong. Without a drawing file, we can't be of much help I'm afraid.

[Husky]

Without the dxf/dwg drawing I'm running out of options to verify a problem with QCAD or your hardware. But I understand your reason not to provide the drawing! On the other hand - if you send it to me via PM I can promise you that I will handle it confidential. Your decision.

I think that it all goes back to the dramatic slow down when you try to change colors , in the past it just clicked from one color to the next , but now the computer is really working for a really long time , like maybe a full minute before it switches to the new color. It feels like what ever the computer is doing when I try to change colors is now affecting other functions , like it is "spreading" ......

What exactly means changing the colors? Please elaborate what you are doing.

... I will copy and paste it and some times there are invisible things that get pasted with it , For example if I have some text centered and I edit the text and copy and paste a new word in , it will loose centering because of something "invisible" that got copied and pasted along with the visible word . So I have to go back and delete out the invisible "something" and the the text will go back to center.

This "invisible something" in a pasted text is a formatting from an other program. To avoid that it is common practice to make an extra step with a plain text editor program. In Windows you could use Notepad++, I'm sure there is also something out there in or for Linux. The workflow is then to copy a text (which could have the invisible formatting), paste it into the plain text editor, copy it then again from that source and paste it into the final application like QCAD. On that way you will get rid of all unwanted (invisible) text formation.

[solo]

Well if I am drawing a black line and I want to now draw a red line I go to the layer list and click on red , and now I am drawing in red , I suppose I am also on a different layer , maybe there is a better way to do that , but what is what I have always done , can I change color but stay on the same layer ? I work remotely all I have is trust , break that .........

[solo]

I can just type in the text , I was just being lazy there . Although some times , pretty often actually , my key board just doesn't have the letters "Привет мир" for example , but I can start putting it into a text editor , it is not really a big problem , just something I thought I would mention .

[solo]

Yes that is correct , In detail I 1. took a existing block 2. exploded it 3. edited the text (possibly using a copy and pasted word sometimes, but not always) 4.made a new block from the modified block 5. uploaded the new block to the same library that held the original block and tried to give it a new name related to it's new function 6. I get the invalid name warning 7. at that point I am * nothing will help 8. finally after trying everything I can think of , and not even being able to do anything else , like watch you tube or work on a other project , I finally do the only thing the program will allow and that is shut down without saving , shut the entire computer down , restart and my work is of course gone....