When I create a new project in Scrivener 3.1.5.1 using my template, it generates files but fails to open the project. If I try to open the project, the program displays a message about an outdated format, creates an archived backup, but still doesn’t open the project.
If I try to open it again, the same thing happens all over again…
It is not possible to open the created project from my template in Scrivener 3.1.5.1.
Can you open the project from which your template was made? If so, try File->Save as Template… on it in 3.1.5.1, then try to create a new project again.
I did all of this. Yes, it’s my old template created in version 3.1.4.1 of Scrivener, if I’m not mistaken. I opened my projects, saved a new template from them, and encountered the same issue. However, if I create a new template not derived from an old project, it works fine. But, because of this, I have to transfer styles, etc.
Yes, if you have the original project used to create the template, that may be useful, as it sounds like the template itself isn’t creating a project that can be opened (ordinarily an old template in v1 format will simply go straight to v3 format seamlessly, without any dialogues or creating backups). There are things we could do to try and figure out why, but they are a bit technical. If you know how to extract Base64 text out of an XML file, write it as binary data to a file and then unzip that file, you will find your original project stored as such in the .scrivtemplate file.
If all of that was gibberish, we could take a look at it for you.
Edit: given the post you made while I was writing, indeed something is very confused with the original project, if it thinks it is a v1 project but you created it in 3.1.4.
I had an issue once when I was trying to create a new document called Blank. Scrivener refused to save it and would crash. Then I realized Scrivener had a Blank in its universe already.
I was able to reproduce this error.
Moreover, it also occurs in version 3.1.5.1.
Create a new template from the Blank. Import styles into it. Save.
Then open your template and, for example, remove the built-in some styles from it, then save.
Then try to create a document based on it. You will receive this error.
Test_Template.scrivtemplate (18.7 KB)
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Thanks for that! I wasn’t able to get the problem to happen myself, but I can clearly see it malfunction when attempting to use your sample—and that is probably good enough for us to figure out what is going on. Having a live sample we can debug against is usually all we need.
It’s interesting because the archived copy of the project in the template file itself is fine. I can decode it into a .zip file, unzip it, and then load it in Scrivener directly. This is all a template is really, just a zip file that extracts the project into the spot you choose to save it, plus a little metadata to give it a name, a thumbnail and all that. So it’s generally quite simple, but it doesn’t like something about it.
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Okay, I dug up a ticket that describes what I think the problem is. I think it does not have as much (or anything) to do with styles, and more to do with the name of the sample project you used to create the template. That ends up sticking with it, because all it does is zip up the project and then pack the zip data into the template file. When it extracts, for a second or so it uses that original project filename before changing it and saving it in your intended location.
If the filename messes up the zip extractor, then it fails.
So what I would suggest is going back to the project you were using to make the template and renaming the folder to something with maybe just numbers in it, to play it safe. It could be the extended characters aren’t playing nice (the other example I saw was using Chinese). The name doesn’t really matter anyway, it’s never used except in that brief moment where it exists in a temporary folder.
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I’m experiencing the same symptoms bvazx experienced with Scrivener 3.1.5.1. This problem did not occur at all in 3.1.4.1 even when I write the folder name, project name, or template name to Korean (I’m Korean). I spent a lot of time and did a lot of testing and eventually found out that it was a 3.1.5.1 bug. Currently I have given up on using 3.1.5.1 and am using version 3.1.4.1. What on earth have you done to 3.1.5.1? Please fix it quickly.
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It is not indicated in your post whether you tried what I suggested trying to avoid the problem.