0

SkySafari 6 Pro | Moving Observing List, Saved Settings and Equipment from SS5 to SS6.

Keiron Smith

December 23, 2017 21:40

Answered

Follow

To move your files from SkySafari 5 to SkySafari 6 you will generally use the "File Sharing” feature in the iTunes desktop app.  The procedure is slightly different depending on what version of iTunes you have so if you are not familiar with this, you might do a web search for "iTunes File Sharing" for instructions.

If you have been storing your files on iCloud in SkySafari 5, and you have iOS 11, then you can avoid iTunes File Sharing by going to the iOS Files app and opening iCloud Drive > SkySafari 5 (Plus or Pro). Select the file you want to import and then tap the share button. From there, find SkySafari 6 in the list of apps you can share with. That should import the observing list or settings file into SS6.  Note, however, that you cannot import your Equipment that way.

If you don't have iOS 11 or just want to use File Sharing because you have a lot of files to transfer,  it should be a simple operation of moving the files from iCloud Drive on the Mac into SkySafari 6 using iTunes File Sharing.

If you haven't been using iCloud, you will first have to use iTunes File Sharing to copy the files from SkySafari 5 to your desktop and then copy them to SkySafari 6.

You will probably want to copy the following

All .skylist files

All .skyset files

Equipment.txt

At this time there is not a way to move your custom locations from SkySafari 5 to SkySafari 6.  You will have to manually recreate them in SS6.

IMPORTANT: After your observing list and settings files are imported into SS6, they are deleted from the Documents directory because they are now stored in the database.  If you add the files to the Documents directory a second time you will get duplicate imports.  Duplicates file entries will also result if you add the files to another device that is also synced via the same LiveSky.com account.  You need only add the files from SS5 to SS6 ONCE, using any one device.  The files will then be synced to all your iOS devices using the same LiveSky.com account.

 

 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

17 comments

• 0
  
  cbogard December 27, 2017 21:58

  “If you have been storing your files on iCloud in SkySafari 5, and you have iOS 11, then you can avoid iTunes File Sharing by going to the iOS Files app and opening iCloud Drive > SkySafari 5 (Plus or Pro). Select the file you want to import and then tap the share button. From there, find SkySafari 6 in the list of apps you can share with…”

  Except that SS6 does not appear among the “Share” options.

• 0
  
  Bill Tschumy December 27, 2017 22:51

  Really?  It is a share option for me.  Did you tape the More button in the share list?  You might have to do that to get to SS6.

• 0
  
  cbogard December 28, 2017 08:42

  Thanks, Bill.  It’s just not there.  Just in case, I looked through every setting and app preference I could think of, but did not see anything that might affect it.  (iPad Pro 9.7, iOS 11.2.1)

   

• 0
  
  Bill Tschumy December 28, 2017 14:42

  When you tap the More button, you should see a list of all your apps that could potentially open the file.  Some of those in the list have an ON/Off switch to add them to the choices you see without going to More.  If it is not appearing there, I'm not sure what to make of it.

  If you email an observing list to yourself and then tap on it in your mail client, do you see SS6 there as a choice?  I believe this uses the same list.

• 0
  
  Jerry April 10, 2018 16:21

  I'm running the OSX version.  I followed the directions on the help screen and I have a few issues:

  1. Is it possible to overwrite the default settings with one of my imported configs?  I would rather not go through all the preferences for display, etc. every time I run the software.

  2. I can't seem to edit the equipment list.  I need to remove some items I added, but the '-' is grayed out when I select the equipment to remove.

  Thanks!

• 0
  
  Bill Tschumy April 10, 2018 17:09

  1. I'm confused by this question.  Why would you have to do this every time you run the software?  It should be remembered.  Anyway, the startup settings are stored in the file [CurrentSettings].skyset.  If you have some other .skyset file that you want to use for you default settings, copy it into the Documents directory and rename it to be [CurrentSettings].skyset.  Then restart the app.

  2. Yes, I see this too.  It looks like some sort of bug crept into the last version.  *Sigh*.  Until we get this fixed you will have to delete the equipment using LiveSky.

   

• 0
  
  Jerry April 10, 2018 18:09

  Thanks for the reply. Regarding #1. What I was hoping to do was be able to load a previous config and tell it to "make these settings my new default". You've given a work around for me to try so I think that will suffice. This would be a nice feature for those migrating from older versions though.

• 0
  
  Rlavery2 July 17, 2018 21:58

  Hi, 

  so, I have my equipment.txt file from SS5, but having difficulty getting the info in to SS6. I have tried to move it via Live Sky, so I must be doing something wrong. Please help. Note that I am trying to do this via iPad. Thank you, Bob

• 0
  
  Bill Tschumy July 17, 2018 22:03

  I don't think you can import it via LiveSky.  You need to drop the Equipment.txt file in the documents directory of SS6 and it will get imported.  Please see the first entry in the Help.

• 0
  
  Rlavery2 July 17, 2018 22:14

  Bill, Thank you. Yes, I did read the “Help” section. I think the issue is that I have to “drop” the file from my desktop, and not the iPad. My SS5 data is stored in iCloud, and I was trying to move this with the iPad using copy and paste within SS6. 

• 0
  
  Jim Michnowicz October 12, 2018 02:02

  Just upgraded from SS5 Pro - followed the instructions to move everything over via iTunes sharing. Missed the duplicate file warning - I added everything several times via iTunes because I kept looking for my observing lists under “Search”, where they were in version 5. Of course they weren’t showing up there, so I tried to add them again. Later found hundreds of duplicate observing lists under “Observe”, which makes perfect sense that they would be there, but it’s not where I was looking originally.

  My issue - I can’t seem to get rid of them. I can just manually delete the duplicate files, but that doesn’t delete the observations. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app several times, both the normal way (hold down the icon and click the x), and through the setting menu, deleting the app with the warning that all data will be deleted.

  When I reinstall the app, none of my observing lists are there (good). But as soon as I import one from an email, the list populated with all of the duplicates from before.

  I thought by emailing them all to myself I could avoid the problem, since I assumed the database was somewhere in iTunes. But tat doesn’t seem to be the case. Where is the app pulling these lists from? How do I reset everything and start over?
  Thanks,
  Jim

• 0
  
  Jim Michnowicz October 12, 2018 04:00

  Ok, I think I figured it out. Everything was coming down from the LiveSky backup, which is turned on by default. It looks like the paid version of LiveSky will let you delete lists and observations, but I wasn’t sure that they wouldn’t just upload again, since I assume they’re now local on my device. The following steps seemed to work (so far):

  1) Delete the app from the setting menu - this lets you choose to delete the data. Just using the x to delete it keeps the old data file.

  2) Shut off and reboot the device.

  3) Redownload SkySafari 6

  4) Create a new LiveSky account, using a different email address, BEFORE opening the SkySafari 6 app.

  5) Put the device in airplane mode. This will stop the app from downloading the duplicate files.

  6) With the device in airplane mode, turn off the LiveSky backup.

  7) Turn airplane mode off, then go to the LiveSky settings in the app. Login using your new login.

  8) Once you’ve loggged in, return to the storage setting and re-enable the online backup setting. You’ll notice that your app’s online ID is different than before.

  9) You can now reload your SkySafari 5 lists, either via email or iTunes.

  Like I said, this works as far as I can tell, but now I have a LiveSky account tied to an old random email address. Be sure to follow this order exactly to avoid the old files coming back down. It could probably be solved by turning online backups off by default, but there’s always the risk that people won’t go in and turn them on (although I think SkySafari 5 defaulted to local storage). I personally would prefer to have stuck with iCloud or GoogleDrive rather than a proprietary site - but I can vouch for the fact that it backs up your data VERY quickly (maybe too quickly if you are trying to eliminate duplicates!).

• 0
  
  SkyCat November 17, 2018 16:58

   

  Important warning that I am missing: the equipment data in the observation logs will NOT be copied!

  It seems that users are supposed to manually add the used equipment in each single observation log.....

  Personally, for me this is completely unacceptable and there should have been a warning before purchasing SS 6

• 0
  
  K April 21, 2020 06:44

  Hi

  I see this is a fairly old post and you guys have probably sorted this out by now and me being a new user,  I thought I would ask a question if you don't mind please.

  Sky Safari 6 plus

  I have added some equipemnt (Fig1) and before I add  evrything, I thought I could also copy this to my IPad(backup and to use).

  So when I connect my IPhone to the computer and look at the files(Fig2), there is no equipmnt txt file ?

  Am I doing something wrong or am I missing a step ?

  Help appreciated.

  Cheers

  Keith

   

  Fig1(IPhone)

  

   

  Fig2(Computer)

  

• 1
  
  Chris April 21, 2020 06:57

  I believe all syncing is done by creating an account on livesky and logging in on both devices. The old equipment.txt files were on SS5 and earlier. There should be a method in the help or maybe above to move an equipment list over from SS5 to 6 if that's what you're trying to do.

• 0
  
  K April 21, 2020 07:10

  Chris

   

  Thanks for the prompt reply.

  Yes, I just want to move(copy) the equipement file, so maybe I try the Livesky approach later.

  Cheers

  Keith

• 0
  
  K April 21, 2020 09:41

  Chris hi

  Great info thanks.

  Yes, I created a LiveSky account as you suggested, I then logged in on both devices(IPad and IPhone).

  Then all of the equipment appeared on both devices - perfect.

  Slight minor issue, before I did this I started to duplicate my equipment list manually on each device, so I had some duplicates appear.

  However, you have the option to Edit what is there(including your FOV) and you just need to ensure you are not using any when you delete/edit them else they will be locked.

  All sorted, works - happy bunny!

  Cheers

  Keith