Friday, May 23, 2014

Past its End

If you see this message, it's not a good message, sorry.


It is a database phrase for the file was not saved properly and the software can't figure out where the beginning and end of the file are correctly, which is a more complicated way to say the file is corrupted. When you get this error it could just be a one time thing. It might be an indication that there are network issues with latency which means that the saving process isn't able to complete reliably. If you get this error frequently it's time to have it checked closely to look for hardware problems.

If you are fortunate you'll be able to open and save a backup version of the project, you need to determine which kind you've got: Stand-alone or worksharing.

If your file is a stand-alone project there will be a project file like this: MyProject.rvt and additional files like this MyProject.0003.rvt, MyProject.0004.rvt and MyProject.0005.rvt. The extra four digits indicate they are backup files. Three additional backup files is the default. Revit writes over the oldest file, never using more than three files for a backup. This is something that can be changed but only when the file is saved initially or when you use Save As. Notice the Options button when you are in the Save dialog next time.

These backup files can be opened just like a regular project file. They represent the state of you project when you saved it, corresponding to the time stamp shown in the file properties. You'll need to use Save As when you do open the file because Revit will ask you if you really want to save a file, as a backup, using the backup file format.

If the project is using Worksets/Worksharing then there is a folder named something like MyProject_Backup. Revit stores all the backup history and data it needs to restore a file in there but you don't do anything with the files inside it directly. You need to open Revit, but don't bother to open a project file, and activate the Collaboration ribbon tab > click Restore Backup. You browse to the location of the project and select the project's backup folder. Revit opens a dialog that let's you choose from a history of saved versions you could choose to recover with.

You should use the Save As button. Pick an earlier version and click Save As. Save the file in a different folder temporarily. The resulting file is technically a local file that is expecting to connect to the central file that isn't working. Revit will ask you if you want to open the file, don't. You'll need to open the file using Detach from Central so that it breaks the relationship to the central.

In either case, hopefully Revit will be able to open the most recent backup file and you won't lose too much work. If the most recent file fails then try the next older version until you get the project open again. Save the file back into the correct project folder and carry on.

If you want more background on worksharing I've got a summary of posts I've written on the subject.

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