Proud of Failing Again

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Reading Time: 3 minutes

This week, I managed to break something big. I was working on my Photo Mechanic Plus database from two different computers, and in the process, I corrupted the catalog. With more than 670,000 images in that system, the only solution was to rebuild it — a process that takes several days.

At first, I was frustrated. Nobody enjoys setting themselves back. But once I stepped back, I realized two important things:

  1. I hadn’t been backing up my catalog. Since it lived on an external drive, it wasn’t included in my Time Machine backups. That was a blind spot in my system. Now, I’m fixing that issue and ensuring the catalog is protected.
  2. Failure is one of the best teachers. If I hadn’t made this mistake, I might have gone years without realizing the risk I was taking with my archive.

It reminded me that failure isn’t the opposite of success — it’s part of the path to it. Every time we stumble, we gain clarity on what needs to change.

So here’s the bigger question for all of us in business (and life): Have you failed lately? If not, are you stretching yourself enough to grow?

I’d rather have the occasional setback that teaches me something vital than stay safe and stagnant. Because at the end of the day, failure means I’m still learning, building, and moving forward.

In case you have a problem with Photo Mechanic Plus, here are the steps to fix it

In Photo Mechanic Plus, a red “Maintenance” button in the Catalog Management window indicates a catalog database problem requiring user action. The issue is most often due to a corrupted catalog or a catalog that has been moved or updated. 

Common causes for the red “Maintenance” warning

  • Corrupted database: This can occur for various reasons, including crashes or improperly closing the application.
  • Catalog moved: If you have moved the catalog folder or the image folders it references without using Photo Mechanic Plus, the database will lose track of the files and show a maintenance warning.
  • Software update: Some updates to Photo Mechanic Plus require the catalogs to be re-indexed to incorporate changes to the database structure. 

How to resolve the red “Maintenance” issue

Option 1: Reintegrate the catalog (Recommended)

This is the most common fix and is often required if you have moved a catalog to a new location.

  1. Navigate to Catalog > Catalog Management….
  2. In the Catalog Management dialog, find the catalog with the red “Maintenance” button and click the small disclosure triangle next to it.
  3. Click the triangle next to “Maintenance” to show the options.
  4. Click the “Reintegrate Forgotten Catalog” button. Photo Mechanic will then rescan the catalog to repair the database. 

Option 2: Optimize SQL Query Planning

Optimizing the database’s query plans can resolve the issue if you have added or removed many images.

  1. Navigate to Catalog > Catalog Management….
  2. Expand the affected catalog and the “Maintenance” options.
  3. Choose “Optimize SQL Query Planning“. 

Option 3: Re-index the catalog

This more intensive process should only be done if prompted by the application or if other methods fail.

  1. Navigate to Catalog > Catalog Management….
  2. Expand the affected catalog and the “Maintenance” options.
  3. Click “Re-Index Catalog“. 

Option 4: Restore from a backup

If the database is severely corrupted, a restoration from a backup may be necessary.

  1. Quit Photo Mechanic Plus.
  2. Restore your catalog from a known good backup.
  3. Restart Photo Mechanic Plus. 

What to do if the maintenance options are greyed out

If the maintenance options are greyed out, the catalog may be so corrupted that it can’t be repaired through the standard interface. In this case: 

  1. Stop any catalog tasks listed in the Catalog Status window.
  2. Quit Photo Mechanic Plus.
  3. Delete the cat_state.db file (instructions for macOS):
    • In the Finder, go to the “Go” menu and choose “Go to Folder…”.
    • Enter the path: ~/Library/Application Support/Camera Bits, Inc/Photo Mechanic/catalog/state.
    • Delete the cat_state.db file and any files starting with cat_state.
  4. Restart Photo Mechanic Plus and use the “Reintegrate Forgotten Catalog” button as described above. 
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