Smart Pix Manager Frequently Asked Questions

Generally this will depend on the specifications of your system, because if it gets too large then Smart Pix will become sluggish. We have done performance tests on databases with over 100,000 file references without any major performance problems.

Note that if you have more than 20,000 entries you need to change the database performance options. To do this:

1. Go into File|Options, Other
2. Click the Advanced button and select the Miscellaneous tab
3. Set caching of display records to 1000
4. Check the option to use dialog for right click menu addition

When I try to play some AVI video files, i get the error "vids: mjpg decompressor missing". What does this mean?

You will need to download an MJpeg codec. Three popular ones can be obtained from:

www.mainconcept.com
or
www.morgan-multimedia.com
or
www.pegasusimaging.com

I cannot get some multimedia formats to play, what should I do?

Smart Pix Manager will generally be able to play all files that have a valid MCI driver. Windows should provide MCI drivers for all common formats which you want to play.

Exceptions:

Some AVI formats (.avi):

AVI is not a single format, rather it has many different 'flavours'. Windows supports all the common formats already, so Smart Pix can play them. However you will need to download the requisite codecs for some of the custom formats.

One of the most common AVI formats downloaded from the Internet is DivX. To add support for this format, download the free codec from: http://www.divxmovies.com/codec/ or http://www.doom9.org/software.htm#codecs

RealNetworks formats (ra, .ram, .rm, .rmm):

Microsoft no longer includes support for RealNetworks in newer versions of Windows media player. Users wanting to play RealAudio or RealVideo need to obtain the RealPlayer. You can still access them via Smart Pix, see FAQ #5

QuickTime Formats (.mov, .qt):

Newer versions of Windows do not support files that are created with QuickTime version 2.0 and later. Users wanting to play such files need to obtain the QuickTime viewer from Apple. You can still access them via Smart Pix, see FAQ #5

If you have a format which you cannot play in Smart Pix Manager but can play in other software on your system, then it is possible that another MCI driver is being used, which is causing problems.

Please download the MCI Tester, run it and let us know what results you get.

If all else fails, you can set Smart Pix to use an external application to play the format. Please see FAQ #5.

I want to play some multimedia (*.MP3 and *.MOV) formats with a different player. How can I do this?

To have Smart Pix use an external player when you click on a file format you will have to specify that it is not a supported sound file, but rather it is a 'custom' file. The process for this is:

i) Select File|Supported Formats (you will need to have the Simplified Interface option switched off when you do this - you can find this on the first tab).
ii) Click on 'Select..' beside the Sound Files list
iii) Uncheck the MP3 Option and click OK
iv) Check the 'Custom Formats option'
v) Click 'Add and Select..'
vi) Click 'Add..', enter *.MP3 and click OK
vii) Click on the Single Click tab and the custom formats option is set to 'Display with the Windows default program.'
viii) Click OK to exit

After installing Smart Pix Manager I can no longer open my images in my favorite image viewer by double-clicking on them, why?

You have set the option to make Smart Pix Manager your default viewer. To restore your previous viewer, select File|Supported Formats.

If you are using the 'Simplified User Interface options, click OK to the first dialog displayed and then in the next dialog (headed select formats) uncheck all the formats that are checked.

If you are not using the simplified interface, select the 'Associations' tab, then click on the Associations button beside Images and uncheck all the formats that are checked.

How can I use Smart Pix with multiple users on a network?

There is no problem with providing group access to a single Smart Pix database, but you will need to specify the database setting, 'Allow databases to be shared,' on all copies of Smart Pix Manager which are accessing the shared database. The quickest way to set this is click Ctrl+Shift+D which will pop up a dialog offering the best network settings (also see 'Sharing a Smart Pix Database on a Network' in the Smart Pix Help file and FAQ #19).

Why is there an keyword group in View mode called 'Other'? I haven't created this group!

If you have any keywords that you have failed to assign to an keyword group, Smart Pix will list them in the group 'Other'.

Your documentation says that you support PDF files, but when I try to view a PDF file I get an Internet Explorer message saying 'Do you want to Load or Open this file?'

To support PDF files you need to install the free Adobe Acrobat Viewer which installs a browser plug-in. You can download this from the Adobe Web Site

10.

I have some images on a CD-ROM that are JPEG's but have the extension of .THM. How can I make Smart Pix Manager support them?

Open the file, C:\Program Files\Smart Pix Manager\formats.xdl, and add *.thm to the end of the line, False_Extensions=...

11.

After installing Smart Pix Manager all my image icons have changed to Smart Pix icons and now when I click on an image in Explorer, I no longer see an example image displayed. Can I fix this?

You have associated your images with Smart Pix Manager, you need to revert this association. To do this, select File|Supported Formats.

If you are using the 'Simplified User Interface options, click OK to the first dialog displayed and then in the next dialog (headed select formats) uncheck all the formats that are checked.

If you are not using the simplified interface, select the 'Associations' tab, then click on the Associations button beside Images and uncheck all the formats that are checked.

12.

Windows crashed while Smart Pix was processing and now I get a database error when starting up Smart Pix. What can I do?

One of your database tables has probably been corrupted. Run the database utility to repair your tables:

i) Download the Database Utility
ii) Install and Run it.
iii) Select Utilities|Repair
iv) Browse to your database directory (usually C:\Program Files\Smart Pix Manager\DB\) and select one of your database tables (*.dat files, such as spm_file.dat).
v) Repeat Steps iii and iv for each of your tables (*.dat files)

13.

There are some files with a tilde (~) in their name in my image directories, can I delete them?

These may temporary files created by Smart Pix Manager. There are two kinds:
- Files that have been moved into the database for secure storage (database image storage option only). These files have a tilde in the extension, e.g. xyz.~jp. By default, Smart Pix does not actually delete the images after inserting them into the database, merely renames them to a temporary name so that you can back them up before removal from your system. After back up they can safely be deleted.
- Temporary files, if you are using the Changed Extension or Database Storage method, Smart Pix sometimes needs to create temporary files, for example if you want to launch an image in an external viewer. These files will have a tilde at the beginning of their name, e.g. ~xyz.bmp. Generally Smart Pix will clean up these files automatically, but sometimes it is unable, i.e. if you have launched a file into Paint and leave it open when you close Smart Pix, Windows will not allow Smart Pix to delete the file. These can be deleted.
There are sometimes files where the name ends in ~ and then a number, such as myfile~1.jpg These are NOT temporary files, they are long files names that have been renamed by Windows!

14.

Whenever I click on a Word file for display I am asked whether I want to download the file? Why is this happening?

The problem is likely to be that Word is either not installed on your system or is not set-up correctly.

If you have tried reinstalling Word and still have problems, then it is recommended that you specify that Word is not a supported format so that Word is loaded when you want to display the file (rather than Smart Pix trying to display it). The process for this is:

i) Select File|Supported Formats (you will need to have the Simplified Interface turned off when you do this - you can find this setting on the first tab under File|Options).
ii) Click on 'Select..' beside the Common Formats list
iii) Uncheck the Word Option and click OK
iv) Check the 'Custom Formats' option
v) Click 'Add and Select..'
vi) Click 'Add..', enter *.DOC and click OK
vii) Click on the Single Click tab and ensure the custom formats option is set to 'Display with the Windows default program.'
viii) Click OK to exit

15.

Can your software display ART Files?

If you have Internet Explorer v5.5 or greater installed you can set Smart Pix to display ART files:
i) Select File|Supported Formats (you will need to have the setting, 'Simplified Interface' turned off under File|Options)
ii) Beside the 'Common' formats, click 'Select'
iii) Find the "*.Art" item and ensure it is checked
iv) Click OK

However you will not be able to perform normal image functions or conversions on ART images so it is recommended that you save them to Bitmap while downloading them. I.e. when you want to keep an image displayed in the AOL browser, right-click it and select save, then select .BMP from the 'Save as' types and click OK. Our software can display a BMP file, though you might want to convert it to JPEG to make it smaller.

16.

How do I use wildcards so that my CD-ROM database can be shared with other people who may have a different letter for their CD-ROM drive?

In the Smart Pix Manager (v5.12 or greater) Help File there is a complete example. You can find it by reading the 'Using Relative Paths' section of the Help File (or searching the help file for the text 'Example of using Relative Paths').

17.

I want to access my Smart Pix Database with another application. Is that possible?

An ODBC driver is available for accessing the database from other applications which support ODBC. Please download ODBC.zip and read the included instructions.

18.

Smart Pix always defaults to my last opened database, how can I specify the database that it should start up with?

You need to call it with the /db: parameter specifying the directory of the database to open. For example (include the quotes!):
"C:\Program Files\Smart Pix Manager\SmartPix.exe" /DB:"C:\My_DB_Directory"

19.

I have set up Smart Pix so that it can be accessed by users across our network, however while I want it so everybody can access it I only want a few to have permission to add and amend the DB. Can this be done?

There are two ways you can control read/write access to a shared database:

	Using NT permissions set the user-rights of the folder containing the database so that general users only have read access and power users have read/write access
	Set the Read-Only option on all copies of Smart Pix Manager that do not have write access (under Database\|Settings and Source Directories)

20.

How can I choose a different drive for the thumbnail cache and program data to be saved to?

Here is how you can change the location that Smart Pix uses to stores it program data (advanced users only!):

i. Run the Registry Editor (RegEdit)
ii. Browse to the following folder:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Xequte\Smart Pix Manager

iii. Right click a blank area in the right pane and select "New String Value"
iv. Name the new value "BaseDataPath" (without the quotes)
v. Double-click the new value and specify a full path for your Xequte data (e.g. C:\My Custom Data\Xequte\)

Note: You should move any existing data in the default folder (under Windows Documents and Settings) to the new one

21.

Yes. To do this you need to add all of the files of the slideshow to your favorites (File|Add to Favorites) and then go to favorites mode and reorder then using the up/down buttons (or drag and drop).

22.

What is the best way to move Smart Pix to another hard drive or computer?

This is the best way:
i) Copy the entire Smart Pix Manager directory (C:\Program Files\Smart Pix Manager\) to the new drive
ii) Uninstall the OLD copy of Smart Pix Manager
iii) Install Smart Pix Manager again to the new directory (over the copied files)
iv) If you are moving any of your image source directories go to Database|Settings and Source Directories and use the 'Relocate' function to fix your file links.

23.

How can I change the video types that are supported by Smart Pix Manager?

To edit them:
i) Select File|Supported Formats (you will need to have the Simplified Interface setting switched off when you do this - you can find this on the first tab of File|Options).
ii) Click on 'Select..' beside the Video Files list
iii) Check the video formats that you want to support and uncheck those that you do not want
iv) Click OK to exit

24.

I have around 1300 images and 200 keywords in my database. When I add a new keyword, there is a long wait before it is added. Is it possible to speed this up?

Go into File|options, Other, Advanced and check the setting, 'Use dialog for keyword addition in right-click'

25.

I received an error when trying to uninstall Smart Pix Manager. What should I do?

You can uninstall it manually. Here are the steps:
&nsbp;
i) Delete the folder, C:\Program Files\Smart Pix Manager\
ii) Click on the Start Menu button with the right mouse button and select 'Open'
iii) Open the folder, 'Programs'
iv) Delete the folder, 'Smart Pix Manager'

26.

I want to export a list of files and descriptions to use in Diji Album. How do I do this?

You will need Smart Pix, v5.3 or greater and Diji Album v3.1 or greater. These are the steps:
i) Select the files that you want to add to your album (hold the Ctrl key down to select multiple files)
ii) Select Thumbnails|Export Files to Diji Album Editor... (if this item is not listed then reinstall Diji Album Editor)
Your list will be exported. To import this into Diji Album:
i) Run Diji Album Editor
ii) Create a new album file or open an existing one
iii) Select Page|Import Page Wizard...

27.

I would like to be able to view the thumbnails of images that I have archived to CD without loading the CD. Is this possible?

If you want the thumbnails for images on CD's, even when they are not inserted, please do this:
1. Go into File|Options, Database 2
2. Set the Database Thumbnail Storage setting to 'Save Thumbnails in database for images on removable devices
3. Click 'Edit Thumbnails of the Current Database' and build your thumbnails

28.

I want to change the order of my images (not by filename or date, but my own order) so they show in that order when I create my HTML index.

You can modify the displayed order of a set of files like this:
i) Select the files and add them to favorites (File|Add to Favorites)
ii) Change to Favorites mode by clicking the Favorites tab
iii) To change the order of the files, click on them, then use the Up/Down buttons to promote/demote files

29.

We are using Smart Pix on a network where users access a database that they do not have write permissions for. However Smart Pix is raising an error when loading, how do I fix that?

On some network systems (particularly Windows networks) files that a user cannot read (due to permissions) may still not appear as Read-Only. To address this you will need to mark all the files as Read-Only using File|Properties

30.

I want to add a custom format to Smart Pix and display it with the default viewer. How can I do that?

The process for this is:

i) Select File|Supported Formats (you will need to have the Simplified Interface turned off when you do this - you can find this setting on the first tab under File|Options).
ii) Check the 'Custom Formats' option
iii) Click 'Add and Select..'
iv) Click 'Add..', enter the extension to add, e.g. *.NRG, and click OK
v) Click on the Single Click tab and ensure the custom formats option is set to 'Display with the Windows default program.'
vi) Click OK to exit

31.

I can't seem to get Smart Pix to crop the images where I have positioned the selection box. Why is that?

Smart Pix uses Lossless cropping, meaning that there is no reduction in the quality of your JPEG images when you perform a crop (unlike in most other image editing software). The one limitation with cropping or rotating images losslessly, is that you are bound by certain data blocks within the image, this means that lossless crops will often be a few pixels out from your selection and when rotating a few pixels may be lost from the edge of an image.
If you would prefer more exact cropping then you can disable the lossless rotation and cropping under File|Options, Advanced...

32.

I want to add a lot of keywords to a new database. Is there a quick way to do this?

You can type a list of keywords in a text editor, such as Notepad (optionally adding a group name after the keyword, e.g. A Keyword#A Group) and then import them into Smart Pix using the second option under Database|Import and Export|Import DB Entries...

33.

I have added new images to my system and done an update but they haven't been inserted into the database, why?

You probably haven't added the images to one of your source directories. Smart Pix will only check for new image files in directories that are contained in Source Directories list. You can see your list of source directories by selecting Database|Settings and Source Directories, source directories tab. You can add new source directories by clicking the 'Add' button.

34.

Can you give me a complete list of the command line parameters that I can use with Smart Pix?

Here you go:

	/DB:	Starts Smart Pix with the database in the folder specified after the colon
	/BACKUP	Backs up the smart Pix database to a file and exits
	/IMPORT:	Automatically imports the file specified after the colon into your database
	/LOG	Enables debug logging
	/NEW	Opens a new Smart Pix window
	/MULTISHOW	Automatically starts a multishow in the last used folder, database or favorites list
	/SLIDESHOW	Automatically starts a slideshow in the last used folder, database or favorites list
	/RESET	Resets all application settings to their default
	/UPDATENEW	Updates the Smart Pix database, adding references for any new files found in your source folders
	/UPDATEGONE	Updates the Smart Pix database, removing references for any files that can no longer be located in your source folders
	/UPDATEALL	Performs a full update of the Smart Pix database, adding references for new files and removing references for files that no longer exist
	/UNINSTALL	Unassociates any file types that are linked with Smart Pix

35.

Is it possible to create desktop shortcuts that will control which database Smart Pix will display when it is opened?

Yes, you can do it like this:

i. Copy your existing Smart Pix shortcut to create a new one
ii. Rename the new shortcut, e.g. Smart Pix (Music DB)
iii. Right-click the shortcut and select properties
iv. In the target field, add the parameter /DB: to the Smart Pix path, e.g.
C:\Program Files\Smart Pix Manager\SmartPix.exe /DB:C:\MusicDatabase\
v. Click OK

36.

It takes a long time to print images from Smart Pix on a network printer, because the print jobs are so large. What can I do?

By default, Smart Pix prints to the full resolution of the printer which can create very large print jobs. You can reduce the size of the print job without greatly affecting the quality by doing the following:

i. Select the image(s) to print
ii. Click File|Print
iii. Right-click on the box named Printer
iv. Set Send output in chunks to YES
v. Set Output Scale Factor to 1/3
vi. Click OK

37.

Smart Pix has both "Shrink to Fit" and "Stretch to Fit" options and they can be selected independently. What's with that?

The two options determine how images of different sizes should be displayed:

Shrink To Fit only applies to images that are larger than the preview window. If enabled, it reduces the display size of the image so that it fits within the preview window.

Stretch To Fit only applies to images that are smaller than the preview window. If enabled, it enlarges the display size of the image to the dimensions of the preview window.