Mtgdb.Gui: search MTG cards, build decks, manage collection

[hidalgo]

Is there any folder I can delete and reload, to get prices working?
No prices are showing (just 0) in the price bar graph screen, even for cards that have much value.

Do you see prices in the card text? Like for example in the image below:


To check whether any price data is loaded, use following query in Search bar:
PricingMid: [5 TO *]

If you don't see any price, it seems like you have problems with some other files from
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\
besides data\index subdirectories, because price files are
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\price.json
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\price.id.json

I suspect one of 2 things happened:
1. Something damaged the files you extracted from Mtgdb.Gui.zip (virus?, bad sectors on Hard Disk?)
2. Windows or some antivirus / firewall software may have restricted access to the files so the program (Mtgdb.Gui) can't read them.

I suggest you start fresh by downloading and extracting Mtgdb.Gui.zip again.

Avoid extracting to Desktop directory or root (C:\) or any system directory (C:\Program Files, MyDocuments) to keep antivirus and Windows happy
A directory like C:\games\Mtgdb.Gui or D:\portable\Mtgdb.Gui would be fine.

In case you already downloaded some images, you can copy them to new installation directory from the previous one (Mtgdb.Gui\images)

[parkoro]

Do you see prices in the card text? Like for example in the image below:

No, I don't see the prices. I tried to re-download and extract.
Strange thing is - it will extract fine with 7zip but not with Windows "extract" submenu...
This is the error I get when trying to do native windows extract (image attached)

So I just use 7zip. and now trying to re-download price info.

Edit: Still no price info showing.

Another interesting thing, when I run the program.. in the /bin folder I get a folder that says "_shadow_copy"
Is that normal?
Looks like a copy of the whole folder "v3.7.1.7"

In regard to extracting, a quick search on the internet revealed this:

Mainly, the error 0x80004005 (access denied) during extracting a zip file is caused, because the content of the ZIP archive doesn't contain the data in a proper way. It doesn't mean, the ZIP archive is corrupted (as some assume). The reason is: Data may be stored by several compression methods and may also be password protected.

Windows zip compression library implements only a few compression methods (Deflate) and also only ZIPCrypto for password protection. If the ZIP container is protected with a AES password, or if the content is compressed with PPMd for instance, error 0x80004005 will be thrown.

The solution is simple: Use a program like 7-zip to uncompress your ZIP archive - and it should be successful. Otherwise try WinRar and use the option to repair the corrupted ZIP-archive.

[parkoro]

Update 1: I deleted the files:
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\price.json
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\price.id.json
Started to download price info again, seems it is going much slower this time.. maybe it is working?

Update 2: Nope, still won't show prices.
Will upload log file.

Update 3: Attached log file.. there is a whole bunch of "404 not found" errors in the files.

[hidalgo]

Update 1: I deleted the files:
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\price.json
D:\Games\Mtgdb.Gui\data\price.id.json
Started to download price info again, seems it is going much slower this time.. maybe it is working?

Update 2: Nope, still won't show prices.
Will upload log file.

Update 3: Attached log file.. there is a whole bunch of "404 not found" errors in the files.

Thanks for the log. I will check whether price downloading is working.Having some price downloading requests fail with 404-s is ok, because some cards don't have their web pages.

Also thanks for pointing me to the fact that you can't extract my .zip with default Windows zip manager. I will update Mtgdb.Gui Wiki's Getting Started page.

As to how yo get you see the prices.

The exact sequence of steps is:
1. Extract Mtgdb.Gui.zip to a fresh installatio directory
2. Start Mtgdb.Gui
3. Wait until indexes are loaded, typically 10-20 seconds, see index status indication in status row over deck panel.
4. Type the following query into search bar: PricingMid: [5 TO *]
5. Press enter to apply the query or wait 1 second.

After 5. any card in search result will have a price. All others will be filtered out.
If by this moment you still see any cards without prices or see no cards, then send me a screenshot to make me believe it, because I find it hard

Another interesting thing, when I run the program.. in the /bin folder I get a folder that says "_shadow_copy"
Is that normal?

yes, the program copies itself to _shadow_copy and then starts from there, so that it can update itself - extract new .zip overwriting original executable files if needed.

[parkoro]

Hmm, just so you can see other search works fine I uploaded search for "llanowar"
And the other picture is the search PricingMid: [5 TO *]

[parkoro]

I don't know why but "price.json" is filesize 0KB .. empty.

Shouldn't it contain something?

Could I download a current "price.json" separately somewhere ?

[hidalgo]

The screenshots you sent me are cut from right and bottom sides. I need a complete screenshot

I know for sure that in Mtgdb.Gui.zip you downloaded the price files are non empty.
Open it using 7-zip, navigate to data/ subdirectory within the arhcive and extract price.json and price.id.json files.

In case you can't use 7-zip, download attach from this post, windows .zip file browser should be able to extract it.

[parkoro]

Ok it works from re-inserting the price files that contain data.

But still seems like a lot of price data missing... no price on some mythics?
(see screenshot of the 3 mythics)

Where do you pull your price data from, if I can ask?
Maybe you could get data from multiple sources?

[hidalgo]

But still seems like a lot of price data missing... no price on some mythics?
(see screenshot of the 3 mythics)

I checked whether price downloading still works and I confirm it is broken. Thanks by the way for pointing me to that.

I will be fixing one of the next few days.

When I am done with that, you will be able to see the prices for most cards in newly released set, either by downloading them from Mtgdb.Gui or updating to next version.

Where do you pull your price data from, if I can ask?

maggicards.info, now it's gone so I will have to decide on a new pricing data source

[parkoro]

maggicards.info, now it's gone so I will have to decide on a new pricing data source

Is there any way you can get price data from tcgplayer.com?
Its just that it always seems to be around.. they might even have an api, i'm not sure.

[hidalgo]

tcgplayer.com rejected to give me access to their API in the past.
Yesterday night I submitted another request.

Anyway, I use Scryfall now which in turn shows prices from tcgplayer. It works so today evening I will release new prices and functional price downloading.

[aidscoi168]

GRN already available in mtgjson

[aidscoi168]

Hi, Mtgjson already update to v4, let see if you have to change the destination for json file
https://mtgjson.com/v4/

[hidalgo]

Hi, Mtgjson already update to v4

Thanks for tip Aidscoi.

I have looked at their new file format, and there is an unpleasant news.
They dropped `ImageName` field, so using v4 files will require some difficult working around that problem.

[aidscoi168]

v3 still update until end of 2018 so i think they will make change of v4, you may asking they for adding 'ImageName' field back to old format, i guess that other 3rd party app using this field from their json file as well.