Converting Cato Database to v5

[Goody]

How is this done? Sorry if I missed a discussion on this earlier....

I figured I would have to convert each of my End of Season files into OOTP5 and then extract the files and start from year 1 with Cato 5.2

So far everything seems to be working but I got to the all-stars and when I try to import them it says "invalid procedure call or argument".

[EvanW]

I had the same issue. I ended up adding all stars manually. I suspect that it may have something to do with the format of the html files.

It doesn't pick up trades either. Based on nothing but speculation, it may be because the converted ltrans.html file doesn't have hyperlinks for the players and Cato's utility keys off of html tags to identify the traded players. The good news is that any future seasons played under OOTP5 do work correctly

--
Evan
4CBA Historian | Bora Bora GM
CDL Oakland GM

[Goody]

Yeah, the only problem is that everytime there is a big update to Cato History you have to redo the old seasons.

I do find it odd that the html would output differently...after you have converted the league to version 5 and generated new ones there.

[Goody]

Hm, if I could program I would be working on a report converter...ver4 to ver5. Damn my ignorance.

[A.J. Holz]

Originally posted by Portlander

So far everything seems to be working but I got to the all-stars and when I try to import them it says "invalid procedure call or argument".

Having same problem, still present in 5.2.0. I think EvanW is exactly right about the format of the HTML files.

[Cato]

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but you shouldn't have to start over. If you have a database that was using v4, then your league went to OOTP5, when you open that database in v5.2, it will do the necessary updates to work. Now, you want have all of the extra data that v5 is bringing in, but you'll have a working database.

I guess if you're saying that in order to get all the new data, you have to start over, then I guess that's correct. But, you don't have to start over. You could consider the earlier years to be similar to the early years of MLB where there is not as much data as there is for more recent years.

[Goody]

So we use Cato 4.x on the old OOTP4 files...then just open the same database with Cato 5.2?

[Goody]

bump

I ask because I thought I read somewhere..."not compatible with previous versions"...

[A.J. Holz]

Originally posted by Portlander
So we use Cato 4.x on the old OOTP4 files...then just open the same database with Cato 5.2?

If I understand Cato correctly, this is a correct statement. You can take a .MDB file created from OOTP4 and Cato 4.x and open it in the 5.2 utility and it will convert the data properly.

You won't be able to add new Cato 5.x features (like trade splits, etc.) to the old (4.x) data that was already in the .MDB database though. New data will have it however.

For example, let's say I have a 4.x database for year 2003 that has no trade split info. If I open this database in Cato 5.2, it will convert the data so I can add year 2004 (OOTP5 format) WITH the trade split info, but trade split info for 2003 will still be missing.

I think the "not compatible with previous versions" thing meant that you couldn't use Cato 5.x with OOTP4 league files.

[Goody]

Trade splits were introduced in version 4

[Goody]

But as far as the rest...thanks. I'm not sure what features won't work for previous years...because I can't think of what was added that is a yearly thing.

[Goody]

I deleted my old 4.x database because we're converting to version 5 and I must have read the "not compatible with previous versions" wrong...I thought it meant Cato 5 isn't compatible with Cato 4.

So before I go back and do all those version 4 years again I want to know that it is supposed to work.

[A.J. Holz]

Originally posted by Portlander
Trade splits were introduced in version 4

erk...well, whatever new features came in 5.x. Like the player history notes and such. I'm losing track of the revisions.

[A.J. Holz]

Originally posted by Portlander
So before I go back and do all those version 4 years again I want to know that it is supposed to work.

I just opened a 4.x database in 5.2.0 and it opened fine, displayed all the team/allstar/award fields correctly, and generated a good website as far as I can see. So it looks like Cato is dead-on when he says it's supposed to convert the 4.x database upon opening it.

One other option would be for you to convert all your OOTP4 league files to OOTP5 format and import them in one at a time using the Cato utility, that way you'll get all the 5.2 features for each of your league years.

[Goody]

Originally posted by A.J. Holz
I just opened a 4.x database in 5.2.0 and it opened fine, displayed all the team/allstar/award fields correctly, and generated a good website as far as I can see. So it looks like Cato is dead-on when he says it's supposed to convert the 4.x database upon opening it.

One other option would be for you to convert all your OOTP4 league files to OOTP5 format and import them in one at a time using the Cato utility, that way you'll get all the 5.2 features for each of your league years.

Ok, cool, thanks!


You can't convert the old files to OOTP5 format and use Cato 5...that didn't work, which is why I came here asking questions.

[A.J. Holz]

Originally posted by Portlander
You can't convert the old files to OOTP5 format and use Cato 5...that didn't work, which is why I came here asking questions.

Oh right, I ran into some of the same problems with the old format HTML files too. I think it only affects the import of award winners and all-stars though? I just added mine manually (a big pain, but do-able). Other problems may be there though.

[Goody]

There is an error when it starts to write the player pages...but maybe if you don't try to create webpages before doing a true OOTP5 year...it is ok. But who knows.