"The dictionary or entry that this card links to appears to be missing or unavailable" ?

[CWTurner]

I recently upgraded my iphone but lost a number of apps and data in the transition process. Now, I go to Pleco and the database for flashcards and a LOT of entries have this text. Many of them I don't even recall making and adding, so I'm not sure where they came from.

I tried downloading a backup from iCloud, but I get the same collection of files, many of my saves interspersed with the above text.

Can anyone advise?

 

[mikelove]

Check the “Add-ons” screen - have you downloaded all of the dictionaries you previously purchased? What about free ones - are there any free dictionaries you remember downloading before?

 

[CWTurner]

Thanks, Mike. All dictionaries are up-to-date and I don't remember any free ones I downloaded.

I'm finding a number of cards that I thought I'd designated "custom" aren't that way. (I'm collecting text snippets for use in calligraphy practice.) Going through all and updating to custom cards. Wonder what I originally did wrong when I added them to this group of flashcards?

 

[mikelove]

Maybe you made a user dictionary? Do you still have the old phone to check for that?

You can always use the option in Organize / Edit / Batch to remap them to one of the dictionaries that's still installed; you can do a search first for flashcards that are 'incomplete' and that should flag the missing entry ones.

 

[CWTurner]

Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the ideas. The old phone bricked itself and is already recycled.

I tried the remapping option you suggest, but it doesn't work with the three dictionaries I have: there's a quick "activity working" icon that comes up, but it doesn't change these cards. I'm still just working my way through and making custom cards.

 

[mikelove]

Do you have any sense of a common characteristic of the missing words? Are they all words you remember making your own entries for, or words that might be from a particular textbook or relating a particular subject? (If there are no remap entries then that suggests that they’re words that for whatever reason aren’t covered by our built-in dictionaries)

 

[CWTurner]

Hmmm, the cards I created over the last 4 or 5 years are phrases taken from my reading of historical texts, poetry and such. I'm afraid my reading knowledge of Chinese is very limited (my focus is on the characters as material for shufa practice).
Here are a few examples:
天高雲翔
明洙在掌
健康食眠
形似容易， 神似難
天增歲月人增寿
and about 80 more.
I originally had English text translation on each card as well, but no more. I wondered why the English was gone as I'd had no trouble using Chinese and English both in doing Pleco searches.
Thanks,
Craig

 

[mikelove]

A couple of these entries aren't in any Pleco dictionary, let alone any Chinese-English one, so that definitely suggests that these are user dictionary entries. Unfortunately if you don't have a backup of your user dictionary database there aren't really any other good options for getting them back - when you set up your new phone, did you choose the option to restore it from the last backup, or did you set it up as a new empty phone and then restore your Pleco flashcard database manually somehow?

 

[CWTurner]

I'm pretty sure I set up a new empty phone, it was done partially with Apple Store and server backup techniques (long story). I believe I restored flash card database manually, but I can't tell you for sure. I think, in last analysis, I forgot to track how my backups were being handled. Originally it was in iCloud, but then that method was stopped (as per Pleco recs), and I don't think I was diligent about tracking my backups very well. I have one card database backup I can find that I used about a week ago, so what I have is pretty much it. Actually, this is a good opportunity to go back through creation/backup cycling I've been doing, re-read manual, and be sure I'm concise and consistent in how I record these things.
Thanks very much Mike, you've been really clear and helpful, as always, and I appreciate you taking the time.

 

[mikelove]

No problem - sorry for all the hassle!