Hi.
First of all sorry if this isn’t the correct category but I wasn’t able to find the correct one.
I was following the tinderbox tutorial where you create a timeline of the school stories and whenever I click on timeline I see the rainbow loading circle and it just freezes.
I have tried restarting the app, my Macbook and closing it again.
I’m using a MacBook air m4.
I assume the tutorial is the one in the ‘Getting Started with Tinderbox’ tutorial (the PDF is ‘Tutorial.pdf’). The Timeline (Chapter 12) builds on edits made earlier in the tutorial. These must have been done in order to then use Timeline view. Most importantly, at least one note—in scope of the timeline view must have a $StartDate set. The latter should have happened if following the tutorial (see c. pp76–79)
If you’ve gone as far as restarting the app then that should be sufficient in terms of re-initialising things. The only thing I know that can confuse Timeline view is if you use it and no notes have a date set. Look at the document in Outline view and check at least one note descended from the container holding the timeline view has a $StartDate value before trying to use Timeline view on the data.
A way to check for (missing) $StartDate value is to use 'Use Columns as in the tutorial at pp.56–7. Make sure the displayed column you add is set to StartDate and in the format box for the column use ‘l’ (lowercase ‘L’, for ‘local’).
If you are still having problems and are able to post the failing TBX (it should be small) to the TBX others can take a look. Otherwise you will need to contact formal Technical support. If the issue is $StartDate values do let us know.
I can see that if dipping into and out of the overall tutorial, you might try Timelines (Ch.12) without having done Ch.7 (‘Sorting’) which is where you first set $StartDate values.
documentation note: although p.87 of the tutorial mentions previous setting of $StartDate (it doesn’t say where—in which step). However it is worth adding a small callout to the tutorial text in Ch.12—for those only dipping into parts of the tutorial—to ensure at least one note under the timeline container has a $StartDate value set. Or a note stating that Ch.11 assumes Ch.& has been completed.
There’s a fix in testing that addresses a problem like your that appears in empty timelines; it should be available shortly.
Thank you, I think those were mainly the two reasons for the crash. Appreciate the help.