Hi All,
Running an iMac with the latest OSX, all the latest updates, etc.
I'll have a conversation with someone (the one I just had was in GTalk) - I scroll back up to look at something we said, and its no longer there. It disappeared from our conversation history.
Anyone know why this might happen? Could it be that I'm low on iCloud space?
- Thanx
- Jon
Hey jbauer,
You can locate all of your past conversations in this location
~/library/messages/archive/
Triple-click on the line above
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services> Open
From this folder you will be able to see folders with dates you can open any of these folders and restore the conversations by double clicking on a conversation. Conversations will have .ichat file type
The first part will help you to get your conversations back I would suggest you check in messages under preferences>messages and look for "save history when conversations are closed" and make sure that it is checked. This will help to make sure that your conversations stay in messages.
-Alex
Hey jbauer,
You can locate all of your past conversations in this location
~/library/messages/archive/
Triple-click on the line above
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services> Open
From this folder you will be able to see folders with dates you can open any of these folders and restore the conversations by double clicking on a conversation. Conversations will have .ichat file type
The first part will help you to get your conversations back I would suggest you check in messages under preferences>messages and look for "save history when conversations are closed" and make sure that it is checked. This will help to make sure that your conversations stay in messages.
-Alex
Hi Alex,
That helps. I didn't have that option checked, now I do. Many days are not shown in that archive directory, even though I use messages daily. Hm.
I went back to the conversation I was referring to earlier, and now even LESS of the conversation is visible when I scroll up. Something weird is going on.
- Jon
Hi,
Other than syncing Contacts to your iOS devices Messages has nothing to do with iCloud. (other than using an iCloud registered Apple ID as your iMessages ID)
It does not go through the same servers.
You can use any Apple ID and it does not have to be linked to iCloud.
Messages Beta changed the way iChat displayed older chats as "History" to the current one.
It displayed ALL the Chats you had ever had with that Buddy if you had brought them over from earlier Versions of iChat.
(I have some going back to 2004).
This has been modified in Messages in Mountain Lion to be only those from the Mountain Lion install (It no longer looks in the previous storage location).
It does require that you have the "Save On Close" option selected.
The "History" will then go back to the last time that settings was changed.
This is not the same as leaving a chat "Open" as it were in Messages itself.
If you have someone you chat with regularly and for some time each time you chat then scrolling back up the "chat" and it's history can need it to wait to load more history each time you get the cursor to the top.
So...
Changing the setting for the Save function can upset things in the short term.
9:27 PM Friday; May 24, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
Hi All,
My messages is still very broken. I dunno what to do to try and fix it.
The "~/library/messages/archive/" directory doesn't even SHOW recent directories for the conversations I've had recently. Yes, I have "Save history..." checked.
Something is wrong. Even today, someone shared a link with me in Google Talk, and when I scrolled back to get it again, a whole section of our conversation is no longer visible. Just disappeared. Poof.
- Jon
HI,
AS the ~/Library is a hidden folder it and the sub folders are unlikely to show in the Recent List for folder.
You have to Manually look using the Finder > Go menu > Go to Folder and typing in at least ~/Library/Messages
This does not work in Firefox
~/library/messages/archive/
Triple-click on the line above
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services> Open
Although Highlighting and using the Firefox Menu > Services > Open in Firefox does work.
I do find the closing down the app with a chat "open" and then re-opening the App the next day does seem to loose me the Pics involved.
This Buddy of mine was using Google talk at his end.
Have you tried Computer restart ?
7:25 PM Tuesday; June 4, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
Thanks for the help, Ralph, but I think Apple's implementation of Google Talk is very broken...
Or, maybe it's just Messages that's broken. I can see lots of directories in ~/library/messages/archive/, but lots of missing ones for days where I 1) had the Save history checked, and 2) had conversations in Messages.
I think Messages is still a Beta.
- Jon
Hi,
That does sound very odd that it is saving some and not others.
I don't find I lose anything if the chat is left "open" even if I close the App itself.
I have thought at time that if I look in the /Messages/Archive folder that it does not seem to always have the Chats that I think it should.
Checking further normally mean I find the Save Setting has been turned Off.
If for some reason you did not Own the ~/Library or the Messages or indeed the Archive folder itself then the problem would occur all the time and not be intermittent as you describe.
Navigate again to the ~/Library/Messages folder at least.
Highlight the Archive folder then do a Get Info (CMD and i keys together)
At the bottom of the Infio panel you should be list (as the Mac User Shortname) and have Read and Write Permissions
Highlight your Name then use the Cogwheel icon under the list.
If you Own the files this will list your shortname again and it should be greyed out (As in "Make shortname (Me) the Owner") has already been done.
Whilst in the Messages folder go to the Finder > View Menu and Show View Option and use the Show Path Bar if you have not already done so.
Right Click on the Messages item and select Get Info for that folder from the Contextual Menu
Repeat for the Library Itself.
Example pic actually of the Library folder
7:57 PM Tuesday; June 4, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
Yep on all counts -> I'm the owner of ~/library/messages/archive and ~/library/messages.
However, when I go to the Messages folder, I don't see a Show Path Bar selection when I go to View Menu and Show View Option...
- Jon
HI,
I have this
8:29 PM Tuesday; June 4, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
Ah, gotya. I've got that path bar now. What did you ask that I should do now that I have it turned on?
- Thanx
- Jon
Hi,
If your right click the Messages item as in the Pic you get an option to Get Info.
This is about the easiest access to do this for th Library itself.
8:46 PM Tuesday; June 4, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
Ok, yeah, all those directories show me as the owner with both read and write access... So that's not the problem.
- Jon
Hi,
From what you posted I did not think it was but it can be wise to check.
At the moment I can't think of what else to suggest. (It means I will think on this - not that I have given up).
8:50 PM Tuesday; June 4, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
THANK YOU Ralph!
- Jon
OK,
Some digging at my end.
Same Gmail incoming chat as earlier but pulled up via archive
However note the Date on the top item
This is an iMessages conversation to an iPhone number that I have kept "open" in Messages for several days
It has had not text sent in days.
In another archive folder that reads "Today" in the Archive Folder I have this as contents
The Dates don't match the the stated "Today" listing.
It also does not have the Chat that has happened with this same person via their AIM Account (they are not linked via their Address Card.)
OPPS.... I was looking at the Modified column
Even though it shows nothing has been Modified
Also despite the times being listed as the same, the chat is in fact broken up and in some cases it has the Messages out of Sequence
Example against the "open" chat still in the Messages main window (this pic is big)
The Saved one misses the replies and the very last item in the actual chat appears top to the window (And it still is not the whole chat/ (well "conversation" seeing it is iMessages)
I am trawling through some recent folders but I am not completely understanding what I am seeing.
9:22 PM Tuesday; June 4, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously
Messages loses messages!
