The following are questions frequently
asked about the Tropez program and catalog.
- 1. General
- 1.1 How much does the
program cost?
- 1.2 What are the system
requirements?
- 2. Installation
- 2.1 If I install a newer version of the program
or the catalog, will I lose everything I've entered?
- 2.2 Do I have to uninstall the old version of
the program before installing the newer one?
- 2.3 Do I have to install the program every
time there is a newer version of the catalog?
- 3. Record Browser
- 3.1 What is the record
browser?
- 3.2 How can I add/view my
own images?
- 3.3 Why can't I see my
image?
- 3.4 How can I use my image as the Sample Image?
- 4. Adding/Modifying Item Records
- 4.1 How do I add an item
to my database?
- 4.2 How do I remove a
color I entered from the Stem Color list?
- 4.3 I can't find an item
anywhere. Can I add my own?
- 5. List Maker
- 5.1 How do I add more
field values to the list?
- 6. Catalog
- 6.1 What is the catalog?
- 6.2 How often is the
catalog updated?
- 6.3 Why do I get an error
saying that the catalog is incompatible.
- 6.4 How can I add to the
catalog myself?
- 7. Known Problems
- 7.1 Error message: "Failed to read the catalog"
1. General
1.1 How much does the program
cost?
The program is completely free. There will
periodically be updates to the program and catalog, and these
updates will also be completely free.
1.2 What are the system
requirements?
To run the program, you will need to be using Windows
XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10. To install the program and catalog, you
will need approximately 1.7MB of free disk space. If you install the
optional image pack, you will need an additional 18.6MB of free disk
space. You should have at least 256 color (64K for best results) and
your monitor should be set to a resolution of at least 800 x 600 (1024 x
768 for best results).
2. Installation
2.1 If I install a newer version of the program
or the catalog, will I lose everything I've entered?
No, the data you've entered will not be lost. All
of your entries are stored in a separate file, so when you uninstall an
older
version of the program or the catalog only the program executable,
catalog, and related help files will be removed. Since your file is
not part of the installation it will not be affected.
2.2 Do I have to uninstall the old version of
the program before installing the newer one?
Yes. If you forget to uninstall the older version,
the newer version installer will tell you to uninstall the older version
first. The default installation location is "C:\Program
Files (x86)\Tropez".
2.3 Do I have to install the program every
time there is a newer version of the catalog?
No, it is not always necessary to
install the program whenever a new version of the catalog is
available. There are some times when there is a major change to the
catalog that you will have install the latest version of the
program. Look for the note on the download page to see what the
minimum version of the program is required to use the latest version of
the catalog.
3. Record Browser
3.1 What is the record browser?
The record browser is the main window of the Tropez
program. From here you can "browse" through the records of
the items you have entered into the database. You also have access
to menus and buttons that provide several functions.
3.2 How can I add/view my own
images?
Browse to the item for which you have an image and click the
Modify button (or select Modify Current from the Record menu). On the
Modify Current Item dialog box, click on the Images tab and then click the
top button on the right. Find
and select your image in the Select Image dialog box and click the Open
button. Click the Modify button. Click the Show Image button on
the toolbar (or select Image from the View menu) to display the Your Image
box. You can now view your image in
the Your Image box.
3.3 Why can't I see my image?
If you have image files listed in the Images tab but your image does not appear in the
Your Image box, there are two probable reasons. First, the file may no
longer be at the location specified in the Images tab.
Second, you may have the capability to view your image turned off.
To turn it back of, click the Show Image button on the toolbar (or select
Image from the View menu).
3.4 How can I use my image as
the Sample Image?
Browse to the item for which you have an image and click the
Modify button (or select Modify Current from the Record menu). On the
Modify Current Item dialog box, click on the Images tab. If the image
you want to use is not already listed then click the
top button on the right, find
and select your image in the Select Image dialog box, and then click the Open
button. Click the box to the left of the image you want to use and
then click the Modify button. You image will now be displayed on the
Sample Image tab. This image will also be highlighted in red on the
Images tab of the Record Browser.
4. Adding/Modifying Item Records
4.1 How do I add an item to my
database?
The first thing you need to do to add an item to your
database is to click the Add button on the toolbar (or select Add New from
the Record menu). At this point the Add New Dispenser dialog box will
appear. At a minimum you will have to select a Category, Series,
Sub-Series, Character, Issue, and Variation. After you've made these
selections, check the Text Description and/or Image (if available) to make
sure you've selected the correct item. Continue to enter information
for any of the other fields that you want and then click the Add
button. A message box will then appear that reads, "The record
was added to the database." Click the OK button to dismiss the
message box. At this point you will still be in the Add New Dispenser
dialog box with all the information remaining from your last entry.
You can continue to add more items to your database or you can click the
Close button to dismiss the Add New Dispenser dialog box.
4.2 How do I remove a color I
entered from the Stem Color list?
There are a list of stem colors that are part of the
program. You've probably noticed that if you type in a color that is
not in the list it will be added to the list. This is not a permanent
addition for the stem color list. Every time you run the program, your
personal database is search for these new colors and are added to the
list. The only way to remove a color that you added is to modify all
the records that use this color. Once that is done, the next time you
run the program the color will not be there.
4.3 I can't find an item
anywhere. Can I add my own?
Each separate item definition is stored in the catalog and there is no way for you to modify the catalog.
Whenever you can't find an item, please send an email to
so that the item will be added to a future version of the catalog. In the meantime, you can store the information about your
item by choosing the *Other series in the Authentic Dispensers category (use the
Notes field to enter what the item really is). Once the item
definition is added to the catalog, you can modify your *Other record
and change the Category, Series, Sub-Series, Character, Issue,
and Variation to what it
should be.
5. List Maker
5.1 How do I add more field
values to the list?
By default, the only fields that will be added to a List
Maker report are Series, Sub-Series, Character, Issue,
and Variation (and also Country, Stem, and Patent for the Columns
format, unless the Single Tabs option is selected). To add additional
fields, you first have to either select the Rows format or select the
Columns format and the Single Tabs option. Next, click the Customize
button. From here you can specify which fields to include and what
order you want them in. But, you cannot change the order or the Series, Sub-Series, Character, Issue,
and Variation fields.
6. Catalog Update
6.1 What is the catalog?
The catalog is a separate database file that
contains an entry for item definition. Each item definition includes a
category, series, sub-series, character, issue, variation, description, and the year
the item was first released. The reason this information is in a
separate database that no user can edit is so that there will be consistency
among all the users for the item definitions.
6.2 How often is the catalog updated?
Depending on how many new, or newly discovered, items
become available the catalog could be updated as often as every two
weeks or only every couple of months. On average, the catalog
is updated every six weeks.
6.3 Why do I get an error
saying that the catalog is incompatible.
There are two reasons why the catalog may not be
compatible with the program. First, the catalog requires a
newer version or the program. Second, the program requires a newer
version of the catalog. To make sure you have the latest
version of the program and catalog, click here
and download and install the Tropez program (which includes the latest
version of the catalog).
6.4 How can I add to the catalog myself?
You can't. If you need to
add an item to the catalog, please send an email to
so that the item will be added to a future version of the catalog. In the meantime, you can store the information about your
item by choosing the *Other series in the Authentic Dispensers category (use the
Notes field to enter what the item really is). Once the item
definition is added to the catalog, you can modify your *Other
record and change the Category, Series, Sub-Series, Character, Issue, and
Variation to what it should be.
7. Known Problems
7.1 Error message: "Failed to read the catalog"
A few people have mentioned that when they try to run the
program they get a catalog error telling saying that access to the path is
denied, and then they get a message saying, "Failed to read the catalog.
Please contact the program provider."
We think the problem has to do with the proper
permissions on the Tropez folder. Try the following:
1. Open Windows Explorer and go
to "C:\Program Files (x86)"
(or wherever you installed Tropez)
2. Find the Tropez folder and right-click on it
3. Select Properties from the menu that appears
4. On the Tropez Properties windows click on the Security
tab 5. Click the Edit…
button 6. In the top list
click on Administrators and ensure that it has Full control permissions
(see the bottom list) 7. In
the top list click on Users and ensure that it has Read & execute, List
folder contents, and Read permissions
8. Click the OK button on the Permissions for Tropez
window 9. Click the OK
button on the Tropez Properties window
10. Try running Tropez again
If the previous suggestion did not work, try the
following:
1. Open Windows Explorer and go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Tropez"
(or wherever you installed Tropez)
2. Right-click on Tropez.exe and select Properties from the menu
3. Click on the Compatibility tab
4. Under Compatibility mode, check the box next to “Run this program in
compatibility mode for:” and then select your version of Windows from the
drop-down menu. You may need to select an older version of Windows
than what you are using now. If select your current version does not
work, try selecting an older Windows version from the list.
5. Click the OK button
6. Double-click on Tropez.exe to run the program
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