Oscar 1.5.1 Doesn't work on Somoma 14.3.1

[biyahero]

I haven't used Oscar for awhile and would like to get it working again.
The last time I tried to use it on my MacBook Pro was when I had OS/X (whatever the release before Sonoma was), and the message I got was:
(a Red Stop Sign shaped Icon with an exclamation point inside) 
Unable to write to OSCAR data directory/Users/dave/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDosc/Documents/Oscar_Data
Error Code:  5  - Operation not permitted
OSCAR cannot continue and is exiting.
This message was followed by an "OK" button to accept the message.

Now after Sonoma is installed when I tried to run Oscar I got a message (which I should have screenshotted but didn't). It said something about Oscar wanted to access files that were located in or managed by iCloud, to which I responded that it was OK.

Now what happens is that Oscar will open and shows the 4 Profiles that I had previously created.  
If I click on one of the profiles and then on the link on the right-hand side that says "Show Disk Usage Information" nothing happens.  
If I then choose to Open the selected profile (any one of them) the cursor changes into a colorful spinning "beach ball" or "color wheel".  This will continue forever until I Force Quit Oscar ... at this point, I can't normally close Oscar. I have let the colorful spinning wheel be there for lengthy periods and it seemed it would never stop until I force-quit Oscar.

I considered trying to uninstall Oscar and re-installing it but I'm not sure if the uninstall process would really remove all the remnants of this failed process that appear to be in iCloud so I am hoping for some guidance from the Oscar Developers or more knowledgeable persons about Oscar on how to resolve this issue. 

I'll try to attach some screenshots here.

[mecutl3r]

Works fine for me on my MacStudio with Sonoma 14.3.1. I only have one profile...

[Crimson Nape]

The problem you are experiencing is due to your OSCAR_Data directory not being located on your PC.  OSCAR is not designed to have its data location stored anywhere else.  I would recommend that you copy your existing OSCAR_Data directory to your local account.  This should be, /Users/dave/OSCAR_Data or /Users/dave/Documents/OSCAR_Data.  You now need to point OSCAR to the new data location.  I'm mac challenged, so the next part should work,  

Make sure OSCAR is not running prior to performing either of the steps listed below.

•  Open a Terminal window.
  
•  Type: open /Applications/OSCAR.app --args --datadir /Users/dave/OSCAR_Data.
  
•  After OSCAR opens, select OSCAR -> About OSCAR → Show data folder (on the right side of the popup window). Verify that the path is correct.
  
•  Quit OSCAR, and restart it as usual
  

 -  OR -

•  You will need Xcode.app installed
  
•  Open Finder.
  
•  Navigate to Users/dave/Library/Preferences/org.oscar-team.OSCAR.plist
  
•  Right-click and open using the Xcode, the default app for this.
  
•  Once the plist is open, double-click the right side of the line labeled, Setting.AppData.
  
•  Enter your new path.
  
•  Select File → Save and Exit
  

Good luck!
- Red

[biyahero]

Thanks Crimson Nape!  I'll try that.

[biyahero]

Crimson Nape pid='504028' dateline='1708874108']The problem you are experiencing is due to your OSCAR_Data directory not being located on your PC.  OSCAR is not designed to have its data location stored anywhere else.  I would recommend that you copy your existing OSCAR_Data directory to your local account.  This should be, /Users/dave/OSCAR_Data or /Users/dave/Documents/OSCAR_Data.  You now need to point OSCAR to the new data location.  I'm mac challenged, so the next part should work,  

Make sure OSCAR is not running prior to performing either of the steps listed below.

•  Open a Terminal window.
  
•  Type: open /Applications/OSCAR.app --args --datadir /Users/dave/OSCAR_Data.
  
•  After OSCAR opens, select OSCAR -> About OSCAR → Show data folder (on the right side of the popup window). Verify that the path is correct.
  
•  Quit OSCAR, and restart it as usual
  

 -  OR -

•  You will need Xcode.app installed
  
•  Open Finder.
  
•  Navigate to Users/dave/Library/Preferences/org.oscar-team.OSCAR.plist
  
•  Right-click and open using the Xcode, the default app for this.
  
•  Once the plist is open, double-click the right side of the line labeled, Setting.AppData.
  
•  Enter your new path.
  
•  Select File → Save and Exit
  

Good luck!
- Red

I tried the XCode procedure since I wasn't sure if there were spaces in the typed line in the terminal procedure version and I wasn't confident that something bad wouldn't happen if I typed it wrong.

I then changed the path in the Setting.App Data to /Users/dave Documents/OSCAR_Data but when I started OSCAR I got a dialog box that said OSCAR suggested using a directory of /Users/dave/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Documents/OSCAR_Data so since it claimed OSCAR wanted to use that I accepted it and clicked YES.  

Also concerning the old files, I found that I had 3 "OSCAR_Data"  folders located in dave>iCloud>Documents as well as 3 "OSCAR_Data"  folders located in dave>iCloud (Archive)>Documents and another 3 "OSCAR_Data"  folders located in dave>iCloud (Archive -1)>Documents. 

Also, there were 3 folders entitled "Oscar Records" located in dave>iCloud Drive >Documents>Resmed AirCurve 10 VAuto Serial Number> and 3 more "Oscar Records" folders located in each of the paths dave>iCloud Drive (Archive)>Documents>Resmed AirCurve 10 VAuto Serial Number> and in dave>iCloud Drive (Archive -1)>Documents>Resmed AirCurve 10 VAuto Serial Number>Oscar Records.

This (Archive) and (Archive -1) business seemed pretty weird to me so I called Apple Support and after initially getting a clueless person I got a Senior Advisor who said that whenever you logout of iCloud those Archive Directories are created so you don't lose files, so I must have logged out of iCloud at some point twice since there are an (Archive) and an (Archive -1) directory.

These "Oscar Records" folders appeared to contain the data from the 4 profiles that I had previously created and related to the date from the 2 AirCurve 10 Machines I had and the Airsense 10 Machine that I had and the directories contained a lot of files and data with different dates. decided that it would be too complicated to integrate all that old data so I deleted all those directories, along with an empty directory I found named "OSCAR Data" (without the underscore) which I must have created at some point in the Macintosh Hard Disk> Applications directory.


The fact that these directories were all located in iCloud makes me think that once upon a time OSCAR might have worked with it's data in iCloud, but I guess doesn't anymore.

Subsequently, when I started it, the OSCAR program didn't hang anymore but it also did not find the SD Card Data, so I went back to XCode and discovered that when I had accepted the OSCAR suggested directory (in the attachment in this post) the Setting.AppData path had been changed back to /Users/dave/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Documents/OSCAR_Data so I created a directory with Finder /Users/dave/Documents/OSCAR_Data and then used XCode to change the Setting.AppData path to that.

Then when I started OSCAR I chose to NOT use the suggested directory this time, but then it was blocked by my BitDefender Mac AntiVirus which protects files in the Downloads directory from being changed and it said that OSCAR was a previously allowed application but now had a different code signing process and did I wish to continue allowing it ... to which I responded positively.

Now when I start OSCAR it appears to operate normally but I see no way in the new profile I have created to enter the serial number and info about my machine and when I start the CPAP Importer it asks me to specify a directory so I chose /Users/dave/Documents/OSCAR_Data,
and OSCAR claims it can't find any useable data on the SD Card.  I can look at the SD Card with Finder and see that there is data on it, but not very much.  I have got a new machine quite some time ago because the AirCurve 10 I had before was making a big noise like a lawn mower, and I never took the SD Card out of this machine before.  Is there something I need to do in the settings to make it save the Data to the SD Card? If there is maybe I never set it up... when I put it back in the machine last night it announced it was initializing the card for use or something like that.

I did move the switch to Read Only before I put it in the MacBook and back to Not Read Only when I put it back last night (and it was not in Read Only when I initially took it out of the machine yesterday).

Perhaps the reason it can't find any usable data on the card is because I don't have the machine's serial number and information in OSCAR?  I don't see where I could enter that... when I set up the new profile there were no questions about that ... so the profile only shows my profile name, my actual name, phone number, and email address but the fields that used to have information about the machine are blank.

Any suggestions on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated!!

[biyahero]

The problem you are experiencing is due to your OSCAR_Data directory not being located on your PC.  OSCAR is not designed to have its data location stored anywhere else.  I would recommend that you copy your existing OSCAR_Data directory to your local account.  This should be, /Users/dave/OSCAR_Data or /Users/dave/Documents/OSCAR_Data.  You now need to point OSCAR to the new data location.  I'm mac challenged, so the next part should work,  

Make sure OSCAR is not running prior to performing either of the steps listed below.

•  Open a Terminal window.
  
•  Type: open /Applications/OSCAR.app --args --datadir /Users/dave/OSCAR_Data.
  
•  After OSCAR opens, select OSCAR -> About OSCAR → Show data folder (on the right side of the popup window). Verify that the path is correct.
  
•  Quit OSCAR, and restart it as usual
  

 -  OR -

•  You will need Xcode.app installed
  
•  Open Finder.
  
•  Navigate to Users/dave/Library/Preferences/org.oscar-team.OSCAR.plist
  
•  Right-click and open using the Xcode, the default app for this.
  
•  Once the plist is open, double-click the right side of the line labeled, Setting.AppData.
  
•  Enter your new path.
  
•  Select File → Save and Exit
  

Good luck!
- Red

I tried the XCode procedure since I wasn't sure if there were spaces in the typed line in the terminal procedure version and I wasn't confident that something bad wouldn't happen if I typed it wrong.

I then changed the path in the Setting.App Data to Users/dave Documents/OSCAR_Data but when I started OSCAR I got a dialog box that said

[Crimson Nape]

First, I said OSCAR wasn't designed for using a remote data location.  It has no provision to address a situation where you are either not logged in, or if there is a latency while connecting to the remote server.

Your post didn't indicate if you verified that the data location was properly updated.  Follow the 3rd instruction in the first option.  

The serial number is supplied in the CPAP data.  

You really need to read the following links:
Running OSCAR for the first time
OSCAR - The Guide
OSCAR Help Wiki

Also, there is no need to quote my post when making a reply.  Please read this link on this subject:
NOTICE: "REPLY with Quote" button - Don't use it if you don't have to

- Red

[biyahero]

I'm sorry if I annoyed you by quoting your post about the instructions!  I did see the post about not quoting if not needed but after I had already done it. Thanks also for mentioning the X-code.app which I never knew about before!

I didn't specify, as you mentioned if I had verified the data location was properly updated after I used X-Code ... but I had verified it.

What may have been part of the problem was revealed in the article "Running Oscar for the First Time"  that you mentioned and which you suggested I read, in the section "macOS Ventura 13 users" where it spoke of "System Settings > Security and Privacy > Security" and said you should go there and Turn OFF a setting (according to the referenced Apple Insider Article) to allow or not allow SD cards and similar devices to connect based on your choices in a dialog box that should pop up, as well as making sure that "Removable Volumes" were allowed.

While I have Sonoma 14.3.1 rather than Ventura, I checked the System Settings; Privacy and Security; File and Folders; OSCAR section and found that OSCAR had two instances of "iCloud Drive" with the slider turned on as well as "Removable Volumes", "Desktop Folder", "Documents Folder", and "Downloads Folder".  

I'm guessing those two instances of "iCloud Drive" got added in response to the dialog box I posted yesterday where it claimed that OSCAR suggested I use some directory "/users/dave/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~iCloud Docs/Documents/OSCAR_Data" and I accepted that ... I must have done that twice and each time a new entry was created in the System Settings; Privacy and Security; File and Folders; OSCAR section and even though I had changed the Data Directory again after that using X-Code, these entries for "iCloud Drive" remained in the  System Settings.

Anyway, I then turned off the sliders for those two items and removed them from the OSCAR list of files by using the "-" sign at the bottom of the list.  

Subsequently, I ran OSCAR again and was presented with a dialog box claiming that OSCAR.app wanted to use files managed by DropBox (See attached), to which I responded NO!  I then went back to the System Settings; Privacy and Security; File and Folders; OSCAR and found that this action had caused an entry for DropBox to be added to the list in the OSCAR section, although the Slider was turned OFF ... I imagine because I had chosen NO at the dialog box.
So I deleted that DropBox line from the OSCAR files and folders by using the "-" sign at the bottom as I had done with the two "iCloud Drive" entries previously.

After that, OSCAR ran fine and no longer hung up and had to be Force Quit to stop the colorful Beach Ball but it still didn't find the files on the SD Card to import them.  I noticed that the SD Card also didn't appear in Finder as "NO NAME" either as it had yesterday so I shut down the MacBook and started it up again and it found the SD Card and when I ran OSCAR it imported the files and worked normally!

I just include all these details in case someone else has a similar problem this might be helpful.

I think the System Settings; Privacy and Security; File and Folders; OSCAR section having "Removable Volumes" turned on (which it was already) is necessary and to not have entries for other inappropriate things like "DropBox" and "iCloud Drive" was the solution.

Thanks for your help Crimson Nape! 

[Crimson Nape]

Great!  I'm glad you got it working.  Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to get an app to work.  

- Red

[biyahero]

Thanks for your suggestions that made it possible for me to figure out what was happening!