# Problems and solutions

## Polluted SVG search path

If the local collection directories have changed location in the file system, the SVG search path may not have been updated,
and the old location will still be included in the search path.

Old locations can be removed from the search path by editing _searchPathsForSVG_ under `svg` in the QGIS settings (_Settings-> Options-> Advanced_), or in the QGIS3.ini file that is located under `QGIS` in the user QGIS folder.

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## Strange and/or old tag names in Style Manager

Earlier versions of the plugin used non-inutitive tag names for grouping symbols, colormaps, labelsettings and textformats in the Style Manager. This has been improved in later versions.

When a repository is been renamed, new tag names are generated in Style Manager, but the old ones will remain.

To clean up the "mess", remove the strange / old tags by right-clicking on the tag name in the left part of the Style Manager dialogue and _Remove_.

Reload the collections to get missing style elements from the collections back in the Style Manager.

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## Empty tags in Style Manager

Earlier versions of the plugin may have introduced tags without associated elements.

In the Style Manager right-click on the "empty" tag, and _Remove_.

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## Collection directories are not removed

If there are subdirectories in the collections directory (`/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/default/resource_sharing/collections`
on Ubuntu, `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\QGIS\QGIS3\profiles\default\resource_sharing\collections`
on Windows) that do not correspond to installed collections, you can safely remove them.

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## Repository directories are not removed

If there are subdirectories in the repositories directory (`/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/default/resource_sharing/repositories` on Ubuntu, `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\QGIS\QGIS3\profiles\default\resource_sharing\repositories`
on Windows) that do not correspond to officially approved QGIS repositories, you can safely remove them.

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## Starting with a clean sheet

If everything has turned out to be a mess (might happen after plugin upgrades that adds new "features"), and you would like to remove all installed collections and clean up, you can:

- Remove the `resource_sharing` directory in your QGIS user folder (`/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/default/QGIS` on Ubuntu, `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\QGIS\QGIS3\profiles\default\QGIS` on Windows). That will remove the cache, the local copies/clones of the repositories and the local copies of the collections.
- Remove `localCollectionDir` under `[ResourceSharing]` in QGIS settings (_Settings-> Options-> Advanced_), or in the QGIS3.ini file that is located under QGIS in the user QGIS folder.
- Remove the `repository` group (the group has one entry for each repository and one entry for the `online_directories`) under `[ResourceSharing]` in QGIS settings (_Settings-> Options-> Advanced_), or in the QGIS3.ini file that is located under QGIS in the user QGIS folder).
- If you have used an early version (pre 0.10.0), you may also want to remove the `~/QGIS/Resource Sharing` directory.
- Remove all Resource Sharing related directories from the SVG search path by editing _searchPathsForSVG_ under `svg` in QGIS settings (_Settings-> Options-> Advanced_), or in the QGIS3.ini file that is located under `QGIS` in the user QGIS folder.
- Reinstall the plugin

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## Installing developing versions

If you would like to test upcoming features of the plugin, or help fixing bugs, it is possible to download the plugin directly from github.

The most common would be to download the _master_ branch
(*https://github.com/QGIS-Contribution/QGIS-ResourceSharing/archive/master.zip*),
but all branches can be downloaded.

1. Start a web browser and open
   *https://github.com/QGIS-Contribution/QGIS-ResourceSharing*.

2. Choose the _Branch_ you would like to download, click
   the _Clone or download_ button/pull-down and _Download ZIP_.

   ![Choose branch on github](/assets/img/github-branch.png)

   Save the ZIP file.

3. Go to the plugin directory (`python/plugins`, in your QGIS user
   directory)

4. Remove the currently installed version of the plugin
   (`qgis_resource_sharing`, if you have installed from the
   official QGIS plugin repository).

5. Unzip the downloaded file in the plugin directory.
   If you downloaded the master branch, the subdirectory with
   the plugin will be named `QGIS-ResourceSharing-master`.
   If you rename the subdirectory to `qgis_resource_sharing`, you
   can start QGIS and run the new version of the plugin.
   If you choose not to rename the directory, you have to go through
   the last two steps.

6. Start QGIS.
   Since the name of the plugin subdirectory of the Resource Sharing
   plugin has changed from `qgis_resource_sharing` to
   `QGIS-ResourceSharing-master` (if you have downloaded the master
   branch), the plugin has become disabled, and the next step will
   be necessary.

7. Open the Plugin Manager and (re)enable the plugin.