MacGourmet 2

Frequently Asked Questions


Registration and Serial Number Questions


MacGourmet Usage Questions


Database and Backup Questions


General Questions






Registration and Serial Number Questions

Q: I lost my serial number, how do I find out what it was?

A: You can retrieve your lost serial number at any time by going to the online store and entering in the email address you used to place your order in the "Finding your order number" section of the page.


Q: Can I run MacGourmet on more than one of my Macs?

A: You should have no problem running MacGourmet on more than one of your own personal Macs, say your desktop and a laptop. All you need to do is copy MacGourmet to each Mac and then enter your serial number on each one when prompted.


Q: I've entered my serial number, but the register button isn't enabled. Why not?

A: When the "Register" button isn't enabled, it's because the serial number was not entered correctly. Make sure that when you enter your serial number that you enter it exactly as it is listed in your confirmation, make sure you enter zeros for zeros and the letter 'O' for the letter 'O'. That's the most common problem people seem to have, and once they fix the entry problem, they are usually all set. It's also usually easiest to just copy and paste the serial number from your confirmation email into the serial number field.


Q: When I try and register MacGourmet, I get an error with a -2008 code. What should I do when this happens?

A: Normally if you just quit, wait a few seconds, and try again, this error will resolve itself.


Q: When I try and register MacGourmet, I get an error with a -25001 code. What should I do when this happens?

A: This error usually means that you have entered your serial number incorrectly. Make sure that when you enter your serial number that you enter it exactly as it is listed in your confirmation, make sure you enter zeros for zeros and the letter 'O' for the letter 'O'. That's the most common problem people seem to have, and once they fix the entry problem, they are usually all set. It's also usually easiest to just copy and paste the serial number from your confirmation email into the serial number field.


Q: When I try and register MacGourmet, I get an error with a -25011 code. What should I do when this happens?

A: Are you trying to do this as a user that doesn't have Admin privileges? You might need to complete the activation as an admin user. If you do that, you should be all set.

If you still have an issue, check the permissions of the following:

Library/Application Support/MindVision/
-or-
~/Library/Application Support/MindVision/ (i.e., in the user's path rather than the system Library folder)

The engine will attempt to write the Activation Key in the system level path, and if there are insufficient permissions it will try to write to the user level instead. If it can't write to the user level path (or if it tries to write to either of the activation files and fails because the file is corrupt), the -25011 error will occur.

Use Get Info to check the permissions on the both paths, starting with the system level one first and change the permissions to allow "Read & Write" for your user and group in each of those folders and/or for the PUB file if it's there, as needed. If the folders are already "Read & Write" and group throughout the system level or user level path, you might try dragging the existing PUB file to the trash and emptying the trash. It'll be recreated the next time you goes to activate (provided you have sufficient permissions), and that should solve the problem if the file has become damaged or corrupt.


Q: When I try to run MacGourmet, I get a message saying that MacGourmet was unable to install the eSellerate engine. How do I resolve this?

A: An application in the past might have installed an older version of the registration engine MacGourmet uses, from eSellerate. Try deleting the framework named EWSMac.framework in the Library > Frameworks folder in your home folder and running MacGourmet again. Doing this will usually resolve this problem.


Q: Are there any features that I can't try in the demo version of MacGourmet?

A: You are able to try every feature of MacGourmet without registering your copy, though you can only try some features a fixed number of times per use. There are no "hidden" features that unlock when you register your copy.


Q: I just purchased a copy of MacGourmet. Where do I download the full version that I paid for?

A: Because every copy of MacGourmet is both the trial version and the full version, you just need to download a copy of MacGourmet from the download page, and enter the serial number that you received in your order confirmation into the initial registration window to get the "full" version.




MacGourmet Usage Questions

Q: How do I add and modify recipe categories, courses, etc.

A: Lists of information, like categories, courses, etc. can be modified using the Library Browser, which can be found in the Tools menu.


Q: I have recipes in PDF files, is there any way to import them into MacGourmet?

A: Because PDF files don't have a consistent format that can be parsed, there is no way to import them directly. What you could try however is using the recipe import assistant to import your data. If you can select the text of the PDF files when you select the Text tool in Preview, you should be able to make a MacGourmet text clipping of the selected text, which you can then import using the import assistant. You can view a movie of how this process normally works on the screencasts page.


Q: I have recipes in Microsoft Word format, is there any way to import them into MacGourmet?

A: Because Word files don't have a consistent format that can be parsed, there is no way to import them directly. What you could try however is using the recipe import assistant to import your data. If you can open the Word files in Preview, you should be able to make a MacGourmet text clipping of the selected text, which you can then import using the import assistant. You can view a movie of how this process normally works on the screencasts page.


Q: Is there any way to scan in recipes and import them into MacGourmet?

Most scanners come with a software bundle that includes OCR software. This allows you to scan documents and translate the text in the scan to text you can use. You have to use an external application for this because, well, OCR is significantly more complex than MacGourmet itself. Because of this, scanning is not built into the product.

Once you've scanned and used OCR to convert the scan to text, it's just a matter of opening the text in a text editing app that supports Mac OS X services, like TextEdit, and then using MacGourmet's web import assistant to clip and import each recipe.


Q: MacGourmet just crashed, how do I report the problem?

A: When MacGourmet crashes, please send the crash log to support, rather than to Apple. You can find the file in the /Library/Logs/CrashReporter folder in your home folder and it's the file named MacGourmet.crash.log


Q: How do I import my recipes from MasterCook Mac 4.06?

A: There is no way to import your MasterCook files directly, you first have to export them from MasterCook:

You need to open a collection, say "15-minute Meals," go to the index, select all of the recipes, or the recipes you want, then select the "Export Selected Recipe(s)" menu item from the Recipe menu, and choose the "Mac Format" menu item in the save dialog.

This will create a file that is in the correct format for import into MacGourmet, a MasterCook Mac file. After saving the file as a "Mac Format" file, you can then import that file into MacGourmet.


Q: How do I import my recipes from the Windows version of MasterCook?

A: MacGourmet can import many different MasterCook PC formats. You just need to export them from the Windows version of MasterCook correctly, usually using the MasterCook MXP or MasterCook text formats. Next you just transfer the files to your Mac, and then open them with MacGourmet, choosing MasterCook MXP as the format to import. Note that files ending with a .mc2 file extension are MasterCook's native binary files, and cannot, themselves, be imported by MacGourmet.


Q: "Make Text Clipping" or "Import Recipe from Web Page" in the Services > MacGourmet menu aren't enabled when I have text or web address in my browser selected. What's wrong?

A: Not all web browsers support the Services menu. Apple's Safari, Camino, and Opera all support the Services menu, but Firefox, iCab, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla, and Netscape currently do not. If you are using a browser or application that does not support services, the menu will not be enabled.

In addition, make sure that your web browser is the front-most application, not MacGourmet, when you attempt to access the Services menu item. Services are used to send selected text FROM an application TO another one that is sitting in the background. You don't want to have MacGourmet in the foreground, instead you want to select the web page address in the web browser, and then choose (if using Safari) Safari > Services > MacGourmet > Import Recipe from Web Page. You want to make sure that you don't switch to MacGourmet, because you want to send the selected text from Safari to MacGourmet, so Safari has to be in front.


Q: I don't see the "Make Text Clipping" and/or the "Import Recipe from Web Page" items in the Services menu. What's going on?

A: To add the MacGourmet menu with the "Make Text Clipping" and the "Import Recipe from Web Page" menu items to the Services menu, all you have to do is start up MacGourmet. However, sometimes getting the menu to display is not this simple. If you do not see the menu item in Services, try copying MacGourmet to the system Applications folder. You can also try logging out, and restarting if that still doesn't work. You might even try restarting two times if the service still does not show up.

Sometimes, if you have more than one version of MacGourmet on your disk, Mac OS X might also pick an older version for the items in the Services menu (there is no real rhyme or reason to how it does this it seems), and if the older version does not support the Service, the items won't get added.

To fix this problem, do a Spotlight search for MacGourmet, and delete any older copies you have on your disk. Log out and log back in, or restart, and that should fix things.

If you are using Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), support for Mac OS X Services changed and they are totally configurable now. You do have to explicitly add your MacGourmet Services menu items to your Services menu though, they are no longer there by default. To do this:

Open the Services Preferences from the Services menu in any app, in this case, Safari:


Then, look for the MacGourmet menu items, "Import Recipe From Web Page" and "Import Text Clipping" and check the boxes next to them:


Close Preferences, and that should be it, the MacGourmet Services have been enabled again.


Q: What do I do when I try to replace an older version of MacGourmet with a newer version, and get a message saying that I have "Insufficent Privileges" to do this?

A: This happens occasionally, I'm not sure why. You just need to delete the item you are replacing first, and then copy the new version to your Applications folder.




Database and Backup Questions

Q: Where are my recipes stored?

A: Your recipes, and all of your information are stored in a file named MacGourmetDatabase.mgdatabase. This file is found by default in your Documents folder. You should back up this file regularly, preferably to your .Mac account, or to a CD or USB drive. Note: You cannot move this file without updating Advanced Preferences, and you cannot rename this file. If you do either of these the application will not be able to find your database.


Q: How do I make a backup of my recipes?

A: Your database is a file named MacGourmetDatabase.mgdatabase, and it's located in Documents, if you use the default location, or in the location you choose to create it the first time you ran the application. It's always a good idea to keep a backup of this file, ideally on a CD or another Mac in case your hard drive fails.


Q: How do I make a backup of everything MacGourmet needs?

A: I can’t stress how critical having a good backup plan is. You’d be amazed how many people contact us for their serial number because their hard drives have died and they’ve lost everything. Files can be accidently deleted, or corrupted too, so it’s always a good idea to make copies of your information from time to time.

MacGourmet version 1: The easiest way to backup all of your MacGourmet information is to make a copy of the MacGourmet folder found, by default, in the Application Support Folder which is in the Library folder of your Home directory. If you make a copy of this folder, you can always restore your entire database by removing the existing folder found in this location and replacing it with a backup copy.

MacGourmet 2: There are two components of MacGourmet that should be backed up:

The MacGourmetDatabase.mgdatabase file: This is the file you created the first time you ran MacGourmet 2. If you chose to put it in Documents, and you regularly back up that folder using something like the .Mac Backup application, your information will get saved. If you put it somewhere else, make sure you add this file to whatever backup plan you have.

The MacGourmet Application Support folder: This folder stores things you’ve added to MacGourmet, like themes, plug-ins, etc. If you install the .Mac Backup QuickPick for MacGourmet, it will automatically back this information up to your .Mac server. If you don’t use something like Backup, make sure you add the folder Library/Application Support/MacGourmet in your home directory to your backup plan.

The application file itself will always be available from our servers, so you can back that up, but it’s not critical.


Q: How do I restore my data from the backup copy of my MacGourmetDatabase file?

A: To restore your data, all you need to do is put the backup copy of your MacGourmetDatabase file back into your Documents folder. This file is your actual database, and cannot be imported in the same way a MacGourmet export file can be imported. You need to actually put this file itself back into the expected location, so that MacGourmet can find it when it starts.


Q: I upgraded from MacGourmet version 1 and lost my recipes. How I do to get them back?

A: As of MacGourmet 2.3, upgrades from version 1 databases are no longer automatic.

You can upgrade from version 1 though, assuming your version 1 information is in the default location, by first downloading version 2.2.6, which still had this ability, and then upgrading to version 2.3. You can still download 2.2.6 using this link.

If when you run version 2.2.6, it doesn't ask you to upgrade, try removing the MacGourmetDatabase file in Documents and then running it again. Provided your version 1 database is where it should be the upgrade should proceed automatically.


Q: I get an error trying to enter or change the information in my database. Quitting and restarting doesn't help, how do I fix the problem?

A: On rare occasions the database gets locked by the file system, and doesn't unlock normally. Try this:

With MacGourmet not running...

1. Select your MacGourmetDatabase file in Documents and choose Get Info.
2. In the window that is displayed, look at Ownership & Permissions and make sure "You can" says Read & Write
3. If it already does, then with the MacGourmetDatabase file still selected, right-click, or control-click on the file and choose "Show package contents" which will open a window. Now, select the MacGourmet.mgdb file and choose Get Info, and make sure "You can" says Read & Write for that as well.


Q: What are the files that end with .mgspot for? Are they my recipes?

A: These files are not your recipes. They are files created to enable Spotlight to search for information in your database file. These files, if deleted, will be recreated when MacGourmet is started, so unlike your database file, which should be backed up, these files don't need to be archived to protect your data.




General Questions

Q: How many recipes can MacGourmet hold?

A: MacGourmet was designed for "personal" sized collections of a few thousand recipes and no more than 10-15K recipes. While it can hold many more than that upper limit, beyond that point, things will tend to slow down, due to the increased size.


Q: Is MacGourmet available in languages other than English, like German, French, etc.?

A: MacGourmet is only available in Danish, French, German and Italian, in addition to English, with more localizations planned for the future.


Q: I'm still using Mac OS X 10.3.9, is there a version of MacGourmet still available for that version of Mac OS X?

A: MacGourmet 2 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later. You can still download version 1, which works on Mac OS X 10.3.9 here. The link to this page is also under the current version links on the MacGourmet download page.


Q: I ordered MacGourmet online and had to pay sales tax, why was I charged?

A: Advenio uses a 3rd party order processor, eSellerate, and they are the "seller of record" in the eyes the US government. Because they have a physical presence (or nexuses) in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Minnesota, Nebraska and Utah, they collect sales tax on orders placed from the within those states.


Q: What is the difference between MacGourmet and MacGourmet Deluxe?

A: Mariner Software is redistributing MacGourmet and its plug-ins as a discounted retail bundle, all in one convenient package, at one price, called MacGourmet Deluxe. The standard version of MacGourmet (still available here for $24.95), which you can add optional plug-ins to, is exactly the same as what is in the "boxed" Deluxe version, and it is still available as it always has been.

So, you can buy a bundle (Deluxe) with everything: Mealplan, Cookbook and Nutrition, or, if you just want a simpler product, buy MacGourmet from macgourmet.com and add a plug-in, or not, it's up to you.




For help or comments: macgourmet [at] advenio.com.