How to set up a separate test environment / database for CORTEX Dailies

cortex how to
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Sometimes folks want to test the latest release or pre-release of CORTEX on the same hardware they use every day without disturbing the production environment on their machine.

If you are doing any testing, its a good idea to set up a separate database as newer versions may require updates to existing projects.

Not only does this ensure that you don’t accidentally test with production material, but more importantly, if you update your production database to the beta version, it may no longer be readable by your stable production version.

Once you set up a separate testing database, you can hide your production projects completely when running the test version.

It’s important to follow these steps carefully, in order

Create a local SQLite Test database

  1. Open the current Production version
  • In the Project Manager, click Database
  • Click New
  • Choose SQLITE
    (Setting up an isolated test shared environment with MySQL is a little more complicated)
  • Set the name to test
  • Change the path to C:\ProgramData\MTI\test
  • Click Create
  • While connected to the new test database, you should see no projects
  • Close CORTEX

Install the Test Version

  1. Install the newer version,
    When it asks whether to remove old versions, be sure to choose:
    No, install side by side with other versions.
  • Uncheck Launch Cortex when the installation completes.
    Do not run the new version yet.

Create a separate file for the test version

  1. Open C:\ProgramData\MTI in Windows Explorer
  • Copy the file cortex.config.xml
  • Paste the file into the Test version’s runtime folder, eg:
    C:\Program Files\MTI Film\Cortex_1_5_0_beta1_b3792

Set the release / production version to point to the production database

  1. Open the release / production version of CORTEX and switch to the Production database
    By default this is named local.
  • Close CORTEX

Hide the production database from the test version

  1. Now, start the test version of CORTEX
    You should find that the Test version points to test on startup
    You should see an empty Project Manager with no projects listed.
  • Click Database.
  • Right-click on your Production database (local) and select Delete.
    This will just delete it from the config file so that the Test version cannot access it.
    It will still be visible from your Production version.

Now you can start creating test projects in the test version and do some testing!

###Updating the test version
If you get a new version to test then you can follow these steps next time:

Uninstall a the old test version

  1. Click the windows Start menu
  • click All Programs
  • expand the folder for the test version, eg:
    MTI Film Cortex_1_5_0_beta1_b3792
  • click Uninstall

Install the new test version

  1. Run the installer for the new test version.
  • When it asks whether to remove old versions, be sure to choose:
    No, install side by side with other versions.
  • Uncheck Launch Cortex when the installation completes.
    Do not run the new version yet.

Copy the test config file

  1. Browse to the folder where the old test version was installed:
    C:\Program Files\MTI Film\Cortex_1_5_0_beta1_b3792

  • Copy cortex.config.xml

  • Browse to the folder where the new test version is installed:
    C:\Program Files\MTI Film\Cortex_1_5_0_beta2_b3942

  • Paste cortex.config.xml