Docs · Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

"App is damaged and can't be opened" on macOS

The DMG is signed and notarized by Apple, so a healthy download opens without warnings. If you see this message, the download was likely corrupted in transit or quarantined by another security tool. Re-download from the download page and verify the SHA-256. As a last resort you can clear the quarantine flag:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Photon Ledger.app"

Windows SmartScreen says "Unrecognized app"

The installer is code-signed via Azure Trusted Signing. Brand-new releases may still show a SmartScreen prompt until download reputation accrues — click More info, then Run anyway. Verify the SHA-256 on the download page first to be safe.

Scan errored on some files

The Scan screen shows an Errored files (N) card — expand it for the per-file list of paths and reasons, or press Copy list to paste them elsewhere. Common causes:

  • Truncated FITS files (interrupted captures). Skip or repair.
  • Non-FITS files with .fits extension. Move them out.
  • Permission denied. Photon Ledger needs read access to your archive.

Scans complete even when individual files error — the dashboard reflects what was successfully indexed, and the completion toast is error-tinted when any frame failed.

The same target (or telescope) is listed twice

FITS headers spell the same object and the same gear a dozen ways — M17 vs M17_UC131, or a mount controller leaking into TELESCOP. Open the duplicate and use the ⋯ menu: Rename… changes the display name only, and Merge into… folds it into the entry you want to keep. A merge moves every session across and records the old spelling as an alias, so later scans route the old header to the surviving row instead of recreating the duplicate. Equipment cards add Reclassify for gear filed under the wrong kind.

Upgraded from a build that used a license file

Photon Ledger 1.4.0 and later include every feature without a license file — an existing one is simply ignored, and the app no longer makes license rechecks. If an older build shows a license error, download the current version.

Where are the logs?

  • macOS: ~/Library/Logs/photon-ledger/
  • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\photon-ledger\logs\
  • Linux: ~/.local/share/photon-ledger/logs/

Attach the most recent log when emailing support.