Help with Scid vc PC

I've been using this program for a while now but my understanding of it is very limited and I find it REALLY confusing.

I downloaded all my live games in 9 PGN files of 50 each (I can't get the site to download all at once, which would solve the issue) and I want to combine them all into one database that I can search with scid.

I thought I could just use the export pgn option to add them all together, but it doesn't work. When I try to add two PGNs each containing 50 files I end up with one PGN containing two files - one from each.

I eventually figured out that I could drag and drop each PGN file onto the database switcher, from windows explorer, but when I try to add them I'm told they are read only and can't be changed.

Could some kind person give me step by step instructions on how to build a 400+ database from 9 read only PGN files? I think I'm close, but so far have no bananas!

I really haven't used ScidvPc much at all, so I don't have much of a working knowledge of it. But I think I know enough to give a basic answer. The program can't merge two pgn files. Scid CAN change a single-game pgn file, but if a pgn file consists of multiple games, it can only treat it as read-only.

So you'll have to do this in one of two ways - (1) Either merge the pgn files manually using a a text editor meant for large files (or a pgn utility program that can merge pgn files), or (2) convert the pgn files to Scid format first (see the Help file), then merge the Scid files. Once you have one big Scid file, you can always export the Scid file back to a pgn file if you want.

Thanks EscherehcsE (You must love palindromes!)

You're right. The Scid databases turn out to be in a completely different format, and you have to start a new database into which you import the pgn files. I found a video on You Tube ("Scid vs PC tutorial") from 2011 by one of our members here (Vladamir Duce) which explains it all, and for the first time I think I understand it. I've sent him a thank you note.

So it took me most of the day, but I now have my database, can analyse all my games and find out what I did wrong.

Cheersreehc Escheehcse

Darn!  I wish I would have seen this post earlier.

You don't need a chess gui to merge all of your pgn files into one.  You don't need a program at all.  You can do it with a simple, one-line DOS batch file.

(1)  Make sure all of the pgn files you want to merge into one are in the same folder, and there are no other pgn files in that folder.

(2)  Open NotePad or TextPad (or any text editor) and create a text file with this line:  copy *.pgn allyourgames.pgn

(3)  Save this text file in the same folder as your pgn files, and give it a .bat extension.  (Call it merge.bat) for example.

(4)  Run this batch file.  (Double-click on this merge.bat file from Windows Explorer, for example.)

That's it.  Your'e done.  Every PGN file found in the folder will be merged into one pgn file, called allyourgames.pgn.

(This is an old DOS trick, something I picked up about 26 years ago.  DOS commands and DOS batch files still come in handy sometimes.  It's the 6th example on this page.)

well, u answered early enough for me to benefit! .. TY so much!!