When you open a drawing linked to Floorplan Live, you may see this message:
"Cannot download the floorplan from Floorplan Live because this is not the master plan. Please use the master plan, or if you want to overwrite the master plan on Floorplan Live with this one, please send this EFD file to support@eventfloorplans.co.uk"
Don't worry. This is a built-in safety feature that stops the wrong version of your drawing overwriting your live floorplan.
The digital fingerprint
To keep your drawing connected to Floorplan Live, every EFD file has a unique, hidden digital fingerprint. Each time you open your drawing, EFD checks this fingerprint against Floorplan Live. If they match, the drawing opens, everything syncs, and a new fingerprint is saved in your file for next time. If they don't match, EFD blocks the sync and shows the message above.
4 common reasons the connection breaks
Making a manual copy of the file. If you copy and paste the .EFD file and then open the copy, the copy connects to Floorplan Live and gets the newest fingerprint. The original is left with the old fingerprint, so it will be rejected if you open it later. How to safely make an offline copy: FL - Make Offline Copy
Opening the drawing as a copy. When you open a drawing, EFD locks it so nobody else can change it at the same time. If a colleague opens it while you have it open, they're asked whether they'd like to open it as a copy. If they click Yes, make changes, and then save the copy over the original, it gets a different fingerprint and is disconnected from Floorplan Live.
Cloud drive sync problems. If you store EFD files on OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or SharePoint, those services can be slow to sync. If two people open the file before the sync catches up, the cloud drive can create "conflicted copies", which breaks the link to Floorplan Live.
The delayed lock. On a cloud drive with a slow connection, the lock may not reach your colleague's computer in time, so you can both open the same drawing without any warning. The first person saves and updates the fingerprint. The second person then saves over it with the old fingerprint, and the drawing is disconnected.
How to fix it
- If you have the master plan: close this drawing and open the master plan instead.
- If this drawing should become the master plan: contact us, send this EFD file and tell us which way you want it to go: either your drawing replaces the plan on Floorplan Live, or the latest plan from Floorplan Live is copied into your drawing, which then becomes the master plan.
How to avoid it
- Tell your team when you're working on a floorplan, so nobody opens it at the same time.
- Never save a copy over the original. If you had to open a drawing as a copy because it was in use, don't save that copy over the original later.
- Use the proper copy method. Don't copy and paste the master file in your folders. If you need a separate version, copy the latest file from the Versioning folder instead (see make an offline copy).
Related help: File in use, Make an offline copy, and Open a drawing that is linked to Floorplan Live.