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renaming a file


DylanAmick

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Hello all,

 

I am programming a show in watchout right now, a few days ago I had a file corrupt and lost a great deal of work; since then I have been saving a copy of the file as a different name each day to prevent content from being lost. 

 

I have noticed however that if I ever try and load one of the show files that was saved as a "Copy as" file, it is unable to find a rather large chunk of the media in the show, but it is able to find somethings. So yesterday I tried to simply rename the same watchout file, and I had a similar problem-it could find a great deal of the media but not all of it. What is the best way to save the watchout file under a different name like "Watchout Show X Final"?

 

I read somewhere else on the forum that whenever you save a copy as, it wants to be in its own folder, with nothing else but the folder of its cache files. I read this after creating three different copies of a very large show, so I then created folders with the same name as the files, and put the correlating files in these folders. I have not had time to open them since doing this, does this seem like it will solve my problem? Or do the folders need to exist before you save the copy as? And even with that, is there a way to change the name of your showfile, without it taking thirty minutes to load when you open next, and keep all of it's media properly linked?

 

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Dylan.

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Hello all,

 

I am programming a show in watchout right now, a few days ago I had a file corrupt and lost a great deal of work; since then I have been saving a copy of the file as a different name each day to prevent content from being lost. 

 

I have noticed however that if I ever try and load one of the show files that was saved as a "Copy as" file, it is unable to find a rather large chunk of the media in the show, but it is able to find somethings.

 

Perfectly normal when you put the copy in a different location than the original .watch file.

All of your relative media references will break, all your absolute media references will retain.

 

So yesterday I tried to simply rename the same watchout file, and I had a similar problem-it could find a great deal of the media but not all of it.

 

That makes no sense. Are you sure the errors did not exist in the file before you renamed it?

We did see something along these lines when a customer was putting the .watch file and media files

in the 'Shows' folder created  by WATCHOUT. Do not put anything into the Shows folders created by WATCHOUT,

make your own folder and call it anything else (Customer shows, my shows, etc.)

 

What is the best way to save the watchout file under a different name like "Watchout Show X Final"?

 

You could use 'File - Save a Copy As' and place it in the same location as the original and 

it should perform exactly the same as it regards to media links,

granted it will transfer new copies of all media to new a new show folder on the displays.

 

I read somewhere else on the forum that whenever you save a copy as, it wants to be in its own folder, with nothing else but the folder of its cache files.

 

You are mixing up two different functions on the File menu - 'Save a Copy As ...' and 'Consolidate To ...'

When you use 'Consolidate To' you target an empty folder,

'Save a Copy As' can go anywhere, but don't expect it to work properly from any location other than the orignal .watch file location.

People who save to alternate folders move the file to the correct location before attempting to open it.

 

'Save a Copy As' is good for back up a .watch file

'Consolidate To' is good for moving a show and all its media to a new location.

 

'Consolidate To' copies all media and translates all media links so that they are portable and will not break when opened in a new locaiton.

'Save a Copy As' makes no changes to the media links, they are preserved as in the original.

 

 

I read this after creating three different copies of a very large show, so I then created folders with the same name as the files, and put the correlating files in these folders. I have not had time to open them since doing this, does this seem like it will solve my problem?

 

Probably not.

 

Or do the folders need to exist before you save the copy as?

 

No. And the file save dialogs in 'Consolidate To' allow you to create a new empty folder as part of the process.

 

And even with that, is there a way to change the name of your showfile, without it taking thirty minutes to load when you open next,

 

No.

 

and keep all of it's media properly linked?

 

That should be no problem if the above is followed.

 

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Dylan.

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