Media Files & Subfolders
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The Family Historian vs Legacy topic talks extensively in terms like:
But the thread doesn't explain how to do it! It also focuses on a wide range of sub-topics relating to importing, customizing sentences media linking tool et cetera. I'd really like to split my 600+ entry Media folder into subfolders; relating them to B, M and D's, together with the 1841 to 1921 censuses for a start. Should I do this from within FH? Or can I simply open my Project Media folder in my two-pane file manager and create folders: filling them with drag and drop from the main Media folder? Is there a risk here? Or will the `Media Linking Tool' find them all afterwards? A good full backup beforehand seems appropriate! |
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colevalleygirl@colevalleygirl.co.uk
"Can I simply open my Project Media folder in my two-pane file manager and create folders: filling them with drag and drop from the main Media folder?"
Yes. Then use Tools > External File Links > Auto Repair Links. A good backup is always best for peace of mind. |
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I can second colevalleygirl, just do it. When fixing links FH progressively widens the search to cover all drives attached and of course folders. You will see in my short video FH re-established links on M:, I have 9 physical drives. So don't worry, go ahead and build the media folder structure you want to maintain. Mine is mainly main family name with subs for birth, baptism, marriage, death, census. I also have a folder within my Genealogy folder for Cemeteries with subs for specific burial photos, your plan may well be different. The thing I know is commonly missed is to uncheck the box on import if maintaining your own folder structure is your preference. Jackson On Tue, 6 Sept 2022, 17:21 Geoff Johnson, <geoff@...> wrote:
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"Then use Tools > External File Links > Auto Repair Links." Am I missing something? I am surprised it doesn't have me narrow the search, that has been pretty standard in Windows programs since forever. I am not even really sure which folders it searched it seemed to find the files at about 5000+ I know there are more folders than that on my drive. Randy |
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colevalleygirl@colevalleygirl.co.uk
From the Help: "The search will begin with the current project folder, and ripple outwards from the current project, eventually including other fixed drives on your PC if necessary (and if there are any)."
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Randy, My understanding is FH progressively widens the search whilst there are still broken links to be resolved. In my short video you will see FH re-established some links on M:, a removable drive, I have 9 drives in total on my system. On Thu, 8 Sep 2022, 18:33 RandyC, <randy@...> wrote:
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On Thu, Sep 8, 2022 at 10:40 AM, colevalleygirl@... wrote:
"The search will begin with the current project folder" I see, it is designed for the default project folder and since I have left mine in my original folder set up, like you have Jackson, it has to search further. That is just the way CP has it set up.
Thank you both for your response, it is a bit clunky for me but it works! that's what matters. |
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Randy, when you are just moving a small number of files and you
already know exactly where they are, you might find it's just as
quick to use the Re-Map operation instead of Auto
Repair Links. This is from the Help file:
"This button allows you to re-map any link to a file onto the file's actual location (if the file is not where it is supposed to be). But more than that it allows you to select any target folder (folder which is included as part of the targeting for any number of links) and re-map this folder onto the correct location. For example, if you 're-map' the folder 'Pictures' from within folder 'C:\Media' to within folder 'C:\Family Historian\Media', then all file links which previously had stored file names that began 'C:\Media\Pictures\…' will now store file names that begin 'C:\Family Historian\Media\Pictures\…'. Re-map works with multiple selection......It also allows you to map links to locations outside the current Project Data Folder, to inside it, and vice versa. " |
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Question: I would like to limit FH's search to a specific root photo folder and only folders nested under it.
No one yet, has said where the Media folder is within a Project. I see one under my Documents Folder where Projects apparently reside. Following the example of the Sample Project, I recreated the folder structure which includes Media. Relinking still brings in files from all over, and places them in Media. Am I supposed to manually move Census, Certificate, and other files to their respective folders under Media? What a mess. Comment: Why does FH, and every other genealogy program, copy files? Can it not use their existing locations, and not copy files? I do not want FH finding files left over from old websites in unrelated drives and folders, creating duplicates, triplicates, and so on. With Legacy, I could at least control which Drive and Folders it looked at for media files. -- Mark Trevithick |
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If the Project name is MyHistory then the Media folder is at: …\Family Historian Projects\MyHistory\MyHistory.fh_data\Media\ That is explained in the FHUG Knowledge Base ‘Understanding Projects’ ~ Project Structure: https://fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/understanding-projects/
As has been said several times in this topic, you can choose to keep FH Media wherever you prefer. FH does not ever move actual Media files. It only ever adjusts Media record links that point to Media files. You don’t have to move files anywhere. They can continue to reside anywhere on your PC. (There are some benefits of keeping Media files within the Project but it is not mandatory.)
FH does NOT copy Media files unless you instruct it to. If you choose the appropriate options it will use their existing locations. FH itself does NOT create duplicates, triplicates, etc.
When you choose to add a new Media file to FH its default option is: <Default Location within Project Folder> But you can change that to: <Don’t copy – link only> and the existing location is used. Also, the Location… button allows a subfolder within the Project Media folder to be chosen/created.
FH is one of the most flexible products in managing Media files held anywhere on your PC. Perhaps because it offers so many options, it requires a little practice to use them all appropriately. Use the Help button available in most dialogues for an explanation of the options.
Mike Tate
From: family-historian@groups.io <family-historian@groups.io> On Behalf Of trevithick
Sent: 08 September 2022 21:56 To: family-historian@groups.io Subject: Re: [family-historian] Media Files & Subfolders
Question: I would like to limit FH's search to a specific root photo folder and only folders nested under it. |
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Yes Lorna, I did give Re-Mapping a try, it is a bit tedious in that it doesn't remember which folder you re-mapped the last media. The last genealogy software I used, always remembered where I went looking for the last media, even after I shut it down. It also had a preferences screen to set which folders you kept different things like media. |
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Whilst I am not fully understanding some of the problems this discussion points out some valid "user friendliness" issues and they should be put forward and progressed on the right platform. There are many FH experts available (I am not one) but one should not need to be a mechanic to get the car down to the shops. I agree with Mike Tate that FH is a very flexible media management tool especially post 7.0.15 update but there are workflow snags. I have just hit one such snag and and will research it further before publishing it. In my case if there are less than obvious options i am simply not finding them. I'm sure CP want their program to be easily accessible to any migrants, I would prefer the FHUG and Wish List for such structured discussions but maybe long time FH users would have a different view. Jackson On Fri, 9 Sept 2022, 16:52 RandyC, <randy@...> wrote:
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On Thu, Sep 8, 2022 at 06:02 PM, Mike Tate wrote:
Understanding Projects’ ~ Project Structure:Thank you very much Mike! I am going to read the article "Understanding Projects’ ~ Project Structure:". I'm sure it will be beneficial. Since I am relatively new to FH, it's flexibility, and default options that I am unaware of, though I've hunted, are surely at the bottom of this. The fault surely lies on my shoulders, an I am attempting to get started of correctly. That isn't as simple as it seems. Blessings, Mark Trevithick |
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Mark,
Your messages got me wondering and curious, I have always deselected the copy media option except once I was in a rush so I have done it again.
Media list will reassign the path name to Media within the FH project and your original files will still be available in your original folder structure, so FH copies them and therefore duplicates the files. An exception you will see in the combined with and without media copy, the exceptions are those with broken links.
From memory Heredis insists on copying media but doing some searching I found some old FH media copies prefixed with a numeric, I can’t pretend to know why.
Legacy was a program I never warmed to so I can’t really make comparisons, I gave them the chance to have their product compared and included in any of my videos, they declined. For me that was good because I did not need to invest time becoming familiar but still I don’t like making a decision to exclude any product from comparisons and therefore showing a bias elsewhere.
Jackson
From: family-historian@groups.io [mailto:family-historian@groups.io] On Behalf Of trevithick
On Thu, Sep 8, 2022 at 06:02 PM, Mike Tate wrote:
Thank you very much Mike! |
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Mark, I’m not sure what points you are trying to make.
Yes, FH will copy in files initially if you explicitly select an option that tells it to copy into the Project. But it never copies files otherwise and certainly never renames them or changes their folders.
If certain rules are followed then FH should not only copy the files into the Project but will also reproduce the folder structure. When importing using GEDCOM the file must be in the same folder as the root of the Media files. I think that when using direct import the Media folders will always get reproduced.
The broken link examples in your 1st screenshot are where there is no Media file in the original location. So there is nothing that can be copied and FH retains the original File Path.
Your 2nd screenshot shows a file in the Project Public Export folder. That was created (probably along with many others) by the Export Gedcom File plugin to make the Media compatible with the destination product. Yes, that adds a prefix to multiple variants of the same FH Media to cope with the various Face Frame cropped subsets. Again that is to satisfy a specific user request and those Media are NOT part of the Project database. i.e. They have no associated Media record and are not in the Project Media folder.
I hope that explains the exceptions you posted.
Mike Tate
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