7 replies to this topic

[strathglass]

I will start by saying in the Program Options I do NOT have a value set for "Multimedia files", which might(?) affect the results, not sure.

 

My images are in directory: <GENEALOGYFolder>\<EXHIBITSfolder>

My database is in directory: <GENEALOGYFolder>\<DBfolder>

 

I downloaded a couple facts with attached (US census) images:

these ended up in a unique new folder: <GENEALOGYFolder>\<DBfolder>\<DBname>_media

 

Does this always happen? Are all Ancestry image downloads destined to go into this flat folder? Or could future image downloads go in a different directory (or new subdirectory)?
Would having a defined "Multimedia files" folder defined affect the results?

 

My main issue is I want to keep all images in my <EXHIBITSfolder>, and also keep items organized into subfolders.

One solution I see is to just move the downloaded images into my own <EXHIBITSfolder> in the desired subfolder, then use the "fix broken media links" tool.

 

This should work OK with no issues, correct?

 

What about syncing from other sites than Ancestry: will downloaded images go into the same ..._media folder that Ancestry image downloads do?

 

[strathglass]

Here is an odd finding: for the two new images I downloaded above that came along with a merged fact from Ancestry:

I already had the images in my exhibits folder linked to sources.

So to avoid duplication, I deleted the new images after first pointing RM to use the existing versions.

I.E. I went in to the media list and for each new file I edited it to instead use my existing version.

I thought it odd when doing that that it asked for a caption to put in a blank caption field ... my original version image already had a caption!?

I enter a new caption anyways.

 

The end result is the exact same image is listed TWICE in the media list, but with a different caption (and different tags).

What is going on here? How do I merge these into one entry?

[Jerry Bryan]

The behavior you describe is an accurate description of the way TreeShare works. Downloaded images go into a single,flat folder called <DBname>_media as you described. There are no options to change this behavior.

 

In the case of RM's "Multimedia files" folder, the option almost might as well exist for all the effect it has. It certainly has no effect on TreeShare. But even outside of TreeShare, you put your media files wherever you want them while working outside of RM and then you link them into RM based on where they really are. They could be nicely organized into a well managed collection of sub-folders or they could be scattered all over your hard disk. It doesn't matter to RM because it records the absolute file path to each individual media file. As such, it records all the sub-folders in the file path on a media file by media file basis, but RM really has no sense of where your media files are overall. It simply knows where each individual file is separately. So RM finds media files based on the complete file path it has recorded, not based on the "Multimedia files" folder. And even for the files that might get linked into RM via TreeShare, it doesn't really look for them collectively in the  <DBname>_media folder. It looks for such downloaded media files individually based on where the individual file is located. For the downloaded files, they will individually be recorded as being in the  <DBname>_media folder. So RM finds the correctly, but it finds them individually rather than looking for them collectively in the  <DBname>_media folder.

 

Jerry

[Jerry Bryan]

Moving media files that are linked into RM should work correctly no matter how they got linked in provided you don't rename them and provided you run Fix Broken Links after moving them.

 

I was about to say that ancestry is the only site for which RM supports this kind of automated downloading and linking of media files. But I'm not 100% sure about FamilySearch. That might be supported, but if so then I don't know how it works. You can certainly download media files from FamilySearch manually and I do it all the time. I'm just not 100% sure about automated downloads from FamilySearch. There certainly aren't any other sites for which RM supports automated downloading and linking of media files except for TreeShare as we have already discussed and except maybe for FamilySearch that I'm not sure about.

 

There are some direct import options for RM to import from TMG, Legacy, and FTM. But I think in those cases the files are already on your hard disk and that RM simply links to where the files already are. So the issues  you are asking about don't arise, except remember that RM always links media files on a file by file basis based on where they already are rather than putting them somewhere based the "Media files" option. The only exception is TreeShare which we have discussed to death already.

 

Jerry

[Jerry Bryan]

You didn't mention it, but media files downloaded via TreeShare have long and meaningless and gibberish looking names. That's not what you were asking about, but I wanted to be sure you were aware of it. I do everything associated with media files and RM completely manually so the files will be named in a reasonable fashion and will be organized into subfolders in a reasonable fashion. Other users prefer the more automated solution offered by TreeShare.

 

Jerry

[TomH]

While this page may not be applicable, you may find the background of interest. https://sqlitetoolsf...citation-media/

[strathglass]

Thanks all for the explanations: the only remaining issue is what is in my second post: that is now being discussed over at this thread:

"Find where a media file is used?"

[TomH]

Have you got your answer?