Cannot move project files

[Vadim Peretokin]

I'm trying to move my input files for a project from one location to another, so I right-click on the input file, select properties, paste new path and press Apply - and nothing happens.

I'd expect that it would save the new location and close, or report an error graphically if I did something wrong. There is nothing reported in the terminal either.

New path is "/home/vadi/Videos/OpenShot Projects/park-video-oct/title.png"

[Andy Finch (fincha)]

The Apply button is only designed to apply any changes to the 'Label' field
- that is the only updateable field in the properties window.

2009/10/22 Vadim Peretokin <email address hidden>

> Public bug reported:
>
> I'm trying to move my input files for a project from one location to
> another, so I right-click on the input file, select properties, paste
> new path and press Apply - and nothing happens.
>
> I'd expect that it would save the new location and close, or report an
> error graphically if I did something wrong. There is nothing reported in
> the terminal either.
>
> New path is "/home/vadi/Videos/OpenShot Projects/park-video-
> oct/title.png"
>
> ** Affects: openshot
> Importance: Undecided
> Status: New
>
> --
> Cannot move project files
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/458099
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of OpenShot
> Developers, which is subscribed to OpenShot Video Editor.
>
> Status in OpenShot Video Editor: New
>
> Bug description:
> I'm trying to move my input files for a project from one location to
> another, so I right-click on the input file, select properties, paste new
> path and press Apply - and nothing happens.
>
> I'd expect that it would save the new location and close, or report an
> error graphically if I did something wrong. There is nothing reported in the
> terminal either.
>
> New path is "/home/vadi/Videos/OpenShot Projects/park-video-oct/title.png"
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~openshot.developers<https://launchpad.net/%7Eopenshot.developers>
> Post to : <email address hidden>
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~openshot.developers<https://launchpad.net/%7Eopenshot.developers>
> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>

[Vadim Peretokin (vperetokin)]

That would be false, because the path is changable by the user too. The
input line should be set to 'disabled' if you wouldn't want the user to be
changing it :)

[Jonathan Thomas (jonoomph)]

The file path is editable, and we should probably change the "Apply" button
to a "Close" button instead, don't you think? After you update the path to
a file, try previewing your project and see if it works.

Thanks,
-Jonathan

On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 7:21 AM, Vadim Peretokin <email address hidden>wrote:

> That would be false, because the path is changable by the user too. The
> input line should be set to 'disabled' if you wouldn't want the user to be
> changing it :)
>
> --
> Cannot move project files
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/458099
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of OpenShot
> Developers, which is subscribed to OpenShot Video Editor.
>
> Status in OpenShot Video Editor: New
>
> Bug description:
> I'm trying to move my input files for a project from one location to
> another, so I right-click on the input file, select properties, paste new
> path and press Apply - and nothing happens.
>
> I'd expect that it would save the new location and close, or report an
> error graphically if I did something wrong. There is nothing reported in the
> terminal either.
>
> New path is "/home/vadi/Videos/OpenShot Projects/park-video-oct/title.png"
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~openshot.developers<https://launchpad.net/%7Eopenshot.developers>
> Post to : <email address hidden>
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~openshot.developers<https://launchpad.net/%7Eopenshot.developers>
> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>

[Vadim Peretokin (vperetokin)]

Yes, it should definitely be a single Close button.

[Martin G Miller (mgmiller)]

My problem is as stated above, but once the working folder is moved and you get the error on opening the project that certain files no longer exist, right clicking them to select properties does not work. Nothing happens. In fact, you can't get right click > Properties to work for any file in the project once this happens. You have to re-import the files, place them back on the time line and then click "save as", to create a new saved project. In effect, you have to recreate the entire project. Trying to do a "save", does not work. Clicking on the "Save" icon, does not generate an error message, so you think it's saving, but it isn't. If you try to close the program you get stuck in and endless loop of "Do you want to save the project?" Click yes, and try to close and it asks the same question again. If you tell it no, the program will close, on reopening that project, none of the files you just re-imported and placed on the time line will be there and all the error messages about missing files will return.

[Olivier Girard (eolinwen)]

I'm not sure to answer exactly at the question but i know (and Jonathan will confirm my thought) that if you want to move a project you must save it in the ascii format and after you can do what you want.

[madpentiste (antoine-messiah)]

I tried Cenwen solution (#6 above), but it does not work: openshot does not open other files than real osp files. An xml file, even if you name it with an osp extension, is not opened by openshot (you get an error message).
There is no real "import xml project" function which would be the reciprocal of the "export" function.

[madpentiste (antoine-messiah)]

I tried Jonathan's solution (#3), and it works. The downside is that if you have a project with a lot of files, it is cumbersome to change their properties one file at a time.

To circumvent the "one file at a time" problem, I tried to edit the osp file with various editors, but nothing worked so far. Either the editor can't open the osp file, or it can but once the file is modified and saved, OpenShot can't open it (even with a binary file editor such as GHex).

There should be a way to remedy this. It is not exceptional to move files, especially when you work on a long project and will eventually change your files organization, or will transport your project on another computer. And it precisely then that the "one file at a time" properties modification is cumbersome, since the project has likely many files.

[madpentiste (antoine-messiah)]

-
I just found another way to remedy this, which much less cumbersome that the one I described in posting #8. You must deceive openshot by making it believe that the files are still exactly where they used to be, as follows.
You create a link towards the new location, and rename it with the exact name of the old one and place it wherever openshot would look for it.
For example, say that the files where on /home/user_x/videos/directory-1/directory2/ and were moved to /home/user_x/my-openshot-projects/directory-3/directory-4/. First, you create a link towards /home/user_x/my-openshot-projects/directory-3/directory-4/ : under Nautilus, navigate until you are inside "directory-3", click on "directory-4", select in menu edition the command "create a link". This link will be labelled "link to directory-4". Rename it exactly into "directory-2" and move this link towards /home/user_x/videos/directory-1/. Thus, whenever openshot will look for the files which used to be in folder /home/user_x/videos/directory-1/directory2/, it will actually see such a folder, which happens to be a link towards the new folder instead of a real folder.