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    Photos (and multimedia links)

    If I copy my photo folder from its present location in Google Drive to my HD or to Dropbox, how do I "tell" Reunion to redirect ALL of the links at one time? Is it better (safer?) to keep the entire folder of photographs in Dropbox or on the hard drive?

    #2
    It all depends upon how big your picture folder is. Your HD probably would be far better. if you have the room.
    Dropbox will charge you if too big, AND ReunionTouch does not need it for pictures, as it takes snapshots of your pics from Reunion on your Mac to use.
    rMBP, 15", 2.8GHz i7, 16G RAM, Reunion 12.0, iPhone 12 Pro Max, ReunionTouch

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      #3
      You can move your photo library anywhere, as long as (a) you tell Reunion where it is and (b) the are no pictures with the same name.

      Go to Preferences > Multimedia. There is the list of folders where Reunion will look for missing pictures. Ordinarily, this will contain something like "~/Documents/Reunion Files/Media" or something like this. These would be folders inside the Reunion Files folder in your Documents Folder. If the folder in the list has sub-folders, Reunion will look there too unless you tell it not to look there in the "Never search these locations..." list. So if Reunion can't find the photo in the original location, it can try to find it in the folders you specify.

      Caution: when making wholesale changes to your Reunion family file, duplicate the file in the Finder first, so you have a functional backup.

      Suppose the folders containing all the photos on your Google Drive is called 'Reunion Photos' and you want to move it to inside the Reunion Files folder. Close Reunion, move (not copy) over the entire folder, reopen your Reunion file, go Preferences > Multimedia and add the folder you just copied over in the list of Multimedia Search Folders. Then click Repair Multimedia Links... This will take somewhere between a long time and forever as Reunion finds the new files in the new folder structure to match the old names. Reunion matches by exact name; if it can't find the exact name, it'll throw a wobbler, and if in the folder tree a name occurs more than once it'll take the first one it finds irrespective of the original folder tree structure.

      If you move the photos folder to Dropbox the idea is the same: move the folder and tell Reunion where to look for missing pictures, then repair Multimedia links.

      Be careful with file names. Some cloud drive providers limit file name lengths or characters used in file names. If this causes the file name to change when moving, Reunion will not be able to find it because the name is not exactly the same; but you can repair the link by hand afterwards.
      --
      Eric Van Beest
      Spring, TX

      Researching: Van Beest, Feijen, Van Herk

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by SGilbert View Post
        It all depends upon how big your picture folder is. Your HD probably would be far better. if you have the room.
        Dropbox will charge you if too big, AND ReunionTouch does not need it for pictures, as it takes snapshots of your pics from Reunion on your Mac to use.
        First, nothing wrong with Eric's procedural advice. If you desire to use a cloud type storage.

        However, long time experience and a ton of discussion here on ReunionTalk.... it really is better to avoid complex storage structures like the Photos app, Dropbox, iCloud, GoogleDrive, OneDrive, etc.... The main problem is that these third parties have a tendency to change their database parameters every several years AND, when they do, it usually changes the path from your photos to your family file..... resulting in a big mess.

        I have hundreds of photos living in the Reunion Pictures folder inside the Reunion Files folder. My naming convention is very simple: Doe_John_date. (The date is text, so it can be just a year, an actual date, an "about" date, etc...) (Example: Doe_John_about 1935 or Smith_Mary_9/3/1944)

        The ability to include photos was introduced with Version 6 in 1998. Somewhere in the several years after that, I started adding photos by connecting into iPhoto. Somewhere around 2004/5, Apple made a major revision to iPhoto (internal structure went from two to three databases). Blew most of my connections sky high. Being a long time IT guy, I examined and realized it was the path that got compromised. So I adopted the very direct and totally under my control path described in the previous paragraph.

        Bottom line is that in 15+ years, I have very rarely lost any links.
        Bob White, Mac Nut Since 1985, Reunion Nut Since 1991
        Jenanyan, Barnes, White, Duncan, Dunning, Luce, Hedge and more
        iMac/MacBookAir M1 - iPhonePro/iPadPro - Reunion13 & RT

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          #5
          I think Bob's advice is good. I made the mistake long ago of setting up for my genealogy photos a complicated structure of folders within folders, which I now regret, and may one day take the time and trouble to reverse. They could all sit together in Reunion Pictures, as he says. I find that in practice if one thinks to go looking for a particular photo in its Finder context, that is usually when one is already using Reunion, where an easy way of doing this is provided by 'Reveal in Finder'.

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            #6
            Bob White, I agree that it is best to keep photos and documents stored on the hard drive which I am doing (in Dropbox folder). However, in saying that as my family file continues to grow, so does the accumulation of hundreds and hundreds of photos and documents. So much so that I have been wanting to know if I can add more internal hard drive space to my Mac, and if not, then I would have to consider buying an upgraded Mac with more storage space. Do you have any other suggestions?

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              #7
              Originally posted by Mary Tait View Post
              Bob White.............. So much so that I have been wanting to know if I can add more internal hard drive space to my Mac.......... any other suggestions?
              Need to know which model of Mac and how big the current hard drive is. Do an About This Mac from the Apple menu. The first line tells the model info. Then click on the tab labeled Storage. The first device listed is your main hard drive. Tell us the number right under the device's icon including description.
              Bob White, Mac Nut Since 1985, Reunion Nut Since 1991
              Jenanyan, Barnes, White, Duncan, Dunning, Luce, Hedge and more
              iMac/MacBookAir M1 - iPhonePro/iPadPro - Reunion13 & RT

              Comment


                #8
                Bob White, I am using a Macbook Pro, 15 inch, Mid 2014. Processor = 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Colre i7; Memory = 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3; The Storage = 251 GB Flash Storage, with 75.03GB still available. I hope this is all the information you were looking for! Thanks for your help. Mary

                Comment


                  #9
                  For that model, you are max'd on memory at 16 GB. However, on storage size, this model was optioned for 256 or 512 GB or 1 TB -- in all cases being flash storage (AKA SSD). Pulling out the current SSD and installing the new SSD requires partial disassembly of the MacBook. So, unless you are familiar with taking laptops apart, you'll want a techie guy or gal to do this for you.

                  With regard to getting the work done, if needed, you will need to use a local guy/gal or local store that does Apple work. Why? This model is already "vintage" on Apple's service structure.

                  One final comment. That MacBook is 1 or 2 years from Apple considering it "obsolete." You should consider purchase of a new laptop. On one hand, updating to a 1 TB drive is going to cost toward $300 plus an hour or two of labor will push the investment close to $450 to $500. And it can't go further than Big Sur -- putting you on the short end with regard to future software updates. On the other hand, a current MacBook Air would be a low $1,000's investment; a MacBook Pro would be mid-$1,000 to low $2,000 depending on options selected.
                  Bob White, Mac Nut Since 1985, Reunion Nut Since 1991
                  Jenanyan, Barnes, White, Duncan, Dunning, Luce, Hedge and more
                  iMac/MacBookAir M1 - iPhonePro/iPadPro - Reunion13 & RT

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thanks for all that info Bob. I will inform my "ole" guy here (hubby) that I was told I "need" a new MacBook Pro. lol I am definitely not techy enough to install a new SSD card, so I feel a new laptop is needed! In the long run, I am sure that would be my best solution, because as I said earlier the pics and doc's keep adding up as the file grows. Here's another question ... once I have a new laptop, and I transfer my family files and document files into Dropbox on a new computer, will the links be broken between the docs/pics to Reunion? Will that be a problem?

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Nowadays, Apple products come with Migration Assistant. It's software that moves your files, programs, etc., from your old Mac to your new Mac. (Also has versions for iPhone and iPad) My experience is that it works very nicely most of the time. I'll guess better than 95%. If some sort of problems pops up, it will be on the new Mac. Read details about this at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204350. The new Mac walks one through the steps then one can enjoy their coffee or tea while the Macs do all the work. If you feel this is too challenging, you can make an appointment with an Apple Store to get it done (or grab your techie guy/gal).
                      Bob White, Mac Nut Since 1985, Reunion Nut Since 1991
                      Jenanyan, Barnes, White, Duncan, Dunning, Luce, Hedge and more
                      iMac/MacBookAir M1 - iPhonePro/iPadPro - Reunion13 & RT

                      Comment


                        #12
                        An external drive makes a good, low-cost, investment, and all the extra space gives me room for .tif formatted, 300 dpi scans. My setup for Reunion is to review and flag for editing and showing on my pad, doing the heavy lifting on a Mac Mini and 5k screen next to the scanners, printer, files and boxes, light boxes, etc., need for cataloging, indexing and archiving the original materials.

                        Plus, I can always take the hard drive with me for working off the Macbook.

                        Bill

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