Photos: consolidating them and changing the relative path

[reggoboy]

Hi folks,

I need some help here.

1) I have >500 missing files under Reports > Multimedia Usage. It seems that it's because about 6 directories up, I renamed that directory. So the first question is, is there a bulk way to fix all those?

2) A smaller number of photos are not missing, but are in a folder that is temporary and should be deleted. Short of fixing all those by hand, is there a way to "move" them within Reunion in a way that updates the database as well?

3) In general, do references to photos have to be absolute paths (including tilde)? This lengthy path is really the cause of the problem in (1). Could the path just be RELATIVE to the family file? That would be much more streamline and, more importantly, less prone to breaking if I move things around.

Thoughts??

Thanks!

Dave

[Bob White]

Have you tried the Repair Multimedia Links task?

As far as path goes, they need to be static e.g. unchanging. Not sure about the tilde; the app coder might be using that to shorten the presentation in the dialog box. Just an educated guess.

My recommendation is to put all of the photos in one place without a big complicated nest of folders within folders... just one pot! I use the Reunion Pictures folder in the Reunion Files folder. And never connect multimedia items to the Photos library. (Apple has a tendency to revise its internal structure a bit too often.) If you do a bit of searching on this forum, you will find lots of discussions about this very subject.

[reggoboy]

Have you tried the Repair Multimedia Links task?

My recommendation is to put all of the photos in one place without a big complicated nest of folders within folders...

Sorry, catching up here.

Flattening the directory could simplify things, but doesn't sound like it's a fix to this issue. If the flat folder you propose has a single thing change in its path, I will face the problem I mention here. Hence the idea about the Relative Path, which will be more immune to changes higher in the tree.

[Bob White]

"Proof is in the pudding" -- a saying I've heard uncountable times in my 80+ years. Through several Macs and several main versions of Reunion over many years, I have yet to lose a photo.

[Miss Myrtle]

In Reunion settings, under Media, in the first box add the directory path where the media SHOULD be stored. Move the media from the Temporary folder there. In the second box, add the path to the Temporary folder.

Then, run the Repair Media Links. That will tell Reunion to only look for missing media in the proper folder and not to find it in the temporary folder.

I had to do this recently when I decided to link media in reunion to my Zotero database set of its own media file.

[reggoboy]

In Reunion settings, under Media, in the first box add the directory path where the media SHOULD be stored. Move the media from the Temporary folder there. In the second box, add the path to the Temporary folder.

Then, run the Repair Media Links.

Thanks, that's helpful.

Here's what remains. Maybe I applied this photo while using ReunionTouch? Maybe I dragged from a text? I don't know. More importantly, it says it's used 1 time, but I don't see any way to find out WHERE it's used. And since the filename is useless, I'm stumped. If I knew the context in Reunion (the person), then I might be able to find the text message and fix this.
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Ideas?

[Miss Myrtle]

I’m not at my computer right now, but can you right click it and get a list of what it’s attached to?

[reggoboy]

Thanks for the tip. Not sure how I didn't see it, but there's a lower panel on that screen that gets updated to list the places a clicked image is referenced.

So then my problem shifted again: it asked me if I want help finding the missing photo, but at the same time it was showing me the photo! My guess is that it was displaying a thumbnail, but the original was gone. But at this point, the thumbnail will do. But I didn't see a way to promote the thumbnail to be the "main photo". So I dragged the thumbnail to the Finder, and then reimported it like a new photo, and deleted the old one. That will have to do :-)

Thanks!

[Miss Myrtle]

Make sure you rebuild the thumbnails after all the missing media is found.

[reggoboy]

Yea. But it's probably good that I didn't rebuild my thumbnails before today, or that one person's photo would have been gone for good :-)

Actually, I have another question: is there a way, like with Apple Music, Logic, and other apps, to have all media, by default, copied into the library folder, rather than reference it from it's current location? That will pretty much eliminate the orphaned media problem, as well as solve the bug where Reunion tried to maintain a reference to some mobile library attachment.

[Miss Myrtle]

I'm not sure I follow. It might be time to ask support for help.

[reggoboy]

Let's say you import an image to Reunion from Downloads, and then later clean up your Downloads folder. You just broke your image, because Reunion didn't really import it; it just created a link to it. If Reunion, instead, always copied/moved your media into your designated media folder, then you never run the risk of breaking links to external places that might go away. That's all. Most apps that manage media offer this option to solve this very problem. Maybe Reunion has a way to do it, but I haven't found it.

[Miss Myrtle]

Oh, I follow you now. Yes, reunion does offer that. It’s in settings the screenshot I shared earlier on this thread is where you will find that. You can choose any folder you like you just simply need to remember to put the media in that folder and not leave it in your download folder.

[reggoboy]

Yes, thanks. I have that folder set. But a few things:

1. The screen you linked is Reunion > Settings > Media Settings which appears to just be the place to look to fix broken links.

2. But there is a place where Reunion appears to let you specify the "default" location of your media: Reunion > Settings > Folder > Media. The documentation isn't clear how this works, but it says "You may designate particular folders as the default locations for particular types of files as you create, save, open, import, and export files, thereby saving time as you work with Reunion." This at least SOUNDS like when you import a file, that's where it will put it. But that's not how it works. I just tried by both drag-and-drop and the "+" feature to add a file in some temporary folder to my card in Reunion 14. The Media Report confirms that the file has NOT MOVED. It wasn't put into the folder I set under Reunion > Settings > Folder > Media; it's still in the temp folder.

So either I don't understand the purpose of Reunion > Settings > Folder > Media, and the feature I'm looking for that automatically moves media into a managed folder doesn't exist, or else there's a bug.

I guess I have to figure out how to tag the devs or open a bug report. Thanks for your help here.

[Miss Myrtle]

Reunion won't physically move the file. You must do that. So rather than download a file to your Downloads folder, download it to your Reunion Media File folder.