Finding missing files

If files for a particular project are missing, Wings Vioso RX automatically detects this problem and starts searching for them. In that case, the paths saved with Wings Vioso RX no longer correspond with the actual storage location of the files and must be updated. This is what function Find missing files is for. If, however, a few project files are could not be found and are still missing, the corresponding file lines in the Media Pool are provided with a red cross at their beginnings. On demand, you can have a list of missing files written into a text file.

The project file (*.w6) does not contain any media files but only the paths leading to the corresponding locations on the hard disk! Therefore, the media must be available on your computer hard disks.

This is how you can search for the missing files:

In the main menu, click Media Pool and Find missing files...for a dialog box offering three options to appear:
Include unused files ...searches for files which are not required in the timeline.
Include external files ...searches also for files located in the Media Pool under External (any documents, PowerPoint presentations, etc.)
Include also existing files ...searches for files already available in the program which would not normally not be searched for. This option is very valuable if you want to change the path for files. However, this means that the search needs to be limited to the folder containing the file copies. This is possible in the next dialog box.

Select the corresponding options, followed by clicking on OK.

Specify how to link up with the necessary files or where to search for them:
Replace directory specification first ...works like the Find/Replace function in a word processing program and replaces the old path with the new one. This allows for a very quick update if only the path has changed but not the structure of the project within the project folder.

If you want to change only the drive name within the path name, you can enter D:\ for the former drive and H:\ for the new one, for example. If you entered D and H only, all letters D in the path would be changed to H, which would certainly not lead to the desired result. If possible, specify longer and unambiguous parts of the path name.

Search in the following directory afterwards ...causes a specific directory or subdirectory to be searched, which can considerably reduce search time.
Search on following drives afterwards ...performs a complete search of the specified drive.

It is possible to combine all three search functions. If Wings Vioso RX is not able to locate the files using the first method it will continue searching based on the next method.

Click on Select file name and enter a name and a location for saving the list of missing files. The list will tell you which files are missing. At a later time you can double-click to open it and print it, if necessary.
Click OK to start searching.

The files that are still missing after the search are marked by a red cross in the list of files in the Media Pool. Repeatedly press the key combination Ctrl and F to display one missing file after the other in the Media Pool.
Wings Vioso RX, first of all, searches for the unmodified original file. If this particular file cannot be found in the specified drive or folder, another file with the same file name is accepted. Thus Wings Vioso RX does not automatically accept the first file with the same file name it comes across.
Files can only be found when the file names have not been changed.
A modification of the contents in an external editor is also recognized by Wings Vioso RX and new display data are created automatically.
The prompt "Media Pool files are missing. Should Wings Vioso RX try to find the missing files?" now only appears when the warnings are enabled. When the warnings are disabled, no message appears and the files are not searched for. See Enabling/disabling all warnings.