Renaming files within PTE

[JudyKay]

I have a recurring problem; I sometimes have photos in different folders by the same name coming from my lightroom catalog. The result is that I cannot create a Zip archive because of filename duplication. While the following solution is not ideal, I find myself sometimes wishing I could simply rename all the files from within PTE to resolve this problem--or at least rename the problem files. 
 

My current project has 420 slides in 10 sets of about 40 images. To rename all those files a folder at a time and then to figure out how to sort them is a lot of work.  I don't always care (with notable exceptions if updates are likely) how files are named once imported to PTE, so a way to mass rename would save me a lot of time.

Or perhaps someone already has a workable solution for this?

For now, I am renaming files in original folders and re-importing and sorting in PTE.  

 

Note: I don't always realize i have duplicate names until I try to save or backup after a lot of work is done.

[nelson]

I am following this with interest as I have had the same issues in the past.

Kieron

[jkb]

I agree this is a problem, you cannot create a Template or a backup zip.

If PTE could maybe just add the Folder name to distinguish that would help.

I have just had the same problem, but only with 70 slides.

Jill
 

[stranger2156]

As of today, I do not know the optimal solution to this problem. And here's the problem. The most annoying thing is that the program reports that one file is being duplicated at a time. And only after replacing it, he will report the next, etc. If you have a large project, as you write, and a large number of duplicates, then try the next method. First, find out which folders the duplicates are in. Then change the name of the folder with the least amount of duplicates. When you open the program again, it will show you a list of missing files. And you will give these files a new path to the un-renamed folder.
P.S. As far as I remember, ProShow Producer in a similar situation simply added the suffix _001 to the duplicates. This, of course, is not the best solution, because the number of duplicates on the computer is only increasing. Another option is to collect all project files initially into one temporary folder and take files only from it. If you still want to save the backup later, after creating it, you can simply delete the temporary folder.

Paul

[jkb]

Normally I do put all files into one folder.

In my latest project, it was a background image that was used on every slide. I was working on my laptop and had to copy the project to my desktop to give a talk over Zoom.  I had no time to go through all 70 slides to find out which one was different.

Still not sure how it happened as each slide was copied from the previous to make sure background and title text were I exactly the same place.

If  PTE could at least say which slides had duplicate folders it would help narrow down where to look.

Jill

[stranger2156]

Just a few days ago, I helped my colleague get rid of another problem. In a complex project containing not many slides, but hundreds of layers and complex configurations. He could create a backup, but it contained a dozen duplicate pictures with various suffixes. I'm not sure that the program delivered them, rather he himself got confused with the names. So, I had to clean up all the "unnecessary" directly from the project .pte file in a text editor. I just set a mask for searching and automatic replacement of duplicate images. Quite often I resort to this method of solving problems in a project, when any other way, through the O&A program editor window, can be extremely laborious. For example, when searching for missing files in any style, you mark everything with a green checkmark and show the correct path to them. You save the project and when you open it again you get the same list, with the same missing files. Only direct direct editing of the project file in a text editor helps.

Paul

[JudyKay]

How about automatically appending the right-most folder name to a duplicate file name:    [filename]_[LastFolderName].[ext]

Example: 

Assume we have conflicting duplicate filenames from different folders like this:

• D:/KomodoSlideShow/Day1/Komodo(1).jpg
• D:/KomodoSlideShow/Day2/Komodo(1).jpg

Automatically rename the corresponding files during back-up like this:

• Komodo(1)_Day1.jpg
• Komodo(1)_Day2.jpg

That would indicate where the file came from and maintain recognizable integrity of the filename. Also, files would still sort normally.

A warning would be nice, so we have some idea that files have been renamed and will no longer exactly match the originals. 

[jkb]

I had another AV which I made which featured pictures of all the Judges we have used in a Competition over the years.

My Folder structure was in Years & each image was called Judges.jpg

So I had 2014/Judges.jpg  2015/Judges.jpg  etc

Of course PTE couldn't make a Template or BIZ of this AV

In this case I cannot rename the files as I need the Folder structure for all the other files that need to be kept together by Year.

I would prefer if possible for a Prefix rather than suffix to be appended to the Duplicates.

The File Path is already present in the .pte file so it should be easy to just amend to include more of the Path to make it unique instead of just the Filename.

 

Hopefully this will be possible in a future version.

Jill

 

[wideangle]

This issue was flagged up a long, long time ago, and had some discussion, but was never addressed, presumably because of other priorities. 
Hopefully, it may be resolved, as it certainly is a hindrance. 

Regards

wideangle

[MUR]

I think that for me will be nice when something as this warning appear, click and select one of them 

MUR