Pte Project Reporter

[nobeefstu]

Pte Project Reporter - A new tool for PicturesToExe

Easily scan, display, and view major details of your PicturesToExe v5+ slideshow .pte project files in one simple step. Save the project details to a Project Report txt and html file(s).

For all those users who want to view and document the major details of their pte slideshow for record retention ... or whatever. Especially useful to new users who want to grasp the inner workings and settings their pte file makes of their slideshow.

Troubleshooting ? Save a Project Report and upload the report txt file to the forum ... so the experts here can better help you identify some of your slideshow image issues and settings.

Pte Project Reporter is simple to use and has many nice features. And of course ... its Free !!!

* But most ... My warmest graditude to my friends for testing and suggestions ... Ralph (Hawk), Ken (Ken Cox), and Robert (LumenLux) ... and Bill (cottage) of beechbrook.com for hosting, all of whom helped to make this program possible!

Find it hosted at Beechbrook.Com - PTE Presentations :

Pte Project Reporter

http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/

Enjoy.

See Sample Report txt below

PteShow_Report.txt

[RayC]

Hi there,

This is Fantastic tested two shows on my Vista Laptop and everything works perfect.

Thanks for a great Tool.

Ray

Added

one question Should we be able to go from the Thumb Folder to be able to open an existing report inreporter

Thanks again. Ray

[fh1805]

Stu,

This is a wonderful tool!

In the text files that accompany the program you ask for feedback about it so here goes:

I threw it in at the deep end and gave it a project with 100762 data lines in the project file. For info: the scan took about 12-14 minutes on an Intel Core2 Duo 2.33GHz PC with 2GB of RAM running under Vista Home Premium SP1 with nothing else happening. The scan speed was not uniform throughout. It was noticeable that the further it got into the scan the slower the scan process became.

Whilst it was scanning I couldn't minimize the window. On long scans like this one it would be nice to be able to do so.

After the scan had finished but before the Scan Complete pop-up window had appeared, there was a noticeable "twitch" of the main window. It moved a few pixels to the right and a few pixels down. As the Scan Complete pop-up appeared, the main window twitched back to its previous position (i.e. to the left and up).

Some prompts on each of your icons when the mouse is hovered over them would be nice. You know what they each do, but a new user doesn't! You and I both know from the PTE Forum that users don't read the instructions or help files - not even when they can't make it work!

And now to two questions that are specific to the file it analysed:

In the Scan Complete pop-up it reported "Image-Audio-Files: Missing". None of my projects use sound files associated with a single slide. Is it actually trying to tell me that there are no sound files associated with individual slides? If so, wouldn't "Image-Audio-Files: Not used" be a better phrase. To me, missing means I have coded references to some but the files are not where they are supposed to be.

Finally, the summary reports that there are: File Positions = 2211 (2209 Found, 2 Missing). How do I set about tracking down what these two missing things might be?

With v4 of PTE I used to use a combination of Sy(P) output and Excel spreadsheet to document what was in a sequence. This tool of yours is going to make the documentation process so much easier. It's brilliant! Many thanks for all your efforts in coding and testing it - and providing it FREE!

regards,

Peter

[fh1805]

Further to my previous post...

I'm giving your program the ultimate test - the project file for "Kaleidoscope"! This sequence runs for only 4 minutes and 9 seconds, uses just seven unique images but has over half a million lines of code in the pte file - 529432 to be precise! I started the analysis going at 11:56GMT. The first 25K lines were analysed by 11:58GMT. The next 75K lines took it up to 12:09GMT. The next 100K lines took it up to 12:41GMT. The halfway point (at 265K lines) was reached at 13:12GMT.

I am not predicting when, or even if, it will finish successfully - but I'll give it every chance to do so and report back.

regards,

Peter

[fh1805]

Well, I must say I am impressed by the sheer dogged determination of this program!

It reached the 300K lines mark at 13:32GMT, the 400K mark at 14:44GMT and the end point (529432 lines) at 16:47GMT. A total run time of just under 5 hours - but on something of an exponential curve for elapsed time.

At the end it then threw out a pop-up to the effect that "The list file is too big"

There were 13175 images counted by the program and therefore your field width (which is only four digits wide) was overrun and the number spilled over onto the window border - but it kept counting them!

I don't know whether you want to modify your code to be able to handle pte files of this size and complexity but if you do, please contact me off-forum by e-mail. Drawing upon my ex-Computer Programmer skills I think I know the sort of thing that is going on inside your code to cause the exponential run time.

But, in all fairness, I didn't expect the program to complete. I expected a crash of some kind. All credit to you, Stu, for a program that is as resilient as hell!

regards,

Peter

[LumenLux]

Stu,

This is a wonderful tool!

In the Scan Complete pop-up it reported "Image-Audio-Files: Missing". None of my projects use sound files associated with a single slide. Is it actually trying to tell me that there are no sound files associated with individual slides? If so, wouldn't "Image-Audio-Files: Not used" be a better phrase. To me, missing means I have coded references to some but the files are not where they are supposed to be.

F

regards,

Peter

I tend to agree that the suggested verbage may be better. In original testing my first reaction was the same as Peter's. But as I soon understood the meaning, I forgot to mention it to you, Stu.

[nobeefstu]

Ray.

one question Should we be able to go from the Thumb Folder to be able to open an existing report inreporter

Thanks again.

No provision was made to import the project report back into the program. I didnt see the need read the saved report internally ... when it can be as easily read externally. I suspect you would like to see the saved report displayed the same as when pte was loaded.

Glad to hear it worked ok on your Vista ... I really dont know many people who use Vista. Thanks

Peter,

I will just address some of your questions now ...

I threw it in at the deep end and gave it a project with 100762 data lines in the project file.

I knew I could count on you giving it a torture test with your mega shows. Yes, The scanning scheme(s) is progreesively slower as the data lines mount up. I have early beta tested alot faster schemes (360 slide, 951 images @ 54520 Data Lines in 15+sec) ... but they were inconsistent and buggy in loading the slide/ slide option list to memory, the other lists were just fine cause they arent loaded into memory. I decided to stick with the slower bullet proof scheme(s) till its sorted out.

I'm giving your program the ultimate test - the project file for "Kaleidoscope"! ... At the end it then threw out a pop-up to the effect that "The list file is too big"

Im surprised it made it that far ... your swap/ page file was probably having a fit trying to the load the slide list into memory.

On long scans like this one it would be nice to be able to do so.

If I allow users to minimze on long scans so they are able to invoke other pc processes ... scan errors could occur and the scan time greatly extended.

Popups ...You and I both know from the PTE Forum that users don't read the instructions or help files - not even when they can't make it work!

They better start ... Popups irratate me to no end ... and a poor excuse not to read. No wonder 90% of Photoshop owners dont know how do use 90% of Photoshop featues.

Actually, after a few goes with reporter ... its easier than making coffee.

Robert & Peter

"Image-Audio-Files: Missing" .... wouldn't "Image-Audio-Files: Not used" be a better phrase.

There are 1 of 3 results displayed on file(s) missing

Image-Audio-Files: Missing .. the text, File Position status, and the Missing List button turns yellow ... indicating caution there are Files that are missing.

Image-Audio-Files: All Found .. the text, File Position status, and the Missing List button turns green ... indicating all your files were found.

Image-Audio-Files: All Missing.. the text turns yellow, File Position status, and the Missing List button turns red ... alerting you all your files are missing.

The Missing warning does not sort or identify any specific file type category. I dont see where the' Files Not Used' applies in this case. Maybe just seeing the Missing throws you off. I guess It could of said ... Some Missing ?

Ok for now ... Ill get the other questions a little later ... thanks All !!!

[fh1805]

Stu,

Robert & Peter

There are 1 of 3 results displayed on file(s) missing

Image-Audio-Files: Missing .. the text, File Position status, and the Missing List button turns yellow ... indicating caution there are Files that are missing.

Image-Audio-Files: All Found .. the text, File Position status, and the Missing List button turns green ... indicating all your files were found.

Image-Audio-Files: All Missing.. the text turns yellow, File Position status, and the Missing List button turns red ... alerting you all your files are missing.

The Missing warning does not sort or identify any specific file type category. I dont see where the' Files Not Used' applies in this case. Maybe just seeing the Missing throws you off. I guess It could of said ... Some Missing ?

I think you have missed the point I was trying to make. All my sequences have just one soundtrack file that is added via Project Options...Music tab. All the files (of any kind) for any one sequence are stored together in a folder that is unique for that sequence. That sequence folder is just an "umbrella" folder; beneath it are folders for Images, Music, Voice-Over, Soundtrack and Planning. It is in these sub-folders that the actual files are to be found.

The point I was trying to make in my original post and am now labouring to make clearer to you is this:

- I believe, because of the way that I manage my files for each of my sequences, that it is impossible for any of my sequences to have any of their files missing.

Therefore, when your program reported "Image-Audio-Files: Missing", I was left somewhat baffled as to what it was trying to tell me. My conclusion on seeing that text was that it was trying to tell me that I had not assigned a sound file to any of the individual slides. If that is what it was trying to tell me then I feel that the use of the word Missing in this context is misleading to the user. If, on the other hand, it genuinely felt that it could not find a sound file in the place where I had said it should be, then that is perhaps a more serious concern for us both. Because we would then have the situation where either I genuinely have got a missing file (a problem for me) or your program has made an error during its analysis (a problem for you and all other users of this wonderful tool).

I need to get a totally clear understanding of just what the program is trying to tell me. And if there is any possibility of an error in your program, I want to help you to understand that error condition so that you can set about fixing it, if you wish to.

regards,

Peter

[nobeefstu]

Peter,

I think I see now. It may falsely reported ... especially if it relates to slide baclground images. Igor has a old bug in background reporting within the pte file he mentioned to fix. Read reporter help txt at bottom for comments of ths possible issue. But it shows up rarely

Click the yellow color button in Projects Reports panel beside the Image-Audio-Files: Missing text label. This brings up the [Project - Missing Files List] report sub section.

or

Just double-click any of the items in the Project Report slide list (top list) to expand the panel .... then click the bottom right Missing List button. There is where you will the file positions Reporter found as missing.

Note:

I have also had very rare cases of miss reports also. The issue I found was reporter was not correctly parsing the pte line data during scan. The data reporter will show in its list will be somewhat of lines merged and wont represent a file or file path at all. My files that gave these false reports were not totally generated by PTE ... but with PZR Transistions tools or man handled by me using copy and paste practices. These cases will most likely show some false reporting ... and may also be yours.

Here is example what my missing files falsely reported:

[slide28] Main Image=1

Picture=G:\Tools\dvd burn mark\Copy of IMG_1884.jpg ( X )

This counted as 2 missing

It should read :

[slide28] Main Image=G:\Tools\dvd burn mark\Copy of IMG_1884.jpg ( X )

Count as 1 missing

*Im not sure what exactly whats causing this. Pte data is correct ... it may be a whitespace issue in my parse ... trying to sort it out.

[fh1805]

Stu,

I've been playing around with your program some more on smaller and simpler sequences of mine and I think I now understand what "Image-Audio-Files: Missing" really means. But I've also found something which confuses me still further - not a bug in your program or anything like that!

Firstly, I believe I was trying to read too much into the phrase "Image-Audio-Files". Your use of this phrase means, "Image and/or Audio Files". So when you append the word "Missing" you mean that one or more of the Image files or one or more of the Audio files could not be found where the drive/path information said it should be.

Now that I've grasped this meaning I'm happy with the three possible outcomes for it.

The new confusion has come about as a result of running the program against a sequence for which it reported "All Missing". This sequence Previews perfectly, so I know that nothing is missing. When I studied the text report file for this project, I spotted that all the path details were to an old pathname (I had, at some point in the past, done some restructuring of my folders and had renamed the folder at the level above the one in which the PTE project file resided).

In Reporter's text file, not only were all the image file paths wrong, so was the music file path and the PTE project file path. I decided to proceed with caution. I thought: let's change the music file path by opening the PTE project, Remove-ing the music file and then adding it back in. This, I thought, should change the path reference for the music file and Reporter should now say "Missing" instead of "All Missing" because the music file will now be OK but all the rest will still be bad. How wrong could I be! When I ran Reporter against the newly saved PTE project file it now came back and said "All Found".

Correcting just the one entry (for the music file) has somehow propagated that change to all the other entries.

I know this is not a fault in your program, but can you throw any light on what PTE is doing "under the covers" as it were.

regards,

Peter

[nobeefstu]

Peter

Firstly, I believe I was trying to read too much into the phrase "Image-Audio-Files". Your use of this phrase means, "Image and/or Audio Files".

Ive play with this Image-Audio-Files in many diff text responses. It use to display Project Files : Missing or etc. I believed the use of word Project would confuse users with their own pte project file.

So the end result was to use Image-Audio-Files to address images files, audio files, or any other files (such as icons) to generally include any file pte uses externally.

In Reporter's text file, not only were all the image file paths wrong,

Reporter does 2 things to get ptes files used.

-First : it reads what is exactly documented in the pte file. This is ptes doucumented full file path that was saved. If that file is found it uses it. It reports its file string used.

-Second : if above files doucumented full file path is missing .... it then proceeds to find it in ptes undocumented relative path. ( this relative path is not written in pte file ... its just files that are relative to the pte file) If it finds it ... it uses it and reports the relative file string used with *RFP at the end.

So in the end if both above fail to find the file ... it reports only the documented full file string as written in pte ... not the undocumented relative file path because its a assumed file location.

Open your pte file in a text editor ... read its documented full file path. Now open pte file with Pte ... see if that says the same path. If it does not say the same thing ... pte is using a undocument relative file path. That relative file use will only be documented when pte file is resaved.

Let me know your findings on this ... Pte does think on its own on these matters on the fly without documenting it until its actually resaved.

Stu

[fh1805]

Let me know your findings on this ... Pte does think on its own on these matters on the fly without documenting it until its actually resaved.

Stu,

I've taken a look at two more sequences. In both cases Reporter stated: All Missing. In both cases, opening the .pte file in Notepad showed that the pathnames were all the old, out of date ones. In both cases, opening the project in PTE showed that PTE was using the latest path locations.

When I saved one of them (without making any changes at all), PTE must have updated the path details because now, when I take this project file into Reporter it says "All Found".

regards,

Peter

[nobeefstu]

Peter,

I've taken a look at two more sequences. In both cases Reporter stated: All Missing. In both cases, opening the .pte file in Notepad showed that the pathnames were all the old, out of date ones. In both cases, opening the project in PTE showed that PTE was using the latest path locations.

Were these latest file path locations relative to the pte file itself ? I can only guess that if pte is not using the documented full file paths or the relative file paths and still is finding them ... this may be a template file and /or is using a WnSoftFolderInfo.ini instruction sheet that is finding its files by other instructions or means known to pte. (Igor would have to explain pte's other ways to locate files.)

Reporter does not identify, search, or use WnSoftFolderInfo.ini instruction sheets (normally a hidden file).

I do know that template files check and use the relative path first ... then the documented file path to locate files. Whereas normal files and backup files check and use the documented file path first ... then the relative file path.

When I saved one of them (without making any changes at all), PTE must have updated the path details because now, when I take this project file into Reporter it says "All Found".

Yes ... because now the actuall file paths are documented when saved ... no changes to pte file are necessary.

[fh1805]

Stu,

Sorry for the few days delay in replying

...Were these latest file path locations relative to the pte file itself ?...

I don't know how PTE found its way to the images. My standard folder structure for each AV Sequence is as follows:

AV-Sequence-Title

- Images

- Music

- Planning

- Soundtrack

- Voice-over

The PTE file sits directly under AV-Sequence-Title, the image files sit under the Images folder.

...this may be a template file...

All my sequences are based upon a customized template that is just an empty project file, but with my preferences for Project Options set

...WnSoftFolderInfo.ini...

I hadn't heard about this file until you mentioned it, so have no idea whether it is being used or not

regards,

Peter

[Nettleton]

Looking forward to trying this when I get back from holiday next week (Off to Majorca tomorrow in search of some sun - UK residents will know why!!) -Nettleton