NOT_CATALOG folder

[houndour]

Help!!!

I transferred the actinic files to my clients PC today but it's coming up with all sorts of errors and problems.

I've fixed the errors that have been stopping any web updates so at least he can update the site now.

The main thing I'm not sure about and I think I may have done wrong from the beginning is the images folder that has all the section thumbnail and product thumbnails images in. My client has this folder on his desktop and it needs to remain there because his Sage already points to this folder.

So to simulate it I also had the images folder on my desktop. Of course...what I didn't think of before is the whole thing of usernames and so mine points to c:\documents and settings\sam\desktop.... and his points to c:\documents and settings\nick\desktop

When I make a backup of Actinic does it save _all_ these images?? Because on his computer he has in Actinic\sites\site1\NOT_CATALOG\documents and settings\sam\desktop...

and all his thumbnails in actinic point to this NOT_CATALOG folder.

But I want them pointing to his desktop, so today I was changing all the paths so they were correct, but after getting half way I realised I was wasting my time as I have the "backup" and if for whatever reason he had to start again I would need to change all the paths on his actinic again!!!!

So, does actinic regardless of where the images are go in NOT_CATALOG??? or is there a 'right' way of doing it so when I give him a new backup of actinic the thumbnail images will always point to the correct folder? ie the one on his desktop?

I hope I've explained this well enough, as I've seen some responses to questions about NOT_CATALOG that makes it seem that noone knows why the NOT_CATALOG appears

Sam

[webyourbusiness]

I don't have a solution - but I think Actinic ought to have a big red warning banner when you first open it - KEEP EVERYTHING YOU NEED UNDER YOUR SITE FOLDER - woe-betide you if you ignore this warning...

it is the biggest cause of lost time and effort when we are attempting to help clients going down the DIY route... almost to the point where we're going to tell clients who have NOT done it this way that they have to fix that problem before we can help...

[pinbrook]

If I am developing a site for a client who has referenced images outside the site1 folder, I just ignore the fact i have missing images, as when the site goes back to the client (assuming the client hasn't moved the images) it all plugs together again.

Having said that on most occiassions the images in question are product images, and I rarely touch product info. If I change any catalog images i put them in site1.

[webyourbusiness]

perhaps it's something I missed in an 'upgrade' - but actinic used to refuse to load back the snapshot - citing fatal errors...

We still have clients running v3....!!!

[TraceyHand]

well, having been on the receiving end of pinbrook's sites, I can say that they do "plug togther" again just fine.
The biggest pain is that, as the OP pointed out, when exporting the snapshot, it dumps all product images into a "NOT CATALOG" folder in site 1 and then, after importing, it uploads all the new file locations (taking AGES!)
It is a pain, tbh. I can kinda see why Actinic does it but I do have a catalog where half the products draw images from "not catalog" in Site 1 and then rest from my documents.
I totally agree about the big red banner saying to store all images in the site 1 folder (my second website does just that, I learned from experience!)
Anyway, just wanted to say that the sites work fine when they come back and get imported as snapshots (well, current v7.0.2 issues aside) although the fact that they shift all the file paths from my docs to the not catalog folder is probably why.
IYSWIM?
Sorry, brain not fully functioning this morning!
Tracey

[houndour]

Sorry if I'm being completely thick (it is monday morning)...

Are you saying that there's not really a work around this NOT_CATALOG folder problems?

Thing is I actually have a copy of my clients product database and I've had to upload all the products and do the thumbnails. So even if I create a folder that has the exact same path as his, if it's outside the site1 folder, it will always create a NOT_CATALOG folder and point to this????

This will mean that I will need to manually change every single products thumbnail and re-point it to the correct place. And if his copy of actinic was to break and we had to re-install this process would have to be done again and again??

Nightmare. Please tell me I've got the wrong end of the stick.

Sam

[pinbrook]

I am pretty sure if you create a folder on your PC with exactly the same pathname as your client then this is fine since your copy will be referencing images from the same palce

Try it for one image and test it

[TraceyHand]

I am pretty sure if you create a folder on your PC with exactly the same pathname as your client then this is fine since your copy will be referencing images from the same palce

Try it for one image and test it

Actually, Jo, I don't think so.
After re-installing my V7.0.1 and iomporting my previous backup, ALL of my images are now getting pulled from the NOT CATALOG folder in Site1.
Tracey

[TraceyG]

Hi,

Let's see if I can clarify things a bit.

When creating a snapshot, if the images are kept outside of the 'Site1' folder the full path to those images is stored in the database. It then also takes a copy of the images within the snapshot and stores the path information too. So when you import the snapshot onto a different pc actinic doesn't know if that path exists. So it creates the NOT_CATALOG folder in 'Site1' and then the path information from the exporting pc (for example, 'C:\Documents and Settings\Sam\Desktop\Images\' will become 'NOT_CATALOG\Documents and Settings\Sam\Desktop\Images\' in the Site1 folder).

If you then want the paths in the software to reflect the new NOT_CATALOG folder, there is an 'Update File Paths' button at the end of importing a snapshot that will change the paths in the software to point to the new folder. Do not click this if you do not want that to happen.

I think the main problem here is that the images are kept on the desktop which has the user name in the path - would have been better maybe to keep them in a folder directly off the c: drive.

In your case Sam, could you not create a folder in 'c:\Documents and Settings\' called 'nick\desktop\images' (or whatever your client has) and put the images in there a point to that folder in the software). That way when you create the snapshot the correct path will be stored for your client. Just ensure that he doesn't click the 'Update File Paths' button when importing the snapshot.

Tracey, you must have clicked this button when importing a snapshot which is why your paths are pointing to NOT_CATALOG. You may be able to go into the database directly and replace NOT_CATALOG with c:\ in all image fields.

I hope this helps.

[TraceyHand]

Hi,

If you then want the paths in the software to reflect the new NOT_CATALOG folder, there is an 'Update File Paths' button at the end of importing a snapshot that will change the paths in the software to point to the new folder. Do not click this if you do not want that to happen.

Tracey, you must have clicked this button when importing a snapshot which is why your paths are pointing to NOT_CATALOG. You may be able to go into the database directly and replace NOT_CATALOG with c:\ in all image fields.
.

Ahhhh...so *that'* what it means!
To be honest, I thought it was the other way round (i.e it would revert back to the original filepaths) but, now you mention it, it makes sense!
I can't go back and update them all to read from my documents, there are too many.
It's quite possible that,when I get my re-design snapshot from Jo (if Actinic ever get a workaround sorted for this 7.0.2 snapshot import problem???) I can leave this box unchecked when importing and it'll revert a lot of the filepaths back again anyway.

thanks for taking the time to clarify that, Tracey
Tracey