Have lost all my image links

barbarahead · Post by **barbarahead** » 11 Sep 2009 13:12

OK I have browsed this and I have read Iain's thread about this and understand his frustration![eek].

To paraphrase:

I have all of my images of certificates and photos stored in my main drive C in FH program files ( which I did based on advice I had read here in connection wih this earlier)

When I bring up Work with external links, I see all my file links with a big X through it. Now I have read the booklet and what it says:

Quote: You can see all of the external file links in your Family Historian file, organised in a
hierarchical folder structure, in the Work with External File Links Dialog see
figure 35 below. This can be accessed by clicking on Work with External File
Links on the Tools menu.
This dialog effectively allows you to update the Linked File field in all your
Multimedia records. If you always keep all your multimedia files within the project
folder, you may never need to do this. But what if you dont? Suppose, for
example, you kept all your pictures in a folder called C:Pics and you decided to
move them into a folder called C:Family HistorianPics. You would first move the
files using Windows Explorer. You would then open your Family Historian file,
and open the Work with External File Links Dialog. The listing would show the
files in the C:Pics directory (with a cross through each file, to show that it wasnt
really there). You would click on the Pics folder and click Re-Map. A dialog with
a listing like Windows Explorer, of all the folders on your computer, would appear.
You would select C:Family Historian, and press OK. If you pressed OK again to
close the Work with External File Links Dialog, all your file links would be
updated appropriately''

NO this is not what happens - when you click remap, you get TWO choices (1) remap within Project Data Folder or (2) re map to other location.

And there ends the help because you are lost - again.

Sorry this is so long winded. [cry]

ID:3994

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 11 Sep 2009 13:17

I am not sure what answer you want, if you don't want FH to copy the files in use the Other Location option, otherwise use the Project folder option.

If you are wanting to reply on an existing thread please reply to the thread rather than starting a new one.

barbarahead · Post by **barbarahead** » 11 Sep 2009 13:36

I had a PC change in June and all media was transferred and up and running. Then the FH upgrade but now am unable to view the certificates and photos that I used to be able to.

I want to be able to do that but i don't know how to.

Since my first post, I have been investigating and went for Option 2 of remap to other location where I was able to see a listing of all my files etc. Followed the instructions but nothing has happened.

(From your answer , it is clear that you saw the choice as logical and possibly even common sense but it's not that way for all . No criticism meant by this btw)

I think one of the big issues in FH is that there is such a HUGE variation in the knowledge and understanding of the FH users. You can ask a Q here but sometimes you can't even understand the reply ( which I am sure is great! ). [eek] I am sure I am not the only person who is in this category.

If you go back to the piece that I quoted from the Book then really what is the point of giving 'half an answer' in the instructions? That s even more confusing for a novice.

I also share Iain's frustration at having to dedicate so much time to things like this this. It's not what I want to be doing.

Sorry that this might seem as one big whinge but sure I am not the only person that thinks this. Or am I? Surprised that there is actually so little in the V4 forum - has everybody just moved over with ease?

barbarahead · Post by **barbarahead** » 11 Sep 2009 13:40

I note what you are saying about not starting a new thread but it seemed ( to me) to have so many other yet related issues in it that I felt it would cloud what I wanted to ask.

Apologies.

Johnyeates · Post by **Johnyeates** » 19 Sep 2009 19:22

I moved all of my Images (scans, photos etc) to the 'Media' folder within the project folder so it is very easy to link.
When I copy the project folder to my laptop the path is obviously different so I just re-link to within the project folder.
John

bhead · Post by **bhead** » 06 Jan 2010 09:51

Thanks for your reply. I am afraid I am in the same limbo several months down the line...i.e. still do not have my media linked to the new FH.

I am afraid that I have developed a HUGE wall where FH is concerned now and as a result have not touched my work in months. I fired it all uptoday again as part of a NY resolution. I have actually been somewhat cheered up by reading that I am not the only one who is totally fed up with this!

Can you please explain to me in very simple terms how to do what you said i.e.'I moved all of my Images (scans, photos etc) to the 'Media' folder within the project folder so it is very easy to link. '

So do I go to the File, Project Window then what?

very grateful for any light you can send my way...[confused]

Bilko · Post by **Bilko** » 06 Jan 2010 11:12

Sorry BHead, but it is not easy to give you an answer with the information you have provided.

Firstly - which version of Microsoft Windows are you using ? This does have an affect on which version of Explorer is used and where the files are normally situated.

Secondly - could you say where you put your photos previously (when you used Version 3). Even if you are not sure, but allowed the program to control what happened would enable other people to provide the help you require.

Thirdly - think positively. Someone somewhere has almost always been there and had the same problem. So - if you tell us how far you have been successful and where you hit the wall (like the car I saw last night [wink]) we will try to get you back on track.

Hope this helps
Bilko

PS - if you look at the bottom of this message, there are 3 little icons. If you use the left one, it will enable you to send an email to the person who composed the message. Feel free to use this if you want help to resolve this issue.

Post by **hsw** » 06 Jan 2010 11:26

I'll make a stab at helping...

If you want to move all your media files from their current location into the project folder, you do it via Windows Explorer, not via FH. COPY the files into the Media sub-directory of the relevant project folder keeping the existing directory structure under that. (You can delete the original files once you're happy that everything works).

Once you've copied them, within FH, go to Work with External Links (under the Tools menu). You'll still see all your links with crosses against them.

Choose Re-map and then Re-map within Project Folder. Remember that you are mapping Files (or Folders) into the Folders that contain them -- so for each file you want to re-map, you select the Target FOLDER. So for example, if you moved Folder X into the MEDIA sub-directory, you re-map broken links to X to MEDIA.

Just remember, when you are adding new media in future, always tell it to put the media in the Project Folder. (And if you use GEDcom CENSUS, it won't do this in it's current version, so you will need to periodically remap those images to keep things tidy. Nick says this won't be a problem in the new version due this year).

If this still doesn't help, let me know, and I'll try to post images of the process step-by-step.

Post by **hsw** » 06 Jan 2010 12:08

OK, I've done some images anyway...

1. Broken links

[img]http://www.fhug.rjt.org.uk/images/uploa ... _links.jpg[/img]

2A. Remapping outside the project folder. You would choose this option if you wanted to leave the files where they are and just mend the links within FH.

Choose Tools > Work with External File Links. Select a directory (or a file) with a broken link and choose ReMap, then Remap to Other Location. When selecting the Target folder, chose the folder which contains the file or folder you're interested in. In this case, the BMD folder lives under the Park folder, so I remap BMD to PARK.

[img]http://www.fhug.rjt.org.uk/images/uploa ... folder.jpg[/img]

3A. The result.

[img]http://www.fhug.rjt.org.uk/images/uploads/3_Result.jpg[/img]

Repeat this for each folder of file you need to re-map. Don't forget to Save changes at the end.

2B. Alternatively, if you wish to move your media into the Project folder (which is tidier for all sorts of reasons), copy the files under the Media Folder in the Project folder using Windows Explorer; you can retain your existing directory structure under Media.

Choose Tools > Work with External File Links. Select a directory (or a file) with a broken link and choose ReMap, then Remap within Project Folder. When selecting the Target folder, chose the folder which contains the file or folder you're interested in -- usually the MEDIA folder, so in this case, I remap BMD to MEDIA.

[img]http://www.fhug.rjt.org.uk/images/uploa ... folder.jpg[/img]

3B. The result.

[img]http://www.fhug.rjt.org.uk/images/uploa ... folder.jpg[/img]

Repeat this for each folder of file you need to re-map. Don't forget to Save changes at the end.

Post by **hsw** » 06 Jan 2010 12:13

P.S. If this does actually prove useful I'll look at turning it into a Wiki article for future use, so all suggestions on how to make it more useful will be gratefully and gracefully received. (i.e. if it still isn't helping, I'll work on it some more).

bhead · Post by **bhead** » 12 Jan 2010 11:42

Firstly thanks very much for the 2 responses. Extremely helpful.

I have now been able to do some work on this . I have added some new media and this has familiarised me with the Media Folder within the Project Folder.

I also remapped my exisiting media to a new location on my new PC. This is an independent hard disc drive that my husband created for me to store these in. At this stage ( prior to my last query) we were not aware of this new Media feature.

My question now is whether it would be better in the long run to have all the media together in one place i.e. the Media Folder and I suspect the answer to that is Yes?

I'm sorry to ask what may be an obvious question but would I use the same method of remapping to move my Hard Drive Media into the Media File within the Project?

Thanks once again.Feeling a happier bunny now. [smile]
Barbara

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 12 Jan 2010 12:01

If you want to keep all your data on your independent disk the simplest solution might be to move your project folder over that disk as well (You can copy the folder in Windows) and then tell FH where it is using the More Tasks button on the Project Window).

I like to use the Media folder as it allows me to quickly copy and back up all my Family History items at once.

I have thousands of Photographs on my PC and I like to keep my Family History related ones separate in my FH media folder.

Post by **hsw** » 12 Jan 2010 12:06

Barbara,

Glad it was helpful.

It is (in my opinion) simpler to keep all your media in the Media folder underneath the project, and you'd follow the steps under 2B in the set of pictures to do this.

However, before you do this, you might want to think about where best to store the whole Project, and whether it might make sense for you to move the project to the external hard drive. I don't know exactly how you work, so can't say definitely that this would be a good idea -- but if you needed the external hard drive to hold the media for space reasons, it could make sense to move the project to the media rather than the media to the project.

Family Historian User Group