* Export media structure

[craigmollekin]

Hi,

I converted one of my Gedcoms to a Project. I had the media links in my Gedcom grouped into categories such as Residences, Churches and Streets etc etc. When I converted to the Project, FH decided to bung all the media into one folder entitled Media and changed all of the media links in the Gedcom too. The media links which were in the original Gedcom were important to a website that I host. Now that all of the media links have changed, the media on my website cannot be viewed and I'm talking of thousands of images and links.

Is there a way to restore the media links from a previous Gedcom and import them?

Kind Regards,

Craig Mollekin

ID:6654

[tatewise]

The GEDCOM file you convert to a Project must reside in a Windows folder that contains the Multimedia folder hierarchy.

Within FH see File > Project Window > Tips for New & Upgrading Users > Notes for Upgrading Users > I have my own system for organising multimedia files. If I create a new project and let Family Historian copy my multimedia files into the new project folder, will it just copy them all into one subfolder? where there is fuller explanation.

Also note that the Multimedia file links will change from Absolute paths to Relative paths, which may affect your website.

[PeterR]

Craig,
The original GEDCOM file, from which you created the project, should still be where it was before, unaltered by the project creation process.  It will contain the same links as before, and the relevant media files should also be where they were before, since FH will only have placed copies in the new media folder.

[craigmollekin]

Thanks for your reply, Tatewise, but is there a way to restore the links from a Gedcom previously backed up?

I deleted the project a while ago and only have the Gedcom now, complete with the project media paths. But I need to some how restore the correct/original paths from a Gedcom prior to when I created the project. Whilst data has been updated in the Gedcom, I know that the media hasn't.

[craigmollekin]

Thanks, Peter. Unfortunately the Gedcom and Gedcom backups created since creating the project all contain the new project media paths.

[tatewise]

The snag is that:
(1) The GEDCOM Multimedia links must be changed.
(2) The actual Multimedia files must be moved into a matching folder hierarchy.

Just changing the GEDCOM Multimedia links will simply point FH to non-existent files.

However, there may be a way forward, but I advise strongly that you experiment on COPY of your Project.

The first step is to somehow MERGE your old Multimedia Records into the current Project.
See File > Merge/Compare File but take care that only Multimedia tab records are changed and no other Record types.
An alternative might be to use a text editor on the GEDCOM files and replace all the current 0 @O999@ OBJE records with the old ones.

The second step is to use the Check and Repair Media Links Plugin, which should move the Multimedia files into the desired folders.

As warning to others who may be following this thread, double check your new Project structure, and everything that depends on it, before discarding your old data.
Also review all the available Help topics associated with creating Projects from standalone GEDCOM.

[craigmollekin]

Thanks, Tatewise.

I am thinking it might be easier for me to just take out people with updated records (since creation of the project) from the new Gedcom and then merge them into the old Gedcom which has the correct media file path.

It's going to be fiddly either way.

[tatewise]

Don't take out any records, just Merge the old GEDCOM with the new GEDCOM.

If you set the old GEDCOM as master, then its Multimedia records should be the default, and you just need to review the recent updates in the other record types.