* Check for Unlinked Media

[martinpbudd]

I have been through a process to rename my 1939 Register media files to 1939 Census (which fits my way of working better). I renamed the media externally using a utility from the Net. I then used the Search and Replace plugin on the Media and Source records to change Register to Census.

This all went well and after checking a couple of dozen records to show the sources were still attached to the 1939 event in individuals and the the source linked to the media record and then to the media file.

Tools > External file links show no broken links. The Missing Links to Multimedia Objects query shows no problems, the Check for Broken Media Links plugin also shows no issues.

But...... Check for Unlinked Media and Check for Unlinked Media (FH7) both show all the 1939 files to be unlinked. Yet any file I check is linked and everything seems to work. Both plugins worked fine before I started this change.

What am I doing wrong?

[LornaCraig]

The only explanation I can think of is that when you renamed the media files you actually created copies with the new names, leaving the old files in place. Can you confirm that the folder where the files are held now contains only the ones with the ‘Census’ name?

When you used the Search and Replace plugin on the Media and Source records to change Register to Census did you also change the file path for the link between the Media record and the media file? If not, the Media files will still be linking to the files with the old name, if they still exist, not to the ones with the new name.

[Vyger]

What is the result in FH Media List when you select the 'New/Unlinked' drop-down?

I did a complete series of Media related videos, in the one below I demonstrate the Mark Draper plugin for unlinked and also a reconciliation method I use to help keep my collection complete.

https://youtu.be/gzldDr9hDHU?si=qpNnXnt_AJLz5Fhw

[tatewise]

Also, please confirm that Tools > External File Links... and the Media record File links refer to the 1939 Census filenames and NOT the 1939 Register filenames.

When you say the plugins show all the 1939 files to be unlinked, does that include both 1939 Census and 1939 Register files?

Where are your Media files stored? Are they in the Media folder within the Project folder or somewhere else?

[martinpbudd]

I have found the issue....

It appears that the Search & Replace plugin changed all the references on the source media and also on the media records which is what I wanted. What I had not expected was that it changed the directory name and created a copy so I had a directory called 1939 Register with files called 1939 Register etc.... and a copy directory called 1939 Census with the same files renamed as 1939 Census etc.

The plugin was reporting the 1939 Register files as all the links were to the 1939 Census files.

I have copied the 1939 Register directory and files outside this project structure, just in case I am wrong.... and the plugins now respond as expected. All checks by me, plugins and queries suggest it is all working. I must have missed the fact that the plugin created copies.

Thanks for all the help.

[tatewise]

Yes, I am the Search and Replace plugin author.
When you choose Multimedia Linked File fields and Media files you should have got a popup message as shown below that warns about the special features of that option and advises you to check the Help & Advice.

image.png (69.21 KiB) Viewed 313 times

[Mark1834]

Another option for this type of change is to edit the GEDCOM file directly using a plain text editor (even Windows Notepad is fine) once you have changed the actual file names.

It's only suitable if there is a distinct string that doesn't occur elsewhere in your project. In my case, all my 1939 Media files have a name that begins with 1939 Register - RG101_, so changing all instances of that to 1939 Census - RG101_ gets the whole job done in one step without having to worry about where the text occurs or working through a complex set of plugin options.

It doesn't update the record timestamps - that might be a showstopper, irrelevant, or an actual benefit, depending on how you use the stamp.

Usual caveats apply - test on a project copy first, and make sure you have a secure backup of the GEDCOM file that won't get overwritten during updates.