* Media Settings When Exporting for TNG

[BenOakster]

Having finally got the data that I want into TNG using the Export Gedcom Plugin I now just need to sort out the media as there are a few things that don't seem right. Some of these issues may be resolved within TNG but I'm starting here as this is where the data for TNG comes from.

All my Family Historian media is external to the program in my own file structure and I just link to it when adding new media.

When I run the plugin, in the Export folder I have the Gedcom and then I have a folder named [0] which has all the media in.

image.png (44.05 KiB) Viewed 688 times

In TNG I am happy for the media to all be lumped together and all the local paths are empty and I just upload the Gedcom selecting the Import Media Links option.

The problems I have are that when I go to generate the thumbnails in TNG there are missing files (this is a whole different issue as they don't seem to be even linked to anyone in FH despite TNG noticing they are missing) and some need to be in the Media folder and some seem to need to be in Media/[0] how do I know which is which?

[tatewise]

Ben, please explain your reasons for changing the default settings for the options of Multimedia Preference: and Part Frame File Naming Format: as most TNG users seem to prefer the defaults.

Currently, (FULL~LMO) only exports the full images and any part frame Link to Face/Detail settings are ignored.

The (FOLDER) setting is creating the [0] subfolder. It should not be creating a Media subfolder.
All the media files should be in the ...\Public\Export\[0]\ subfolder and nowhere else.

Have you run the plugin with various different settings and not used Empty Export Folder in between?
If so then various redundant media files & folders can get left behind and confuse things.
Check the File Explorer Creation Date to identfy when the various files & folders were created.

Please confirm you have studied the plugin Help & Advice pages for those settings.

[BenOakster]

The mulitmedia preference was changed after reading a thread in TNG forum about importing media and it was suggested to change it to that.

I don't think I have any Link to Face images.

The media files are in the [0] as I said.

I haven't used Empty Export Folder so I can try that.

I have looked at the help files but like a lot of the help files for Family Historian and plugins they are not user friendly and assume a level of knowledge that is above mine so a lot of the time I will just try different things and see what happens. It is a steep learning curve.

[tatewise]

One thing that I found strange was that you implied the media files path was ...\Public\Export\Media\[0]\
Whereas it should be ...\Public\Export\[0]\ with the settings you chose, i.e. no \Media\ subfolder.
There should be no media files in the ...\Public\Export\ folder.

You forgot to explain why you chose Part Frame File Naming Format: (FOLDER)

If you choose either of the other two options all the media files will be in the ...\Public\Export\ folder but will have a Prefix or Suffix added.

Unfortunately, exporting via GEDCOM has many technical complexities due to all the non-standard features used by FH and the destination products plus many products do not implement the GEDCOM specification correctly.

[BenOakster]

I said Media/[0] because I was talking about the file structure in TNG not in FH.

The change to the Part Frame was either from reading a different thread or more probably me just trying to get TNG to either look for the media in /Media or /Media/[0] and not both.

What I have ended up doing is copying all of the media files into both /Media and /Media/[0] which seems redundant.

[tatewise]

Have you seen the advice in Export Gedcom File (TNG) The Next Generation?
That advises to set all five Media Collection folders to media.

What confused me was that FH in Windows uses a Media folder whereas I though TNG used a media folder.

You should copy everything in the FH ...\Public\Export\ folder to the TNG media folder, except the GEDCOM file which should go to the TNG GEDCOM folder.

[BenOakster]

Yep all 5 are set to media and I copy the contents of the Export folder to the TNG media folder, which means that I copy the [0] folder into the media folder too of course.

Then in TNG I select import to upload them and I then go to generate the thumbnails. This produces a list of missing files. Some are missing for reasons I can resolve - too big, wrong file type etc but some are not missing, they are in the media/[0] folder but TNG is looking for them in the /media folder and I have to manually change them.

Why do some media need to be in /media/[0] and some in /media? Is this a TNG issue or a FH one and can it changed so that the files just need to be in one folder or the other?

[tatewise]

Please confirm that if you use Empty Export Folder and then export the GEDCOM whether media files exist in just the FH ...\Public\Export\ folder or just the ...\Public\Export\[0]\ folder or both.
None of them should have a prefix, i.e. they should all have the same filenames as your original files.

If you repeat that with Part Frame File Naming Format: (PREFIX) where are the media files then?
However, their filenames will all have a short prefix.

Depending on the option chosen the media files must be in the folder that the GEDCOM file media links expect to find them in. So after importing the GEDCOM file TNG should expect them in the matching folder.

[BenOakster]

When I use Empty Export Folder I get the following error:

Code: Select all

[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:10183: error in __gc metamethod (System error)
stack traceback:
	[C]: in for iterator 'for iterator'
	[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:10183: in upvalue 'doEmptyFolder'
	[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:10213: in function <[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:10211>
	(...tail calls...)
	[C]: in function 'iuplua.MainLoop'
	[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:2765: in field 'ShowDialogue'
	[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:10505: in function 'GUI_MainDialogue'
	[string "C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Pl..."]:10718: in main chunk

[ADC65]

This is how I export my tree into TNG.

Below are the settings for Export Gedcom plugin, which are basically the same as yours.

Screenshot 2024-09-10 214047.png (46.88 KiB) Viewed 621 times

These will create the media files in a [0] subfolder of your project Export folder. In my case this is

Code: Select all

D:\OneDrive\Family History\Family Historian\ADC\Public\Export\[0]

I upload all the files in the [0] folder, but not the folder itself, to a directory within my TNG installation, in my case this is called Media (note the capital 'M'). You might have to create this. I did not rename the standard 'media' (small 'm') directory as I found some side effects in TNG if it did not have that directory.

Now look at your collections in TNG. I have deleted all the standard collections and created my own, but the principle will be the same.

Screenshot 2024-09-10 214947.png (21.62 KiB) Viewed 621 times

Note the Folder Name, which is the same as the folder mentioned above, and is the same for all collections.

Note the Local Paths, which is the same the prefixes as you will see them in the Export Gedcom file. Note no trailing slash at the end. Also, when entering into TNG you have to double all the slashes (the first will be a delimited and will disappear). So I actually entered D:\\OneDrive\\Family History\\Family Historian\\ADC\\Public\\Export\\[0] - this may have been fixed in recent versions, I'm not sure.

You can ignore my Thumbnail File entry - I have entered this as I assign thumbnails using an SQL routine outside of TNG.

Before I do a new import to TNG, I go to Admin > Trees and clear the tree. This deletes all the data in the tree, and prevents any duplication of media. Beware, though, it also gets rid of any data entered directly into TNG, such as Albums, Graveyards, etc. Always do a Backup before an Import.

Hope this works for you, feel free to ask any question here or on the TNG forum if you need any more help.

[tatewise]

Ben, I cannot explain why that error has arisen. It has never happened before to my knowledge.
Instead use Windows File Explorer to delete the ...\Public\Export\ folder contents, then run the plugin export.

BTW: Have you performed all the command tasks recommended before running the plugin as advised in https://pluginstore.family-historian.co ... edcom-file?
The plugin relies on a 'tidy' FH GEDCOM file to operate correctly.

Adrian is a regular FH to TNG exporter so his advice is worth following.
Some of that advice may need to be incorporated into the plugin Help & Advice pages.

[BenOakster]

I need to sleep but so far I have tried the following:

As the gedcom export error appeared, I had already manually deleted the media files in the /export and /export /[0] folder There were no other files in the /export folder other than the Gedcom and the [0] folder.

I changed the Gedcom Export settings to match those suggested.

I changed the relevant TNG settings to the ones suggested.

I went into TNG and cleared the tree and also deleted all of the media in the TNG /media folder.

I ran File>Validate - no issues found. I ran Tools>Uncategorised - nothing found. I ran Tools>External File Links and it only found the 3 files I know are missing.

I ran the Gedcom Export and uploaded the Gedcom to the TNG Gedcom folder. I copied all of the media that was in the [0] folder to the /media folder in TNG. I then imported the Gedcom to TNG.

I then generated the thumbnails, and there were 2158 missing files, mostly looking for them in the [0] folder. I created the [0] folder in TNG /media folder and moved ALL of the media into the /media/[0] folder and ran Generate Thumbnails again and there were still several missing.

I then copied all the media files from /media/[0] to /media (so therefore duplicating all media files in both /media and /media/[0]) and this found a couple more but there are still 318 files missing.

Most of these are in my external file system, they just haven't been exported to the Gedcom. I don't know why. But I'll have to leave it there and decide tomorrow if it's worth trying to work it out, or whether to just manually upload the missing ones.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[ADC65]

I will be happy to work it out with you, either here or via an online session, or via email. I can send you a copy of my exported gedcom for comparison and let you have a look at my TNG site as a guest admin to see how it is set up.

In my opinion it is worth investing the time to get it automated, otherwise the problem will reappear (albeit with new media items added) each time you do a new upload. And if you clear your tree, the manually configured items will need to be re-linked. However, getting media to flow successfully is one of the more tricky aspects of FH > TNG (or any program into TNG for that matter) and it took me quite a while to get it sorted. I do understand not everyone has the time or desire to automate to the level I have.

[BenOakster]

I'll see what I can sort today and then we'll go from there. I'll tidy up all the media I know are wrong or missing and that will leave anything that I can't resolve.

[tatewise]

Focusing on the 318 missing files, do they exist in the FH ...\Public\Export\[0]\ folder?

Are they referenced from a Media Record in the FH Project?
i.e. In the FH Media Window are they listed in the Filename column?
Are those media files displayed in the thumbnails pane on the right?

Is the Media Record linked to any other records?
i.e. In the FH Media Window is the Links column greater than zero?

I'm sure that the help offered by Adrian will be invaluable.
I don't have TNG so can only offer limited assitance and rely on TNG users such as Adrian for advice.

[BenOakster]

I haven't been through all of them yet but none of the ones I have checked are in the [0] folder.

Some are referenced in the media project and some don't seem to be.

I don't even understand how an image file that isn't apparently linked to the FH project is reported as missing when generating thumbnails in TNG from a Gedcom exported from FH.

If I open the gedcom in notepad the missing media file is not referenced in there but somehow TNG is looking for it.

I think that I will have to share my screen with Adrian so that he can see in real time what I mean as there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the FH project from running the file checking tools yesterday and the errors are being reported by TNG. It will be easier to speak than typing in here too.

[tatewise]

If the media file is not actually 'used' by the FH Project, then it won't be included in the exported data.
'used' means an Individual, Family, or Source record links to a Media Record that links to the media file.
It does sound like TNG is holding on to some old data. Adrian should be able to resolve the problem.

[ADC65]

I've sent Ben an email and we'll go from there if he wants to, rather than cluttering up the forums. If we get it sorted I'll post a solution summary for the benefit of any future users.