Reorder, photos with drag and drop how to save the new order for other app?

[demo2]

Hello,

Win 7 HP 32, Win 7 UL 64 Intel, PM 4.6.

I was not able to understand how to easy drag and drop photos to change the photos order, then I read the post: "unable to drag and drop images where needed". And it worked fine, but later, when I reopen the folder everything was on the old order so that I wasted time for nothing.

In this case I have 1750 photos and i need to move some of them to have a good flow order.

Then I need to have all the files in a stable order to work with other applications, but I cannot find how to do.

After I decided a fixed order it is possible to rename all the files adding an additional numbering? (new numbering)-(old file name)extension? Or to do something like that?

Or how to do in order to have all the files in the new drag and drop order that I made?

As a new user I ask the courtesy to explain it as clear as it possible.

I cannot find posts regarding this issue but if you think it was already done please let me know it.

Regards

[Kirk Baker]

Hello,

Win 7 HP 32, Win 7 UL 64 Intel, PM 4.6.

I was not able to understand how to easy drag and drop photos to change the photos order, then I read the post: "unable to drag and drop images where needed". And it worked fine, but later, when I reopen the folder everything was on the old order so that I wasted time for nothing.

In this case I have 1750 photos and i need to move some of them to have a good flow order.

Then I need to have all the files in a stable order to work with other applications, but I cannot find how to do.

After I decided a fixed order it is possible to rename all the files adding an additional numbering? (new numbering)-(old file name)extension? Or to do something like that?

Or how to do in order to have all the files in the new drag and drop order that I made?

As a new user I ask the courtesy to explain it as clear as it possible.

I cannot find posts regarding this issue but if you think it was already done please let me know it.

Regards

The order that you drag and drop photos within Photo Mechanic is called an 'Arrangement' which should persist even after you quit Photo Mechanic and launch it again.  (The only case it is known not to persist is when working with read-only media like a CD-ROM.)

The order of the photos in PM will not be reflected in any outside applications like Windows Explorer's Icon view unless you rename the files so that they would sort alphabetically with their filenames.  If you wish to rename your files, you can do this by selecting all of the photos in the contact sheet (Ctrl-A) and then Rename them (Ctrl-M) with the following renaming string:

{seqn}-{filenamebase}

Set your sequence number to 0001 by clicking on the 'Set {seqn} variable' button.

Rename your photos.  They should now be numbered from 0001- to 1750- and should sort correctly in any application.

HTH,

-Kirk

[demo2]

I feel that something is strange in this software as I am adding text after 5 hours of arrangement.

I am working on the second hard disk inside the laptop and not on non-rewritable media.
I checked the folder and there is a file .pmarrangement.dat I think that this should be the new PM arrangement.

I reopen the photos in the folder, then I moved again some of them giving a new arrangement and I closed PM. I reopen the folder... the photos appeared again in the original order.

I am evaluating PM with the demo key you gave, is the demo software not fully working?

About renaming I can rename files living them in the same folder right?

Thank you.



PROBLEM!!!

I understood how it works and I worked 5 hours on arrange the photos but since the drag and drop is not so user friendly I lost one photo dropped somewhere.

Then on the main window I changed "sort by" -capture time- to find the lost photo and...

All the arrangement I made seems to be lost!!! I turn back into "sort by" -arrangement" and there is no anymore arrangement!!!

Is the program working so? There is no way to securely save the arrangement I worked for?

Now how can I have back the arrangement I had fixed almost 70% of this reportage of 1750 photo out of 4000???

Is anybody there to let me know?

Thank you.

[Kirk Baker]

I feel that something is strange in this software as I am adding text after 5 hours of arrangement.

I am working on the second hard disk inside the laptop and not on non-rewritable media.
I checked the folder and there is a file .pmarrangement.dat I think that this should be the new PM arrangement.

I reopen the photos in the folder, then I moved again some of them giving a new arrangement and I closed PM. I reopen the folder... the photos appeared again in the original order.

I am evaluating PM with the demo key you gave, is the demo software not fully working?

About renaming I can rename files living them in the same folder right?

Thank you.



PROBLEM!!!

I understood how it works and I worked 5 hours on arrange the photos but since the drag and drop is not so user friendly I lost one photo dropped somewhere.

Then on the main window I changed "sort by" -capture time- to find the lost photo and...

All the arrangement I made seems to be lost!!! I turn back into "sort by" -arrangement" and there is no anymore arrangement!!!

Is the program working so? There is no way to securely save the arrangement I worked for?

Now how can I have back the arrangement I had fixed almost 70% of this reportage of 1750 photo out of 4000???

Is anybody there to let me know?

To my knowledge there are no bugs in the Arrangement code.  You have to view the folder sorted by "Arrangement" in order to see your arrangement when you reopen your folder.  The arrangements are somewhat fragile in that if you rename your photos outside of Photo Mechanic, PM won't know where to place the renamed files anymore and will place them at the end of the files whose names match items in the .pmarrangement.dat file.

Are you renaming outside of PM?

Demo software is not limited in any way other than it will cease to function after 20 days.

-Kirk

[demo2]

Hello as I explained I worked several hours to arrange the photos, then I changed the mode as explained and going back to "Arrangement" again everything seems lost.
I am not renaming the files only working in PM, then I really wonder how there is not any "undo" option in the software, or how is it possible to loose hours of work.

Can I send the .pmarrangement.dat??? but it will not make any sense if you do not have also the files to realize that everything is messy.

After i turn from huge fixed in "Arrangement" mode, to "Capture time" I tried many time to turn it back but it seems that the order database is overwritten therefore everything seems in vane.

Are you using clear different files for each "Sort by:" or not? Is there anything that may affect each sort by database?

I am testing your software and it is not so bad, and I have no problem to pay it since I like licensed software and good support, but this is a huge problem that makes me waste a lot of time, since I realized that I started this topic after I loose the previous arrangement data when change in a different "sort by"...

Please let me know If there is any way to resume the previous "arrangement" database so that I'll finish my work soon.

Regards

[mklass]

Are you clicking "Make Arrangement" under the View menu before switching away from the arranged view? Isn't that necessary?

[demo2]

Hello I tried also "Make Arrangement" but it did not make any change. I am still waiting a reply by PM developers, since I feel that something is not going well.

Thank you.

[Kirk Baker]

Hello I tried also "Make Arrangement" but it did not make any change. I am still waiting a reply by PM developers, since I feel that something is not going well.

I don't know why it isn't working for you.  If the .pmarrangement.dat file is being created and you're working with a single folder (not a multi-folder) contact sheet then all should be well.  Is the file continuing to be updated when you make changes?  Do any of the filenames have non-english characters in them?

-Kirk

[demo2]

Hello,
now is fine. What I did was moving some files outside PM. I did it again without touching the files in the folders used by PM and at the end I numbered them.
But , I have the last question: I have the old file name "ABCDE12-F0001.jpg", "ABCDE12-F0002.jpg" etc. I understand how to renumber them, but if I need to keep some digits from the previous name which expression should I use?
if I use {seqn}-{filenamebase} the new name will be too long.

If I want all the new numbered files like {seqn}-"F0001.jpj" etc. etc.? How to do?

Thank you.

[Luiz Muzzi]

Hi,
I don't think it is possible to use just part of the filenamebase for renaming.
If you open the variables panel, perhaps you will find some interesting stuff you can use for renaming...
HTH,

-Luiz Muzzi

[Sven]

Hi!

Check the manual on Page 51:

Here are some examples:
Let’s say {filenamebase} is DSC_1234
Then:
{filenamebase:0,3} yields: DSC
{filenamebase:-4,4} yields: 1234
{filenamebase:-4} yields: 1234
{filenamebase:2,3} yields: C_1

In your example ("ABCDE12-F0001.jpg") you would use "{seqn}-{filenamebase:-5}.jpg"

[demo2]

I think this topic is at the end.

Thank you

and

Happy new year to all.