Tried to change banner_company.jpg, got error

[Martin Wynne]

Hi Tim,

I think you missed the essential point which Dave made. His graphics editor does NOT save a file back to where it got it from. Several photo editors work that way to preserve the original camera image unchanged, and to prevent the degradation caused by repeated editing of jpg files.

As a matter of interest, no software I write ever does that either. I think it is the worst standard feature of Windows, where an accidental CTRL+S can overwrite existing data. If you work that way a copy of AJC Active Backup is essential.

regards,

Martin.

[Tim Green]

I think you missed the essential point which Dave made. His graphics editor does NOT save a file back to where it got it from. Several photo editors work that way to preserve the original camera image unchanged, and to prevent the degradation caused by repeated editing of jpg files.

Yes, I did miss that. That's a problem because Toolbox is going to monitor the copy it made. In that case, Dave will have to not use the auto-edit feature but export (using the new function that was just added), edit and re-import.

[Tim Green]

Hi Dave,

Since realizing what the problem is with your graphics editor (doesn't save the copy it opened) I've been thinking about ways to deal with this. I think the only possibility would be an option to turn off active monitoring and write-back to the baggage for graphics files. So when you double-click on the file or select Edit in Graphic Program it would still export the file and open it in your editor, but it wouldn't lock it, monitor it or provide the option to write it back to the Baggage. Then after editing you would need to select Add Baggage File yourself to update it.

For more convenience, you would then combine this option with the already existing option to save the temporary files in a sub-folder of your project folder instead of in the standard Windows temp folder for your user account (see Edit > Preferences).

Would this be a solution? It wouldn't be possible to selectively monitor whatever version of the file your editor does save because the C# function for this needs to monitor an entire folder and it needs to be a folder with a known, minimal number of files in it, not just any folder.

[Dave Gehman]

Actually, I seem to be doing fine for graphics by (a) exporting the graphic file ; (b) editing the file and ignoring my program's warnings about overwriting the "original" (that is, exported) file; and (c) adding the newly-edited file back into the skin via PP toolbox.

I don't mind the minor work-around and I don't think that altering the PP Toolbox code for my clearly rare need would be worthwhile, and might add to the complexity of working with the program - but, obviously, update decisions are in your department.

[Martin Wynne]

Since realizing what the problem is with your graphics editor (doesn't save the copy it opened) I've been thinking about ways to deal with this.

Hi Tim,

How about an option to copy and paste the image back into the Toolbox? If you display the image in a separate window, a button on there to paste new bitmap content should be possible, and a close button to update the file, or cancel. You could add a button to edit via an external editor, as now. (It's all quite easy in Delphi).

Seeing the images would be helpful anyway.

regards,

Martin.