"View by" pref when opening or importing files

[Compression Records]

Here's something that I've been dreaming about for quite some time: when opening or importing files (Pro Tools sessions or soundfiles respectively) I'd love to be able to view them by different criteria, just like the Finder preference that allows you to do so. Perhaps some additional info should also be visible, such as size, date last modified, label color (one feature I use so much to catalogue files) and so on. Would that be achieveable as a program enhancement or would it imply an operating system rewrite?

------------------
Marco Marinangeli
Magelic Productions, Inc.
Compression Records
http://www.compressionrecords.com

[Marc Edwards]

There is a new open file dialogue already in the OS (just take a look at the 'Get Picture' selector in the 'Desktop' tab of the Apearance control panel). I don't know if this would allow sound files to be played though.

Marc.

[Compression Records]

Marc,

What you're talking about may be close, however it only applies to that desktop picture function. What I'd like to see is the ability of, for example, viewing additional files info when importing or convert-importing. In those windows it is already possible to play the samples.

Also, the same info ought to apply when opening sessions. I'd think it would be smart to know dates last modified or label colors (if you color code your files) of sessions you worked on months ago without doing a "Get Info" or some kind of viewing in the Finder.

------------------
Marco Marinangeli
Magelic Productions, Inc.
Compression Records
http://www.compressionrecords.com

[KingTor]

this to me is one of those features that we shouldn't even have to ask for. I'm no OS expert, but I do understand a bit of what Digi is up against by using the Mac OS dialogs for open/import/etc, but here's a novel suggestion:

ProTools could maintain a database of audio files on the system instead of relying on the Finder to do this. This would enable them to write open/import/etc utilities that could search that database. In addition to making it easier to find files and sort them by different criteria (not necessarily limited to finder criteria, either) this would ELIMINATE the need to tell ProTools where the file "Audio 1-01" is, and wouldn't that be grand?

[Compression Records]

KingTor,

Good deal. In reference to the "Where is: Audio 01-00?", I also understand that Logic is a lot more intuitive and will select the file automatically, unless there are multiple files with same name. Do I understand correctly?

------------------
Marco Marinangeli
Magelic Productions, Inc.
Compression Records
http://www.compressionrecords.com

[Marc Edwards]

Comp. Records: Sorry! what I was suggesting in my 1st reply was that Digi use the same file browse dialogue as the one used for the 'Get picture' feature of the appearence control panel. I've done some programming in the past, and I assume all PT file dialogues are the result of a calls to an OS file dialogue library -- what i'm saying is PT uses the 'old' style file dialogue, and could use the 'new' style without too much effort.

At work some of the machines have an application on them to replace all file dialogues with a far more comprehensive one, allowing you to store frequently used files & folders, and search for files from within the dialogue.

I'll have to find out the name and post it for you!

[meshtheflesh]

I think what mark is talking about is a shareware application called 'default folder' . I haven't used it but some of the guys at work have said its cool.

On a slightly different note, howcome when you restore a session, and it loses it's file links, it is note even smart enough to find its own audio folder and fade folder.
As as was mentioned earlier, logic offers the ability to search for the files for you, a big advantage on complicated jobs.

Cheers
Ramesh

Song Zu

[KingTor]

I'm not familiar with Logic, but in my opinion the way that every workstation SHOULD be dealing with finding associated files is with UFNs (Unique File Numbers) instead of names. And ProTools probably has the theoretical capability to use UFNs because that's part of the AES31 standard, but it obviously isn't using them to find files for itself because it doesn't have a file database to keep track of which file is where.

Some day I'm going to open a session and it's going to ask me where "Fade287" is and I'm just going to snap and go postal. I mean, it wasn't even my idea to render the stupid fades into files in the first place, so what do I care where the f'in fade file is? That's why I don't keep a gun in the studio.

[Marc Edwards]

Amen brother! (I think I'd better remove the gun shelf from the studio!)

BTW: The application I was talking about that changes the look of file dialogues is called 'ACTION Files'.