This dialog is called from the Item menu:
You call this if you wish to deliberately update path/location information after moving files on your system (note that if you move files using Folder Sync, the location is updated automatically for you). The scope of operation is the selection of items in the current (front) gallery; to work on the whole gallery select all using the Ctrl+A/Cmd+A keyboard shortcut.
At the top of the dialog is shown the filename of the (first) file to be found; note that the selected files are listed in the current gallery sort order and thus the first file to be asked for will be the first listed in the current gallery. If your files don't have distinctive filenames, then you are advised to note the name and location of the first listed file in the selection before calling 'Change Path'.
The dialog's initial target folder will depend on your local settings, but regardless you use the normal navigational controls to locate the folder where the asked-for file is stored. Select the 'new' file and click OK. The record is updated. The files in the folder you just selected are compared with the items in the selection and any matches are also updated without you having to do anything. If you ticked the 'Search Subfolders' box, Portfolio will extend its search to any folders below the one just used.
With the latter fact in mind, if you are updating a large folder set, you should sort the selection on the 'Path' field so that that the files in the 'top-most' folder are listed first. If you also tick the 'Search Subfolders' then assuming your first file asked for is in the top-most folder Portfolio should find an update all your selection without you having to keep locating the new folder location for it.
The Change Path can accept a filename in a different name and format - though in this case you will need to identify every file individually as Portfolio can't guess 'mypic.psd' is now 'mypic.jpg'. Despite the manual overhead this is a powerful tool but be careful how you use it. For example, if you had a record for 'hires.tif' and you wanted the record - or more likely its metadata to actually point to 'lores.jpg', use Change Path. The result of this example is 'hires.tif' would no longer be catalogued; however, the record's metadata would remain but the file-specific information would be for 'lores.jpg'. If it doesn't make sense, just try out the example with a TIFF and a JPEG - they can be in the same folder for ease of testing.
Another scenario for this is where you have created placeholders and either used the wrong name and/or extension. Again you'll need to match up records individually. Hopefully it is a mistake you won't make twice!
You can probably see that FolderSync remains a better method for migrating data around your system. That doesn't mean you need FolderSync set up all the time. You can simply set up a watched folder for source and destination, do your move/copy, and once the data is checked, remove the watched folders. Note that if moving originals between volumes as opposed to between folders on a single volume, you always end up copying the originals. In the cross-volume situation your records are also duplicated with the new ones pointing to the copied files new location. To complete the 'move' you will need to do a Find of all the old records and use Item - Original - Delete to remove both the old records and their associated files.
You also have the alternative option of the Change Path script supplied as an 'extra' by Extensis but in most cases FolderSync or the Change Path dialog will meet your needs.
Question: Change Path dialog (v7) [FAQ00269.htm]
Last Update:- 09 August 2011
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