Intentional Lost & Found?
Doc Acme
Posts: 1,153
This is a new one to me. After the server problem cleared, I re-d/led a product that I only got part of the other day: https://www.daz3d.com/art-deco-hotel-lobby
But even after doing that, I still had a "Lost and Found" entry that I just couldn't get to clear. I then read through the product file list and ...
There's an entry in the file listing for a Lost and Found item!
:
:
You can find new icons for this product in the following DAZ Studio Categories:
“Cameras”
“Lost and Found:Art Deco Hotel Lobby”
“Materials:Architecture”
“Materials:Iray:Architecture”
“Materials:Iray:Props”
“Materials:Props”
“Props:Architecture”
“Props:Furnishings:Decor”
“Props:Furnishings:Furniture”
Art Deco Hotel Lobby Opt DS
Gee. A text file 'splaining this would be nice, but since there isn't: WHY?
Anyway to get rid of it?
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Comments
I have seen a few products that have done that. They are rare, but mildly amusing and annoying at the same time. You can edit the metadata to add the proper category and get rid of the Lost and Found, or edit the metadata file in the support folder to replace the bad entry for the asset, then re-import metadata from DIM. I, and others, have noted that just changing the metadata with the Content DB Editor will add the new entries, but does not necessarily remove bad ones. Beware, though, of Custom Categories becoming Read-Only if you export the metadata file (which will now include your categorization as Vendor Data). The whole branch of the category tree will be Read-Only, and can't be undone.
Oh my. Might be a bit above my pay grade, but will take a peek tomorrow.
I know to not even bother asking if there're any docs, but perhaps someone's done a vid on dabbling w/ the metadata Black Arts?
Thanks North.
*Checking notes* Oh yeah, this one. Several revisions, still isn't quite right.
-Texture (Normal maps) file path errors in 3DL Preloads.
-Metadata for Full DS version (in 2 parts) is included in both files, which are also both named Pt2 DS, despite what the supplement for each one says. If they are not 100% identical, there will be different metadata for the product depending on which file gets installed first. Suggest completely removing it from the real Pt2 DS (the one with texture bitmaps only).
-The Optimized DS version has the "Lost and Found" categorization. It would probably just be easier to edit the metadata file ("runtime/support/DAZ_3D_52697_Art_Deco_Hotel_Lobby_Opt.dsx") to change the text.
Search for this line (there's only one):
<Category VALUE="/Default/Lost and Found/Art Deco Hotel Lobby"/>
Change it to this:
<Category VALUE="/Default/Props/Furnishings/Furniture"/>
Save the file. Now, to prevent it from recurring if you ever re-install the product, replace the file in the product package so that it will install the right metadata. Whether you do or not, re-import the metadata in DIM, which will re-read the metadata file (that you just saved in the runtime/support folder) and replace whatever is in the database. If there is ever another update to the package, it will overwrite the one you have with the modified metadata file, so save another copy somewhere safe in case you need to correct it again.
I've saved this off & will give it a go in the morning.
Thanks.
Well, gave editing the dsx file but that didn't resolve the prob. Is there something else I need to do using the tool within DS?
Right-click on the file>Categorise, select the category you want.
That won't remove the intentional insertion into Lost and Found, though. It's not a case of not being categorized, it was specifically put there.
Doc, did the wayward file end up in the proper category? If so, it might now be in both. You can go to the Default Categories -> Lost and Found -> Art Deco Hotel Lobby and just delete it. Any other files in there? A product with any assets in Lost and Found gets the bum's rush.
That's not working in this case Richard. See Northof45's comment.
Not seeing anything unless looking in the wrong spot.
Here's what I'm seeing. And the prop will load, it just won't re-catagorize in the normal manner.
Okay, is that Table & Chairs 05 also in "Default/Props/Furnishings/Furniture"? Also, I should have specified to look in the Content Library->Categories->Default->Lost and Found -> Art Deco Hotel Lobby. I don't think you can delete from Smart Content, but you can from the Content Library. There are many ways to change the metadata, but I'm not so sure which one sticks on the first try. Worst case is uninstall, delete the product from the Content Library->Products->A->Art Deco Hotel Lobby (to clear it from the database), then re-install with the updated metadata file in the package.
It will most definitely remove the reference, if you deselect it from Lost + Found as well.
I've had my share of Lost & Found entries too and the easiest fix is to simply right click, use 'categorize', set the right category by selecting it while also de-selecting the category within lost & found, click ok and you're done.
removing existing categories was broken as NorthOf45 says, but it should be fixed in the new Public Build (sine 4.15.1.61)
http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/change_log#4_15_1_61
Again ShelLuser, that's what I've been doing.
I might try that later on NorthOf. Already wasted WAY to much time on this nonsense.
I had hoped Richard would have explained why the deliberate classification was even allowed.
Richard doesn't know.
If it is overlooked and is not categorized when exporting the metadata file, it gets saved as Lost and Found with the vendor data. If it has no disignation at all, it won't be included and will default to Lost and Found when installed. It depends, I believe, if the "Synchronize Product and Local Database" is checked. If it is, what you are working on is saved to the database when you accept. If it isn't you can work on the metadata and export it without saving to the database. Or, at least, that's mostly how I see it. The Content Type, new Categories and Compatibility seem to stick, but things like SceneID's and Support Assets don't. I believe the new Categories are added, but Vendor categories cannot be removed at that level, they have to be saved (or removed) with a new metadata file and re-imported.
Hmmm. This showed up before my reply somehow. I get that with texting at times too.
Anyway, interesting. Perhaps worth a try. Is this from the current Beta or an increment of the current version?
Mmmm. Well, that sounds just like all sorts of easy & purposeful fun NorthOf. Can't put this off until a rainy day, as it already is. Perhaps after I memorize Royal Phizzbin and alphabetize my junk mail...
It's in the current Public Build, 4.15.1.72
Although this may sound far fetched: I never experienced the above mentioned bug. That is, not within this context. I also never experienced any fix either.
What I still experience though (with the current public build, I don't bother with betas and such; waste of time IMO because I have work to do...) is when I want to move something from, say, "Props" to "Accessoiries". Or from "Saved files\scenes" to "Saved files\scenes\shared". If I try to the same approach there then the first category does not get removed.
From my perspective this is an ongoing bug which dates back at least 7 years ago and is still present today.
Right click on the "content library" pane while having contents selected which have meta data. Select the "Content DB editor". Click on an entry, check the category. Now try to delete it: right click, "delete selected categories" or even: "... delete from selected files". Accept your changes.
Then try this again and notice how your categories never got removed? Public build: 4.15.0.30.
What did change though, once again from my perspective, was the meta data "context". Those colored markers on the icons? "prop, light(s), Actor"? When you used the above method to change that into <none> the metadata would retain. I actually changed a lot of entries into "support" because Daz Studio didn't recognize that and I could think of no other way to get the doubles out of my smart content pane (duf vs. cr2 anyone?).
That did change, but... I don't experience any differences with categories. Apart from what I shared above: when I move something out of lost + found it works. I know for a fact because I just tried again before posting. I just cannot explain why (which kinda bugs me but it is what it is).
The Public Build is the beta. The non-beta is the general release. See https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/990671/#Comment_990671
The Content Library will show all categories, including hidden "vendor" categories (they can't be deleted as then an update would restore them). Smart Content should hide the Vendor categories, though. Moving a genuinely Lost and Found item is not removing a category, it's assigning one to an uncategorised item,
WOW! Unchecked Vendor categories are now being hidden if "Show Hidden Vendor Categorizations" is Unchecked in preferences, re-enable the check box and the vendor categories re-appear. This is in DS Beta 4.15.1.72.
It's been broken for so long that I having been testing if vendor categorizations can be hidden was fixed in the Beta until Richard Haseltine just mentioned it should be working. The feature may have been fixed in a earlier release. I've been hanging on to an old version of DS 4.9 just so I can remove vendor categorizations. Now it appears I can finally upgrade my General Release installation to 4.15.x
If you could send this to our Help Center with "ATTN: Emma" in the subject line, I can work with you directly to try and resolve this issue.
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Well thanks a ton Emma. I will do that right now.
M.
So should we report things when the person who made it misspells the category entry and it makes a new category? (I need to go back to my library and make sure that they are DAZ products, but I don't buy from other stores much One of the ones that stands out most is the one where they misspelled architecture)
Categories are made by Daz as part of packaging the product, but yes please report errors - though bear in mind that somethign like that is unlikely to be a priority fix, especially as fixing it will force a redownload of the full product for DIM/Central users.