GENERAL Inquiry about your references to installed software

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GENERAL Inquiry about your references to installed software

Postby Strumok » Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:51 pm

I've been able to use past versions of BRU in my own DIY desktop system, which I assembled with Intel components and in which I've used 64-bit versions of Windows: first Windows 7, then Windows 10. At the moment I'm struggling (did I say STRUGGLING?!) to get this excellent utility to work at all, but I'll try to compose another inquiry about that problem for a separate "thread."

I only want to point out here that your Help texts all seem to assume all users of this excellent utility only use this software on their Boot Partitions, where all of their software is installed, including their operating systems and their applications and utilities. You repeatedly emphasize that "recursive" scans and renaming "transactions" are dangerous, because they could wreak havoc by disrupting cross-references which are required to allow installed software to operate correctly, but is this IRRELEVANT if BRU is being used on a DATA partition, or drive, or volume where NO software is installed?

In your Help text "Recursive Scans (processing files in sub-folders)" you state:

"...if you rename a folder whilst using the recursive option, after the rename is complete the file list will be refreshed automatically. This is to prevent problems whereby the file-list becomes out of synchronization with the files on your hard drive..."

I'm not using "hard" drives (electromechanical drives) in my desktop system unit, I'm using solid state drives (SSD)! One such SSD is 100% dedicated as my Boot Partition (C:\). ALL my software's installed on that SSD. NO software is installed on G:\, which is maintained on another, separate and distinct device, another SSD, in another drive bay in my system unit. It's 100% dedicated to my DATA directory! I ONLY want to use BRU to rename folders (and sometimes files) in my DATA directory, NEVER on my Boot Partition, so my installed software is NOT at risk from any lack of synchronization which could result from changes of file names!

In the past (when I was able to use this excellent, highly-functional utility...), I used "recursive" scans of my entire data directory, in which ALL of the subfolders in that highly-branched hierarchy were scanned, "right down to the lowest level," as you say in the cited "Recursive Scans" Help text. The "resetting" precautionary process was a needless aggravation when I was using BRU on a directory (or a "volume" or a "partition"...) which contained NO installed software!

Can you equip this software with an option for disabling this precautionary "reset" feature? I'm not an IT professional, by any means. I may not even be a so-called "power user," but I'm protected from mayhem or mishap by my use of distinct physical devices (the separate SSDs for my different directories). I assume you're reluctant to put a powerful software tool into the hands of incompetent users who might use that tool carelessly, in ways which would disable their systems, but can you "give a break" to those of us who aren't vulnerable to this potential problem?
Strumok
 
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Re: GENERAL Inquiry about your references to installed software

Postby Strumok » Mon Jul 13, 2020 1:10 am

I'd planned to add a second "thread" about my assumed inability to use the last two versions of BRU (3.3.1.0, of 30/OCT/2019, and then a new installation of 3.3.2.1, of 26/JUNE/2020, which I only added days ago, in hopes of a resolution of my problem). I think that past versions began to display files &/or folders in the upper-right "display pane" of the GUI as soon as I left-clicked the "subfolders" option in Tool Field #12 ("Filters"), for the purpose of performing a "recursive" scan from the root of my Data Directory "all the way to the bottom," as you say in your Help texts about Recursive Scans. However, it looks like the two recent revisions no longer immediately began to add files &/or folders to the top-right "Contents" or "Display" or "Details" pane. In fact, although the root level folders/sub-directories of my Data Directory were displayed in that upper-right pane when I selected the root folder of my Data Directory in the top-left pane, as soon as I left-clicked "Subfolders" in Tool Field #12 the Contents Pane was emptied!

That upper-right pane is so prominent in the GUI that I never saw the single line of "status" text, in a small font, which is displayed along the absolute bottom of the utility's full-screen GUI! As soon as I "de-selected" "subfolders" in Tool Field #12 the Contents Pane again displayed the root-level folders of the Data Directory! It looked like the utility was "refusing" to operate! This impression was encouraged by the annoying single-tone error sounder which was produced when I was shown a message that no files or folders had been selected! (How could I select any items in an empty pane?!)

Your Help texts told me I could perform "recursive" scans, but I was told that, in order to perform such a scan, I'd need to engage "subfolders" in Tool Field #12. Whenever I tried to do that the Contents Pane was EMPTIED immediately, the annoying error sounder was heard, and I was told that no items had been selected in the EMPTY Contents Pane! I was about to assume that BRU was unusable but I persisted because this utility had been so helpful in the past.

I browsed these forums and I found a reference to the current user manual at https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4743

Board index ‹ Bulk Rename Utility ‹ General Comments
user friendly instructions

2 posts • Page 1 of 1

Post by blue8_gulf » Mon Apr 27, 2020 1:31 pm

Firstly, I appreciate that this utility is even available and secondly there is charge for home use. But, I am wondering if somewhere someone has recorded a simple set of user friendly instructions? The instructions, I find, that come with the utility are not intuitive. I would appreciate it if a forum member might be able to supply me with a source or link (maybe for/to this forum?) to where I could at least begin getting familiar with this utility with a lot head-scratching/guessing involved? Thank you for any suggestion.

blue8_gulf

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Re: user friendly instructions
Post by Admin » Mon Apr 27, 2020 9:48 pm

Hello, try the Operations Manual, it contains many many examples:

https://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4743

thanks


THANKS to Tim Mongeon! On page 206 of the THREE HUNDRED AND SIX PAGE manual (revised on 2-7-20) he says:

Section #12: Filters

Subfolders option (Recursive Scan)

Recursive scan reads all the files not only in the current directory but in all subdirectories below it. Depending on the amount of files it has to read, this can take a long time and you may have to wait awhile UNTIL THE CONTENT PANE DISPLAYS *** ANY ***-THING.


When I saw that users must wait before any content is shown in the "Content Pane" I only then realized the utility may have been revised since I last used it for such "recursive" scans of subfolders, and maybe I should look "to see if anything was happening." I only then saw a single line of "status" text, in a small font, rapidly progressing through my Data Directory in alphabetical order of the root level folders, from the top to the bottom! I hadn't seen this before!

I'm pretty sure that the last prior version I used began to add folders to the Contents Pane as soon as I left-clicked the "subfolder" option in Tool Field #12 ("Filters")! The versions I thought I wasn't able to use immediately removed any prior display from the Contents Pane, the Contents Pane remained empty, and I never saw the single line of status text at the extreme bottom of the GUI. I thought the utility was "refusing" to function!

Also, it looks like refreshings of the Contents Pane's contents are now optional, as I'd hoped. I'm not told that the contents list will be refreshed automatically. Instead, I'm told that folder names were changed and I'm asked if I wish to refresh the list. I've been declining the refreshment, but the list is probably refreshed anyway when I enter new folder name criteria…

I was able to use the utility once I noticed the fast and furious "progress" display in that single line of fine text along the very bottom edge of the GUI, and I changed many folder names. (Wow!)

This is an excellent, powerful utility. So much functionality if packed into its User Interface that it's bound to be confusing, but, geepers, couldn't this problem be eliminated?! The utility's response (the EMPTYING of the Contents Pane and the obnoxious error sounder and error message) had all but convinced me that the utility was "refusing" to operate for me! The emptying of the Content Pane was the most prominent visible response. I never even SAW the single line of "status" text at the extreme bottom edge of the GUI! As I say, I think prior versions of BRU began immediately to fill the Content Pane with files &/or with folders but this response created an erroneous impression about this utility's functionality!
Strumok
 
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