Where is library data stored and help with search function

[jparnold]

Firstly could someone please either point me where to look or advise me how to use the search function on this web board as lately whenever I use search I end up with No Topics or posts met your criteria.
Recently I was looking for previous posts on the topic of using 4:3 clips in a 16:9 project. I know that there was at least one or two from memory but I found NONE. I entered 16:9 and then 4:3 in the Search for Keywords. I also tried selecting Search for any terms and also Search for all terms. It didn't matter - I got Nothing returned.
Just now I searched for posts on "where library data" is stored. I tried the string just mentioned and also just the word "library". Once again Nothing found. So what's the trick to get search to find posts which exist.

Now can someone tell me where the previous post is which describes where the file(s) are which contain library data eg. libraries created by the user (for audio, images etc) and their contents. I seem to remember they are stored somewhere in C:/Documents and Settings/username
Thanks

[mitchell65]

Hi John
The search function in this version of the phpBB Forum is not good. There is talk of Corel updating to a a new version "soon" which has a better search facility. In the meantime Trevor Andrew has a very good article on 16:9 and 4:3 see here:
http://lata.me.uk/video_studio/16_9/16_9.htm
I have found the path to the library folders before but it just wont come to me at the moment. Will get back to it later unless someone else answers first.

[Black Lab]

I also made a tutorial on one way to incorporate 4:3 clips in a 16:9 project.
http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?t=35839

As for the directories, in XP they can be found in C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application Data\Ulead Systems\Ulead VideoStudio (or Corel Videostudio-depending on the version), in the appropriate folder 10.0---11.0, etc.

The library files are:
Video = VS_Video.dat
Audio = VS_Audio.dat
Images = VS_Image.dat
(The same format applies to titles, flash, colors, etc.)

[mitchell65]

Jeff
When you create a custom library does that get stored in the appropriate file, ie video, image etc? Presumably the dat files contain just info as to where the actual video etc files are stored!

[BrianCee]

I don't quite know what you are doing in your searches John, I just did a search with the string "where are library files stored" then restricted the seach to VideoStudio only and received a list of 4000 odd threads.

I also tried a search using only numbers 4:3 and 16:9 etc. then tried a random selection of single numbers - every one of those returned a 'No threads ' response so it appears the forum search does not like numbers.

in the 4000 odd threads I found I did find this one - I don't know if it is the one you are looking for :-

http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... highlight=


but a very simple way of finding where they are going on your computor would be to add something to one of your libraries - then straight away do a search in Windows explorer for all files just modified - re-arrange the result in date/time order to bring the latest to the top - and there you are.

[Black Lab]

Jeff
When you create a custom library does that get stored in the appropriate file, ie video, image etc? Presumably the dat files contain just info as to where the actual video etc files are stored!

I would assume the dat files only contain the info that you suggest, as the libraries only contain virtual thumbnails, not the actual files themselves.

FWIW, when you want to back up your libraries, i.e. so you don't lose them from a re-install, these are the files you copy and restore.

[jparnold]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I just tried searching for "where are library files stored" again and this time it returned 69 matches - strange that it found nothing last night. Maybe there was a 'typo' in what I entered but I did think that I had checked. Anyway I now have the details.

Yes it would seem that the search function does not work for anything except alpha characters as I just tried "16" and also ":" (without the quotation marks) and nothing was returned.

[BrianCee]

It may be helpful to remember that there are no actual library folders anywhere on your computer, there is no point in searching for a folder called Library with any files in it.

The libraries shown in VideoStudio are just 'virtual' libraries with all the information stored in a .dat file, which simply holds details of the thumbnail to display and the shortcut associated with it. You can locate the actual file associated with the thumbnail in a library by RIGHT clicking over it and selecting 'Properties' from the pop up. In the standard windows box which then opens you can see the complete path to the file across the middle, if the path is to long and you cannot read it all left click on it and then use your keyboard arrow keys to move the cursor along and display the hidden bit of the shortcut - then you can find the original file.

The water is slightly muddied in the Video Libraries - remember the basic rule in VideoStudio is that the original video file is never actually changed, cut or re-arranged in any way. So if you import a video into your timeline and cut a bit in the middle and then drag that bit up into the library although a new thumbnail will be shown a new file has not been created just a short cut to a specific segment of the original file, so selecting properties on both the original thumbnail and the trimmed one will point to exactly the same original video file. Only by actually saving a video clip will a new file be created which will be put in the working folder currently specified in VideoStudio.

Generally all the files shown in the libraries are in working folders or in the folder they were in when you imported them - for instance if you import an image from 'My Pictures' (or where ever) then the image is still in 'My Pictures' even though the thumbnail is in a library.

All other manipulation of the clips etc. in libraries and the libraries themselves should be done within VideoStudio - you can move thumbnails between libraries, duplicate thumbnails in multiple libraries , delete libraries add new ones so really there is never any need to know where the actual libraries are

[jparnold]

Thanks Brian
I must have misled you. I do know that there are no folders named Library and yes I know that the 'virtual' data is stored in binary (.dat) files.

Also I have often used 'right click'>properties (of a 'thumbnail') to determine the file name and location.

The reason why I wanted to know where the library data (files) are located is so that I can keep backups of those files so that I can restore them if I have to rebuild (reformat and reinstall everything) my system like I had to the other day when my system was 'attacked' by what I thought at first was a virus but seems to have been SpyWare (and yes I do have AVG and AdAware installed). And the name (DR GUARD - beware of this).

Thanks again for the time you took in explaining.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Interestingly X2 and I assume X3 give you the option to export the library.
Tools-Library Manager.

You can also Reset the library, this sets the library to its default content.

Not needing or using the sample library content, I have created an empty library, Exported it to my desktop.
When I want a clear library I simply import it.
Yes I know I can create my own pages, but it always defaults to the main pages.

[sjj1805]

Regarding searching, you are partly correct.
The Web Board software can search numbers but.....
Words/numbers must be at least 3 characters in length
e.g.
abc
123
a1b

Having said that certain words are ignored by the search engine. These words are things like...
The
And
for

In other words these are "common words" and would appear too frequently in posts to be able to provide sensible search results. When we upgrade to PHPBB3 I shall be able to adjust the sensitivity of th search engine so that it ignores the top x% of repeated words in the database. I think the default setting is 5%