Save and export - efficiency

[hy13]

When saving a processed file as *.afphoto document one can close the still open document afterwards immediately (of course). The default for the file name on "save under" operation is taken from the input file with the appropriate ending automatically added. When additionally exporting that file e.g. as *.jpeg without changing anything in the document, AP requests an additional save operation for the already saved *.afphoto file before allowing to close the file.

1. For efficiency reason (save extra time for unnecessary save operation and extra click on unnecessary dialog) I request to change that behavior to "do not request extra save after export when the AP document remained unchanged since last save operation before export".

2. When multiple files, e.g. for a Panorama, are processed, the default file name for the following "save under" operation is not taken from anyone of the  input files, instead the string  "unnamed" is provided as the default. When working in a sequence on a bunch of panoramas, then it often happens that you miss to rename the file before saving it and consequently overwrite it with the next "unnamed" default and thus loose your work. For efficiency and safety reason I request therefore to use the first filename of the processed panorama input files as the default instead of "unnamed". This makes sense of course as well for other operations on multiple files (stacks etc.)

[walt.farrell]

44 minutes ago, hy13 said:

For efficiency reason (save extra time for unnecessary save operation and extra click on unnecessary dialog) I request to change that behavior to "do not request extra save after export when the AP document remained unchanged since last save operation before export".

This has been mentioned by others, too.

In fact, the document is not unchanged, and that's why the Save is being requested. If you check the History panel, you will see that the document was modified to include the last Export settings that you specified. That change is what triggers the request to Save again.

46 minutes ago, hy13 said:

When working in a sequence on a bunch of panoramas, then it often happens that you miss to rename the file before saving it and consequently overwrite it with the next "unnamed" default and thus loose your work.

The application should be prompting you to overwrite. Is that not happening, or are you automatically clicking Yes, rather than renaming it at that point?

 

47 minutes ago, hy13 said:

For efficiency and safety reason I request therefore to use the first filename of the processed panorama input files as the default instead of "unnamed". This makes sense of course as well for other operations on multiple files (stacks etc.)

Many users like to save back into the source folder. If you made a panorama from file1.tiff, file2.tiff, and file3.tiff, then exported it and chose the source folder, and Affinity chose file1.tiff rather than unnamed.tiff, you would lose your original file if you mistakenly clicked yes when prompted to overwrite. That feels like a more dangerous possibility to me, than losing something named unnamed

[Wosven]

14 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

If you check the History panel, you will see that the document was modified to include the last Export settings that you specified

The file isn't really modified, unless the history is saved too, or the export was done after modifying some settings in the export persona, otherway, I agree too that asking for saving the file again is not needed.

Another interesting and already asked feature is for the file to remember the last name used when exporting (not in the export persona), instead of using the file name, since file nomenclature can be cryptic but needed in a company, but exports need nicer names for clients, and usually there more than 1 version exported.

[hy13]

@walt.farell:

extra save operation: Well, other software products can handle that as requested. And when doing it vice versa, what I normally do, then you have the optimal result. But when working partly in panoramas e.g. that is misleading because there you have to supply the "save under " filename twice (one for the export and one for the normal document save. Would be nice when a newly developed product like AP could assist users in that. And of course such things are not a must, but they are smart and support smooth operation.

overwrite errors: Well, when I work slow and carefully I can avoid that because I know that this will happen. Nevertheless, during mass work, and that is my normal workload, this happens repeatedly. And you will not see a warning in every case. Otherwise this would not happen. Finally, this too is not a must, but ....

file name default: I don't think so as stated in your example. When you make a panorama from Tiffs the first result is a *.afphoto document that will not overwrite an original file at all because of the different file name ending. And that is why I am saving back always to the source folder as suggested in your example. The only case where the overwrite could happen is when you do an additional export as *.tiff. But there you get in every case a warning for sure. And using the "unnamed" string for everything is of course more dangerous than anything else and causes more dialog work to do. And as written above this is not a must, but ....

[fde101]

1 hour ago, Wosven said:

unless the history is saved too

There is an option in the File menu which can be enabled to do exactly that.

 

1 hour ago, Wosven said:

asking for saving the file again is not needed.

1 hour ago, Wosven said:

the file to remember the last name used when exporting

If the file is to remember the last name used when exporting, you would need to save it after exporting or it would quickly forget that, would it not?

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Wosven said:

The file isn't really modified, unless the history is saved too, or the export was done after modifying some settings in the export persona,

The export settings are saved whether History is saved or not. If the History panel shows any changes since the Save was done, the file was modified. 

If you Save it again, then when you reopen it will know the last Export settings you used. If not saved, it won't know them.

Maybe remembering that change isn't important to you, but it was a change to the file. I have other applications that behave similarly if I save, then print, then close. Printing updates the file by saving the print settings.

[Wosven]

• 7 minutes ago, fde101 said:

There is an option in the File menu which can be enabled to do exactly that.

That was the purpose of my comment:

• if the option is checked, any move, object seleted, etc. added in the history should be recorded, so it should ask it
• if it's not checked, I don't mind the app remembering my last click or move, whatever I did, if it doesn't modify the image or something important like layer orders, etc. the app shouldn't ask to save again (usual behavior with other apps).

12 minutes ago, fde101 said:

If the file is to remember the last name used when exporting, you would need to save it after exporting or it would quickly forget that, would it not?

Yes, and I expect this behaviour in this case, since in the long run (sometime from a year later or more), the file memorizing the last name used in export or the last folder for this export -- and not the last folder for another unrelated document export --, is a time saver. This is different as proposing to save or save as in the original folder, but this feature is also important and asked.

 

There are a lot of little improvements like those that we need, since in a productive environment, fewer clicks give you more time to do fun tasks like correcting/improving images, or simply working. Especially for features that  take care of unecessary tasks or questions like: "I thought I save this document... but it's asking to save again... Should I save it again, was I doing tests and forget to close it withut saving?..." "Which name did I use to export this file? Damn, I'm again in the wrong folder... I need to go to the right folder, select an older exported file to get the name before modifying it -- carefull here, no overwriting by error --, save it, and send it..."

2 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

The export settings are saved whether History is saved or not.

Yes, and it should be save if those are modified, history saving or not, since export settings are important and need to be usually reuse next time, like export name for some of us.

 

It seems I should have detailed more each point.

[Pšenda]

7 hours ago, Wosven said:

or the export was done after modifying some settings in the export persona, otherway, I agree too that asking for saving the file again is not needed

Correctly, after the export, there should be a change and therefore the subsequent saving of the file always, because the date of export in the Fields should change.
But somehow this field doesn't work.

[Wosven]

9 hours ago, Pšenda said:

Correctly, after the export, there should be a change and therefore the subsequent saving of the file always, because the date of export in the Fields should change.

Interesting, this field is of no use for me, but it explains the problem.