File Name Templates

[roelb]

I have always used following "Live Stack" Template for RAW & PROCESSED:
{TargetName}\\{TargetName}_{Camera}_{StackedFrames} x {SubExposure} = {TotalExposure}_{DateTime}

Using the latest SC versions I receive a error under the Filenames TAB:
Live Stack templates must contain {TotalExposure}, {Index} or {StackedFrames}

Don't understand what I'm missing.

Also very annoying while one cannot see why changes to other setup page TAB's cannot be applied.
Lost a lot of observation time to discover this.

[admin]

Hi Roel,

it's probably what I'm missing, not you... I changed the validation of the templates in a recent update, since there were previously cases where the validation allowed template settings that would result in files being overwritten. As part of this, I added code that generates a range of filenames based on situations like capturing again in 1 hours time or in 24 hours time - if any of those come up with identical filenames then the new code fails the validation.

However, in the case above I can't see anything wrong with it - I expect I have gone a bit too far the other way in being too restrictive, and will fix that for today's update. I will also add a notification when you open the settings if your filenames are detected as a problem (in future that won't be an issue because you will not be able to save 'bad' templates, but with the new validation it is).

Sorry that this one hit you while observing

Robin

[admin]

Hi,

could you post your other templates (particularly the main live stack one)? I have tested the template that you shared above and it is recognized as valid, so I don't think it is the problem.

cheers,

Robin

[roelb]

Thanks Robin for your reply and adaptions.

These are my templates I use since several years without problems:

Single File (Video): {Date:S}\{TargetName}\{Time}\{TargetName}
Sequence (Stills): {Date:S}\{TargetName}\{Time}\{TargetName}_{Index}
Live Stack: {Date:S}\{TargetName}\{AutoSave}\Stack_{BitDepth}bits_{StackedFrames}frames_{TotalExposure}
Live Stack (Raw Frames): {TargetName}\\{TargetName}_{Camera}_{StackedFrames} x {SubExposure} = {TotalExposure}_{DateTime}
Live Stack (Processed): {TargetName}\\{TargetName}_{Camera}_{StackedFrames} x {SubExposure} = {TotalExposure}_{DateTime}

[roelb]

I installed the latest version 4.0.9464.0 and this was the result:

SharpCap_ChTG1lyf0J.jpg (199.19 KiB) Viewed 484 times

[roelb]

As shown above, I still have the error message.

But found a solution:
UNselect "Edit Filename Templates Manually"
and
REselect "Edit Filename Templates Manually"
And then the error message disappeared!

[admin]

Hi,

the unselect/reselect of the templates button works, but not for the reason you think - what happens when you do that is that it resets the templates back to the ones created based on the options that are chosen further up the window, so effectively the templates get changed to fix the problem.

From another thread on the same subject, I've worked out that the problem here is that the warning message is poor - you also need {DateTime} or {Date} and {Time} somewhere in the live stack templates - otherwise if you stack the same target twice the files from the second stack will potentially overwrite those from the first, which is not ideal!

cheers,

Robin

[roelb]

Thanks Robin.

As you see above Date & Time are also included so I think there is no reason for an error message.
Will this issue eventually be resolved in a future update?

Thanks in advance.

[admin]

Hi,

I think the problem is the first live stack template - that only contains {Date} and no mention of the time, so if you start two stacks of the same target on the same day they would overwrite. If that is the only thing causing the warning then it is correct behaviour, as it is warning of potential data loss.

cheers,

Robin

[roelb]

OK that did it.
Thanks