Tracking externally linked files

[Flyarbo]

I always wince at asking questions; my skillz at UR are so rudimentary I'm pretty sure my questions show it.

Amongst the million OTHER things I'd like to use UR for is keeping track of a few thousand files out on disk. I don't intend to fully load it up with all my files because I don't need to keep track of ALL of them; just a few thousand INDIVIDUAL files (and some INDIVIDUAL directories).

I don't want to import them into the UR database. Why load it up and duplicate space?

Trouble is, when you link to an external file, and then move the external file, the link is lost. UR has no idea where the external file has got off to.

UR has a VERY robust URL linking system to many other kinds of URL's, not just files. I don't expect it to track every external URL of every flavor. Not reasonable, and probably not doable.

But other apps (like Tag2Find) ARE capable of tracking the changing URL's of FILES out on the file system. Move a tagged file in Explorer, OUTSIDE of Tag2Find, and Tag2Find knows right what happened to it. Obviously, Tag2Find hooks into the file system somehow.

Is this doable in any way in UR?

Hope I haven't stepped on something sensitive here.

[armsys]

Flyarbo,

There's no perfect tool in the universe. UR and Tag2Find are two different animals. Tag2Find can do it because it monitors changes in the background. UR doesn't. On the other hand, UR can auto-keywording; Tag2Find can't.

Armstrong

[Flyarbo]

Not sure what to do with your observation about the two packages being "two different animals". I'm assuming you mean that no, UR doesn't do external disk file tracking and there isn't a configuration option to set to have it do so.

Inasmuch as there is nothing inherent about UR's design and purpose that somehow conflicts with this functionality (that I can see), and that UR would benefit from this capability much like Tag2Find or any other application that, like UR, references external, independent disk files as a central part of its feature set, I would like to suggest this as a future feature candidate.

Do you think I should additionally post this to the UR "Suggestions" section?

F.

[armsys]

Originally posted by Flyarbo
Not sure what to do with your observation about the two packages being "two different animals". I'm assuming you mean that no, UR doesn't do external disk file tracking and there isn't a configuration option to set to have it do so.
To the best of my humble knowlege, no, UR won't do these background trackings.

Originally posted by Flyarbo
Inasmuch as there is nothing inherent about UR's design and purpose that somehow conflicts with this functionality (that I can see), and that UR would benefit from this capability much like Tag2Find or any other application that, like UR, references external, independent disk files as a central part of its feature set, I would like to suggest this as a future feature candidate.
I would have reservation because it slows the overall system performance.
In addition to UR, I have WhereIsIt? and my own Access database to keep track of files. Neither has the background tracking capability.
Just my 2 cents.
Armstrong

[Flyarbo]

My experience with Tag2Find leads me to believe the system performance impact would be negligible.

However, everyone has different tolerance levels. I wouldn't have this problem if I was willing to pull the files into the UR database, but I object to THAT, so everyone has things they are and aren't willing to live with. External file tracking would definitely have to be a configurable setting for sure.

UR's whole purpose is keeping track of virtually EVERYTHING and goes to great lengths to do it. I would probably think of UR as Tag2Find carried to it's better, logical conclusion.

Anything that would enrich UR's capability of tracking external stuff, it's raison d'tere, after all, would seem like an obviously useful addition.

Oh, well. Everyone is different, I guess. I'll go ahead and make the suggestion.

In the meantime, I'll see if there's some way to integrate UR and some external utility for tracking file movement. Never knowing if files I'm moving around are breaking connections in UR is intolerable.

[armsys]

Hi Flyarbo,
Actually, I think you have a wonderful doable idea. UR is always busily working in the background anyway.
Armstrong