When you open a Script or Box, MediaShout performs a quick check to ensure that all the media files used by its cues are where they're supposed to be. If a media file can't be found, the program can go looking for it in other likely locations ... if you let it. The settings that determine if, how and where MediaShout performs searches for missing media are chosen in the appropriately named Missing Media Search Options. You'll find this section on the Files tab of the General Preferences dialog.
The Missing Media Search Options settings are as follows:
– Automatically search for missing media files: Select this choice if you want the program to search for missing files automatically whenever a Script or Box is opened. This is the recommended choice.
– Ask me before searching: With this choice selected instead, if the Script or Box being opened contains cues whose assigned media files can't be found, a Missing Media dialog will open to ask what you want to do about it (see below).
– Include other drives in search: Select this option if you want the program to search other drives on your system. If you've moved a Script or Box from one network computer to another, this is a useful option.
– Prompt me before replacing: If you're in a hurry, leave this option unchecked. But if you have two or more different files in different folders that nonetheless share the same name, check this option: Otherwise, the program might find the wrong versions of these files and tell the cues to point to them instead.
Missing Media dialog: If you've instructed the program to ask you before searching for missing media, the Missing Media dialog will open whenever the Script or Box being opened contains cues whose assigned media files can't be found.
Click Find Missing Files to have the program go on a search. (Options for searching other drives and prompting before replacing are described above.) To open the Script or Box without searching, click Disable Affected Cues.
Missing Media File dialog: If you've instructed the program to prompt you before replacing a file, it will indeed do so if it finds a likely candidate on its own.
The Missing Media File dialog provides information about the cue that's missing the media, as well as the path and name of the file it couldn't find. The New File field at the bottom contains the path and name of the file it's chosen as the most likely replacement:
– If you agree with the program's choice for the replacement, click Replace. The cue will be fixed so that it points to this file instead.
– If you don't agree with its choice (or the field is blank because it has no file to suggest), click the Open button to the right of this field to find and select the file yourself. After selecting a file, its path and name will appear in the field. Then you can click Replace.
– If you can't or don't want to replace the file, click Disable: This cue – and every other cue that uses the missing file – will be disabled.
– To give up the entire search process for this and every other missing file, click Disable All: The Script or Box will open immediately with all affected cues disabled.
Note that the Missing Media File dialog may open even if you've instructed the program not to prompt you before replacing files. This will happen when it can't find a missing file on its own and needs you to find the file yourself.
Tip: To search for missing media files in an open Script, choose Script > Check Media Files. (For a Box, choose the same thing in the ShoutBox menu instead.) This feature allows you open a Script or Box quickly, then fix its disabled cues later without having to reopen it.
More on missing media file searching: The following facts may help you to use the Missing Media Search feature more effectively.
– Presentation folders: When searching for missing files, the program automatically looks first in the folder containing the Script or Box file itself, as well as subfolders of this folder. If you keep presentation-specific media files in that presentation's folder, MediaShout will always find them automatically, even if you move the folder to a new location or computer.
– My Shout folder: If it can't find a missing file in the same location as the Script or Box file, it'll then look through the My Shout folder. So the searches will be more successful if you keep your media files and folders in this folder.
– Suspect folders: If you end up having to point to the missing file yourself (from the Missing Media File dialog), the program remembers the folder it's in and looks for other missing files there too. (It figures it for a likely suspect in the hiding of other missing files.) In short, it may find the rest of the missing files on its own.
– Multiple assignments: If a found file happens to be assigned to other cues too (e.g., a background that gets used more than once), the program will fix all the other cues too.
– Disabled cues: If you can't or don't want to replace a cue's missing file, the Script or Box will open with the cue disabled. When disabled, a cue can't be fired, and is simply skipped if you try to advance into it. To enable the cue, open its properties dialog and replace its missing media file.
– Severely disabled cue: Because some cue types can have up to three files assigned to them (primary media, background, soundtrack), a cue may remain disabled even after you've located one of its missing files. To enable the cue, you must replace all of its missing files.
– Lyric cues: If the song assigned to a Lyric cue can't be found, the cue is disabled (i.e., there's no equivalent search feature for missing songs). To enable the cue, you'll need to choose another song for it, or enter or import the song into the song library, then reassign it to the cue.
– Bible cues: If the Bible version used by a Bible cue can't be found, MediaShout will use a version that is installed in the Bible Library. To use the original version, you'll need to install it, then select that version in the cue's properties dialog.