[4.7.0] Copy, Move, Delete, and virtual file system

Development Programming & Scripting
1

Engines weaknesses kill productivity making its strengths worthless.

We are in version 4.7 now. Every version I have used since 4.4 has had serious issues with your content file system (this includes an entire reinstall of whole engine). Strangely no one seems to notice accept me and my team. I have complained about this before, I find it intolerable. When very basics are hindering a project there IS a problem.

After so many versions and engine code moving so rapidly yet virtual file system does not understand difference between Copy, Move and Delete, it leaves me wondering what you guys are thinking. I tend to just quit. With blazing speed in which you are cranking out new versions (and all things being changed that breaks old versions) I can’t see going in and fixing source code being a good option for every version while there are many other things that generally need to be fixed in my game.

I understand it is absolutely necessary to keep a virtual file system. However dumping market content in root content directory is going to make anyone with OCD (Which I don’t have but it still annoys me) crazy. Seeing as how you don’t allow for market content import options these 3 basic file system tools are imperative.

Copy – Copy is a feature that sends a static file from one place to another. Its very simple, however in virtual file system paths should be retaliative. Once again very simple. This should also happen on import.

Delete – Delete actually removes a file from file system and generally all instances of that file or groups of files.

Move – Move copies a file from one place to another updates its path and deletes original copy.

Could you please look into this issue. Awhile back in one of my projects after spending about an hour (due to crashes) attempting to copy then delete original market content from root content directory I succeeded. Every time I load up project it has rewritten half original directory structure in my root content folder. It even did this when I renamed starter content to base content in root. So it is not updating on rename or move or delete fully.

For 3 versions I have wondered if this was just my machine for whatever crazy reason people (who don’t see this as a problem) would suggest. BUT I am not only one having these issues. IF you don’t care to fix problem why not allow only copying and deletion for directories and make sure they work first time? Why even place in move function if you don’t intend on your users getting convenient option to move files?

Like I said these are basic features and I am a programmer so it irks me more than next guy. When I put move in my menu UI it better move that object otherwise I am a idiot who doesn’t really know how to code. Or why go to trouble of putting it in there?

Granted I am having to learn graphics side of everything because we are a small team, so with that learning curve on top of basic features breaking, it gets to point where I fantasize about throwing away your superior engine in Lew of a comparable one just so I can get work done.

2

Hi Drixil,

I’ve assigned a member of our team to look into copy/delete/move issues you are having trouble with. We will confer with developers to see reasoning behind current system, and enter bug reports or feature requests as necessary.

It sounds like you’re having more issues than that, but we tend to prefer keeping our posts to single issues on AnswerHub so we can address them more efficiently. If you have some specific bugs or crashes you are consistently running into, please open a new post for each of them with as many details as you can, crash logs and system information as appropriate, and reproduction steps so we can try to figure out where problems lay.

As always, we thank you for your feedback and we will do our best to address issues you’ve described. If you would like to leave general feedback like this, best place is usually forums in Feedback For Epic section:

https://forums.unrealengine.com/forumdisplay.php?24-Feedback-for-Epic

We do read through that and always take feedback into consideration. AnswerHub is for more specific issues, like copy/delete/move problem you’re encountering, and we like to be more exact here if possible.

Hope that helps! As I said, we’ll get someone to investigate and research copy/delete/move issue and attempt to address that in this post. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

3

Most of other problems I was having ended at about 4.7 preview 5 or 6 regarding copy issues and crashing. Honestly virtual filesystem in content browser has always done this.

4

It sounds like you are encountering issues regarding Redirector system.

When you copy, move or delete files are you running “fixup redirectors” command in content browser’s context menu (or commandlet mentioned in above link)? This will remove .uasset files that are left behind on copy/move/delete and fixup references to moved assets.

As you have probably discovered, moving/deleting/copying files outside of Editor will generally result in content not being able to be loaded or at worst crashes.

5

ive found that in every version of editor for me under no circumstances can an asset be renamed or moved if it is or has been open or a referenced BP has been open as this often results in duplicate or missing files or folders, editor crashes (with crash reports) and mostly editor not responding and having to force quit (no crash report).

Ive found only safe way to organise, copy, paste rename or even delete files and folders is to open project clean do not open any assets or BPs make changes to file structure as required then close and reopen project.

6

Shouldn’t VFS be sorting this out itself? I can’t imagine what people would say if an operating system required such user intervention.

7

While we are interested in changing redirector system (see roadmap), we are unfortunately not actively working on it at this time.

8

Sigh… So model is adding NEW graphics and pretty pictures is priority and basic functionality takes a back seat?