Indexing digibase databases, Indexing while browsing, Manual indexing – M-AUDIO Pro Tools Recording Studio User Manual

Page 250

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Pro Tools Reference Guide

232

To enter an edit to a text field and exit, and return
to the previous display state:

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Press Enter.

To revert to the previous text and cancel a text
edit:

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Press Esc.

Indexing DigiBase Databases

Indexing is the process of reading media files,
extracting just the metadata for each file, then
storing that data in an associated database so
that it may be displayed in the columns of a
browser. Once a volume or folder has been fully
indexed, it can be searched very quickly because
all of the metadata has already been sorted and
organized.

If a volume or folder has not been indexed, it is
indexed automatically the first time it is opened
in a DigiBase browser. Volumes or folders con-
taining a lot of media files can take a long time
to index. For this reason, you may want to man-
ually index specific volumes or files prior to
starting a project to help expedite workflow.

Indexing while Browsing

The first time you open a Volume browser for a
volume or folder that has never been indexed,
Pro Tools automatically begins to fill the data-
base for that level of the volume. Files and fold-
ers appear in the browser Items List, along with
metadata in the columns for each item. Index-
ing continues until you either close the browser,
or until that folder is completely indexed.

The next time you open that browser, metadata
for items that have already been indexed is visi-
ble immediately. If the browser or folder was
closed before indexing was complete, or if the
contents of the folder have changed since the
last time it was browsed, Pro Tools automati-
cally updates the database the next time it is
opened. This way, the database is always up to
date for the folder you are browsing. (View the
Task Manager to see current activity.)

Indexing while Browsing saves time because it
only fills the database for items on the level of
the volume that you are currently browsing. For
example, if you are browsing the root level of
the volume, it indexes only the folders and files
on the root level. If you open a folder, Pro Tools
indexes just the items in that folder. As a result,
a database is only indexed for the parts of the
volume that you have browsed. However,
searches are faster and more complete when a
volume is already completely indexed.

Manual Indexing

Manual indexing fills in all missing data, and
updates changed data for selected folders and all
of their sub-folders.

To update the index for a folder and all sub-folders:

1

Select the item in a browser Items List.

2

Choose Update Database for Selected from the

Browser menu.

To update the index for an entire volume:

1

Select the volume to update in the Workspace

browser.

2

Choose Update Database for Selected from the

Browser menu.

For details on column editing, see “Column
Data” on page 237.

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