Fix/correct folder alias values

I reinstalled Win10 (b1607) and configured my documents on a second HDD.
IE: created a 'junction' to "move" location of c:\users\JohnH\documents to G:\users\JohnH\documents, pictures, etc.
Somehow, some of the DOpus folder alias values are incorrect.
For example: /mydocuments now refers to c:\users\JohnH\OneDrive\Documents
this is the most annoying one, which would be really nice to change to G:\users\JohnH\documents

I cannot see any way to change most of the folder aliases.

I hope this is something I can fix in DOpus.
Where are these folder pointer values stores?
thanks!

Actually, this value comes from Windows system settings. You can change it with a new Win10 dialog in:
Windows Settings (Win-I) > System > Storage: Save Locations.
The "new documents will save to" was somehow set to c:\users\JohnH\OneDrive\Documents
I fixed that.

The /mydocuments alias resolves to the path that the Windows API tells Opus to use for each folder. If it's wrong, the OS itself is disagreeing about where those folders are located.

(This is assuming it is just the built-in alias. It's possible to create a user-defined alias which overrides a built-in one. If you can still see it in the Preferences list when "built-in aliases" is unchecked at the bottom, it's user-defined and can be edited or deleted to fix the problem.)

Did you create those junctions by hand, or did you move the folders using the method built into Windows, via Properties > Location on the folders?

Leo: thanks for the prompt reply.
I think I fixed my original problem by resetting all the redirected folder/junctions, and re-doing the junctions in Win10 OS.

I used the internal WinOS method: way to move folder location: "Properties", [Location] tab,
change target locations (ex: C:\Users\Public\Documents -> G:\Users\Public\Documents), "Yes" to move all files.

Note: target folder will be OVERWRITTEN by all source files.
I believe this creates a NTFS 'junction' pointing to the new location. This uses internal WinOS tools, so I think it's relatively safe.
Also, I found that there is a new dialog in Windows Settings (Win-I) > System > Storage: Save Locations,
it seems to interact with some of this functionality.

QUESTION: is it possible to override an EXISTING DOpus built-in folder alias?
ex: create my own /mydocuments to replace the WinOS defined one?

THOUGHTS: Working out a good way to do this in WinOS / DOpus, might be of use to others, since its an increasingly common situation to use a smaller SSD for the WinOS, and a larger but slower spinning HDD for the data folders.
Re-directing each of these is very tedious and prone to errors (you have to delete/re-create a junction if you mess up, at the risk of losing a lot of files if you're not careful).
Other suggested method propose using links in Libraries (older) and Quick access (newer approach), and finally, the heavy-duty
re-directs the entire c:\users folder branch to another drive; however, this method uses SYSPREP which seems much more radical. Haven't tried this approach yet.

I thought you could override built-in aliases, but now that I actually try it, it seems not. (It's possible it can be done but not via the UI, but it's probably best avoided.)

You don't have to use /mydocuments anywhere, though, so you could make your own /mydocs or similar alias which points to somewhere else.

As to the Windows folders, my philosophy is to not use them because there are so many incorrectly written programs which store configuration data in them that the folders are a complete write-off for storing your documents etc., as they get lost in all the other junk that things put in the folders. I just make a folder somewhere else and create quick ways to access it (e.g. using the sidebar in the File Open dialogs, and toolbar buttons in Opus).

The only real thing that designating a folder as the official Windows "My Documents" folder achieves is that programs will dump a load of unwanted data in there which should have been placed under the user profile / appdata folder instead. :slight_smile: