Have to click Apply after editing Metadata?

I don't know if this is a glitch per se. Maybe it's not since nobody has said anything yet.

While I am using any document like Excel and I change the metadata of that file via the metadata panel at the same time, a glitch occurs when I change folder tabs (or some other action, not sure). Evidently, after you make a change to the metadata, you MUST click apply after you make the change if you have the file open. I don't know if the glitch occurs if you do other things. I haven't fully tried all scenarios.

You can auto-apply changes. See the manual:

https://www.gpsoft.com.au/help/opus12/index.html#!Documents/Metadata_Pane.htm

Leo,

Just to let you know that I had the "apply auomatically" box checked in the metadata panel. As you alluded to, I realize that Directory Opus is not able to apply the metadata changes if the file is already open. You need to first close the file and then the metadata changes are saved.

Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that the "apply automatically" box doesn't always work which is actually pretty annoying. When I make a change to the metadata and press return, the metadata is still not saved immediately, even if the auto-save box is checked. In order for the metadata to be automatically saved, you have to navigate away from the folder like in closing it or going up to a parent folder. It won't immediately auto-save the metadata change that someone has just made. If I go to another folder and do something anything related to the folder that the file is in, an error will occur because the metadata hasn't saved and is creating a crash.

For example, say that the auto-save box is checked. Say that a file is closed and I make a metadata update to it. Then, say I rename that file, open the file and make changes to it, I move folders around with the file in it, or any other multiple tasks. An error will occur and I'll lose all of the changes I made. The only way to get out of the error is to exist out of the lister.

Essentially, the auto-save box will save the metadata change only after the folder is closed or moved up to a parent folder or down to a subfolder. If you do anything before that, those changes will produce a system failure. I realize now that if I make a metadata change, I have to always click "apply" right away. The auto-save check box really doesn't work. What it should do is if it's checked is to save metadata changes immediately but Directory Opus doesn't.

Maybe you can correct this? :smile:

It saves when the file is deselected. So just click on another file, or the folder background.

Yep, you're right it saves when you click elsewhere to deselect. But, if you have to find an empty area to click and save it, then what's the point of having the auto-save feature in the first place? You don't save any time or mental effort. It also doesn't assure you that the metadata gets saved because pressing Apply would probably do a better job of that.

More importantly, I think that just clicking an empty area doesn't work all the time. I'm not sure since I haven't fully tested it out. But, when you have a gazillion folders opens and some of them might be the parent folder or subfolder of the file's metadata you just changed, an irreversible error seems to pop up. I'm not referring to the original situation in which we changed a metadata field while the file was opened. In that case, you can just find the Word document (which sometimes proves to be difficult with virtual desktops), close it and then allow the filename to be changed.

But, in the latter scenario, you can't fix the error. I have to end up not only closing the tab but the entire lister. I wasted a bit of time.

How do you deselect files in general? If it's a problem for this, it must be a problem all the time.

Unless you have full-row selection turned on, you can just click outside the name column. If full-row is on and there's no empty space on the right or left, you can use the Edit menu or a hotkey which runs the deselect-all command ("Select NONE"), but that's usually rarely needed.

You don't have to deselect anyway. You could just click any other file or folder to auto-save edits to the currently selected file. Or click Apply if it's a situation where you can't do that for some reason. It really should not be a problem in all but the most pathological of situations.

I'm not sure what you mean. Please give more details, including what the error actually says.