One Drive and Opus Downloading

auden · November 8, 2018, 10:25am

Was there ever a more irritating piece of software than One Drive? From my experience of the darned thing Problem Drive might be a better name. But the latest problem is the most annoying yet.

I make a One Drive folder to "Clear Space" so that the files exist only in the cloud and not on the local disk.

All is fine until I open the the One Drive folder. Opus immediately begins downloading all the files. If you hit the cancel key, Opus plods on remorselessly downloading.

So you tell One Drive to block Opus from downloading. It makes not a jot of difference. Opus continues on its merry way, constantly downloading files from One Drive.

I have checked the registry, which seemed to indicate that as far as Windows 10 is concerned Opus is blocked from downloading:

But does it stop Opus? Not likely:

Any ideas anyone?

Leo · November 8, 2018, 12:27pm

What are you showing in the lister? (Coulmns, display mode(s), etc.) Can we see a full screenshot?

The status bar definition may also be important, since it looks custom.

Both things can cause Opus to open files to generate the requested data, which in turn can cause One Drive to download the files.

auden · November 8, 2018, 1:53pm

This is the Lister

And this is the status bar definition

{wtree}
{h!} <#ff0000> {hi} </#>{h!}
Dirs: {sd}/{td}
Files: {sf}/{tf} {fl}
<#0000d2>CD:{bg+v=sb/700m,c=#008000,c3=#FF0000, w=70, f=1,l=10}
<#000080>DVD:{bg+v=sb/4.7gb,c=#008000,c3=#FF0000, w=70, f=1,l=10}
{width90}<#b20744>{dlet}{dlab}<#FF0000>
{df} Free {bg+v=pf/100,w=50,g=0,c=#55aa55,b=#f0f0f0}
{du} Used {bg+f=2,w=50,g=0,c=#FF0000,b=#f0f0f0}
{width160}Filesystem: <#b20744>{fsys}<#ff0000>
{width180}{h! [if:set VIEW=Details} Image Size:{sel:size}
{width5180}{h! [if:set VIEW=Details} Date Created:{sel:created} Filename:<#b20744> {sel:name}
{rpad}
{gfl}
{ls}

Leo · November 8, 2018, 1:56pm

The lister in the screenshot above was in Details mode?

auden · November 8, 2018, 4:05pm

Thumbnails mode - or at least that is how it is set on the tab.

I have been doing a little experimenting with Explorer, and it seems that the download behavior there is as expected

I.e. If I ask to view a PDF in Acrobat reader that is stored in the Cloud, Explorer downloads only that one file.

Leo · November 8, 2018, 6:36pm

Which columns are displayed in details mode?

Your status bar also has some mistakes:

{width180}{h! [if:set VIEW=Details} Image Size:{sel:size}
{width5180}{h! [if:set VIEW=Details} Date Created:{sel:created} Filename:<#b20744> {sel:name}

That should be:

{width180}{h!{if:set VIEW=Details}} Image Size:{sel:size} {h!}
{width5180}{h!{if:set VIEW=Details}} Date Created:{sel:created} Filename:<#b20744> {sel:name} </#> {h!}

auden · November 8, 2018, 8:53pm

Name
Status
Size
Type
Modified
Attar
Dimensions
Date Taken

I have corrected by status bar. Many thanks

Leo · November 10, 2018, 2:02pm

The Dimensions and Date Taken columns require opening the files to obtain the information from inside them, and opening the files will cause OneDrive to download them.

auden · November 10, 2018, 2:58pm

I have removed the Dimensions and Date Taken from the Tabs for One Drive. They now no longer appear in the lister.

However it makes no difference. As soon as I open the lister from the tab Opus starts downloading .

It rather renders off-line storage on OneDrive as useless and still does not address the questions to why the registry says that Opus is blocked from downloading, wheen it patently continues to do so.

I have had to revert to using OneDrive from Explorer, where it functions just fine.

All I want to do is to block Opus from downloading, but it seems impossible.

auden · November 10, 2018, 3:04pm

I have just ride another experiment. I keep open the Onedrive folder in Opus.

I go to Explorer and tell Explorer to Clear Space on the folder. The second it begins to do so, in the Opus lister Opus starts downloading the files back to my OneDrive folder on my machine.

It is like being on the Magic Roundabout.

Leo · November 10, 2018, 3:22pm

How are you opening the tab? Does it still have those columns added to it if you switch into Details mode?

When you removed the columns, did you save that in any way? If not, it's just temporary and they'll come back again.

Note that columns defined for Details mode may still be cached when the folder is read (if they are included in the Folder Format), even if you're starting in Thumbnails mode.

auden · November 10, 2018, 4:06pm

I am opening the tab from the Tabbar as I always do.

The column headings are identical in Thumbnail and Details mode.

When I changed the tab to remove the fields you suggested, I applied the changes. When it did not work, I checked the changes and then even re-booted the computer.

As soon as I open the tab Opus starts downloading files from OneDrive.

The columns in the folder format do not contain the offending fields and seem to match the details and thumbnail columns

auden · November 10, 2018, 8:37pm

Sent in error

auden · November 11, 2018, 7:58am

I do not know whether this is the source of my problem, but I have just checked Windows update and I have been upgraded to version 1809 10.017763.

I understood that Microsoft had withdrawn this update from its update servers, so apparently my machine must have updated before they did that. I have to say that in my normal work I had not realised that this had happened as I have had no problems at all.

I have had a look to see if I can find any mention of OneDrive issues on the new build, but so far have not found any.

If I can summarize what I have found with OneDrive and Explorer and Opus on my computer.

The scenario is that I have a folder of PDF files I want to keep on the cloud and download back to my machine on request.

EXPLORER:

Use save space to remove files from local disc

select a file and tell the system I want to open it in Adobe Acrobat reader

Explorer downloads the files and it opens in Reader

Use save space again to put the file back into the cloud.

I take this to be accepted and acceptable behaviour for OneDrive

OPUS

Open the OneDrive folder contains the PDFs which are stored in the cloud

Immediately Opus begins to download every single PDF in the folder without being requested to do so.

Cancelling the operation makes no difference. You can look at the Lister and watch Opus bring each and every file back to my One Drive folder on the PC.

I have folders in the cloud on OneDrive that contain hundreds of images, I simply cannot countenance looking at them in Opus in case this unstoppable download procedure starts and cannot be stopped.

I have just found the following:

https://rcpmag.com/articles/2018/10/09/windows-10-folder-redirection-woes.saps

This is interesting, because I used this facility to move my OneDrive folder from my small SSD to my main drive.

However, I did not suffer any data loss in the upgrade

Leo · November 11, 2018, 9:22am

You could generate a proces monitor log which should make it easy to see what is causing the files to be opened, and if it's Opus or something like a shell extension.

Another thing to look out for is label filters that look at metadata that would require opening the files.

auden · November 11, 2018, 2:20pm

This is the procmon file created when I told OneDrive to store my PDFs in the Cloud. Opus immediately started to bring the files back, as usual om my machine.

I hope the results of the file mean more to you than they do to me
Logfile.zip (11.5 MB)

Many thanks for your efforts and advice

Leo · November 11, 2018, 4:54pm

The log shows it is your filter labels, as I suspected earlier.

auden · November 12, 2018, 7:20am

I am sorry to say that disabling the labels on folders that use OneDrive makes not the slightest difference - apart from the labels disappearing from the files, of course.

As soon as I open a OneDrive folder Opus downloads all the files.

The real problem I have is that in Explorer -labels or not- OneDrive works flawlessly.

The other problem is that disabling labels on OneDrive folders affects other folders and really plays havoc with my workflow notifications so it is not an option, really.

I guess it is explorer for OneDrive and Opus -vastly superior - for everything else.

Thanks for your efforts.

Leo · November 12, 2018, 7:35am

Try doing a config backup, then uninstall Opus and reinstall it so you're using the default configuration.

You should then see Opus works the same as Explorer. That's what it does here, and can be seen in the 2nd video for the 12.10 release where it covers OneDrive.

If so, that tells you something in your configuration is triggering the files to be opened.

Possibly label filters in a place you haven't looked. (e.g. Labels can be both global and part of folder formats.)

It's also possible something else is causing the files to be opened as well as the labels, although I didn't see that in the logs.

(We may also make a change so labels don't do anything that would open the file if it's offline.)

auden · November 12, 2018, 12:02pm

I deleted all labels and label events from my Configuration. The problem did NOT go away.

I then followed your suggestion with a fresh install, and -as you usually are - you were quite right. With the new configuration OneDrive works to spec.

It did throw up something very interesting, however. This is downloading a file back to my PC in the fresh configuration:

Note the standard windows download box

Now with my own configuration:

That is a completely different download box.

I am about to embark on rebuilding my config bit by bit in the hope that I may unearth the problem. I will report how I get on, but, as they say, I may be some time as in is a massive configuration.

I do think that taking labels out of the OneDrive equation, is a very good idea.