Find and manage original files
In Microsoft Expression Media, you generally use metadata and image characteristics to sort and display files. However, there are also tools that you can use to manage your files according to file characteristics such as file name and file path. You can use these tools to help you locate duplicate or missing files, or to modify file paths.
Expression Media defines duplicate files as two or more items that reference the same file path. Missing files are catalog items whose stored file path doesn't correspond to an image because you may have moved, renamed, or deleted the original image. In this case, the full-size image in Media view will no longer be available, and either you will receive an error message in the header bar or the last available file path will be in red.
Note
If you have imported two identical files that have different file paths, Expression Media does not recognize these as duplicate files, but as similar files. To locate these types of files, use the Show Similar command in the Find menu.
To locate missing items
- Click Search to browse to the missing items if you know where they are now located, or if you know what they are now named. An alternate way to do this is to use the Reset Paths feature, described below. Click Remove to delete them from the catalog.
To reassign or modify a path
On the Find menu, click Reset Paths.
In the Reset Paths dialog box, reassign or modify the path for one or more items.
Browse to and select the folder or directory where the file(s) now reside.
Expression Media displays each file in a window for you to confirm the new path for each file.
If you have a group of files, and you are sure that all the new paths are correct, you can click the Accept All button to avoid having to confirm a new path for each.
If you have just moved or renamed a whole folder or disk, and you need to update the file path in the application, it is much faster to use the Reset folder path command in the Catalog Folders pane of the Organize panel.