Project load fails if project file is renamed

[cvca]

A saved project - even an empty one - will not load if the project file has been renamed outside of PI.
Loading project fails with

*** Error: XML project file not found in project bundle:

The project will load properly if renamed back to the original name. However, this is a problem because the original name of the file may not be known and is not provided in the Process Console.

This is a new installation of PI, PixInsight Core 01.08.06.1475 Ripley (x64), MacOS 10.14.6.

John

[Juan Conejero]

Hi John,

This is not a bug, but a limitation caused by the fact that bundled projects have to be compatible with unbundled projects, to ensure backward compatibility with versions of PixInsight before 1.8.6.

The workaround to this problem is quite simple. If you change the name of a project bundle, you have to change also the names of several project components inside the bundle folder:

- The name of the project's XML file (the file with .xosm suffix).
- The name of the project's data folder (the folder with .data suffix).
- The name of the project's seal file (the .seal file under the .data folder).

Then you should be able to load the renamed project without problems, provided that all of the above elements have the same name as the project's bundle. Bundles are just folders (directories) and you can view their contents on macOS by selecting "Show Package Contents" on Finder.

Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll overcome this limitation in a future version, soon after the incoming 1.8.7 version.

[dave_galera]

This will happen because the project is a bundle and contains other files with the same name, i.e. test.pxiproject is the project file which contains files such as test.xosm and a folder named test.data
If you change the project file to test123.pxiproject then PI will look for the files test123.xosm and the folder test123.data within the project bundle which of course don't exist, and hence PI can't load the project.
Try changing the file/folder names withing the project bundle

Are you on Mac or Windoooze?

[dave_galera]

Sorry Juan...snap, we both answered together LOL

[cvca]

Thanks guys for the incredibly fast and helpful responses!

I didn't realize that this was a Package, and now I see that if I right click and Show Package Contents (MacOS), I can see (and edit) the filenames and folders inside.

I have a habit of cleaning up directories, discarding the false project starts when I'm finished, and renaming the final project when I'm finished, so I'll remember this workaround.

Enjoying my brand new PixInsight license...

John