After getting the dreaded resources missing message, do you want to relink but firstly not having any idea which resources are missing as they are named as a string of random numbers and letters and having to manually go through one by one like a needle in a haystack in the resources folder I shouted “Aaaargh!”. Then seeing when they do relink it isn’t looking in the project package but instead just relinks the project file, which is a worse scenario as I have now lost the indicator that the resource is lost.
Anyway, this has happened a number of times, I’ve used colourful language in the direction of RW, but have concluded that this is not a fault with RW, but my cloud storage background sync.
Thinking it was either RW, Mac OS version or cloud storage I have determined it is cloud storage. I work between two Macs and use cloud storage to sync. The older Mac is High Sierra and the new Mac is Catalina. Both suffer the problem, so it isn’t Catalina, which was my first suspect. After lot’s of tedious tests to replicate it is Cloud storage. This is purely anecdotal but I suspect it is either the sync programme getting it’s knickers in a twist with a sudden barrage of small files generated when previewing etc or possibly most likely, as this happens when I regularly save as Project 1 V1, Project 1 V2, Project 1 V3 etc that there are a ton of what is perceived as duplicate files and the sync programme ignores them as duplicate or thinks it has already indexed them as it is always a later version where the resources are lost, I usually find a few versions back everything is intact, but my project has moved along very far from that point. It also rings true as being the Cloud sync because this has happened with Hype files also, so rules out RW as the culprit.
What I have found can work well to avoid this:
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Work outside the sync folder, desktop or similar, then Zip project file when done and drag to your sync folder. (For those not aware the project file is basically only a folder of files, being a package it looks like a single file).
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Other method, create a larger than you anticipate DMG file for your RW Project file that you can mount and unmount when finished working. For instance if you anticipate your project will be 50MB, allowing for a few version saves and a little extra create a DMG of 200MB. You then have a pseudo-separate drive for your project file and the encapsulated DMG file with everything in will sync.
I know you can backup your project file to your server when publishing, but I don’t see any option to password protect it and I would rather have that option.
What would be good from RW Developers - This I’m sure is going to be an increasing problem for RW users as more people are utilising cloud sync storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive etc), it would be good if RW developers could add a feature that instead of saving the project as a package as it currently does, instead save as an encapsulated single file similar to a zip or DMG or at least provide the option to do this.
Anyway heed the advice before too late, I thought I’d mention it as I searched the forum looking for answers, I wasted hours when first encountering this trying to correct the problem, then it happened again, then… trying to replicate it to whittle down the culprit, so thought it might help others.
Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong or if you have better alternatives, it is a problem that is going to become more frequent and then make people question the use of the resources folder.