Incorrect pointers within the files cause poser to search for the textures when the files are loaded... causing a delay, and running the risk of that cannot find texture" error box. Also, when Poser comes across one of these incorrect paths, it causes a locking of the runtime libraries under XP/NTFS which siezes up the functions of PBooost.

You can also use CorrectReference to correct your products before you zip them up! (Hint, Hint!)

I've just run my "characters" folder through CorrectReference... it's not a large folder on this test poser installation by any means... but the process took about five of your earth minutes.
Blimey... that's a lot of incorrect file pointers!

Sorry to all those who've manually corrected the pointers with the PBooost DFE... a painstaking process I'm sure!... but this automates the process.

Howard:)

Howard, You mean to say that my "bizarre" problem with the original P-Boost actually lead to a better understanding of the problem? I'm so pleased. :) (I was the freak who posted that files didn't get locked no matter what props or hair figures I added, up until one called for a missing texture.) I thought I was posting nonsense... and it sounded like you thought I was experiencing a freak occurrance as well. ;) Looks like an excellent new tool you've got there. When and were do we get it? Phoenix

Oh, I've got a question. Will this app work for those of us who store our textures outside of the Poser root? I found that I had so many textures that loading a CR2 with incorrect references would actaully crash Poser, because it had so many folders to search though, so I moved them all to an external folder... now at least when Poser can't find something, it doesn't have far to look before prompting me. As a result, my texture references have to be absolute drive paths. Would this app work for me? Thanks. :)

Another question. First, I think this is a great idea. But, what happens if it encounters a missing texture, not just a incorrect reference?

I welcome Hogwarden, our new Texture Reference Overlord. Sorry, haven't slept yet. ;)

Or if there are multiple fils with the same name? (I probably have 30 files named head.jpg)

Howard I know I should have asked this the other day but would it be possible to add this into the PBooost program as well? Rob

Yeah! Thank you very much hogwarden!

This is a program the Poser community desperately needs. Thanks hogwarden. It would be great if this program gave the user the opportunity to specify at least one directory outside of runtime. Also, I sometimes like to store objects and textures in the library along with the cr2 or pp2, sounds like your little app would make this easy.

John, Your program looks interesting, but I can still see a use for hogwarden's - I've tried Zenware's Cr2edit and found it cumbersome and slow for my purposes which is mainly just file checking and organizing. What I would REALLY like to see is a program that would read a cr2 (or pp2) and then not only allow me to edit paths to all referenced .objs and textures, but would also be able to PACKAGE them in one zip file with all the correct path references.

Way ta go, Howard! Woohoo!!!!

John, Same question to you that I asked to Howard... will your program manage files that exist outside of the Poser root folder? for instance if my CR2 references :Runtime:Textures:DAZ:MilWoman:dressblah.jpg, can I use your program to change that path to D:GraphicsTexturesVictoriaDressdressblah.jpg? If it can handle external files, you just got a customer. :) Phoenix

Another question for John. It seems that Hogwardens program will be very close to a one-click fix for all texture references in every CR2. Are you saying yours already does this? Just one click and all of the texture references in all CR2s get fixed? Or do you have to open each item to get it fixed?

Plus there is one other major difference... The tittle of this thread is FREE utility to clear up incorrect file references. John, I'm sure your has a number of expanded utilities, but they come at a price. ;^) Howard, thanks for the thought. mike

Hiya... Yes... CorrectReference lets you select which textures folder you want it to search for files in as in the second picture I posted... it can be anywhere on your machine, but it must be in the form "textures/runtime/...". The app finds all such folders on your machine when it is launched. Currently it only corrects to ":runtime:textures:etc" but I will add the ability to prefer "C:poserruntimeetc" explicit paths as I have in PBooost. JH... This is something primarily intended for PBooost users whose incorrect references are causing folder locks and restricting PBooost. Rather than adding the utility to PBooost and causing everyone to update again I thought a basic, specific freebie with no bells and whistles was called for. This will not do anything else but correct file references in one hit. As for unfound files... When the scan/correction is complete, I'll have a box come up which allows you to set all those references... or you can chose to change all unfound references to "NO_MAP". Phoenixamon... Yep! I'd gone down the route that incorrect references were causing the folder locks, but my experiments with corrected files hadn't solved the problem... I was incorrectly correcting! So you put me back onto the right track... Ta! And about multiple files with the same name... ... I'm not sure what to do about this... Part of me thinks that everyone should name their texture maps like this "HogwardenVickyHeadTex01.jpg" so multiples aren't an issue. But that ain't going to happen!! I should have a function to scan for multiply named files and change the names... but then the file pointers will be wrong! Ag. Need to think about it more. Howard:)

Howard, All I can think of where multiple files with the same name are concerned is to pop up a list of all the possibilities and let the user choose one or "NO_MAP". If the user has taken the time to put their textures in some sort of sane order, they ought to be able to tell which is the correct one by seeing the path. ;) Thanks for making this effort. It will be appreciated by many. I can't use it until it can look in a user-defined directory as it's search root and insert the new location as a full path. Phoenix

I have the whole Texture outside (another Drive)of the poser Route. Inside of Poser is only the Texture map with a link to the texture outside of Poser. I works without any Problems. Havi

Well Howard, I have ALL my textures in a whole series of categorized subfolders under D:Textures. That's the way I set them up when I just had Bryce and didn't have Poser, and when I did get Poser I just changed references (manually) as I installed everything - so all textures would be in the same area and I would not have to go chasing textures in the usual Poser maze when trying to import to Bryce, where I do ALL my rendering. It always irritated the hell out of me that if you started with the usual ...runtimetextures location you were already 6 folders deep in a path before setting up ANY texture folders - I HATE pointlessly long paths to anything. I have a feeling there are quite a few others who might have done things somewhat similarly. I would suggest that it would be really helpful if you would set up the program so that we could enter a substitute for .......................runtimetextures as a preference so it would ALWAYS go to the alternate location to look for textures, otherwise it would be completely useless to someone like me. I also suggest this as an added preference choice for Pboost too.

Allen, That is just my situation. :) My textures are in a structure like D:TexturesVictoriaTexturenamewhatever.jpg D:TexturesVictoria ClothingDresswhateverdress.jpg I couldn't use this app unless it could take a fully qualified path as a substitution for Poser's internal textures directory. There's got to be more of us who've done this, for whatever reason. Phoenix

Yup, I keep frequently changed files-- like my own hair textures-- in exterior folders. An ability to specify folder choices woul be nice. On the other hand-- this relieves my mind as I crashed my XP Poser 6 times yesterday in doing one project all because of textures not found. I thought I'd wrecked everything-- and i was getting darn tired of throwing out rsr because of it. Emily

Hey, I recognize that little torch icon on the application window! Glad to see others really do use Delphi for their development needs! dano

Thanks again, Howard. It looks really great!

Looking good Howard. This will really help. Looking forward to this becoming available. Don't forget to add that ability to specify a different default texture path to your next version of Pboost. That's already a great program, but it needs this too.

Will do, Allen! H:)