Project file extension

[pcs800]

I was working on a project, and started to work on a new project. Then wanted to go back to the first one, but all the autosaves in the startup window are saves from the second project.
I have tried to find the first one on the hard drive but do not see it.
There's a folder named after it, but no project looking files inside.
How do I load the first project?
Also, why do these autosaves not contain the name of the project so it's MUCH less confusing to know what I am opening?

[pcs800]

I cannot figure out how to open an existing project.
I have tried loading .hip and .xml files, but the project loads blank.

[griffinboy]

@pcs800

Projects are saved as separate folders with the project name.

Xml files are not projects.
They contain some of the code data associated with the project, such as the UI scripts and the modules.

The xmls are a way to backup these elements of the project but don't contain the entire project itself.

You've likely messed something up, file organisation wise.

[pcs800]

@griffinboy no, I haven't.
I worked on that project for weeks by open the latest auto save each time I ran hise.
This time, I started a new project, worked on it for a day, and went looking for the previous project the next day and cannot find it.
I'm a 30 year expert with windows, I didn't misplace or delete something.

Are you able to open past projects? Please try it and let me know.

[d.healey]

@pcs800 When you're working on your project you should save the main file using the .xml format. File > Save XML.

The .hip format should only be used for backups and working on little test patches within your project.

The autosave is there for emergencies if HISE crashes and shouldn't be used in place of saving the xml or hip.

Additionally, scripts are saved when you compile them, saving the xml will not save them.

[griffinboy]

@pcs800

Yes, I've never had a problem opening past projects I have over a hundred in my active folder and I switch every day.

The new hise project opener UI is likely what has caused confusion. There are many things you could've done wrong / misunderstand about the way hise projects work, so it's hard to know exactly what has gone wrong for you. The interface for loading projects is very new and didn't use to exist. It probably gives the illusion that the hise saving system works like any other software, but in truth it's a bit more manual work. Different saving options in hise save different parts of a project. Some overwrite, some create copies, some save only the scriptnode networks some save only the structure of the project, etc etc.

It's something I only figured out myself after making mistakes, and manually reading through the files that hise saves.

Create a new project, save the xml.
Now create an additional new project, and save the xml.

You should now have two different folders which bear the respective project names.

To load in one of the new projects, use the load project option and navigate to the first layer of a projects folder. Hise will then open the project using all the project files it's not just the xml or hip that it uses.

[pcs800]

@griffinboy I had been letting hise autosave all the time, and never manually saved. I did not understand why there were save xml options under the file menu. And when you go to open a project, it just asks for the folder. That is very strange to someone who's been opening file types his entire life.
So right now, i have a project open and I wanted to save presets, so I hit VTRL+S and named it default. I changed some parameters, knobs, etc, then used File save xml as..., and name it something else.
Am I creating new projects, or presets for the current project?

[ustk]

@pcs800 .preset .hip (called Archive) are a way of saving the project that is very old, and contrarily to XML, they are not open to manual modifications with a text editor if something goes wrong. They should have been removed for long, but if someone knows for what purpose they are still around, I'd like to be aware...). But since the autoSave uses the archive format, it's probably the reason (though manual saving in the File menu can be removed in my opinion)

Yes, Hise opens the project folder when you open a project, and then asks you if you want to open the detected XML associated with it. That been said, you could have more than one XML, but it's better to use git as versioning solution (unless you need multiple XML for a particular reason, of course)

So the recap is:

• Save project as XML (shift+ctrl+s)
• Keep autoSave managing the archives (.preset) in the case something goes wrong
• Archive .preset .hip files are not to be confused with User Preset .preset files.

[pcs800]

@ustk Great explanation, thank you :-)
I understand it now.

[d.healey]

@ustk said in Project file extension:

preset (called Archive)

.hip

[ustk]

@d-healey Oh yes! I've been so used to call them presets that I forgot they are .hip files... My bad! => CORRECTED

[griffinboy]

@pcs800

Something to keep in mind though, is that the XML isn't the project.
Saving an xml is like saving a 'picture' of what the project looks like (eg, what modules are there, what order are they in)

But the actual project is the whole folder that is created and saved when you use 'create new project' in Hise, PLUS the xml contained in there.

When you open a project in Hise via xml, it's essentially looking at where the xml is located, and finding all the other project files around it. It's loading a ton of other stuff that makes up the project, just using the XML location as a reference point.

If you make drastic changes to your project, and save an xml beforehand and afterwards, the xml may not be enough in order to recall your backup. Since they are actually existing in the same project. For example if you delete an audio file from the project, that will disappear from the audiofiles folder in the project files. Even if your old XML wants to reference that audio because it remembers it being there, it will not be able to bring it back.

The point is this: Keep your project files separated! If you want to back stuff up, duplicate the entire project folder. Like people are saying, you can use tools like Git for this.

If you are only changing what modules are used where, and the hisescripts, then this data will be saved in the XML and you can backup stuff like this. But other things such as compiled effects. audiofiles, graphics etc are all stored in the project files and the XML does not contain them.

[pcs800]

@griffinboy Ok, noted. Thank you