The File Browser

The File Browser is an interactive browser to navigate through the network to either load or write scripts, images, lookup files, expressions, or tracking files. With the Browser, you list images as either a long list of individual files, or toggle to a sequence view showing you the frame range of a given sequence. Additionally, you can filter out certain file types so you are only looking at images and scripts, for example. The 2.2 Browser has been rewritten to have expanded capabilities. You can now create directories, or delete files and directories directly in the Browser. Its behavior has been expanded to act in a more intelligent way by remembering types of directories that you have searched in, as well as giving you the ability to have a favorite set of directories to browse in.

Calling the Browser

The File Browser can be called from the interface either when creating or editing a FileIn, a FileOut, a PullDown, a PullUp, or an Average command. Additionally, the Load- and Save Script buttons access the browser. Clicking on any of these buttons will launch the browser.

When editing a file path in the Parameter View, the browser can be re-launched by clicking on the folder icon next to the file path in the individual node:

The Browser should look something like this:



Navigating in the Browser

You can go to a directory in several ways:

Selecting Files

You can select files in several ways:


Viewing Controls

There are several tools to help you in the Browser.

Reading or Writing Sequences

When reading a file, you can select a file by clicking on the file name, or click in the main file display area and use the hot keys as described above. You can also simply type the name in the File Name box at the bottom. Once it appears, you hit OK to validate. If you are reading in an image sequence, you should either hit (see below) or replace the frame number with the proper frame symbol. For example, if you want to read in image.0001.cin, image.0002.cin, etc., you would make sure your File Name is image.#.cin. For more information, see About Time.

When writing file, select the directory you want to be in, and enter the file name in the File Name window. If you are writing an image sequence, be sure to insert a # or a @ sign where you want the frame number to go in the name. This is a table of examples:

Files Shake Notation
image.0001.cin, image.0002.cin image.#.cin
image.1.tif, image.2.tif image.@.tif
image.iff.0001, image.iff.0002 image.iff.#
image1.tga, image2.tga image@.tga
image.001.tga, image.002.tga image.@@@.tga
image.01, image.02 image.@@

Once you are finished, hit OK to validate.