Save Project Discussion/Description

Roger Smith

Hi Adam,

I just joined your PI Fundamentals and looking forward to the series. I have been using PI about a year and found bits and pieces of information on "Save Project", but never any comprehensive description in a forum or online. Could you advise if one of your videos gives a pretty comprehensive overview? I want to start there with the videos. I have used Save Project, and find it useful to pick up an continue my processing, but really don't understand much about it.

For my bits and pieces Save Project question... When running script WBPP, the output files are saved in directories, ie calibrated, registered, etc. After running WBPP, if I Save Project, are all these files saved again? I know WBPP saves it's own settings automatically.

Maybe a better way to ask... If doing calibration manually, and I have the output files such as calibrated, cosmetic correction, debayer, registered, etc saved on my drive. If I then Save Project, will all those files be saved again, using more disk space?

I assume a bundled project means it saves all the items checked in Project Generation. If correct, then what is a non-bundled project!?

Best Regards,

    Roger

BlockHead

Roger,

I actually don't have a good description of a Project (it wasn't fully formed when I started the tutorials).

But I do think I can address a part of your question. A project encompasses all VIEWS, Masks, processes... everything that is open or a state in a PixInsight session. This is not connected in any way with files you have saved on disk. Those things are the raw material to open and work with in PixInsight. They may also be modified/processed by things in PixInsight as well...but they are not part of the project. The settings you have for a process..that IS part of the project. So if you have those files on disk loaded in an Image Container... the Image Container state will be saved with those filenames when you save the project.

So consider a VIEW..a picture, you have open in PixInsight. When you create a project, that VIEW is saved in a project folder with a non-human readable name (open the folder and see for yourself!). So this project folder is the place that saves all open images in PixInsight and all of the information about the tools and history states of things. 

To answer your question directly, based on the above- 

Are the output files that are saved to the disk saved again when saving a Project? No.

Only things open in Pixinsight are saved in the Project.

Concerning a Bundled Project...I have never tried to uncheck it. But recall from above..I said all of the Project information is saved to a Folder... a single folder. I think if you do not bundle it...or if your operating system doesn't like the structure of the folder/files... you can "unbundle" and probably get more folders.

The thing is... you can move a Project to another place/machine with a single copy. Multiple folders would be messy..because I bet if there are missing files... everything is broken when you open the project.

-the Blockhead

Roger Smith

Adam,

Thanks for your answers. It adds a lot to my understanding.

Thanks,

     Roger