Pasting file paths directly into desktop / libraries?

Flame Flame Questions
1

Logik was my only use for Facebook, hurrah i’m free!
Question to the Hive… we would love to paste a file path directly into the desktop or anywhere in flame. Importing files straight into the software, bypassing the media hub, but also opening up Flame to more pipeline integration shenanigans. Is this possible at all?
Peace and Love
Ryan

4 Likes
2

Welcome @Ryan
You can, if you’re on MacOS drag and drop the file into the library if that’s what you’re after.

3

Does this help?:

4

I don’t now of a way to bypass the Media Hub to import clips, but you can bypass it to export them. I know you can also work in Batch in a way that allows you to point the input clip to a location and update if the render updates; for instance if you get a new pass of CG.

5

@Brooks & @ALan might be able to address this better!

6

What is it exactly that you’re trying accomplish? Depending on what it is, there could be several ways to do this but it really depends on what workflow problem you’re trying to solve or improve.

7

So you mean like in Nuke in the batch schematic just paste a file path?

In theory I’m sure it should be possible. You’d probably have to open a case for it.

As @Sinan says you can use finder but also Dolphin (or whatever in Linux) to drag files in. In Linux i don’t think it works everywhere and you might have to drag into a batch group. Can’t remember if dragging to library works. Give it a go.

8

Thanks, sorry should’ve stipulated, Linux

9

Thanks so much, let me be a bit more specific.
With a database pipeline we find the actual location of files can be quite scattered, and when we want to bring in a number of clips from different locations it would be handy to be able to paste file paths, multiple at once if possible, into the desktop or library.
Navigating around the media hub can be a little time consuming, but plucking file locations en masse from the database and pasting into flame directly would save a huge amount of time.
As johnt pointed out, similar to Nuke.
We’re running 2021.2.2

10

Can I ask what you use to find the different elements/passes? Unless doing what @johnt suggested works for you then the “easiest” way that comes to mind is generating the various paths and writing that to a file. You would then need to write a hook that would scrape that file which is stored in a predictable location and bring in each line (i.e. path) at a time. You could then remove the file afterwards. Think of it like a dump file that acts as the in-between with Flame and whatever your database front end is.

Is this on a shot by shot basis or is it more of a freeform type of deal?

11

To find the file path to begin with we’d browse our bespoke pipeline database, and copy the path from there.
So the dump file would act as a more sophisticated linux clipboard, interesting.
The use for this would be for bringing in shots or passes, when not using pattern browsing, or re-importing wips and masters for QC, so desktop or the library would probably be the preferred location

12

Pretty much, yes. I see it like a shopping cart you’re adding to as you find all the bits you want to bring back in. When you’re done you run the hook in Flame and it goes and collects everything.

Is your database browser web based or is it a local client?

1 Like
13

Something could probably be done via Python using the flame.import_clips() function and a Qt window.

1 Like
14

@Ryan there is a new PYTHON channel on discord - you might have some luck talking it out in there too! :slight_smile:

1 Like