Watched Folders - Watched Some of the Time?

[larrymcg]

I have all my photos in sub-folders of My Pictures. My Pictures is a watched folder by default in PSE5 Organizer. I've noticed that if I put new photos in a sub-folder of My Pictures the Organizer does not see them when I later start up the Organizer. If the Organizer is running and I do something like move the folder with the new photos, the new photos will be seen allowing me to add them in.

Yes, the PhotoshopElementsAgent.exe service is running.

Is it required that the organizer be running when photos are added to a folder for it to see new photos?

--Larry

[apasskey]

Hi Larry - I think your question got missed so I answered just to move it back into the limelight - so to speak. I hope someone knows the answer to your question. I sure don't. Sorry - Andie

[larrymcg]

Since I posted the original, I have had a different experience. That is, I added some photos to a sub-sub-sub-folder of My Pictures and when I started up the organizer it saw them! I've been trying to see what was different about this last time. I believe the folder depth was more this last time when it worked. That is, the pics were positioned in folder XXX as follows:

My Pictures/Vacations/Brazil/XXX

Folder XXX is 3 levels below My Pictures.

I believe the time where it didn't work I was putting the pics in a folder only 1 or 2 levels below My Pictures.

Sounds like it is time do some more experiments!

--Larry

[larrymcg]

Did some experiments of adding photos directly in My Pictures, in a sub folder of My Pictures, and a sub-sub-sub-folder of My Pictures. Each time when I fired up the organizer it saw them.

Well, if I notice newly added photos not being seen by the organizer, I'll take a close look and try to figure out what is causing the problem.

Thanks,
Larry

[NickLewis]

Hi Larry,

I've occasionally seen Organiser take a while to notice files in the Watched folders, or not pick them up until the next restart.

I've never noticed it caring how far down the hierarchy the files were though.

But I don't use the facility very often, as most of my files are either imported with PhotoDownloader, or created within Elements itself. So I've not been able to establish a pattern.

Nick

[Ward Grant]

Larry
I have no real answer for why some folders show up and others don't, but I have found Watched Folders to be as you have described--iffy at best. I have turned this preference off and just do a Get Photos and point to my folder when I want to import new ones. Not a very elegant answer, but just one less thing I have to worry about.

Ward

[JEGavlas]

Or you could give up on the organizer and use Picasa2 which is free from Google. I have given up on the organizer cause it looses pictures and is overall clumsy. I suppose if I were to put a slide show together that the organizer would come in handy.

Joe

[genevh]

I have had this happen to me also and found that if you right click the folder with the missing files, or the folder above it if the folder you want is missing in action, and do an "Add unmanaged files to organizer" that it (most times) will pick up the missing files and add them in. Either that or restart the organizer.

But then, I have pretty much moved away from the organizer myself and started using IrfanView. I was using Picassa, but it doesn't give me the nice, neat folder tree view that IrfanView does.

[JRR]

I'm having the same problems-it's a pain in the neck. I wish there was a definite solution to make my downloading life easier!

[NickLewis]

Hi Janine,

What are you downloading from? If its a memory card, why not use PhotoDownloader, which'll pick up your files, put them in a folder and update Organiser?

If they are coming from the web, why not just use Get Photos to pick them up into the catalog from wherever you put them?

(I appreciate that it would be nice if Watched Folders worked more reliably, but personally I just treat it as a last line of defence. If I want something catalogued in Organiser, I take positive action to make sure it gets there. I'm going to need to work on it to tag it anyway, so a few more mouse clicks seem neither here nor there. Just my opinion. :) )

Nick

[kaj7979]

I have the same problem. I think I have been completely spoiled by Picasa 2's watched folder ability. It picks the files up in seconds, and I was hoping for that with PE5. I am starting to use Picasa and PE5 organizer to keep track of everything, but it would be nice if the organizer actually did what it claimed it could do.