Blender editor file naming
In the blender editor, when you create a new file, you must specify it's name as an internal file, and it's name as an external file, separately. I think this is just a seemingly harmless oversight. I can tell you though, as a user, that blender would be better, in my opinion, if these two names were automatically made to be identical. It just wastes time having to specify a name twice. Specifically, choose an external file-name, and that becomes the internal one as well. Or make that syncing be an option that can be set permanently. I realize that you can have two different files externally that have the same name by nature of them being in different directories. Functionality like this would effectively force the use (for files also included in the same blend) of different names for different files, even if in different directories. not a bad idea in any case. :-)
12 Comments
The way I understand how Blender works is that you have your data stored inside a data block. The data can be a texture file, a mesh, nodes or whatnot.
The data block itself is just a container.
When you open a picture in the Image Editor, you actually open a data block which contains the picture. When you rename that, it's actually the data block/container you are renaming, not the data itself.
It is indeed confusing, even when knowing why it is that way. So maybe something could be done to help ease the curve, if not removing it completelly.
..I'll let you geniuses ponder it.. XD
Where are you having to specify two file names??
getting you a screen-shot..
well, maybe I can tell you in words.. the first is when you select save-as from the drop-down menue under "Text". the other is to the right of "Templates", where it displays a file-name. That is the "internal" filename. It doesn't have to be the same as the external filename. Specifically, if the file being displayed is one that you -created- as an internal file 'alt-N' for example, then you specifically save this file (using the drop-down under text) externally with a specific name, the internal name of the file (beside "templates", will -not- change. It must be changed as a separate operation. And if you change -it-, the external name of the file will not change, etc.
Ahh, gotcha, I see what you mean now. 👍
Just tested it out and yeah, it does seem a little illogical and against expected conventions.
it's actually even easier to solve than expected. if you -first- give it a name -internally-, then when you go to save it -externally-, it's smart and fills in the name box with the name you've already given it. so you just go ahead and select "save as". :-)
Yes, if you specify an internal name before attempting to save, using Save or Save As, the dialog box defaults to using the internal name. This is exactly as one would expect.
However, I believe there to be a mistake in the behaviour of what happens if the internal name is subsequently changed (and it is actually this I thought you were referring to)...
Currently, if you change a specified internal name after saving (using "Save" or "Save as...") any subsequent saves (using just "Save") will be saved to the name of the original external file.
Yes, Blender does show the actual file name its saving to in the bottom left of the text editor viewport but that is, especially for new users, very easy to miss.
What should happen is that the changing of the internal name should, upon the next "Save", re-open the save dialog box to give the user the opportunity to save the file externally under the new internal name (presented as default) or continue using the old file name. This would at least give the user an extra clue as to what is happening and to where their file is actually being saved.
At the minute its possible to quietly disassociate the internal and external names - which would be confusing to new users - when really the default behaviour should be to prompt the user to keep the names synced but still allow the (more experienced) user to consciously choose to disassociate the names if that is what they so wish.
That is exactly how every piece of software I've used that allows for the internal and external naming of things has worked anyway: Guide new users but allow flexibility for the experienced.
Hopefully this image may explain it better:
(EDIT: If your screen isn't greater than 1080p you may have to open the image in a new tab to read the text in the Blender windows)
I'm not exactly a new Blender user but, having never really messed with this before, the current behaviour was very much unexpected behaviour... when I changed the internal name I expected hitting "Save" would prompt the save dialog box to open again but with the new name instead Blender quietly saved to the original name and it took me longer than I'd like to admit what was actually happening.
I realize it's possible this already exists, and I just don't understand blender well enough yet..
We need a view that lets us investigate all internal files and another view that lets use investigate the "elements" that are using those files (which have their own names). Often I'll import an fbx file and the materials are messed up so I bring in each image one by one to fix it and they come in with the same name as the names that already in the file and it just a pain to remember which is which, so I have to manually rename everything before I can even get started on the real task.
I don't actually follow much of what you're saying. you clearly have more experience than me.
I'm asking myself if this is really the same issue. you're talking about fbx files, where I'm specifically talking about .py files. I leave it to you to determine if there really is a change that can be considered a net improvement.