[LAU] Script to clean up Ardour unused files ?

[Lieven Moors]

On Tue, Jan 28, 2014 at 09:21:00PM -0500, Paul Davis wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 28, 2014 at 9:10 PM, Fons Adriaensen <fons at linuxaudio.org>wrote:
> 
> > On Tue, Jan 28, 2014 at 08:32:39PM -0500, Paul Davis wrote:
> >
> > > loading a snapshot and then saving will alter the state of the
> > > snapshot that was loaded, not the "current session" or any other
> > > snapshot.
> >
> > That exactly is the problem. I would expect things to work as you
> > decribe when a 'save as' file is reloaded, and that is also what
> > happens of course. But I wouldn't expect a snapshot to be modified
> > by a normal 'save' but only when the user explicitly asks for it,
> > by using 'new snapshot' with the same name (which would have to be
> > typed in manually). Overwriting snapshots to me feels like rewriting
> > history, or bypassing a version control system.
> >
> > The root of the problem is that files created by 'new snapshot' and
> > 'save as' are identical, and both are treated as 'session files' when
> > reloaded. But the user's intention behind creating either of them
> > is likely to be different. That intention is handled correctly when
> > the files are created (a snapshot won't be modified by later changes),
> > but not when they are reloaded.
> >
> 
> the only intended difference between "save as" and "snapshot" is whether or
> not ardour does subsequent saves (while in the same instance) to the *new*
> session file or the current one.
> 
> both operations are intended to create snapshots and snapshots are never
> read-only, except by user intent.

I agree with Fons here, and I have been bitten by this more than once
myself. Snapshots are often used as a safety measure, and now it is too 
easy to accidentily save your changes to a session that was not meant to 
change. The fact that the original session, and the snapshots often look 
very similar, makes such accidental saves very likely. I agree it is very 
flexible that snapshots can be treated as ordinary sessions, and that 
shouldn't change. If only there would be an option in ardour (that would 
be on by default) that would warn the user that he is saving changes to 
a snapshot, and NOT to the original session.

lieven