Hey folks! Unsure if there are developers on this list, but figured I'd ask.
I'm looking at the code that picks which directory a capture is saved
to, and I wanted to make sure I understand what's already there, and the
intention of it, before I make changes.
I'm going to be basing the line numbers off of current master which is:
bbc8cc3d47341caa13a0578f8dd4e516e1810885
Ok! So first up we have src/monitor/recmanager.cpp and
src/capture/mediacapture.cpp, which seem pretty similar, but different.
I know that audio record tracks go through mediacapture, and the code
for mediacapture seems to imply it can handle both audio and video
captures, whereas recmanager seems to only do video, but other than that
I don't know the difference between them.
Secondly, there are two sets of settings in the "Environment" section of
the settings panel, under "Default Folders". The labels they have are
"Capture folder" and "Folder for rendering, titles, scripts", but in the
code they're called "capturetoprojectfolder" and "videotodefaultfolder"
Both of them support the same options:
0: Default folder
1: Project folder
2: Custom folder
Where custom folder is specified in its own field, and in the code is
called "capturefolderurl" and "videofolderurl" respectively.
So! Code!
Both mediacapture and recmanager have similar code that looks like:
`mediacapture.cpp:446`
if (KdenliveSettings::capturetoprojectfolder() < 2) {
captureFolder = QDir(pCore->getProjectFolderName(audioCapture));
} else {
captureFolder = QDir(KdenliveSettings::capturefolder());
}
`recmanager:183`
if (KdenliveSettings::capturetoprojectfolder() < 2) {
captureFolder = QDir(pCore->getProjectFolderName());
} else {
captureFolder = QDir(KdenliveSettings::capturefolder());
}
So basically, if capture is set to custom we use the custom one,
otherwise we call `getProjectFolderName` to figure out where to put this
thing. The only difference is that mediacapture sometimes only has
audio, so there's a bool to tell it if it's audio only.
The core method just bounces to `src/doc/kdenlivedoc.cpp:790`:
`KdenliveDoc::projectDataFolder`
So right off the bat we have an if on that `folderForAudio` bool. In
fact the structure of the code looks like:
if (folderForAudio) {
// Logic A, where every branch has a return
}
// Logic B, where every branch has a return
Which basically means this is actually two methods, just given one name
and a bool to pick between them. There is zero logic or variables in
common between Logic A and Logic B. But the two bits are very _similar_
in what they do, even if they don't share anything. They basically both say:
1. If custom, then return custom.
2. If the project file doesn't exist yet, then return the default
project folder if we're using the project folder, otherwise the default
video folder.
3. If we're using the project folder, return the project folder
4. Return the default video folder
The main difference is that the Logic A version (folderForAudio == true)
is using the "capture" settings, and Logic B (folderForAudio == false)
is using the other one, "videotodefaultfolder" aka "Folder for
rendering, titles, scripts".
The only other quirk is that the video path has a step 1.5 which says
"If a newPath has been given to me, and I'm supposed to be picking the
project folder, return newPath instead". As far as I can tell this is
only used once in all the code, somewhere in the render dialog, but I'm
not really sure why. By coming in after step 1 and before the others, it
seems to mean "if you're custom just pick custom and ignore newPath, if
you're project then use newPath, and if you're system default then use
system default and ignore newPath", but I don't know why, and the audio
path doesn't do that.
Anyway!
So I have a few things that I find weird, but I don't know if they're
bugs or intended.
The first is that in both recmanager and mediacapture we have that `if`
on the outside, before we call `getProjectFolderName`, which checks if
`capturetoprojectfolder` is set to Custom (2). If so it uses that. But
inside that method, if it's audio it uses the value of
`capturetoprojectfolder`, but if it's video it uses
videotodefaultfolder's value instead.
Which means if I have "Capture folder" set to custom, and "Folder for
rendering, titles, scripts" set to project folder, then it will save
both audio and video captures to my custom folder. But if I have
"Capture folder" set to either default or project folder, then audio
captures will use that setting, but video captures will fall through and
use the other setting, potentially ending up in a different place.
That feels like a bug to me, but I don't know enough about the intent to
be sure.
The second question is really just whether or not video captures
_should_ be using a different path from audio captures, specifically the
one labeled "Folder for rendering, titles, scripts". There are other
parts of the code that use that setting (and not the capture settings)
for things like titles, etc. But was it ever intentional that recmanager
and mediacapture would put video into that same folder?
I figure there are three options:
1. As-is. Audio capture should go into capture folder, video capture
should go into video folder. Maybe the custom folder thing is a bit of a
mixup, or maybe it's not, but the broad strokes are intended.
2. Both audio and video capture should use the capture folder settings,
whereas other things like titles should use the video folder
3. There should be a third set of options. One for audio capture, one
for video capture, and one for renders. Video capture shouldn't
necessarily be put in the same place as titles.
That's the current state of things. Now, in case it might change your
mind, what I'm planning on _changing_ is making a fourth option for
audio captures that puts things in a custom *subfolder* of the project
folder. As in "<project folder>/voiceover" or whatever the user picks.
So then I wonder how video captures should handle this new plan. Should
they go into the capture subfolder now? Should that only be for audio
captures? Or should they have a third set of options that allows them to
_also_ be put into their _own_ subfolder of the project dir.
I don't really care too much, because I don't make video captures, so it
doesn't affect me one way or the other, but I've sorta gotta pick
_something_, whether I choose to include them where it is currently
excluding them, or if I choose to continue to exclude them even if it's
a bit weird.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
