Images and maps lost

[billyb3]

I am not sure what has happened to my images. I will try to run through the sequence of events, but I have been learning as I have been performing these tasks.
I downloaded and installed FG and purchased an Ultimate Sub for testing
I purchased a module from DM guild
I created a campaign in FG
I created maps and dropped them into the images folder in the campaign folder (outside of FG)
I started the painstaking process of creating story items using the text from the pdf I purchased.
Every day I exported the campaign to a module to protect myself from losing my work.
I performed many edits to the image files using external image editing tools throughout this process.
As I created the campaign, I added other images for tokens, maps, and handouts.
I purchased the source book bundle from smiteworks.
Continued working on the campaign and exporting daily.
I purchased the ultimate license bundle from steam and linked my steam to smiteworks.
I continued to add story items, maps, tokens, encounters, and parcels.
Yesterday, I unloaded all modules to make sure I had copies of everything in the campaign folders, and none of my maps worked.
On investigation, all but a few of the image files were gone from the images folder in the "...\AppData\Roaming\Fantasy Grounds\campaigns\<campaign folder>\images" folder.
I loaded the library modules, and the maps are there.
I am wondering where I went wrong. I never deleted the image files from the folders, but they are gone. I checked my recycle bin, and they are not there, so I am fairly sure I did not delete them. Does FG delete files out of the campaign folders?

Sorry for the wordy post, but I do not want to chance losing the work I put into creating the module maps. I can access the maps from the exports, but I don't want to have to load modules to run the campaign that I created (copied, transcribed, or whatever)

Thanks,
Bill

[billyb3]

OK, so after further research I found out how to extract images from the mod file I created. So, I am not as out of luck as I thought. Though I would still like to avoid files disappearing from my folders by me doing something wrong again.
Thanks,
Bill

[LordEntrails]

Welcome :)

The concern I have is you are editing in another program image files you have already added to your FG campaign folder. Something in that process is going to be the problem...

What program are you using to edit the images? For instance, Gimp will normally try to save the file as a gimp file, which FG can't recognize, and it may try to save it somewhere else.

Generally, I don't put maps into FG until they are done. But you should be able to. Biggest thing I would start with, is don't edit the files while FG is running. Accessing one file with two applications at the same time is prone to cause problems.

If you can narrow down the steps and they are repeatable, let us know, and we can either identify the issue or try to reproduce the issue.

[billyb3]

I understand what you are saying about having files open with two programs. the circumstance would be I would be setting up something on the map in FG. I would see something that was wrong with the map. I would close out the map in FG (still leaving FG open but the map was closed). Open the map (.png) in paint3d to make changes and save. Close paint3d and reopen the file in FG. I will make sure to close out of FG completely if i need to edit one again.
Thanks,
Bill

[billyb3]

LordEntrails,
Thank you for your comments. Also, since you were kind enough to include some links in your signature, I followed the one to your Adventure Module Creation guide. I read through that and saw several things that I was looking for previously. The guide is well laid out and pretty much exactly the kind of thing I need to guide me through the first couple of modules. The videos I watched were reasonably helpful but tended to go a little slower than I typically prefer for instructions (short attention span for others talking).
Thanks,
Bill

[LordEntrails]

Glad you found the guide helpful. I put it together soon after I learned what I was doing. I too find videos a frustrating means of learning things, and prefer a written document.

If you do come across anything that needs to be added or changed in the doc, do please let me know and I'll get it updated.

Note, I'm not sure having the image open in two programs is the problem, but, I know with other programs it can be a problem.

[damned]

ARe the images in another campaigns images folder?

[Zacchaeus]

Once a file has been placed in the campaign images folder they'll stay there unless they get physically removed from that folder. Even if you delete the map in the images and maps list the file will still remain in the images folder. So it sounds like some step in your process is moving the files to another location. This is all I can think of. Fantasy Grounds itself won't delete or move images.

[billyb3]

ARe the images in another campaigns images folder?

No. They are nowhere on my PC. Nor are they in the recycle bin.

[damned]

As above there is no process within Fantasy Grounds that deletes image files from your computer.
Fantasy Grounds can create files and folders but there is no process for fantasy grounds to delete them.

[Moon Wizard]

Do you use any file synching software? Perhaps it overwrote?

JPG