Jump to content
argothor

External vs. Internal Exhibits

Recommended Posts

What are the pros and cons of external exhibits vs. internal exhibits?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In my view there is no reason to ever use internal exhibits, though others my disagree. :)

 

There are two advantages I see to making them internal - 1) you don't have to worry about their location if you move your data to a new computer, and 2) they are automatically included in your backups.

 

The second one is also a major disadvantage - it means that every time you make a backup of your data you are backing up your exhibits too, even though the exhibits seldom change. As a result your backups are larger, much larger if you have lots of exhibits, then they need to be.

 

The second disadvantage is that internal exhibits cannot be used when building a website site with Second Site. Even if you don't currently intend to do that, I think it is wise to retain the ability to do so without having to re-do your exhibits.

 

A third issue is that if you attach the same exhibit to more than one person, tag, source, etc., another copy is saved each time. With External exhibits only one copy is saved on your computer no matter how many times it is attached.

 

I think it's best to use external exhibits, and do your backups of them separately, as you do with all your other valuable data.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Terry, I have used exhibits and always picked external, but didn't have any real reason as to why. Now I have a reason. Given your advise I'll continue to use external exhibits.

 

In my view there is no reason to ever use internal exhibits, though others my disagree. :)

 

There are two advantages I see to making them internal - 1) you don't have to worry about their location if you move your data to a new computer, and 2) they are automatically included in your backups.

 

The second one is also a major disadvantage - it means that every time you make a backup of your data you are backing up your exhibits too, even though the exhibits seldom change. As a result your backups are larger, much larger if you have lots of exhibits, then they need to be.

 

The second disadvantage is that internal exhibits cannot be used when building a website site with Second Site. Even if you don't currently intend to do that, I think it is wise to retain the ability to do so without having to re-do your exhibits.

 

A third issue is that if you attach the same exhibit to more than one person, tag, source, etc., another copy is saved each time. With External exhibits only one copy is saved on your computer no matter how many times it is attached.

 

I think it's best to use external exhibits, and do your backups of them separately, as you do with all your other valuable data.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On this matter of exhibits let me share this. When I began using TMG I used internal exhibits – my mistake – it took me a while to convert them to external.

 

In the process I had to scan a number of documents and used the “Scan” button that the exhibit log window conveniently offers. This option turned out to be another mistake, for the jpg file produced is not readable by any common image viewer software, though TMG obviously reads it. I have no idea if this is a bug, but to retain the ability to read these external exhibits outside TMG, even as miniatures when watching the folder contents, I use a 3rd party software to scan the exhibits, and then use the “Add” button.

 

Any ideas about that “Scan” option flaw?

Edited by vabopi

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
In the process I had to scan a number of documents and used the “Scan” button that the exhibit log conveniently offers. This option turned out to be another mistake, for the jpg file produced is not readable by any common image software, though TMG obviously reads it. I have no idea if this is a bug, but to retain the ability to read these external exhibits outside TMG, even as miniatures when watching the folder contents, I use a 3rd party software to scan the exhibits, and then use the “Add” button.

 

Any ideas about that “Scan” option flaw?

The JPG file incompatibility is a bug and is fixed in TMG8. All of the filetype options for scanning in TMG8 have been reworked.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have over 800 exhibits, mostly census images, and all internal. I am considering changing them all to external, or perhaps initially, having both an internal and an external entry for each exhibit. My question is, with external exhibits, am I locked in to the directory structure where I have the images stored? If I change the directory structure, do I blow all my external exhibit references? And, I suppose, if want to put my project on another computer, then the identical directory structure must be set up on that computer?

 

I am still adding more exhibits. As you point out, internal exhibits increase the size of the backup file, but I don't have a problem with that, since my machine with a 500 GB hard drive is used exclusively for genealogy. In fact, I find it an advantage to have the exhibits and data backed up in one operation. I'm not ready for Second Site yet, but I may come to it some day. I'm also waiting to see what kind of web site support appears in V8. What do you think of the idea of setting up both internal and external exhibits?

 

Thanks,

 

BCT

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't see why one would want to have both external and internal copies of the same exhibit. What advantage do you see to doing that?

 

Seems to me you would have to add the external copy of each one individually, and when you are ready to switch to external (or internal) only, you would have to remove each one individually. In the meantime, for those exhibits that can be printed in TMG reports (those attached to people or exhibits, of the appropriate file types), when you try to print them I think you would get two copies, no?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the quick reply, Terry.

 

I thought if I had both int and ext exhibits, I could have my cake and eat it too: one step backups, and compatibility with Second Site.

 

I'm running TMG7 on windows 7 (64 bit), and so the only reports I'm running are PDF types, and at this point none have exhibits in them. I hadn't thought of the two copies per exhibit aspect. Like everyone else, I'm waiting to see what TMG8 capabilities are.

 

I think I will probably go with the external only approach, but I'm still wondering about the directory structure questions I asked in my previous post.

 

Thanks again,

 

BCT

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You can store external exhibits in one or more folders in valid user space.

 

TMG provides a default exhibits folder but whether you use that folder is your choice.

 

It's more convenient to store all exhibits in one folder with a naming system that easily identifies each file.

 

You can store the exhibit files in a tree or in multiple folders or trees if you wish.

 

TMG backup can backup exhibit trees; however, restore cannot restore the files to a tree.

 

It's basically best to manage your exhibits outside of TMG.

 

If you move your exhibits folder, TMG has a tool (the external exhibits part of Validate File Integrity) to update the links to the exhibit files. TMG Utility can also be used to update the exhibit links.

 

You should review the Data File Storage topic in help as well as the exhibit help topics.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×