A mess of styles & categories

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Having had more than enough of dealing with too many categories (didn't fit into the single column) and with not being able to see what was in those categories without opening them, I got angry and exported close to a thousand styles to descriptively named folders and sub-folders, then removed the styles from Producer. It's now easy to locate what I need and add it back in.

That's an extreme solution, and certainly not for everyone. How have all you great style collectors dealt with the problems? Maybe your method will help others.

Barbara

[tdew Profile Private message]

Barbara, how did you handle styles that fit in more than one category? I agree that we need a better organizational tool for the styles we collect, but sometimes (often) what I'm looking for is not in the first category I look in.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I didn't have to handle the 2+ category problem, but it shouldn't be any trouble once a style is being handled by Windows. Just copy it to as many folders as needed. (In Windows Explorer, Ctrl+dragging a file copies it instead of moving it.)

Barbara

[des.tom Profile Private message]

As a relative newcomer to Producer, I'm already wasting a lot of time in finding Styles and have been wondering how to reorganise my relatively small collection. So far I've come up with the very imaginative Favourites and groups according to number/type of images required but, before I make things even more complicated for myself, I wonder what headings others use?

Des

[glyn53 Profile Private message]

I have seperate folders for styles but do find at times you can use the same style in different ways. So will take Barbara's advice of copying them.

It's easier with some like 'Christmas', 'Birthday' etc but others I tend to put them in to number/type of images required. Never works out that way though

Glyn

[heckydog Profile Private message]

I try to limit my total number of styles to under 500

Joe

[cinderellen Profile Private message]

Oooh, Barbara, did you hit the nail on the head. I've been hoping that the next version of Producer will deal with the increasing number of styles that I have collected. I'm going to ponder your solution as a means to get a handle on these but am going to wait to see what others might have come up with.

Joe, you are SO right in trying to limit the number of styles. I think it's sort of like my file cabinets - I keep putting things in but don't go through and get rid of stuff I no longer need. I know there are MANY that I don't even use anymore. It's just a matter of sitting down and going through them - UGH!!

Ellen

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Glyn, I hope you mean you'll copy the styles AFTER you've exported them. It doesn't work to copy the styles directly from the cache and into a folder.

Ellen, I find that the best day on which to do this kind of organizing, whether it's digital or good old paper, is when something has ticked me off royally. It puts me in the mood to shove some things around and to trash others. The guys in the household keep an eagle eye on me when I'm ticked off. In total silence, I throw out stuff that I deem pointless. They don't always agree.

Barbara

[cinderellen Profile Private message]

LOL, Barbara!!

Ellen

[glyn53 Profile Private message]

Glyn, I hope you mean you'll copy the styles AFTER you've exported them. It doesn't work to copy the styles directly from the cache and into a folder.

Barbara

I always export the styles first Barbara. Just so many to go through.

Glyn

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Just checking, Glyn.

Barbara

[Anna J Profile Private message]

I often worry that I will die suddenly and everyone will discover the secret I've kept all these years: my closet and my computer files are both a mess. Can dead people be ?

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

The solution to the mess--well, temporary solution--is to throw out everything. It has a tendency to regenerate like shark teeth, but it does give you a window of opportunity.

Barbara

[tdew Profile Private message]

One of my daydreams has always been to MOVE and start over - but if it really came down to it, I'd never be able to let go of the stuff...

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Too bad we can't archive our stuff the way we can our files.

Barbara