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Gian05
Gian05
Known Participant
April 21, 2018
Answered

Empty Symbols Problem

  • April 21, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 1760 views

VERSION: Animate CC 2017

SYSTEM: Windows 10 64-bit

Hi! I've recently stumbled upon a problem that involves empty symbols on my .fla file.

I first came to the problem of "An error occured opening file..." where it seems my .fla file got corrupted, but thankfully, I was able to restore this file by following the steps in found in -- https://www.designcontest.com/forum/adobe-flash/63637-how-recover-damaged-corrupt-files-adobe-flash.html

Every time I create a new animation, I always have a template file that comes prepared with the intro and outro scenes so I only have to the animation between once I create my symbols I need. Unfortunately, despite the file being restored, it only restored the timeline I had with individual layers of symbols--all were there, frame by frame, tweens, etc., but once I checked the library, all these symbols were present, but all of them didn't contain the "image"--they were all empty.

Weirdly, the symbols I had for my intro and outro remained, it was just the very symbols I created for my in-between animation that became empty.

Is there any way I can restore these symbols so they can re-appear again on my timeline? (Or at least, they are restored so I can re-input them with the animated frames already having been done)

Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Colin Holgate

Perhaps there must be some way of recovering these symbols? It's weird that the other symbols remained but the exact ones I created where all the ones that were "erased" despite their folder still existing in Animate, as well as their names. What could be the cause of this?


Aside from you remembering to save a backup copy now and then, there are automatic backup applications that are useful. On Mac I use Time Machine, and so I have 24 backups from the last day, 30 more backups from the last month, and 12 more backups from the last year. I am able to recover from the most recent of those that doesn't have the problem that I've just spotted.

I'm not sure what there is on Windows that is exactly the same, but a number of possible ones are discussed here:

backup - Does an equivalent of Time Machine exist for Windows? - Super User

1 reply

kglad
Community Expert
kgladCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 21, 2018

recreate them on the symbol timelines.

Gian05
Gian05Author
Known Participant
April 21, 2018

If those lost symbols were just a few I'd be happy to recreate them, but unfortunately, hours and days of work when into them so having to re-do all those many symbols wouldn't be a great idea.

kglad
Community Expert
kgladCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 21, 2018

then you're left trying to recreate an uncorrupted fla. 

in addition to using winrar you can try using a decompiler on a working swf.

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