Adobe Animate file disappeared.

[Dan309343718cei]

Hello Adobe Animate Staff.
Just finished working on an Adobe Animate File for 4hrs and it has dissapeared!
I saved it into the Folder and it was there. Now it is gone!
The file is not even in the Recent Files.
Its just gone.
I don't understand how this can happen, as there is no way the file would have been completely deleted, but I can't seem to find it.
I'm on a Mac, reading the forums I went to
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Animate CC 2017/en_US/Configuration/
I actually found the file in /tmp folder.
Please look into this, as I nearly had a heart attack!
Why is the file not in Recent?
Why did the application Remove the .fla from my computers folder!
Did it get confused with the auto delete RECOVER file and also REMOVE the .fla from my computer?
FYI

[kglad]

there are, at least, a few ways for a save to fail. on of the most common is trying to save to a non-local location.

save frequently with increasing version number appended to the file name and periodically close and open the latest version to confirm it exists and is not corrupted.

[Dan309343718cei]

Yes, it seems that this has occured on a few occasions, files that were on my server not on my local HD. I have a Network NAS Server where I work off. The files are not large, so there shouldn't be any cause for the files to dissapear due to memory whilst saving. I have increased the save time from 10 mins to 5mins. This does not explain why the application simply removes the .fla from the server and you can not find it in the recent files in the application itself.

[n. tilcheff]

I don't think that your claim that the application is deleting your files can be substantiated.

I am not a defendant of Animate as it has lots of problems, but you simply do not know what exactly happens to your files and what process is removing them from the NAS. A program interfaces with the OS which manages the available hardware resources via controllers and device drivers, so it is more likely that the issue is not directly with Animate.

What is much more likely is that the list of recent files is checked upon load and the ones that are not available at the recorded locations are purged from the list.

[Dan309343718cei]

Hi Nick, if you have any other suggestions, happy to hear them. 🙂

1. I was using the Adobe Application when the files dissapeared.
2. My research shows that this is not an isolated incident as there have been many others that have had the same issue, but no, we are not certain how this happens, when, or on what OS. We/The Users are not software developers. But I am certain that I was using the Adobe Animate Software at the time and this issue has occured a few times, this was not the 1st time this has happened. I also am a massive fan of Animate and have been using it since the Flash days.
4. I have put my comments on this forum not to Hurt Adobe Animate, but to better develop the software and provide a solution as I have done above for any other users that may have this issue.
5. No I do not know how Animate handles the files on my NAS.
I do know that I use Photoshop, Indesign, Figma and Dreamweaver files on my NAS and they do not have an issue. The only files that have dissapeared are the Animate .fla's so, I think there is something for Animate Software Engineers to look into and test.
I'd be happy to help as a Beta Tester if Adobe needs.
Cheers Dan.

[n. tilcheff]

Hi Dan,

I did not intend to question your negative experiences with disappearing FLA files in any way, only the validity of the explanation. 

To be analyzed and eventually fixed, bugs need to be reproducible at will on more than one computer.

At the moment Animate is a wreck full of tens of bugs, half-baked features, poorly designed new tools and UX contradictions. It is known to corrupt its own files much more often that Flash did. 

But you still need to be able to reproduce at will and provide the full list of steps to delete a file while saving, to be able to claim that it is Animate that does it, and not a combination of other unknown factors.

As a side note, regardless of the fact that many people and even companies work on the cloud (i.e. someone else's hard disk) or NAS devices, still does not make it a good idea to do so. Such a setup hugely increases the potentiality for errors and failure due to latency in response times, bugs in error-checking mechanisms and so on.

Like @kglad has advised you, save incremental versions of your FLAs as you go, and do it locally to minimize the risks to lose your precious work. (Sync with your NAS using version control or specialized backup software.) 

If you can list the steps how to reproduce the file deletion and others can do so at will, then it may be looked into and fixed.

Good luck!

[Dan309343718cei]

Hi Nick.
Yes, I did list the method which created this bug in the other thread response below.

The file was sitting on my NAS Network Server. I was working on the original .fla, as the original was open, I did a save as to a new file name and the original .fla (with the recovery file still open) the .fla simply dissapeared. This was not due to an accidental deletion, nor was it saved in a different location. When I went into the folder on the Server to look for the file I was originally workin on it was gone. Then I did a search on my computer for the file name, again, gone. I went into the app and in the recent files, gone. I only (thankfully) found the file when researching and finding it in ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Animate CC 2017/en_US/Configuration/
I actually found the file in/tmpfolder.

I also mentioned that I have not worked on the NAS server directly with the FLAs, (no issues) I have also mentioned that I altered the back up from 10mins to 5mins.
Cheers Dan.

[SodaPopinski]

Just happened to me, seems to be a low local memory issue (mac), fla couldn't be saved and then just completely disappeared from the system.... thank goodness for timemachine I could recover at least part of the work done (only the last 30 mins wasted).

[kglad]

@SodaPopinski 

again (and again and...), append incremental version numbers to your fla file names.

[SodaPopinski]

I'm not asking for advise how to secure and backup my files, I'm just pointing to a terrible flaw in this software that needs to be addressed... 

[kglad]

i'm pointing out how to protect yourself from the many things that can cause lose of work.

[kglad]

relying on auto-saves is unwise. again, save with increasing version number appended to the file name and periodically check for fla corruption.

[puja30954509ju4l]

The Adobe Animate file might not be in Recent Files due to limited slots or if it was moved/renamed. The application is unlikely to have confused the auto-delete recover file and remove the .fla file. The file's disappearance could be due to accidental deletion or being saved in a different location. Check the original folder, search for the file, and review the Trash/Recycle Bin. Consider file recovery software and maintain regular backups to avoid data loss.

[Dan309343718cei]

Yes, I did a complete file name search on my computer, not in the Trash, Recyle or in a new folder and the file and file name were simply gone. How did this disspear from the Recent Files directory in the application itself? I wouldn't even know how to go into the application and remove the file name from the Recent files in Animate. The file was sitting on my NAS Network Server. I was working on the original .fla, as the original was open, I did a save as to a new file name and the original .fla (with the recovery file still open) the .fla simply dissapeared. This was not due to an accidental deletion, nor was it saved in a different location. When I went into the folder on the Server to look for the file I was originally workin on it was gone. Then I did a search on my computer for the file name, again, gone. I went into the app and in the recent files, gone. I only (thankfully) found the file when researching and finding it in ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Animate CC 2017/en_US/Configuration/
I actually found the file in/tmpfolder.
I feel this is an application based bug.
I have not worked off the server as the application gives me errors every now and then, so I save to the local HD and it has not errored whilst working locally.

Thanks.

[Nicktendo28]

Did you get this figured out?

[Dan309343718cei]

Yes, in my comment I found the file in ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Animate CC 2017/en_US/Configuration/
I actually found the file in /tmp folder.
This does not explain why the application deletes the .fla entirely.