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--- planter [2015/07/10 05:59]
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+++ planter [2021/06/03 19:48] (current)
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 ======Planter======
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 =====Usage=====
+Planter is a hybrid application that works both in a terminal as a command, or as stand-alone applications. In practise, Planter will surely require some configuration from you so that it fits how you work, but there's no harm in trying it first:
+**GUI**
+<WRAP indent>
+Launch Planter from the **K menu** or from a terminal:
+<code>
+$ planter --gui &
+</code>
+[{{ planter.jpg | It doesn't get simpler than this. }}]
+There isn't much to it; fill in the fields:
+  * Project Name: enter a name for your project directory
+  * Location: enter the file path where you want your directory saved. By default, it will be saved in your home directory.
+  * Shared Directory: the location of any shared assets that you use across projects. If you have no shared assets, you can leave this as is, or just set it to ''/usr/local/share''.
+When finished, click the **Create** button.
+</WRAP>
+**Terminal**
+<WRAP indent>
+Planter can be used entirely from a terminal, too, so it can be scripted or invoked remotely or by other applications. To use it from the terminal:
+<code>
+$ planter --destination $HOME \
+--shared /usr/local/share/artkit myGreatProject
+</code>
+</WRAP>
+The results of either method is a new directory in the destination location. The directory contains several folders which, by default, might represent departments within your production. It's based on the needs of a typical multimedia production, but it can and should be customised by you for your own needs. The defaults are:
+  * production: for production documents (budgets, schedules, deal memos)
+  * graphics: promotional graphics, fonts, photos
+  * story: for the screenplay or script
+  * video: for footage sources, title cards, and so on
+  * vfx: for textures, mattes, models, and related assets
+  * sound: for audio sources, synth presets, samples, rack sessions, jack sessions
+  * dist: distributable files; final renders and mixdowns
+Several of the directories within the project are symlinks ("aliases" or "shortcuts") to your shared asset directory, while others are symlinks to other directories in that project (which assumes that each department sometimes share assets).
+====Custom Configuration====
+The default set of departments and assets are meant to be generic and all-purpose. Of course, one size does not fit all, and you have the ability to either modify the master configuration file (located in ''/etc/planter'') or create a local default for yourself.
+**Master Config**
+<WRAP indent>
+To customise the systemwide configuration, edit ''/etc/planter/tree.list'':
+<code>
+$ kdesu 'emacs /etc/planter/tree.list'
+</code>
+The ''tree.list'' contains two types of entries; there are ''mkdir'' entries and ''symlink'' entries. The ''mkdir'' entries tell Planter to make a directory within the project directory. The ''symlink'' entries tell Planter to create a pointer to another directory on your filesystem, or to another folder inside the project folder.
+For example, if your ideal project structure is one project directory containing one folder for photographs, a folder for an ICC profile, and a folder for fonts, then the ''tree.list'' would look like this:
+<code>
+mkdir:photo
+mkdir:fonts
+mkdir:icc
+</code>
+Or you might want the fonts directory to point to your personal collection of fonts, use the ''symlink'' entry, defining first the location of the shared asset and then the name of the directory that should be created within your project:
+<code>
+mkdir:photo
+synlink:$HOME/.local/share/fonts:fonts
+mkdir:icc
+</code>
+</WRAP>
+**Local Config**
+<WRAP indent>
+You can create any number of configurations, as long as you point Planter to the configuration when you launch it. In this way, you can create a configuration for video projects, a configuration for music projects, a configuration for graphic design, and so on.
+When you launch planter:
+<code>
+$ planter --config ~/video.tree --gui
+</code>
+Or use it directly from the shell:
+<code>
+$ planter --config ~/video.tree \
+--share $HOME/artkit myGreatProject
+</code>
+</WRAP>
+=====Moving Your Project=====
+As long as you save relevant files in your project directory, your project becomes, essentially a self-contained entity. Assuming you have //no// shared assets, then your project becomes entirely self-contained (but for the applications and operating system itself, obviously).
+If you move your project off of your computer, you //must// use the ''-L'' flag with ''cp''.
+<code>
+$ cp -rL myGreatProject /run/media/$USER/backup/
+</code>
+The ''-L'' option de-references symlinks; that is, it grabs the files from the symlinked location and makes a copy of it along with all of your other files.
+<WRAP warn>
+This copies //all// of the contents of a shared asset folder; even if you only actually need one sample, if you have linked to a shared folder of samples, then //all// of the samples will be copied with your project directory. This could theoretically make a 1 GB project file take 8 GB in storage.\\
+\\
+Your alternative is to manually copy any asset you need to your project folder as you use them, but from experience, it is highly unlikely that you will think to do this!
+</WRAP>
+Alternately, if you don't want to copy your shared assets every time you move a project folder, then you must back up one copy of your shared asset directory on your backup drive along with all of your projects. As long as you have your shared assets available, all of your projects are able to point to the shared asset directory and all of your project directories will load as expected.
+This isn't magic, and it's not automated; it's all a manual process that requires //you// to keep track of your data. All Planter does is create the framework that lets you be organised about tracking your assets.
+For example:
+  * You create a project with your shared assets in ''/usr/local/share/artkit''
+  * At the end of the job, you archive the project on a backup drive along with the shared assets folder
+  * A year later, you get a new computer and install a fresh image of Slackware onto it
+  * You perform the Slackermedia mods and install all of your multimedia software
+  * You copy your project file to your computer, and the shared assets to ''/usr/local/share/artkit''
+  * Your project loads as if you'd never been away
+<WRAP important>
+This assumes that your non-default fonts are installed to your personal font collection in ''$HOME/.local/share/fonts''. For more information on managing your fonts, read the [[fonts]] appendix.
+</WRAP>
+=====You=====
+The important thing to remember is that it is up to you to know how you manage your production assets, and to remember to do sensible things, like:
+  * Create a project file at the beginning of your project //before// you start generating files for it. If you start out saving files all over your harddrive and only later decide to try to organise them, you risk forgetting about files that are important.
+  * Save everything into the project directory.
+  * When you transport your projects, copy with ''cp -rL'', or make sure that your shared assets are carefully managed and backed up.
+With a little bit of effort and a solid infrastructure, there is no reason for you to ever open a project and find that you have missing assets. Not now, and not in five years. Your art is important; take care of it.
 <WRAP tip>
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+<WRAP centeralign>
+<wrap fa>[[patchage|R]]</wrap> <wrap fa>[[start|S]]</wrap> <wrap fa>[[projectm|Q]]</wrap>
+</WRAP>