Data import

Converting a storage from TNI 1.6.x

To convert the whole storage of older format, use Storage / Open command from the main menu and choose the root folder of the target storage. The storage contents will be backed up into a ZIP archive first, and then it will be converted to the new format. This process also keeps your group structure.

Converting an asset file from TNI 1.6.x format to that of TNI 2.0 reduces its size from ~1,5 MB to ~35 KB. Thus, complete transformation of an old storage shrinks it by about 40 times without loss of any useful data.

Importing by moving or copying data files

To import assets that were scanned by any TNI version simply copy those asset files (.xml or .xmd for TNI 1.x and .inv for TNI 2.x) into the storage directory. If TNI 2 is running and is connected to that storage at the moment, new files will be converted to new format if necessary and imported immediately. If not, import will occur the next time TNI 2 is started.

To locate the storage folder, right-click the storage root group in the network tree and select Show in Explorer.

Importing files and folders

To import one or several assets from a certain source folder, right-click a group or the root node of the network tree and choose Import / Import files..., then select the data files for import. This will place the specified assets into the group that you initially right-clicked.

To import the contents of a folder with subfolders, do the same, but choose Import / Import folder... command instead. After you specify the source directory, you'll be prompted to choose whether to import the directory structure. If you choose to do so, groups in your storage will be created to match those found in the source directory. If not, all the assets found in the source folder and it's subfolders will be placed in the group you initially right-clicked.

These commands are also available in the main menu Storage / Import when a storage is opened.

Automatic import

You can set up TNI to automatically pull asset files from a certain folder on program startup or on timer. This is done from the Auto-import section of Options window. Additional options are:

• Hit Import now button to perform the import without having to restart TNI or wait for the timer event;
• Import from subfolders is optional;
• Import folder structure — if checked, creates groups in your storage root that match directories found inside the source folder while importing. Only directories that have asset files in them are matched. If unchecked, all the found assets will be placed into the root group of your storage;
• It is possible to Delete files after import;
• You can enable or disable Import at startup and Import on timer and specify a custom Import period.

When you import an asset that is already represented in the storage, configuration snapshots from the new file will be moved to the existing one. And if the new file was placed into the storage manually, it will be deleted. This ensures that a single asset in TNI 2 always has a single file corresponding to it. This is true for import of any kind.