moved or deleted files in windows explorer will not reflect in the content browser

General Feedback & Requests
1

In UE4 4.75, I’ve noticed that if I move or delete files or folders in Windows Explorer, that change won’t be reflected in the content browser.

When I switch back to UE4, it recognizes that the asset is missing, and I will get a dummy icon, but neither the folder nor the respective file references will be taken away in content browser.

In order to get around this, I have to save the project, close it, and the re-open it.

Is this intentional behavior? When I add new files, UE4 imports them just fine and they are added to the content browswer.

Is the problem with references? If so, can UE4 show a red exclamation mark over items it can’t find? In the context menu it would be gerat to see “fix references”. The items that reference that item can have those references fixed and removed, and then the file can be removed from the content browser. On the other hand, if I close the project and re-open it, the content browser fixes itself, so I’m not quite sure what’s going on here.

Regards,

2

Hi ,

Some of what you have mentioned sounds like intended behavior and some does not. The dummy icon should be a redirector, however the flies should show up in their new folder as opposed to the original location. Overall though, I would highly caution against using the windows explorer for moving assets, it can cause a ton of errors if you move any content that has references as it could cause a crashing break (depending on the type of asset, what is referencing, what that is doing, etc.). I would recommend using the right click>Migrate functionality instead and then using “Fix Up Redirectors” on the folders that have content moved from them.

If you could, please post this to the answerhub at http://answers.unrealengine.com so we can assist you more in depth. Thank you!