Please Help... I accidently deleted my project

Development Programming & Scripting
, ,
1

I accidently deleted my projected… not the whole thing. I have all of the content data, maps and blueprints, etc. I just can’t get it back into the editor. I also have a “shipping” package of my game… how can I get this back into the editor. Any help would be really appreciated, I am so close to release and can’t restart now…

I have the original content folders. And a packaged functional game online (not public but it’s all there).

Thank you for any help.

2

Hey there @drewjohnson71! How did you delete it? As it may be recoverable. Did you just lose the uproject file or more of the folders? Depending on what’s all missing you may have to drop your content folder’s contents into a new project and reconnect what’s needed. The build you have on hand is compiled so likely not useful at all here unfortunately.

1 Like
3

Hey, the project file is gone. Some of the content got corupted, but all in all I was able to get most of it in a new program… The maps are the biggest issue. I have all of the UMAPS but the new project won’t read them. They are in the file explorer for the program but the project doesn’t show them in the content browser

image
image712×237 9.85 KB

image

4

Ahhh this can occur if the map has a plugin in use that the current project doesn’t have enabled. The internal importer can’t be used here, you’ll have to just pop it in the maps folder like you have, try to make sure the same plugins are enabled, then do these two actions in sequence on the maps folder:

image
image596×621 73.9 KB

Let me know how that reacts/if the map/built assets appear in the content drawer.

5

If nothing else, please let this be the signal that makes you turn on source control automatically everywhere whenever you create a project.
“git init .” and every day “git commit -a -m today”
Or set up automated daily backups.
Just do it. You know you should. You know you need it. This is the event that makes you actually do it.
You will thank yourself once it’s done.

1 Like
6

Luckily you still have the content data, but:
Know that using the disk to test any solution is able to write over deleted data. If you have no version control, no backups, no nothing, and this project is a very serious one, shut down the pc then attach a new HDD and make a full disk copy from A to B using software like Acronis.

If the .uproject file is the only file gone, don’t worry about it. It’s just a text file you can make yourself.

{
	"FileVersion": 3,
	"EngineAssociation": "5.2",
	"Category": "",
	"Description": "",
	"Modules": [
		{
			"Name": "YourProject",
			"Type": "Runtime",
			"LoadingPhase": "Default"
		}
	],
	"Plugins": [
		{
			"Name": "SomePLugin",
			"Enabled": true,
		},
		{
			"Name": "AnotherPlugin",
			"Enabled": true,
		}
	],
	"TargetPlatforms": [
		"Windows",
	]
}
1 Like
7

agreed, the lost of information wasn’t too bad. I was able to recover most… Do you have any resources showing how to set this up in GIT? I really need something backing up because I nearly lost 1.5 years of work…
Thank you for the help!

8

Did that recover the level? Also here’s a tutorial to get set up with Git with Unreal that’s good for beginners. Once you get more proficient you can start automating the commits.

Disclaimer: One or more of these links are unaffiliated with Epic Games. Epic Games is not liable for anything that may occur outside of this Unreal Engine domain. Please exercise your best judgment when following links outside of the forums.

9

Initiating git is a oneliner. Committing with git can also be done in GUI, software like GitKraken, SourceTree. Even got a well tested gitignore for you, modify as required:

# First, ignore everything
*
# Now, whitelist anything that's a directory
!*/

# base files
!*.uproject
!.gitignore

# _Documentation, whitelist everything
!_Documentation/**
# Ignore OpenOffice temp files
_Documentation/**/.~lock.*

# Config
!Config/**

# Content
!Content/**
# Content Built data for maps
*_BuiltData.uasset

# Source
!Source/**

# Script
!Script/**

# Configuration files generated by the Editor
!Saved/Config/Windows/*.ini
## Config consists mostly of shared files except per-user editor settings
# Saved/Config/**/DefaultEditorPerProjectUserSettings.ini

# Plugins
!Plugins/**
# Blacklist non source.
Plugins/**/Intermediate/**
Plugins/**/Binaries/**

# Whitelist PakBlacklist-<BuildConfiguration>.txt files
!Build/*/PakBlacklist*.txt
# Don't ignore icon files in Build
!Build/**/*.ico


# Cache files for the editor to use

# Art / concepts

# SourceContent, whitelist source files (software save files).
#- Blender
!SourceContent/**/*.blend
#- Photoshop
!SourceContent/**/*.psd
#- Gimp
!SourceContent/**/*.xcf
#- Audacity
!SourceContent/**/*.aup3
#- Inkscape
!SourceContent/**/*.svg

# Concepts (Stories / Art), whitelist everything
!SourceContent/_Concepts/**

Just a note, don’t confuse Git with a backup solution. It’s versioning not backup, but you’re on the right track.

1 Like