URL
 | URL | This node creates a Ventuz or File URI which is needed to specify the location of resources. |
A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) can be used to describe file locations and is used as an input for a number of nodes (Image Loaders, Audio Clip, Video Nodes, ...). Four different Schemes are supported. All of them have a Path and the Persistent flag in common.
When referencing a file directly (for example with a Image Loader), the file is copied into the Ventuz Project Structure. Using a URI, a weak reference is created and the file does not become part of the project. When exporting the Scene, it will not be included in the export unless the Persistent flag is checked.
Ventuz & File
The Ventuz scheme uses the Path to relate to a file that lies relative to the project the URL Node belongs to. The DataPool specifies the project sub-folder in which an asset is put by Ventuz. The File scheme expects the path to be an absolute file path to a file on the local machine. Host, Port, User, Password and Query are ignored for these scheme types.
The LocalFilename property is only used by the Ventuz and File schemes if the Persistent flag is checked. It provides an absolute path to the file referenced by the URI. Other Nodes can use this local file name to access a resource if it cannot handle URIs, e.g. the connection string of a Database Node.
If a scene using the LocalFilename runs in Presentation Mode, the actual file is extracted to a temporary folder and the LocalFilename points to that file. The filename may change during this operation, but the file extension is always kept, because some applications rely on it.
Relative Paths
When using the File scheme, Ventuz can address files stored relatively to the Ventuz Project file. To create a relative path enter a value for Path starting with a dot followed by a backslash. Two dots points to the parent folder.
Examples for relative paths:
.\data.txt .\subfolder\data.txt ..\data.txt ..\..\data\data.txt
Relative paths are resolved by starting from the location of the Ventuz Project file. In Presentation Mode the location of the VPR file is the starting point!
HTTP & FTP
The URLs of this scheme point to a file on an HTTP or FTP Host server. If the URL points to a password protected section on an HTTP or FTP server, User name and Password can be specified in the corresponding Properties. Query is an optional part that may follow the path (the &... part at the end of a URL).