Hidden .mscz files
Happened only recently. Currently using the 3.6.2 version on Mac. After creating a score, the file cannot be seen in the folder that it was saved to. I tried "save a copy" on desktop and it was ok and visible. But when I tried to copy this file to its intended folder, I got this error message: "..mscz can't be replaced because it's invisible."
Why and how to make all musescore files visible? How can I open it if it's invisible??..And when it's no longer in the "Open recent" list??
Comments
files with names starting with a . are "invisble" on Mac and Linux (and made invisble by MuseScore via their attributes on Windows), so they normally don't show in file listings. On Mac/Linix they show when adding -a to the
lsoptions on the command line, on all OSS's graphical interfaces by means of these GUIs.In reply to files with names starting… by Jojo-Schmitz
Thanks for your prompt reply. So what can I do to ensure the files are visible? A .mscz file is automatically created by the software upon saving the score, not by me. I have been creating musescore sheet music over the years and have no such issue until recently.
In reply to Thanks for your prompt reply… by funkynote2
The scores files are usually named score-title.mscz so no leading dot
In reply to The scores files are usually… by Jojo-Schmitz
Actually I think too many people are missing the point of the original question on this thread. The poster DID NOT name the file with a dot preceding the file name. This happens to me, as well. Often, it is a file that worked fine to begin with, but after editing it and saving it, it disappears from the folder. Sometimes, I have to save the file to various different locations, delete the file using Terminal, from the folder it was originally in but is not visible, then copy and paste the file back to the original folder. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts before the file finally shows up in the correct folder. Sometimes it will we visible in the alternate location, but when I copy and paste it back to the original location, it disappears. Never once did the file name include a dot at the beginning of the name. It is a rather annoying bug, to be honest, and it seems to happening more and more frequently.
In reply to Actually I think too many… by trevorteusc
This only happens to me with MuseScore.
In reply to Actually I think too many… by trevorteusc
No, we made that mistake (assuming the filename started with a dot originally based on the original wording, ".mscz can't be replaced", but that's been clarified since. We now understand it's not about the dot.
What you are describing sound like something different, unless you've confirmed the file truly is present but with the "hidden" flag is set. If that's the case, and then indeed it would be the same issue, and that would be good info as we try to pin down what sort of unique properties on your systems - probably some specific setting in your OS - are causing this to happen for you but not apparently for anyone else (at least, until this week, I can't recall any cases of this in the 10 years I've been involved here).
But assuming you're file is not just hidden but actually not present, that sounds like an OS issue for sure. To be clear, MuseScore never removes your files. So if you're seeing that happen, it has to be your system ot some other process on it - like maybe a backup or file syncing service - getting confused somehow.
If you start a new thread and describe the issue in more detail - and be sure to say which OS, and what other sort of background processes like backup or sync utilities might be running and have access to the file - someone with system administration experience might be able to help.
Sounds like you accidentally named your score ".mscz" when savnig - that's not a good thing to do. Normally you should give it an actual name - something before the ".mscz". Like "my-new-song.mscz" or whatever. That's true not just in MsueScore but in pretty much any computer program. The first part of a filename (the part before the dot) identifies the file to you, the second part (after the dot) is what allows your computer to know what kind of file it is. So any file ending in ".mscz" is a MuseScore file, any file ending in ".wav" is an audio file, etc.
In reply to Sounds like you accidentally… by Marc Sabatella
".macz"???
In reply to ".macz"??? by Jojo-Schmitz
Yes, that's the default file extension for MsueScore :-)
(typo fixed now)
In reply to Yes, that's the default file… by Marc Sabatella
;-)
In reply to Sounds like you accidentally… by Marc Sabatella
No, of course, I wouldn't do that. The software gives the extension or file type. As usual, it will take the title of my score (example, my score titled Reflection) as the filename and save as Reflection.mscz. But somehow, this file is not visible! It's hidden for some strange reason that I've never encountered all this while using musescore. So, there is no trace of this file. Only way to open it is to go through File -> Open Recent
In reply to No, of course, I wouldn't do… by funkynote2
Hmm, I've never heard of this. But let me be sure I understand:
I assume if you then enable the Finder option to show hidden files, it appears?
Also, if you use the recent files to open the file, then go to File / Score Properties, it reports the same folder you saved to?
And also, when saving, if you choose your desktop as the location, an icon appears, if you try to visit your desktop folder using Finder, I assume it also shows as hidden, based on the message you get when trying to copy directly from the desktop?
If all of these things are true, then it sounds like some sort of permissions setting has been modified on your OS that is breaking the default behavior of file creation. Can you check if creating files by others means - eg, MuseScore's "Format / Save Style", or "File / Export" - has the same issue> And other programs too?
In reply to Hmm, I've never heard of… by Marc Sabatella
Hi Marc, thanks for asking.
Your questions on:
1) "when saving the file, you are checking the exact pathname of the folder you are saving to" & "if you then visit that exact folder later (using Finder, or File / Open), the file is not visible" Answers to both is YES.
2) "I assume if you then enable the Finder option to show hidden files, it appears?" I don't know that there is such an option and how to unable showing hidden file. Please advise. Anyway, I don't think I've done anything differently from the past. This issue just surfaced very recently.
3) "when saving, if you choose your desktop as the location, an icon appears, if you try to visit your desktop folder using Finder, I assume it also shows as hidden" Only way to show the file is when I do File->Save a Copy to desktop. And it shows there. I can then move this to another folder and it'll be visible. But when I tried moving this copy to the intended folder, an error msg will pop out saying that it can't be replaced because it's invisible. Please see attached screenshot.
4) Your last paragraph - I'll try..
In reply to Hi Marc, thanks for asking… by funkynote2
2) The default shortcut in finder is Cmd+Shift+Period
In reply to 2) The default shortcut in… by jeetee
Yes it works, thanks! It's visible in the folder now but kinda grey out. I can click and open it though. Wonderful!
In reply to Yes it works, thanks! It's… by funkynote2
Can you show that screenshot, so we can see the name of the folder and file, and other contents? That might provide clues.
In reply to Can you show that screenshot… by Marc Sabatella
See attached
In reply to See attached by funkynote2
Extremely bizarre. I can only go back to the possibility of some obscure macOS option, or malware even, that is causing newly created files to have wrong settings. Might be worth asking for help on a macOS power user forum somewhere. Do check to see if other programs are also being affected.
In reply to Extremely bizarre. I can… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks a lot, guys, for all your help!
In reply to Extremely bizarre. I can… by Marc Sabatella
Hmm, this started to happen for me as well. I have a couple of .mscz files that are hidden and some that are visible. I can't any difference between the files in Mac's Finder or in the terminal.
The only thing affecting this that I could see is having the files being synced by Google Drive. Not sure why it would be it's the only sensible conclusion I can make.
In reply to Hmm, this started to happen… by AndreasNasman
Learned about the
-Oflag forlswhich shows if a file is hidden or not. Using it, I noticed some .mscz were marked as hidden. I was able to solve it runningchflags nohiddenon the files in question. No idea why they were flagged as hidden in the first place. I'll report back if I'm able to recreate the issue.In reply to Extremely bizarre. I can… by Marc Sabatella
Likewise (occaisionally saving or saving as results in hidden file on MacOs).
Hope you get a chance to address it, guys. Much thanks for all your efforts!
In reply to Likewise (occaisionally… by Elliot Freedman
As far as I know, it’s the case that nobody has been able to show how to reproduce the problem. So until someone who experiences the issue manages to find the specific steps that lead to it, there isn’t anything anyone can do. So hopefully someone who does experience the issue will help investigate by doing some experimentation and testing In system to try to understand what is causing the problem.
In reply to As far as I know, it’s the… by Marc Sabatella
I have experiencing this on a regular basis on OSX (Monterey version 12.4, Musescore 3.6.2) for at least the last 6 months. My .mscz files are on a shared Google Drive, but I don't think that is the reason that some files are randomly hidden. When I go to save an affected file it gives me a generic file name (with underscores based on the title) in the save dialog instead of the current file name. To fix this I can go to Terminal and run
chflags nohidden *
in the affected directory. This will cause the invisible file(s) to appear but interacting with the file again sometimes causes it once again to be invisible. I'm not seeing this in any other file types on my mac.
In reply to I have experiencing this on… by Randall Gremillion
THANK YOU!!! This has been making me crazy; my music disappears from the Finder window but appears when I examine the folder via Terminal (and, thankfully, open the score from "open recent" in MuseScore). Like you, I was storing these files on a Google Drive synchronized with my Mac.
In reply to As far as I know, it’s the… by Marc Sabatella
I've been a musescore user for many years, and experience the same issue when I start to work with google drive.
My sheets can be found on google drive web, but are invisible in "Finder".
If I save a copy outside the google drive, then this issue won't happend.
If I have files that are only saved to my local hard drive, I never have issues with .mscz files showing as invisible. However, if these files are placed inside a folder which syncs to Google Drive (via the Google Drive for Desktop Mac app), the problems consistently emerge. Note I don't experience this with any other files types that sync to Google.
Thanks for the tip about 'chflags nohidden *', which is a good workaround. I've added it to a startup script that runs every time I reboot.
I'm using the following versions: OS: macOS 10.16, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 3.6.2.548020600, revision: 3224f34
In reply to If I have files that are… by Geoff Richards
I had the same thing just happen to me now.
OS: macOS 10.16, Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 3.6.2.548020600, revision: 3224f34
I too am using Google Drive so it looks like some sort of fight between Musescore and G Drive.
I can confirm that this is actually an issue. It has happened to me saving to a shared Google Drive folder in Mac OS Catalina but I have read that it happens in other versions of Mac OS. Thank you so much for the nohidden tip. That has helped to sort the issue but it would be great not the issue to be adressed so it is not necessary to do it everytime.