[Feature]: Corrupt file repair

[bubblobill]

Describe the Problem

Sometimes MT files (.cmpgn in particular) stop working due to corruption of some sort and require manual fiddling to repair.

The Solution you'd like

An automated repair tool that can: at a minimum, identify what error(s) are preventing the file loading; preferably modify the file to a loadable state; or ideally, restore the file.

Possible mechanisms

• Generate a report identifying the issue(s).
• Replace missing assets with placeholders.
• Recreate indexes, xml, file tags, checksums, etc.

Could be a part of MT or a separate tool.

Alternatives that you've considered.

No response

Additional Context

No response

[FullBleed]

I'd fear that a separate tool will be less likely to be maintained. I'd like to see this be a part of MT proper.

To add to your "mechanism" test:

1. Instead of just halting the load of a corrupt campaign, attempt to load the autosave and/or a backup. Either may be in a better state than any "repair" might achieve.

Also, historically, it seems that people that have this happen to them are some of the least likely to actually have good backups of their campaigns. So instead of "fixing" issues after a problem, more can probably be done to avoid having the problems in the first place.

1. Instead of just an offer to "Save on Exit", perhaps the Default should be to save a "date-time" copy on exit (i.e. campaign file with the name and an appended date and time). A default 5-10 stack of these would be good. A sort of Auto Backup with a name change (since backing up copies with variable names seems to be something many should, but do not, do.)

2. I understand what goes into our "Autosave" directory. But not the "Backup" directory. I just checked mine and the primary campaign that I've been working on has no backup. A small "test" campaign that I worked on for a short time does have a copy there. There are no settings in MT regarding the "backup" directory behaviour and the lack of transparency there is not productive for users to take steps to avoid mitigating catastrophic campaign failures. IT simply feels like a dice roll to having anything meaningful in the data directory Backup folder.

3. I believe that the primary cause of campaign file corruption is a low memory state on save. Saves spike memory. Before saves, MT should flush current memory (or whatever it does when you click on the memory usage indicator in the bottom right corner.) This might be pretty low hanging fruit.