Would love the ability to specify output directory

[kford]

Hi Lisa,

I have been using your scripts for ages and used to (in old version) be able to specify output directory (--output IIRC). It seems I can no longer do this. I tend to run your script as part of a larger BASH automation. Since I don't see a way to specify the output directory anymore, the only way I'm thinking is to CD into the directory as part of my script, which I certainly can do, but it's a bit clunky. Wondering if you have any suggestions, or if you would entertain adding a --output folder?

The way it is now, my bash script would be something like the below.

cd /home/user/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01 && transcode-video.rb --add-subtitle 1 /mnt/raw/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01/someShowName\ -\ s01e01.mkv &&
cd /home/user/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01 && transcode-video.rb --add-subtitle 1 /mnt/raw/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01/someShowName\ -\ s01e02.mkv &&
....

The previous way was more elegant, IMO

transcode-video.rb --add-subtitle 1 /mnt/raw/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01/someShowName\ -\ s01e01.mkv --output /home/user/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01/someShowName\ -\ s01e01.mkv &&
transcode-video.rb --add-subtitle 1 /mnt/raw/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01/someShowName\ -\ s01e02.mkv --output /home/user/Videos/TV\ Shows/someShowName/Season\ 01/someShowName\ -\ s01e02.mkv &&....

[lisamelton]

@kford Thank you so much for being a long-time user of my scripts! 💖

Yes, the legacy version did have the ability to specify an output directory, a feature that, frankly, I allowed myself to be talked into by the community against my better judgement. But I removed it during the rewrite because 1) the code for implementing it safely was more complicated than I anticipated and 2) it oddly often caused support problems.

So, tl;dr, it won't be coming back. Sorry.

As you can see from this previous issue:

#359

...others have solved the problem the same you have. Changing your working directory is not only elegant itself by it's also safer.

Feel free to continue commenting here but I'm closing this now.