Adding Custom Lesson with URL (file on local)

R

RaySouter

Blues Newbie
After seeing Griff's email today (9/20/22) about new features of the Practice Generator, I tried to create a custom lesson and schedule.
I can not seem to add a custom lesson when I include a URL pointing to a local mp4 file on my computer
AS IN
file:///C:/Personal/Guitar/Stefan%20Grossman/ErnieHawkinsTeaches/LightningHopkins/Lightnin's%20Hideaway.mp4

Is there a different format to use for a local file URL?
(I can paste this URL into my browser and it opens just fine.)

Thanks,
Ray
 
R

RaySouter

Blues Newbie
@PapaRaptor It I have been able to create custom lessons and add them to a custom schedule. The issue involves a file name local to the computer hard drive. a regular youtube video URL works fine, but no local file seems to work. If there are special characters in the URL it won't even add the custom lesson, if a drive letter is included in the URL it will not find the lesson, and without the drive letter and a simplified path it still will not find the file.
When I try to open the practice log and select the "video" to work with, I just get a 'Site can't be reached" error.
What is the syntax to point to a local mp4?
 
R

RaySouter

Blues Newbie
Best I can tell is that there is an automatic append of "http:" or some such to the URL that is provided by the user,
for instance I have a file "C:/Personal/Guitar/CorinaCorinaSteppenwolf.mp4" (exactly as entered when I provide the URL for the custom lesson) that I want to open with the Practice Log. The file that is tried to be opened is "http://c/Personal/Guitar/CorinaCorinaSteppenwolf.mp4". The drive letter has been mangled and an http prefix rather than a file prefix is trying to be opened - hence the Site can't be reached message.
 
MikeS

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Unless you are running web hosting on your local drive, http:// won't work on your local drive.
What might work is a situation where the file is on your hard drive but that is mirrored on something like Dropbox. You would still need to use the Dropbox URL, but any change you make to the file locally would be reflected in the Dropbox file too.
 
R

RaySouter

Blues Newbie
@MikeS Running my own server on my local computer is something I got over a long time ago. HTML does support local files that are not accessed with http protocols, so I think I understand the issue now. I am actually running the Practice Generator web page on BGU servers, so they must be trying to feed me "local to them" files that are not available, and the server is still using some type of mangled URL - which I do understand is a big security issue for database systems when users can enter all types of 'special' characters that could produce executable database code; I have seen examples.
I am content to run my local mp4 and mp3 files manually when I want to practice them. Having the URL saved, but readily visible would be nice as a reminder of where I put the thing to start with in my own convoluted file naming system. But I can always get the "Site can't be reached" error and see where it tried to look so I can find my own stuff.
I had never used the Practice Generator until I saw Griff's email about upgrades. It is a really nice tool to help keep folks on track, though if you don't have the discipline in the first place ...
Thanks everybody,
Ray

PS- Ahh, most probably a similar issue as BGUTube that I just read about. Need to have a file on the interweb someplace.
 
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