Why doesn't mencoder have the ability to check for existing file

NetBot · 11-04-2013, 10:13 PM

hello lq readers

Ffmpeg has file overwrite protection and mencoder doesn't. Does mencoder have an option to do this. If not, is there a way to make mencoder check if a file exists before overwriting the file?

I know the if [ -f file ] thing but how do I make this info useful to mencoder.
thx

unSpawn · 11-05-2013, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetBot

Does mencoder have an option to do this.

That should show from the manual 'man mencoder' or else see its mailing list or bug tracker, somebody may have opened a ticket for or mailed about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetBot

(..) is there a way to make mencoder check if a file exists before overwriting the file?

You could (have somebody) write and submit a patch to fix that.

druuna · 11-05-2013, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetBot

Ffmpeg has file overwrite protection and mencoder doesn't. Does mencoder have an option to do this.

Nope. mencoder follows the Unix/Linux "you should know what you are doing" philosophy and not MS's "are you sure? are you really sure??" philosophy.

However, mencoder can use a default output file name. This from the manual page:

Quote:

EXAMPLE MENCODER CONFIGURATION FILE:
# Make MEncoder output to a default filename.
o=encoded.avi

Have a look at the CONFIGURATION FILES section.

BTW: As a general rule: Don't use the same name for input and output.

NetBot · 11-06-2013, 06:49 PM

Thank you UnSpawn and druuna.

haertig · 11-08-2013, 08:16 PM

How about this? Those are two vertical bar symbols in the command - you don't want to pipe the output of test to mencoder (what a single verticle bar would do), rather you want the OR operator (what two verticle bars mean)

Code:

test -e filename || mencoder blah blah blah