Disclosure: This draft was generated with AI and checked against the cited primary sources, with a separate AI editorial review. It was prepared for the FrameSprite team, which has a commercial interest in FrameSprite. Proposed examples are not executed tests unless explicitly identified as recorded fixture results.
Check whether every linked source resolves inside the handoff boundary before sending an art folder. A symbolic link can make a local project appear self-contained while its actual sprite master lives elsewhere. Decide explicitly whether the recipient receives materialized files or a documented link structure.
Key Takeaways
- Inspect resolved targets, not just visible folder entries.
- Separate a portable release copy from the editable working tree.
- Verify the recipient can open assets without the original machine.
The visible file tree can omit the real dependency
Python path documentation distinguishes operations such as resolving a real path from ordinary string normalization. A normalized-looking relative path does not prove the target belongs to the package.
Artists may use links to share a master across several action folders. That can be useful locally, but packaging the link does not necessarily include its target. Archive tools and recipient systems can preserve, follow, ignore, or otherwise handle links differently.
Choose one delivery policy
For a portable sprite export, materializing the required output files into a separate release directory is often the simplest contract. Keep editable-source links in the working project, and copy only the approved deliverables into the release boundary.
If links must be preserved, document supported environments and target structure. Make sure the recipient is expected to understand that format. Do not let a general-purpose ZIP silently choose the policy on behalf of the team.
Inspect how the project records relevant paths with Git add, and inspect the chosen archive interface through the ZIP documentation. Neither a committed path nor an archive member proves the target content traveled with it.
Example: a shared character master
Three action directories refer to a shared master outside the folder being sent. On the artist's machine, opening any action finds that master. The contractor receives the action folders but not the external location, so the project opens with missing source art.
Build a release copy from the approved revision. Materialize the required master if the source-delivery agreement includes it, or include only runtime exports if that is the agreed boundary. Update any included example project to use the delivered layout.
Do not repair the artist's working links merely to make a one-time archive. That can disrupt other projects. Work in a separate destination and preserve the original structure.
Verify closure rather than appearance
The proposed acceptance check is to open the release on a machine or environment that lacks the original external paths. Resolve every included reference and verify its actual target is available within the declared dependency set.
Record intentional external dependencies separately, including access requirements and versions. If a private reference cannot travel, state whether it is needed to rebuild or only explains the original design.
This guide proposes a path-closure audit and does not report a tested archive. It also does not guarantee every platform supports symbolic links the same way. The delivery policy must identify the actual recipient environment and tools.
Related workflow
See game asset pack source export preview folders for the adjacent failure. Keep the animation handoff checklist with the package and record visual decisions in the art reference board.
Prepared by the FrameSprite Workflow Team. Editorial method · Corrections. Primary documentation checked 2026-10-20.
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