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Author Topic: Something is really messed up when changing Cover Art folder location  (Read 741 times)

Vocalpoint

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All

Had a real problem today with something very simple. Decided to do a bit of hard drive cleanup today and when to Tools->Options-File Location->Cover Art and changed the location from D:\Pictures\Album Art\Export to D:\Pictures\Album Art\MC. Luckily I had a backup of this Pictures folder because once I made the change - MC displayed a quick dialog saying it was moving some files - and then when I went out to D:\Pictures\Album Art\Export - it was gone!

Seems that when I set this location over a year or two ago - somewhere along the way - MC added an additional folder level onto the Cover Art location so it looks like

D:\Pictures\Album Art\Export\Albums

MC DID move about 10 or 12 thumbnails in the "Albums" folder to this new location - but the Export folder (one level up from "Albums" in this case) had about 50 other album covers in it that had nothing to do with MC. These were edits of other artwork that I have done over the past few weeks.

Need someone to check this function and find out exactly what it does as it seems when this "cover art" location is pointed into a folder path that may have other purposes - MC is taking over the whole structure and moving what it knows about (It's 10 or 12 files in my example) but trashing anything else (higher up in the path) after the move.

After this "move completed - I pulled out all my recovery tools and could find no trace of the orginal Export folder OR the 50 or so files that were in the Export folder one level up from Export\Albums.

I was able to recover from a backup but this is a nasty piece of code that might catch someone and really burn them. This item needs a look see - it's very dangerous as is right now.

VP
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RoderickGI

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Re: Something is really messed up when changing Cover Art folder location
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2020, 07:25:34 pm »

when this "cover art" location is pointed into a folder path that may have other purposes

There is your problem. MC did exactly what I would have expected.

Never, ever, EVER use an existing location for MC Cover Art, or put other stuff in there, or for goodness sake ever set the location to the root directory of a drive, then change the location. MC Will delete everything on your drive if you do!

The MC Cover Art location is a managed location, for use by MC, and only by MC. When you change the Cover Art location in MC Options, it will move the subdirectories it knows about to the new location that you defined, which should be a new empty subdirectory somewhere, and then it will delete the source directory. Completely. No Recycle Bin. Just gone.

When I have changed the Cover Art location, I always create a new "Cover Art" subdirectory via the change dialogue, and make absolutely sure that the "Select Folder" box at the top reflects this new location, as it won't when you first create that subdirectory. You need to click on another location and then back to the new subdirectory, or create the new subdirectory externally to MC, and then browse to it.

Lesson learned.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

Vocalpoint

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Re: Something is really messed up when changing Cover Art folder location
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2020, 09:04:40 pm »

Never, ever, EVER use an existing location for MC Cover Art, or put other stuff in there, or for goodness sake ever set the location to the root directory of a drive, then change the location. MC Will delete everything on your drive if you do!

The MC Cover Art location is a managed location, for use by MC, and only by MC. When you change the Cover Art location in MC Options, it will move the subdirectories it knows about to the new location that you defined, which should be a new empty subdirectory somewhere, and then it will delete the source directory. Completely. No Recycle Bin. Just gone.

Understood. I wonder if this might be communicated better to the user - if it's so potentially catastrophic - a warning is almost a given.

If I was asked what I want to do after selecting a new folder location: "Move files (with a clear warning on what this does) or Leave files where they are - it would cause a lot less trouble.

However - lesson learned.

VP
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