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[InflatableMouse]

I have a MC library on Windows with dozens of custom fields, some with expressions, calculated fields, etc. I've setup views and customized quite a bit. It's something that has evolved over the years and years I've been using MC.

I can't seem to get this library (settings, views) succesfully in the Linux version. What I try fails in one way or another.

A library import, with just settings or everything: operation completes and MC restarts, but all paths are now with backslashes, while Linux paths contain forward slashes. After clearing the library, and reimporting they still contain backslashes. Due to this, several things fail like moving or renaming operations from within MC.

The closest I've come is to manually recreate all custom library fields and copy/paste expressions and calculated fields. Then on Windows, save the views, copy the files to Linux and load the view. This leads to other issues like views not working correctly (like, half of them simply show the album cover view instead of the Panes).

Any ideas how I can succesfully move an "advanced" library from Windows over to Linux?

Thanks!

[mwillems]

Hey Mouse!  Glad to see you back.

So I just migrated a library across from windows to linux and here's what I did.  I imported the whole library, and then used the rename tool to "fix" the library entries.  The specific options I used were the "Update database" option, checking the "Find & Replace" sub-tool.  In that tool I replaced the file root (find C:\ and replace with /mnt/media/", but also checked the box that reads "Convert Windows File Path Syntax to Mac/Linux."  Try it with a few files first and see how it goes, but that worked well enough for my library although I recall having some issues with trailing slashes.

[InflatableMouse]

For a moment I thought I might have forgotten that option, convert paths. I tried it again.

The library imports oke, I went to Tools, Rename, find replace to change M: into \data\music. This worked fine.

It looked oke, until I fixed auto import (remove invalid paths, added correct ones) and it ran an import.

Some files got removed from /data/music/.... and MC added them as \data\music\.....

In-depth details:
Imported:
\data\music\Alanis Morissette\...

When I remove the files and re-import them (or run auto-import), they simply re-appear as \data\music.

Many, if not all these albums (directories) have a cue file, mostly because they are single-file albums (flac, dsd), but I found one that simply has files for each track. There's a cue in there too though, so I'll test a re-import of that album after removing the cue file.

I tried the rename/move tool, but that actually shows the files with the correct path.

Edit: so I tried importing without the cue present, it just comes back as \data\music\ ....

[mwillems]

Ok, so this is ringing some bells.  I forgot a step.

I had the same issue as you after I fixed the library, and I eventually figured out that I had to remove my auto-import rules and create entirely new ones.  For some reason just changing the paths would lead to the weird windows path problem you're seeing, I had to delete them entirely and then make new auto-import rules.

So the steps from a clean import for me were:

1) Import library
2) Quickly turn off auto-import
3) Do the Rename/Update step.
4) Delete all your old auto import rules
5) Re-create the auto-import rules
6) Turn auto import back on.

Hope this helps.  There's definitely some weirdness in cross-platform library migration.  I had hoped that the "portable library" feature would simplify this kind of thing, but it actually worked less well than the manual process when I tried it (everything was borked and couldn't be fixed).

[InflatableMouse]

Thanks for the help.

Unfortunately, removing/recreating auto-import rules doesn't help. That's actually what I do.

Its inconsistent too ... tooltips show backslashes, rename/move shows forward slashes, and rules and expressions checking paths with forward slashes don't show albums imported with backslashes.

And so far I see no way to actually correct it. I can work around the issue by adding or editing rules and expressions to include paths with backslashes. it's really ugly though.

[Matt]

It's worth mentioning that the new feature in MC26 attempts to make cross-platform library loading a lot easier.

This was the history:
NEW: Added a dialog "Portable Library" to allow setting up the filename conversions needed between Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you find areas that still need help when using the tool, just let us know.  Thanks.

[InflatableMouse]

Thanks Matt. I appreciate the effort, but as mwillems stated, it doesn't quite work as expected yet. Im sorry but I don't want to muck around this time. I just want it to work. I installed Windows on my media pc.

[mwillems]

Hey mouse, somebody spotted a potential issue that might be causing some of your problems: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,117593.msg861056.html#msg861056

Basically you might need to edit the platform.jmd file if it didn't get changed during the library change.

[InflatableMouse]

Hey mouse, somebody spotted a potential issue that might be causing some of your problems: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,117593.msg861056.html#msg861056

Basically you might need to edit the platform.jmd file if it didn't get changed during the library change.

Thanks, appreciate the heads up. Sounds like the issue I've been having.

Will try it one day when I get sick of Windows again. Right now it's running fine as it is. So long I won't have to use it myself Windows isn't that bad 😉.

[Dennis in FL]

I want to move my library and external hard drive with the music files onto my Raspberry Pi (Linux).   It looks like it may be a difficult thing to do.

[imeric]

It's worth mentioning that the new feature in MC26 attempts to make cross-platform library loading a lot easier.

This was the history:
NEW: Added a dialog "Portable Library" to allow setting up the filename conversions needed between Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you find areas that still need help when using the tool, just let us know.  Thanks.

Hi Matt here's one after having done all steps above..Most of if works except for a few exceptions:

The restored Windows library is like this for a folder name such as /ALAC/Francine Raymond/- Presents du Passe/
But Linux re-imports the file as ALAC/Francine Raymond/ - Presents du Passe/
(Which is actually like this when looking at the folder structure in Linux but...)
Even if I manually try to change the filename (path) manually in the library it won't work.
The RM&C tool with an update doesn't work either no matter what I try...

EDIT: And it looks like files with French accents in the filename can't be found and played... They're also missing from the import
It's not it as I have other ones so it's something else I'll investigate and post back...

[jamesecox50]

It's worth mentioning that the new feature in MC26 attempts to make cross-platform library loading a lot easier.

This was the history:
NEW: Added a dialog "Portable Library" to allow setting up the filename conversions needed between Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you find areas that still need help when using the tool, just let us know.  Thanks.

I need help, win10 fixed path to Ubuntu... I need my loaded dates. Anyhow seem like Ive tried everything. All I need is to replace D:\ with
/media/jamesecox50/U32 Shadow/

What type od database is this? I am a dba by trade, is there not a simple update query?

[jamesecox50]

I want to move my library and external hard drive with the music files onto my Raspberry Pi (Linux).   It looks like it may be a difficult thing to do.

I have been unable to do it... Its like they made it as convulsed as possible or they have design issues preventing a streamlined solution???

[jamesecox50]

I got it!!! just add a Portable Library entry mine was D:|/media/jamesecox50/U32 Shadow/ then just import your Library from your original .zip lib backup.

[Dennis in FL]

Thanks for that