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[Lunatique]

I'm having a hard time customizing a Smartlist to achieve the following:

Main folder A
Sub-folder 1
Sub-folder 2

Main folcer B
Sub-folder 1
Sub-folder 2

What I want, is a Smartlist that only contains songs in Main folder A and B, but excludes all the sub-folders.

I tried using the () and [] and also "Filename (path)" "does not contain" and "Filename (path)" "starts with" combinations, but none of them worked correctly. Can someone show me exactly how I should have it set up?

For example, I thought this would work, but it didn't:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuJvJJ14eSzGgoNVC8Qrh4AJoW80cA?e=O8NOs7

I tried other combinations too, but so far no luck. They either end up still including the sub-folders, or include folders outside of the Main folders.

[wer]

I hope you're not trying to organize and access your music based on where it's located on the filesystem; with MC you are much better off using tags, so that you don't have to care where the files are.

But I'll assume you're trying to do this as part of an effort to find things and help you organize.

So given a folder structure like this:
FLAC\
    Adele\
        21\
        25\
    Aerosmith\
        Pump\
        Get a Grip\

Then this will work:
([Filename (path)]=[D:\FLAC\Adele\] or [Filename (path)]=[D:\FLAC\Aerosmith\])

Use the import/export button in the edit smartlist dialog to paste that in.  By default all smartlist rules are combined with a logical AND which is all you need for something as simple as what you describe.

Your screenshot is extremely complicated and partially cut off so I can't follow it. But I have grave doubts about it working because there seem to be garbage characters in some of the text boxes. I see triangles in there. I'd be surprised if that was correct and would work in MC.

My example works, so try and follow and expand on it.

The problem with doing these types of things is that you must explicitly list each and every folder name that you want to include.

If your tree structure is standardized, you could be clever by doing a search based on the expression ListCount([Filename (path)],\\) to select all objects from a certain depth in the tree. 

I leave that as an exercise to the reader. 

[Lunatique]

I hope you're not trying to organize and access your music based on where it's located on the filesystem; with MC you are much better off using tags, so that you don't have to care where the files are.

But I'll assume you're trying to do this as part of an effort to find things and help you organize.

It's only for creating specific playlists that I sync to my phone to listen to while on the go. In this specific example, I have two main folders with a specific music artist's discography, but in them are sub-folders of other people's remixes or instrumental versions of the artist's songs. I want to have a playlist of just the artist's official releases, excluding those remixes and instrumentals, but I don't want to have to physicall move those sub-folders out of those main folders, as those tracks are technically still closely associated with that artist.

[wer]

I think you replied while I was having a browser problem, before I finished my post.

[Lunatique]

Here's exact directory structure I described:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuJvJJ14eSzGgoNWKn3MnDRTPP8tZw?e=P4XfZJ

I want to exclude the @Instrumentals and @Remixes & Mashups folders, but keep the rest inside the main Loona folder (and this is on the D: hard drive). And then do the same for another main Loona folder with the same directory structure on the H: hard drive.

[Lunatique]

So based on your example, it would look like:

([Filename (path)]=[D:\@Downloads\Music\@Korean\Loona] or [Filename (path)]=[H:\@Downloads\Music\@Korean\Loona])

But does that alone take care of excluding the sub-folders I don't want?

[RoderickGI]

If your tree structure is standardized, you could be clever by doing a search based on the expression ListCount([Filename (path)],\\) to select all objects from a certain depth in the tree. 

I would have gone for that option as well.

Also Lunatique, in your first image your "Does not contain" rules are OR'd together, when they should be AND'd together. You should just include the part of the path that you want excluded, not the full path to the sub-directories, when using "Does not contain". So;

In English:
[Filename (path)] "does not contain" @Instrumentals AND [Filename (path)] "does not contain" @Remixes & Mashups AND [Filename (path)] "does not contain" @Teasers

As an importable expression:
(-[Filename (path)]="@Instrumentals" -[Filename (path)]="@Remixes & Mashups" -[Filename (path)]="@Teasers")

[RoderickGI]

Also in your rules your Downloads directory begins with an @ symbol, but in your Windows Explorer image it does not. Unless you have another @Downloads directory. Details matter when writing expressions.


PS: Will, we are playing tag team.    I must go do other stuff though, so carry on.

[wer]

So based on your example, it would look like:

([Filename (path)]=[D:\@Downloads\Music\@Korean\Loona] or [Filename (path)]=[H:\@Downloads\Music\@Korean\Loona])

But does that alone take care of excluding the sub-folders I don't want?

Did you try it?

If your description of the tree is accurate, it would be a mistake to use the "contains" operators, as those will automatically include subdirectories, which is the exact opposite of what you want.

When you're using the operator "is" (in the gui, which translates to = in the search language) you are matching files only in the directory you list.  It is therefore not necessary to exclude other directories, even subdirectories.  Try it.

It's really not efficient for for you to paste your search expression back to me to ask if it correct, as I don't have your tree structure to test it on.  Please don't expect me to manually read from your screenshots and see if your spelled everything correctly. Instead, you should actually try it on your own system, and then you will know if it correct or not.

What you pasted looks generally correct, except for the obvious typo: none of your paths end with the \ character.  Please look more carefully at what I gave you, and you will see that mine do.  Then look at that field for some of your files: you will see it always ends with the \ character.  You're just copy/pasting from explorer, and explorer leaves off the \ character.  So that won't match.

So please check again more carefully, fix the error, and try it.  I think you're on the right track.

[Lunatique]

I finally got it to work. The stuff you guys pointed out really helped. Thanks!

This is what I did to get it to work:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuJvJJ14eSzGgoNXoKoO825n_CuFyw?e=j7eNug