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[RedJ]

Some of the tracks/files being shown in Panel/Gizmo do not exist in my current library. Files that do not show up in any search inside the Media Center client show up in Panel/Gizmo. These files can't be successfully played through Panel/Gizmo, but still show by name, thumbnail, and tag data.

Menu items continue to show in Panel even after removing them from the Panel/Gizmo view in Customize Views. Files in explicitly excluded folders continue to show in Panel/Gizmo. Files matching "does not contain" rules for included files show in Panel/Gizmo. Files in locations that have been removed from the Library show in Panel/Gizmo. Items excluded by name continue to show in Panel/Gizmo. From the behavior, it seems like Panel/Gizmo ignores the Library live state in favor of some other source for its listings. Toggling the Media Network does not reset the Panel file list to match the Library.

Is there a file/folder that can be deleted that will force Panel to reset and re-acquire its library file list?

[markf2748]

Toggling the Media Network does not reset the Panel file list to match the Library.

I'm not sure what you mean be "Toggling".

Simple checks (not clear if you've done these):

1) Close Gizmo and Panel, then re-launch MC (in Windows, middle click the window's upper right hand corner "x" Close button) or reboot computer.  Re-open Gizmo.  Reopen Panel.

2) Run only a single MC server on your network.  Select it in Gizmo 3-dot menu > "Choose a Server To Play From".

3) Try launching Panel in a browser from within MC (Tree > Media Network > Panel > Open with web browser...), as well as from a remote.

[mattkhan]

The remote browse tree does not update immediately after changing view definitions, in my experience you always have to restart MC completely after doing so to make it refresh.

[RedJ]

Thanks for the suggestions:

I'm not sure what you mean be "Toggling".

toggling=turning the setting off then back on

• Yes, I completely exited MC and quit the Media Server and restarted. That has no effect.
• I only run a single instance of MC server and I have confirmed that Panel and Gizmo are connecting to that specific server by IP
• I have already launched Panel many times both ways in troubleshooting. It produces the same results

This is not a new change that hasn't processed. These files I'm seeing haven't been in my actual library for many months, if not years.

[JimH]

Toggle means turn it on if it's off, or turn it off it's on.  Change the state.

[JimH]

Do you have more than one library?

[RedJ]

I do have more than one library, and I've already switched between my main library and the alternate. When switched, Panel immediately shows the contents of the active library. Switching back to my main library, the phantom files return to Panel.

[RedJ]

I've had this same library for probably well over a decade, so I'm beginning to think maybe it's time to perform a complete rebuild of my main library.

Can someone please remind me of what tag information other than settings I could/will lose (assuming I've already updated tags from library) so I can weigh the consequences or search the forums for ways to preserve that information? For instance, will my custom tags be lost? What about tags on video files for formats that don't support embedding? I think the xml files probably catch everything, but I've never checked thoroughly. I suppose all the RSS feeds will need to be re-imported, but that's not huge.

[markf2748]

Can someone please remind me of what tag information other than settings I could/will lose (assuming I've already updated tags from library) so I can weigh the consequences or search the forums for ways to preserve that information? For instance, will my custom tags be lost? What about tags on video files for formats that don't support embedding? I think the xml files probably catch everything, but I've never checked thoroughly. I suppose all the RSS feeds will need to be re-imported, but that's not huge.

The Tree tags panel is useful to see which fields are actually written as tags into a file:
Tree > Tag Dump > Vorbis Comment Block is where MC writes most tags.  However this view is only available for one file at a time.  You may want to compare the Vorbis Comment Block to the tag panel list "Fields With Values".

"Manage Library Fields" has a pull down menu with lots of useful views, including "Show only user fields" to get a list of the Custom Fields you have defined.  Compare the list to the contents of the Vorbis Comment Block.

If some tags are missing from files, try checking "[ ] Save in file tags (when possible)" in the "Manage Library Fields" window, and then select all albums and Tools > Library Tools > Update Tags (from library).

To examine fields across your whole library at once, use SmartLists.  For example, you can search for files in which particular fields are empty.

You can also use the Tree > Tools > Customize ... menu (small icon in upper left corner of the Tree) to create a condensed list of fields which you want to examine.

Note that if you defined tags in third party apps, such as Mp3tag, but have not defined them as fields in MC, they may appear in the Tree's Vorbis Comment Block, but will be otherwise invisible to MC.

Of course you should back up your old library.  With File > Library > Restore library... you can look at your old custom field definitions and settings if necessary, as well as review the old file data.  You can also restore just settings (but settings alone does not include Custom Fields, according to the wiki https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Library_Backup).

[RedJ]

Tree > Tag Dump > Vorbis Comment Block is where MC writes most tags.  However this view is only available for one file at a time.  You may want to compare the Vorbis Comment Block to the tag panel list "Fields With Values".

"Manage Library Fields" has a pull down menu with lots of useful views, including "Show only user fields" to get a list of the Custom Fields you have defined.  Compare the list to the contents of the Vorbis Comment Block.

To examine fields across your whole library at once, use SmartLists.  For example, you can search for files in which particular fields are empty.

@markf2748 Thank you for that detailed response. Even though I've had MC set to update tags in realtime for many versions, I had just performed an update Tags from Library across all files just to be sure. For most files, I do see my custom tags in the ID3v2.3 Tag Dump, but I don't find anything labeled Vorbis and can't find confirmation they are they same. In any case, deleting a single track with custom fields from the library and re-adding it does preserve my custom tags, so I feel reasonably safe proceeding. Worst case is I restore the library and I'm in no worse position than I am today.

I searched and couldn't fund a way to search for the specific ID3v2 tag shown in the tag dump, which would be ideal to be able to search for mismatches between custom library fields and their ID3V2 equivalent.

There are some video formats, such as AVI, that don't update tags and don't get sidecar files made for them but I don't have very many and don't really manage them inside MC anyways.

Anyways, thanks again for the advice. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger to see if this won't fix the phantom files in Panel & Gizmo.

[markf2748]

... For most files, I do see my custom tags in the ID3v2.3 Tag Dump, but I don't find anything labeled Vorbis and can't find confirmation they are they same.
...
I searched and couldn't fund a way to search for the specific ID3v2 tag shown in the tag dump, which would be ideal to be able to search for mismatches between custom library fields and their ID3V2 equivalent.

Flac files typically use a Vorbis Comment Block at the top of the file to hold tag=value pairs.  You can view it by opening the file with a text editor like Notepad++.

In MC, Tag Tree (<Alt><Enter>) > Tag Dump displays the Vorbis Comment Block if present (see attachments), where it lists the tag=value pairs in the same order as found in the selected file.  This is accurate, in the sense that it mimics the file header ordering, but frankly as a user I would find an alphabetical listing of the written tags much more useful (I requested this some time ago).  I can always look at the file itself with Notepad++ if I am ever concerned about tag ordering or other details (has not happened yet).

For example, in the program Mp3tag, View > Extended Tags pops up a window which displays the same file tags (32 in this case) in alphabetical order (see 3rd attachment).  If MC would change to an alphabetical list, I think that would largely relieve the need for the search which you request, at least for those files which use Vorbis.

Other file types may use other standards for storing tags, such as ID3V2, but what I describe is the case for all my flacs.  For example, MC has done a lot of work recently to include multiple tag conventions in image files.

I am curious about how you display ID3V2 tags and for which file types.

[RedJ]

Just to button this one up for posterity:

Reconstructing the library from scratch successfully got the phantom files to stop appearing in Panel and Gizmo