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[NickM]

Using the file renaming tools, if the directory name changes ( for most people, that’s a change in album name ), then the cover art is left in the old directory (plus anything else that you may have stored there).

So really, the tool as is, is not a “re-namer”, otherwise the directory would just be re-named.  Instead it looks like a new directory is created and then the files moved across from the old directory to the new directory.

Please can we have a renaming function that is not mixed up with moving.

nick

[NickM]

Markko, I do use that, but maybe I didn’t explain the issue too well (oops)

For example in the following directory
\\Snap01\music\ape_2\Assorted\Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1
Are the following files.
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_01_Private Matter_Deep & Wide.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_02_Fusique_Solaris Heights.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_03_~Loungin_Fredrik Stark & Citydreams.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_04_Fallin_Johnny Fiasco.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_05_Release (Attaboy Vocal Mix)_Arsenal.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_06_Hugo A Gogo_Weekender.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_07_So Good_Trumpet Man.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_08_Changes_LHK Productions.ape
album.jpg
(Multiple Artists) - Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1.jpg

I realise that I have misspelled cafe and change the information in MC.  I then write the library to tags and rename the files.

I am left with

\\Snap01\music\ape_2\Assorted\Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1
And the following files.
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_01_Private Matter_Deep & Wide.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_02_Fusique_Solaris Heights.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_03_~Loungin_Fredrik Stark & Citydreams.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_04_Fallin_Johnny Fiasco.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_05_Release (Attaboy Vocal Mix)_Arsenal.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_06_Hugo A Gogo_Weekender.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_07_So Good_Trumpet Man.ape
Cafe del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_08_Changes_LHK Productions.ape

And
\\Snap01\music\ape_2\Assorted\Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1
Are the following files.
album.jpg
(Multiple Artists) - Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1.jpg

i.e. the cover art is left behind...
nick

[Alex B]

People usually make the wrong assumption that the cover art images are part of the Media Library. Technically they are not separate Media Library items. A cover art link is present only as a part of the library file tagging. MC has a display-only field named "Image File" where the link can be seen.

As marko said it is possible to import the cover art images like any other images. I have imported my cover art images and many other album images (back, booklet, etc) from the album folders. I have tagged them with at least the Artist (I use Album Artist in this), Name and Album tags. So I have an image library of the music albums too. It is easy to move the images together with the audio files when needed.

[Alex B]

However, it is not necessary to import the cover art files for moving them together with the album files.

\\Snap01\music\ape_2\Assorted\Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1
Are the following files.
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_01_Private Matter_Deep & Wide.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_02_Fusique_Solaris Heights.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_03_~Loungin_Fredrik Stark & Citydreams.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_04_Fallin_Johnny Fiasco.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_05_Release (Attaboy Vocal Mix)_Arsenal.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_06_Hugo A Gogo_Weekender.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_07_So Good_Trumpet Man.ape
Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1_08_Changes_LHK Productions.ape
album.jpg
(Multiple Artists) - Caff del Mar - ChillHouseMix - CD1.jpg

In this case you could rename all paths at once by directly writing the fix in the [Filename (path)] field in Drives & Devices. That would correct the audio file paths in the database and change the physical file paths (including the unimported cover art) at the same time.

Because the cover art file is in the album folder the cover art links don't contain folder paths. The links will remain correct after the path change.

If you like to fix the filename of the image file too you'd naturally need to relink the image file afterwards. (Remove Cover Art > Quick Find In File/Cover Art Directory).

[NickM]

Well now at least I have a couple of ways to make the re-naming work – thank you.

However, I suppose what I am getting at, as Markko said, the “recent additions to the options for dealing with cover art”; once specified that MC stores the cover art in the same folder as the album with the name “[album] – [artist].jpg”, then I think that MC should include this in the re-naming exercise.

I can understand it’s too much to ask MC to take the “album.jpg” in the same process…

nick

[Alex B]

About a year ago I explained my album images system:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=22841.msg159422#msg159422

[lalittle]

I have to agree with NickM on this.  If you're going to offer to store the cover art file in the folder with the songs (i.e. "next to file"), then the cover art file should "follow" the songs when the songs are moved -- this is simply intuitive.  If the cover art file is left behind in a rename operation, it's really not accurate to say that the cover art is stored "next to file."  An accurate description would be that it's stored "in the CURRENT song folder at the time of ripping" since it's going to stay there if the very common "rename" tool is used.

I really like the idea of keeping the art in the folder with the songs, but the situation Nick has pointed out seems to essentially counteract the usefulness of this idea.  In my opinion, the extra work needed to keep things organized negates the gains in having the files stored together.

Larry

[Alex B]

We should remember that MC does not have Album library items and it does not have Album Art library items either. It has only separate files in the library. For example you cannot move an album by first selecting it. You must select the individual tracks instead. The albums and album art in MC are display-only tricks, which are based on the tags in the separate library files. MC does the tricks well so it is easy to forget that there are no real album objects.

Moving cover art automatically would not be very simple. For example, what MC should do if only subset of the files that have the same album tag are moved? What it should do if the same image file is linked with files in other folders or with files having different album tags in the same folder? MC has no limitations with the cover art location. The file can be anywhere because it is link based. Should MC check for all possible link problems and offer options: move, duplicate or do nothing? Should it ask the question for each file separately, because each cover art link is technically separate?

If the cover art files were imported and included in the database all MC tools would be available for handling them. I have no problems with having e.g. 15 album files instead of 14 in case a cover art file is imported too.

[NickM]

Alex, I know what you mean about Album versus a bunch of tracks that happen to be in the same directory... But, the new Library Browser, does allow you to right click an Album and then perform library updates on all the underlying files.

I guess what could happen is, once the Store cover art (in the foirm [album] - [artist].jpg) is selected, then any edits to the [album] or [artist] should be automatically updated in the JPG file.

And, if the rename funtion is selected, the folder is renemed (no matter what other things may be in the folder).  At least that would keep things all together without necessarily having to reconstruct MC to be album centric.

nick

[NickM]

I have posted before, we know that MC is not right for everyone... So, I use (as well!) a number of SlimDevices around the home.  Keeping a directory structure that can be read by other programs is therefore important to me.  Unfortunately, that means I cannot keep cover art in a central directory as there is no way of referrencing it from the APE file using another player.

nick

[Alex B]

I'd like to explain a real-life case study in which my system worked flawlessly.

Recently I decided to move a music library including the image files from D:\Music\ to X:\. The library had about 33000 audio files and about 6700 album images (including about 2200 cover art files).

The whole move happened in about 30 seconds.

At first I renamed D:\Music to D:\M outside MC.

Then I did this inside MC:
Ctrl+F   >   Ctrl+A   >   Find and Replace "D:\Music\" with "X:\" in [Filename (path)]

Then I ran this bat file (and added it to my startup folder): SUBST X: D:\M

All library paths including the about 29000 cover art links were correct instantly.

The same library with the same cover art files works now on my networked PCs after I mapped the shared folder D:\M (on the server) with the drive letter X: on my other PCs.

[hit_ny]

Not sure if this helps but in MC 10 & earlier, i used to drag folders where i wanted them to go, everything went along with it. I never used rename file from properties as i found it not as intuitive as dragging to the desired spot and having everything go along. If there were several folders, i just created a temp folder moved everything into it and then moved to final destination.

However in MC 11, for some reason drag & drop is very confusing, since the scroll bars move very fast compared to how much you mouse up or down. There is also no final bar that gives a visual cue where the dragged item will end up. Forcing me to use explorer and then extra work of fixing paths etc.

But otherwise keeping all items pertaining to an album in one place seemed better than bits scattered around (if only to make said moves easier). It will also be simpler if programs other than MC are accessing media.

[NickM]

Alex - I am impressed with the flexibility ( and your use of MC ).  Notwithstanding this, if my files are going to be used by another application, then an ordered, compartmentalised, directory structure is required.  Lumping the cover art together just doesn't work for other applications.

nick

[dcwebman]

Then I ran this bat file (and added it to my startup folder): SUBST X: D:\M

I forgot about the SUBST command and I come from the old DOS days. On my server, I just mapped to the network share on the same computer but I'm sure the SUBST must be faster.