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[bbrip]

Under Library Tools it is possible to modify virtually all database fields using the "Find & Replace" command. However, this is not available for the coverart field. I am moving all my coverart to a server-disk and want to change the drive-letter for the coverart bei using "find & Replace".  Doing it one-by-one for each file and pointing it to the new coverlocation is a bit cumbersome.

Any ideas?

BBRip

[dcwebman]

There's probably an easier way but one way is to move the cover art and then when you look at the cover art for a song, it should display just the old filename location because it can't find the cover art anymore. Then make sure you update the Cover Art location in options and do a Quick Find in File / Covert Art Directory. This should work for all selected songs.

[gappie]

it is indeed a pity that that is not possible using find and replace. 

but you could do it this way:
backup library
copy coverart to new location
make a playlist or smartlist with all the files where the cover art is moved.
export the playlist as mpl file.
open the mpl file with notepad.
find and replace the image location with the new one like:  "<Field Name="Image File">E:\DVD Thumbs" becomes "<Field Name="Image File">G:\DVDThumbs"
import the mpl file.

check if it worked. you could start with only one file.

succes
gab


i guess mr webmans could be easier. try.

[glynor]

it is indeed a pity that that is not possible using find and replace. 

I agree.  This has bit me quite a few times when working on tagging and moving files around.

[bbrip]

There's probably an easier way but one way is to move the cover art and then when you look at the cover art for a song, it should display just the old filename location because it can't find the cover art anymore. Then make sure you update the Cover Art location in options and do a Quick Find in File / Covert Art Directory. This should work for all selected songs.

Tried this approach but doesnt work. May be related again to the fact that files are sitting on a network drive....   MC12 seems to struggle with quite a few things related to network drives...

Hope to "Find & Replace" command will soon be available also for the coverart field. There is really no reason I can think of why it shouldnt be....

For the time being fiddling around manually copying coverart....

[Alex B]

Hope to "Find & Replace" command will soon be available also for the coverart field.

It would be about time. I've waited three and half years...

I store cover art images in the same folder with music files (base path\Artist\Album). When ripping music MC stores downloaded image files in the Track Images Location. So I have to move those images afterwards and re-associate them with music files.

I even tried to combine the default image path with a MC rule and wrote "e:\music\[Artist]\[Album]" in Track Images Location, but obviously it didn't work. MC actually made a path named "e:\music\[Artist]\[Album]" and stored images there.

So could it be possible to have an option to store downloaded cover art images in the music folder? E.g. base path\[artist]\[album].
 
It would also be nice if one could see and edit the full path of the current image. That option could be in Image>Add From File.

Currently the only place to find that information is in "Tag Info / Extended / Image File" and it's not editable. Besides, it is often truncated with ...  if the path is long.

If the image file path could be a regular editable tag, then the "Find & Replace" operation for it should be relatively easy to accomplish. (That was requested in the thread: Another Plea to be able to automatically move Cover Art.)

(The "next to file" option was added quite soon after my request...)

[KingSparta]

MC could do this once

They removed Image from the listing.

Why? No Clue.

[Alex B]

King,

You added it to "Replace master" (check the link in my quote).

I wonder if a small dedicated plugin (only for external art) could use similar code and access the field in MC12 too?

[KingSparta]

I wonder if a small dedicated plugin (only for external art)

I made one once, I never updated it.

[MusicHawk]

BUMP

It would be a HUGE help if the Image File field could be changed via Find & Replace, and/or directly editing the field.

This should be simply a way to edit the database, without touching the image file at all. The typical reason is that the cover art isn't where the database thinks it is. Therefore, changing the Image File field's text does NOT need to be connected to any actual file move process, as it is when renaming the media file.

[JimH]

The typical reason is that the cover art isn't where the database thinks it is.

If you're storing all your cover art in a single directory, you can change the location in MC Options, and then right click on tracks and do a "Quick find".

[hit_ny]

I agree.  This has bit me quite a few times when working on tagging and moving files around.

S'why i store cover art in the album's folder instead of elsewhere, been many years and countless (hard+soft) upgrades, never lost anything!

Everything album related in its own place.

Downside (if it applies) is limited use of the highly regarded 'Rename Files from Properties'.

You decide 

[Alex B]

BUMP

It would be a HUGE help if the Image File field could be changed via Find & Replace, and/or directly editing the field.

This should be simply a way to edit the database, without touching the image file at all. The typical reason is that the cover art isn't where the database thinks it is. Therefore, changing the Image File field's text does NOT need to be connected to any actual file move process, as it is when renaming the media file.

A workaround:
- Export the selected files or the complete current view as an MPL playlist.
- open the playlist in a text editor, do the find & replace operation for the Image File field and save the edited file
- Import the playlist using the File > Import > Playlist feature. It will update the field values.

[Alex B]

Downside (if it applies) is limited use of the highly regarded 'Rename Files from Properties'.

That doesn't apply to me. I have imported my cover art images from the album folders and tagged them with the Artist and Album tags. For tagging and renaming the album files (including cover art) I use a separate view scheme without the [Media Type]=[Audio] restriction.

[hit_ny]

- Import the playlist using the File > Import > Playlist feature. It will update the field values.

Is it safe to do this with the whole library ?

..if it comes down to it.

[Alex B]

Assuming it is done correctly it is safe. If the field values are edited incorrectly the worst thing that can result is a more or less corrupted library.

Naturally anyone who does it
- creates a library backup file first
- tests the procedure with a few files
- disables Auto-Importer and maybe also physical tag writing before importing the edited MPL file.

[MusicHawk]

If you're storing all your cover art in a single directory, you can change the location in MC Options, and then right click on tracks and do a "Quick find".

Tried that first, and it found a few "lost" covers. But hundreds remained unfound; no idea why.

By looking at the Image File field I could see the tracks had the correct file name, but in an old, non-existent cover art folder location. I could have fixed them all immediately by changing the folder portion of the Image File path, if File & Replace could act on this database field.

Instead, I manually reconnected the "lost" images to the tracks by selecting each album, then locating its image the cover art folder. I got through most of them, so my immediate problem is fixed, the hard way.

But "for next time", it seems desirable to be able to edit the Image File field just as any others. Is there a reason why it is "off limits"?

(I suppose Plan C could be to rename the "lost" cover art images so "Quick find" would find them. Is it locked into searching for the same file name pattern specified for naming new covert art?)