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[carbo]

Hi,

I have created several custom fields for Classical Music (opus, Key... Inspired from what Darichman describes here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=41366.0)

I'm using MC on 2 computers and transfering some files (mostly Ape and flac) between the 2. But for now I haven't figured a way to transfer these fields between the 2. When importing files on the second database I only get the "standard" fields (artist, album...).
I have tried to write fields to tag and then read from file on the second computer but it doesn't seem to work on these fields.

Is there a way to export the custom fields ?

Thanks,

Guillaume

[John Gateley]

Make sure the fields are stored in the file, not in the library. This may not work for FLAC.

If that does't work, use Library Sync...

j

[carbo]

Yes Flac doesn't seem to allow custom tags. (as Nef image files).

But I had totally forgotten the "library sync" feature 
I see now that is the way to do it.

Unfortunately it will not work in my case as the 2 computers are not in the same network.
Maybe I will wrote a small plugin to export / import fields through a xml file as I have recently discovered the joy of SDK and c# 

Thanks for the quick answer,

Guillaume

[John Gateley]

Unfortunately it will not work in my case as the 2 computers are not in the same network.

Doesn't matter as long as they can reach each other, via the Internet, and NAT/Firewalls don't interfere.

j

[Listener]

Hi,

I have created several custom fields for Classical Music (opus, Key... Inspired from what Darichman describes here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=41366.0)

I'm using MC on 2 computers and transfering some files (mostly Ape and flac) between the 2. But for now I haven't figured a way to transfer these fields between the 2. When importing files on the second database I only get the "standard" fields (artist, album...).
I have tried to write fields to tag and then read from file on the second computer but it doesn't seem to work on these fields.

Be sure that you have the custom fields defined on both PCs before you import the files on the second PC (or sync.)  Check the spelling of the custom field name in MC to be sure it is the same on both PCs.

Flac does allow you to define custom fields.

Bill

[Alex B]

carbo,

Did you enable the "Store in file tags (when possible)" option when you created the custom fields? If not, you can change the setting in the field options and update the file tags.

Here is how you can check what tags the files actually contain:
Action Window > Tag > Format (click the field name to open a tag dump)  -- you may need to add the Format field to AW > Tag or select the show all fields option.

You can copy all custom fields from a PC to another with a library backup file. Create a backup file on the first PC and restore it on the other PC. After that you can remove the old missing files and import the correct files.

Edit

Library Sync copies all media files so it may not be a solution for you if you want to store only a subset of the files on the other PC.

[glynor]

Couldn't you use a MPL file to transfer the tags over as well?

[Alex B]

Couldn't you use a MPL file to transfer the tags over as well?

Yes, but it does not create the library fields. You must do that first.

Also, it does not import dead links. The included files must be available. Naturally, it is possible to edit the file paths in the mpl file before importing or put the files in the same locations as they are on the other PC.

[Alex B]

... as Nef image files ...

MPL as a sidecar file is a usable option for raw images, videos, documents and other file types that cannot contain tags.


However, personally, I would just recreate the original file paths on the second PC and restore a library backup file.

After that it would be relatively easy to remove the possibly missing files (if a subset was copied) or let MC's Auto-Importer do that.

[carbo]

MPL files seem to be a good solution for me (the option relative path is perfect for that case  )

Just one question: If the files already exist in the destination database, is there a way to use the mpl to update the tag values ?
I would like to use it to synchronize my 2 databases, tagging process being always a "work in progress"
For the moment it doesn't take the fields values of the mpl but keep the ones of the database.

thanks,

Guillaume

[Alex B]

Just one question: If the files already exist in the destination database, is there a way to use the mpl to update the tag values ?
I would like to use it to synchronize my 2 databases, tagging process being always a "work in progress"
For the moment it doesn't take the fields values of the mpl but keep the ones of the database.

It is possible. When you import an MPL file using the File > Import Playlist command (select "Common playlist types" in the "Files of type" box) it overwrites all included library field values in case the files already exist in the library. This option was created specifically for this purpose and because it is very powerful (it doesn't ask for permission) the "update from MPL behavior" is not included in the Auto-Import tool.

[carbo]

Thanks that's perfect. As usual, MC was able to do what i want but I didn't know the feature.

I've created a small page wiki http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/Synchronize_Libraries to sumarize all information of this thread.

Please feel free to edit (or delete) any irrelevant information

Guillaume

[Alex B]

I've created a small page wiki http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/Synchronize_Libraries to sumarize all information of this thread.

Please feel free to edit (or delete) any irrelevant information

Thanks. It's a good start (but needs editing and additions).

[trott]

is the behaviour of importing mpl files documented anywhere? It seems certain fields are set to a value even if it does not have a value in the mpl file.
For example, I have a set of m4a files which I exported to an mpl file. I also have a set of mp3 files of the same album. Now, when I change the path to point to the mp3 files and remove all entries I don't want (replaygain values etc, I only need to transfer the playcounts, last played and keywords) I can re-import this file and the mp3 files get updated. However, if I do not put 'name', 'artist' and 'year' as fields in the mpl file these get set to values during the import process. (eg the date field gets set to the current date even though a value was already there from the id3 tag and the 'name' field gets set to the filename without extension).

[Alex B]

I guess the few default fields get automatically populated with the default values when the MPL file doesn't contain these fields. Obviously MC doesn't start the ID3 tag reader because the assumption is that an MPL file can blindly overwrite all previous library field values when it is imported using the Import Playlist tool. It is supposed to be a fast and effective tool for experts.

Maybe this is just a mishap in the design. Naturally, it would be better if only the included field values would be altered.

BTW, did you clear also the field names or only the values? Could you post an example of the file contents here?


Regarding the documentation, it doesn't exist yet (that wiki page doesn't cover MPL properly). A forum search is the best way to find info. I have posted a few replies about MPL.