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[bspachman]

Here's the situation. After many years of storing my ripped DTS-WAV CDs as linked APL/APE files, I need to restore the tracks to WAVs. No problem, I will just decompress the APLs and make the existing library entries point to the resulting WAV files. No loss of statistics, tags, etc. For the time being, I also want to keep the older APL/APE files.

However, MC is frustrating me today!

I used Monkey's Audio to decompress the files to WAVs. The filenames are exactly the same with the exception of the extension changing from .ape or .apl to .wav.

In MC, I tried using the 'Find/Replace' command on the 'Filename (name)' field--searching for .ape and replacing with .wav. MC appropriately found and changed the correct information, then started popping up Windows confirmation dialogs asking if I wanted to overwrite files existing in the same directory.

It dawned on me that MC was trying to rename/move the actual files instead of simply changing the 'Filename (name)' field. This also happens when manually editing the pathname field in a details view.

Does anyone know how to accomplish what I'm trying to do? I don't think older versions of MC behaved this way...

brad

[JimH]

Couldn't you just use MC to convert?

[fitbrit]

There's a way to do this, yes.

Here's the situation. After many years of storing my ripped DTS-WAV CDs as linked APL/APE files, I need to restore the tracks to WAVs. No problem, I will just decompress the APLs and make the existing library entries point to the resulting WAV files. No loss of statistics, tags, etc. For the time being, I also want to keep the older APL/APE files.

However, MC is frustrating me today!

I used Monkey's Audio to decompress the files to WAVs. The filenames are exactly the same with the exception of the extension changing from .ape or .apl to .wav.

In MC, I tried using the 'Find/Replace' command on the 'Filename (name)' field--searching for .ape and replacing with .wav. MC appropriately found and changed the correct information, then started popping up Windows confirmation dialogs asking if I wanted to overwrite files existing in the same directory.

It dawned on me that MC was trying to rename/move the actual files instead of simply changing the 'Filename (name)' field. This also happens when manually editing the pathname field in a details view.

Does anyone know how to accomplish what I'm trying to do? I don't think older versions of MC behaved this way...

brad

I'm not familiar with the formats you're using, but I think I can help here. If the files are imported and accessible to MC, for sure it'll change the file extension on the actual file. Renaming the actual files is one of MC's great features. What you need to do is to make the files inaccessible to MC when you carry out the command. E.g. if your files are kept on a server, be sure that the server isn't mapped when you change the filenames in MC. Or if you're not using a media server/ NAS device, you could move the files from the folder they're currently in temporarily, rename the extension in MC, and then replace the converted Wavs into the original folder. Then everything will match up and all should be well. I think that should work.

[bspachman]

Nope! Figured it out!

It's because MC12 is in a transitional phase with regards to renaming files. There are actually THREE places to do it. The first two behave as I described above (the 'Find & Replace' command and editing directly in the library).

The third way is the best way and is (hopefully) the wave of the future. In the 'Rename from Properties' command is another place to find & replace elements of filenames. The trick is to choose to use the 'Update Database' option instead of moving, copying, or otherwise dealing with the files.

I did this and it worked exactly as I hoped & expected!

Perhaps it would be worthwhile to make the 'Rename Files' command the only place that this can happen....? It certainly gives finer-grained control than the older options.

A couple of caveats...
- After renaming the file extensions with the Update Database option, none of the renamed files would play, although MC could locate them externally. Turns out I had to then perform an "Update Library (from tags)" command to make MC recognize the new file extensions.
- The "Rename from Properties" command does NOT remember the last mode it was used in. It always defaults to "Rename (may move in some cases)". All of the other options in the dialog box are retained properly from the prior invocation. Can the mode be retained as well?

brad

[fitbrit]

I'm really glad you figured it out. I'm not certain, but I think your last post will be useful to me in the near future too. Cheers.