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Author Topic: Autoimport and broken links  (Read 1660 times)

wfink

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Autoimport and broken links
« on: September 19, 2010, 08:25:29 pm »

I've searched the board and not found a satisfactory answer:
1.  I moved files in explorer (I know, not supposed to).  Now JRiver can't find them in the new folders.
2.  Tried Tools, Auto-Import with the "Fix broken links" checked "yes"
3.  No files imported. 

So, what am I missing?
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Alex B

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Re: Autoimport and broken links
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2010, 05:03:26 am »

You would need to add the new folders (or preferably a common base folder) to the list of the watched Auto-Import folders.

The fix "Fix broken links" option is a cleaning option. It removes the files that have broken links from the database. It doesn't make MC to wander around your drives and folders and try to guess if some of the files might be the same files that were missing elsewhere.

If you want to change a common part of the path in many files you can move the folders outside MC and after that use the "Rename, Move, & Copy Files" tool for fixing the paths inside MC. For instance, a drive letter change can be mass fixed quickly. In this case the "Fix broken links" option should be disabled to prevent MC from removing the database files before the paths are fixed. Also the new path (or paths) should not be included in the list of Auto-Import paths before the fix is applied (It is best to disable the Auto-Import feature completely before intentionally moving files outside MC). You can find more information here:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=57922.msg392381#msg392381
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MrHaugen

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Re: Autoimport and broken links
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2010, 05:05:58 am »

The safest way would be to move the files back, and then move it with MC. If that is not doable or if it's time consuming, try this (as always, do a library backup first!):

Select the missing files, right click, library tools, and then hit "Find and Replace". Copy the previous folder location like: "d:\Videos". You can find this in the tag data on the files in MC. Find the new folder path, like: "e:\Storage\Videos". You'll now have to enter the first path in "Find what" field, and the new folder location in the "Replace" text field. Mark all necessary library fields. If not sure, then mark them all.

This normally moves the files on the disk as well, but as they are already moved, only the meta data paths should be changed I think.

*Edit*
As Alex says, you'll need to add the new folders to the auto import to fix things later on.
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Alex B

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Re: Autoimport and broken links
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2010, 05:14:24 am »

For mass changing the file paths the "Rename, Move, & Copy Files" tool is better than "Find and Replace". It shows a preview of the new paths. It has also the option to apply the changes only to the database even if the disk files are accessible.

I have posted detailed instructions in the linked replies that can be found by following the above link.
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MrHaugen

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Re: Autoimport and broken links
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2010, 05:55:59 am »

For mass changing the file paths the "Rename, Move, & Copy Files" tool is better than "Find and Replace". It shows a preview of the new paths. It has also the option to apply the changes only to the database even if the disk files are accessible.

You're correct. It gives better visuals. I was just thinking that the "Find and Replace" command might not move the files, and that the move and copy tool does. I was wrong... Both tools move the external files it seems.
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wfink

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Re: Autoimport and broken links
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2010, 08:32:05 pm »

Thanks for the quick replies.  I'll get on it and see what happens.  Too bad there isn't a simple "rescan this folder" option.
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Alex B

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Re: Autoimport and broken links
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2010, 06:34:37 am »

Importing a folder shouldn't be a problem. Auto-Import can handle it if the path is inside the watched folders or if you prefer to do it manually MC offers several other ways for importing files.

However, the user may prefer to preserve old library data - import dates, playcounts, playlist entries, etc and also all tag data if the file format doesn't support tagging. When the broken file paths are fixed everything is preserved.
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