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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 21 for Windows => Topic started by: Aimhere on April 03, 2016, 02:55:38 pm

Title: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: Aimhere on April 03, 2016, 02:55:38 pm
Hi,

I use MC 21 to manage my TV collection, which is stored on a Synology NAS on my home network. Often, when I make a lot of changes to my library (e.g. editing tags directly, or using "Get Movie & TV info"), the status bar at the bottom will change to say "Saving tag changes (NN remaining)", but it never finishes. It'll just sit there forever, and the remaining count does not change.

I think this is because my NAS can be slow to respond to certain network filesystem requests at times. But regardless of the cause, if I then close MC (including the Media Server), it displays a window stating that some tag changes were not saved, along with a list of the affected files.

Unfortunately, I do not see a way to SAVE this list, nor can I select the text with the cursor and copy it to the Clipboard. So I have no way of knowing what files didn't get their tags updated once I close the window (unless I laboriously write them all down by hand, but who wants to do that???). And I suspect the list isn't even complete, since the window is of limited size and has no scrollbar (I know that at one point there were more affected files than were displayed in the window).

My question is, is there any easy way to find out which files were not updated? Or am I just going to have to go through my entire library and use "Library Tools/Update tags from library" on every episode, if I want to make sure the tags are all correct?

Related suggestion: when MC can't update all the tags before exiting, there needs to be a way to save the list. Or, have MC re-try saving the tags the next time it starts up. Or have a menu option to re-try pending tag changes. SOMETHING...

Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: glynor on April 03, 2016, 07:14:20 pm
Often, when I make a lot of changes to my library (e.g. editing tags directly, or using "Get Movie & TV info"), the status bar at the bottom will change to say "Saving tag changes (NN remaining)", but it never finishes. It'll just sit there forever, and the remaining count does not change.

I think this is because my NAS can be slow to respond to certain network filesystem requests at times. But regardless of the cause, if I then close MC (including the Media Server), it displays a window stating that some tag changes were not saved, along with a list of the affected files.

It is NOT because your NAS is slow to respond (even when they're slow, it'll eventually fix itself). It is absolutely because one or more of the files are:

* In use
* Inaccessible due to permissions (either the file share permissions or the filesystem permissions)
* Owned by a different user (still permissions, but a different kind)
* Read-only

The most likely culprit, especially if you are using a NAS, is file share permissions issues. When it gives you the error that shows exactly what files are affected, go in via Windows Explorer (outside of MC) and experiment to see if the files (or folder) is actually locked. Try to create new files in the directory, move (not copy) some of the files out of the directory onto your desktop and then back into the folder, delete things, etc.

You'll almost certainly find a permissions issue with the files. Some tips on correcting these issues can be found here:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Troubleshooting_Disks#Filesystem_Permissions_Errors

My question is, is there any easy way to find out which files were not updated?

I'm fairly certain the entire list will be included in the Log, if enabled:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Logging
Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: RoderickGI on April 03, 2016, 08:21:13 pm
We have a similar problem over here: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=104169.0

Maybe there is actually a problem, and these threads are related.

HINT: Save the file list, at least what is visible, using a screen capture image. At least that would give you a starting point to check for causes.
Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: JimH on April 04, 2016, 02:00:37 am
When you close MC, it will continue to work and should finish.

NAS drives sometimes have bugs.  You might try updating its firmware.
Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: Aimhere on May 10, 2016, 08:58:53 pm
Is there any way to find out WHICH files MC is having trouble saving tag changes to, while MC is actually running? It only ever tells me which files it couldn't save to when I exit MC, and then, it doesn't provide any way for me to save the list.

It would be nice if I could click on the "saving tag changes" message at the bottom of the window, and be taken to a log (updated in real-time) of the tag changes, with the option to save...
Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: glynor on May 11, 2016, 01:58:40 pm
Is there any way to find out WHICH files MC is having trouble saving tag changes to, while MC is actually running? It only ever tells me which files it couldn't save to when I exit MC, and then, it doesn't provide any way for me to save the list.

It would be nice if I could click on the "saving tag changes" message at the bottom of the window, and be taken to a log (updated in real-time) of the tag changes, with the option to save...

I agree this would be nice.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: tagging changes that take longer than X seconds should move to the Action Window (with an associated cancel/undo button, and a details link that shows you some kind of log).

However, I'm VERY skeptical that this issue is NOT due to a permissions issue. I use this stuff heavily, all every single day, and run into locked files all the time (in my environment at work). Every time I've thought I found an example where MC was doing something "wrong" it turned out to be a permissions issue (or the files were actually in use by some other system somewhere on the network).

One culprit I've run into more than a few times is AirVideo HD. If you happen to use that anywhere, it tends to lock onto files and not let them go (sometimes for days on end) if you start to play a file, pause it, and then exit the App on the iOS device.
Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: Aimhere on June 12, 2016, 11:50:13 am
I agree this would be nice.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: tagging changes that take longer than X seconds should move to the Action Window (with an associated cancel/undo button, and a details link that shows you some kind of log).

However, I'm VERY skeptical that this issue is NOT due to a permissions issue. I use this stuff heavily, all every single day, and run into locked files all the time (in my environment at work). Every time I've thought I found an example where MC was doing something "wrong" it turned out to be a permissions issue (or the files were actually in use by some other system somewhere on the network).

One culprit I've run into more than a few times is AirVideo HD. If you happen to use that anywhere, it tends to lock onto files and not let them go (sometimes for days on end) if you start to play a file, pause it, and then exit the App on the iOS device.

Whether it's a permissions issue, a file-locked issue, or something else, the point is that tag updates need to be handled in a more robust and transparent manner. I like your idea of moving the tag changes to the Action Window (with cancel/undo and logging), for starters.

In any event, I believe MC ought to "time out" when disk writes don't go through immediately, rather than just hanging indefinitely on "Saving tag changes". MC should "remember" all tag changes, and if it can't write them to disk in a reasonable amount of time (due to the permissions/locks/whatever), re-try at regular intervals until it succeeds. And if I close the program, the pending tag changes should either be saved until the next time I launch it, or handled in the background by Media Server.

I dunno, maybe MC already does things this way, but the user interface doesn't make it clear what is going on. All we get is a "Saving tag changes" message that never goes away, and sometimes an error message (that can't be copied or saved) when MC closes. Not helpful!
Title: Re: "Saving tag changes" never finishes
Post by: fitbrit on June 12, 2016, 03:47:02 pm
In my case, when I first encountered this problem, it was indeed a file in use, but it was only in use subtly. If you have a DVD/BD video ISO mounted, for example, it is "in use".