INTERACT FORUM
Windows => Third Party Plug-ins, Programs, and Skins => Topic started by: raldo on November 18, 2009, 02:16:04 pm
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YOU SHOULD UNINSTALL PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF PvdImport BEFORE INSTALLING THE LATEST VERSION.
* 1.3.4
Known issues:
o Dvd handling (VTS) does not work
summary of changes:
o Fixed: Well, at least an attempt to fix DVD handling in MC.
o Change: "Mass Import", "Auto Import", "One Shot" are now buttons that show state of operation
o Fixed: Default installationpath is now MC15
o Fixed: AutoUpdate error: Value of '101' is not valid for 'Value'. 'Value' should be between 'minimum' and 'maximum'
o Changed: PvdImportFieldConfig_default.xml field Date (Year) -> Date (year)
o Fixed: Use DB name for field test as opposed to display name.
o Changed: A few more log output lines, activated when "Details" is selected.
o Fixed: Selecting/Deselecting MassImport, AutoImport, OneShot, now seem to work.
o New: PvdImport can now test to see if all fields (not selected as "Ignored") exist before an import session starts.
o New: If fields don't exist, PvdImport can create them for you.
o New: "Test Field" checkbox can deselect testing/creating new fields dialog.
o Improved: One checkbox per import function: Mass Import, Auto Import, One Shot. You can stop import by unchecking checkbox
o Changed: Use .net framework 3.5
o Internal: Renamed variables.
o Improved: The auto import thread is now driven cyclically by yet another thread.
o Improved: Process queues now use mc file objects directly. This means an improvement in processing time (since the number of file searches is drastically reduced).
o New: "Details" checkbox. When selected, auto import/one shot will log significantly more data.
o New: New DLL, Communication.dll will show up in installation folder. Replaces older util.dll .
You may donate here (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9805948)
Here follow the first three chapters in PvdImport's software user manual. You can read the rest of the user manual in MC after you have installed the plugin. Goto "Services & Plugins"\"PvdImport" and press the "SUM" button
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1. About PvdImport
Personal Video Database (PVD) is a program which pulls metadata and posters for movies and TV shows from online sources (imdb, amg and others) - http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/
PvdImport helps in getting data from the PVD database into MC, allowing us to match PVD fields with fields in MC.
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2. Acknowledgements
Thanks to Rick.ca, Darichman and )p( for helping me test PvdImport and for providing very useful suggestions indeed.
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3. Installation and Requirements
o Install the plugin msi from here (http://www.tonsbergibk.com/SetupPvdImport.msi). On Vista/Win7, you probably should run the installer as Administrator.
o Install firebird 2.1.x server with default settings from here (http://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php?op=files) You need to install the version with desription "Windows executable installer for full Classic or Superserver, recommended for first-time users"
o Install PVD from here (http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php?action=down) (There's a link called "Installer" there)
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(http://www.pix01.com/gallery/7E547B99-5004-478D-A4AC-37AD672F51A4/PvdImport_Gallery/1840893271.jpg)
(http://www.pix01.com/gallery/7E547B99-5004-478D-A4AC-37AD672F51A4/PvdImport_Gallery/1840893273.jpg)
(http://www.pix01.com/gallery/7E547B99-5004-478D-A4AC-37AD672F51A4/PvdImport_Gallery/1840893274.jpg)
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Frequently Asked Questions
(Thanks to Rick.ca for cooperating on most of these answers)
Q1: I've installed the required applications according to the instructions, what now?
A1:
Play around with Personal Video Database, test PvdImport according to the manual (see above).
For questions directly related to Personal Video database, you can post in the PVD forums. (http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php?action=forum)
A possible workflow for PVD would be:
(i) in PVD: tools\preferences , select "use silent mode for all plugins"
(ii) then, tools\"scan folders for new movies [...]" . In the dialog which then pops up, select the topmost folder(s) of your media collection(s)
PVD should now start searching through those folders. This probably will take a long time if you have many movies.
Afterwards, you'll have to quality control the silence option in (i) by checking your movies...
Q2: How can I see if Firebird server is running properly?
A2:
In taskmanager under processes, check if fbguard.exe and fbserver.exe are running. That's a place to start.
For some OSes (Vista, Win7?) these do not appear in processes, they appear as running in the "services" tab
In general, you must get PVD and the server up and running for the PvdImport plugin to work...
Q3: Where's the PVD database located?
A3:
The database is named movies.pvd by default and is located under C:\Documents and Settings\[your user name]\My Documents\Personal Video Database.
Q4: PVD doesn't accept my .avi, .mkv, or ABC files? Why?
A4:
PVD "accepts" any file type. It doesn't play the files, so it really doesn't care what file type is associated with a record. The file scanner, however, needs to be restricted to valid video files. The list of permitted file types is maintained at Preferences\File Scanner\File Types. The default includes AVI, MKV and most other common video file types. ABC, however, would have to be added to the list.
Q5: What's the best way of handling files that are spread over several network drives
A5:
What follows is just a suggestion on how to organize and map your media if your files are spread over several network drives. One positive aspect with this method is that you effectively isolate the network drive assignments from the path stored in MC and PVD.
(i) Share your media folder on your LAN. The Music folder can be accessed from both PCs via \\[Computer Name]\[Share Name]
(ii) In PVD, rescan with \\[Computer Name]\[Share Name] as base address.
(iii) In MC, move files to \\[Computer Name]\[Share Name] .
(iv) Put the MC database in the shared folder. Access it from the HTPC as read only. Access it from the office PC as usual.
I just tested this at home: I shared the folder c:\test\movies and named the share "Movies". In MC i imported a single folder (tools\import\"import single folder") and entered \\Dionysus\Movies as the import folder. Dionysus is my computer's name. After the import, the [Filename] of "Dr. Strangelove" was "\\Dionysus\Movies\Dr. Strangelove.iso"
Similarly, in PVD I i selected tools\"Scan folders ..." and selected \\Dionysus\Movies by navigating to the share in my local network, *not* the local file system! The file imported into PVD with the same filename as in MC.
Don't share the drive if your media files are located on a drive! Rather, share a folder on that drive!
Q6: The plugin doesn't work, what do I do?
A6:
The log view in the PvdImport page (Services&Plugins\PvdImport) which is located in the bottom of the page reports various errors and statuses.
In general PvdImport uses the [Filename] tag to look up the files in PVD. [Filename] must be *exactly* equal to one of the files listed in PVD. There is one exception here, and that exception is wrt. DVDs. I'll elaborate further down. You can find the list of filenames per movie in the lowermost pane on the right in PVD, "File Path:". When a movie consists of several files, each fie is separated by the pipe symbol, |
For DVDs, PVD stores the VIDEO_TS.IFO name with the full path. However, in MC the corresponding [Filename] tag has the name VIDEO_TS.DVD;1 with the full path.
[A couple of users have reported that the "File path" item doesn't show in PVD. If it doesn't show, please check that "File Path" is selected in the PVD menu "tools\preferences\movies\visible items"?]
Q7: The PvdImport log reports "Could not find the file in MC. Exiting...", why?
A7:
Your file probably hasn't been imported into the MC database. Is it in the MC Autoimport path?
Q8: The PvdImport Plugin reports "Could not find the file in PVD", why?
A8:
Your file probably hasn't been imported in the PVD database. You should check if the file is within PVD's scan path.
Q9: I've used Application XYZ, can I use the PvdImport plugin?
A9:
PvdImport is exclusively written for interfacing to Personal Video Database. However:
There's a plugin for Ant Movie Catalog and a program for All My Movies. The most flexible and common technique is that discussed in the Movie Collector topic in the PVD forums (http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php?topic=1257.0)That's using Excel (or equivalent) to prepare data exported from the other application, and then importing that into PVD. Most applications offer some means of exporting data to XLS or CSV format. Those that don't will still likely output some kind of report that can be used for the same purpose. So I think it's fair to say just about anything can be imported into PVD.
It's helpful to consider all that might be needed is identification of the movie (title and year) plus any user information associated with each movie (date acquired, viewed, rating, comments, etc). Even if it already exists in the other application, PVD can download all the other information. Doing this will ensure it's consistent and up-to-date.
Images can't be transferred via Excel. PVD can find and download posters, but this won't satisfy someone who has put a lot of effort into collecting quality posters. J ust migrated from Movie Collector, how to transfer 1000 covers? (http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php?topic=1431.0)describes how posters can be imported with the help of a special utility. Note that if posters are to be maintained in the PVD database (what most users should do), then this must be done at the time of conversion, not afterwards.
Q10: I don't seem to be able to run PVD and MC (PvdImport) simultaneously. What's wrong?
A10:
Most likely, PVD isn't connected properly to the Firebird Database server. You must use the "File\Connect To Server" dialog in PVD and enter the path to your PVD database there.
After being properly connected to the server, your PVD configuration file (located in C:\Documents and Settings\[your username]\Application Data\Personal Video Database\PvdConf.ini) should look approximately as follows:
[DataBase]
Network=1
FileName=..\..\Documents and Settings\[your username]\My Documents\Personal Video Database\movies.pvd
Mode=0
RecentFiles=
RecentTypes=
Warning: use notepad.exe for editing and saving this file! some editors mangle the special characters Nostra used to code some of the settings in this file!
Q11: The changes I make in PvdImport don't stick between restarts of MC. Image files aren't saved when i update, etc.What can I do?
A11:
Running MC as an Administrator might help. If someone has exact instructions on how to do this in Vista and/or Win7, please post.
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<Intentionally left blank>
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Having trouble with new version,
When i send to pvdimport from mc (or autoimport for that matter) the plugin reports success in the log, but some of the fields are not updated. for example, the comments field in mc is blank, but is not so in pvd. after import, nothing has changed in mc. similarly i removed the ignore tick and asked it to bring in .imdb rating, but nothing is populated and tag is not added in mc.
thanks
craig
as a minor issue, i have to stop mc to allow pvd to open the database again. not the end of the world but a little annoying.
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When i send to pvdimport from mc (or autoimport for that matter) the plugin reports success in the log, but some of the fields are not updated. for example, the comments field in mc is blank, but is not so in pvd. after import, nothing has changed in mc.
I haven't used the "Comment" field in PVD yet but a quick test now shows that there is no data stored in the database under Movies.Comment, so maybe it's stored somewhere else? Maybe Rick can answer this. No more time today, so I'll have to get back to you on this later.
I just added a comment and it was imported using "Send to External\PvdImport". Maybe it's some PVD saving issue? I.e. you'll have to exit a view before the data is saved?
similarly i removed the ignore tick and asked it to bring in .imdb rating, but nothing is populated and tag is not added in mc.
Importing to ".Imdb rating" works for me.
as a minor issue, i have to stop mc to allow pvd to open the database again. not the end of the world but a little annoying.
See the (new) FAQ answer to " I don't seem to be able to run PVD and MC (PvdImport) simultaneously. What's wrong?"
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I installed the new version and everything is working as before, except I get the following when I start the plugin:
"The MC ModDate field: ModDate does not exist. Please create this field and try again!"
Please advise... and thanks again for this plugin! It works great for me...
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Please create this field and try again! ;)
ModDate stores the date/time the PVD record was last updated. This is used to determine which records have changed and require update. Add a new string field using Manage Library Fields. You can name it whatever you like, as long as the same name is entered in the configuration (where the default is "ModDate").
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Hi raldo, this is a great app.
One question, is there a way to force an update?
It appears that the PvdImport will only update things it thinks have changed in PVD, but there have been occasions where I want to force the updates as I have changed some items like an image in PVD but it's not registered as an update - hence the PvdImport leaves the field blank when i run the import.
How can I force it to re-apply all the fields? Can we have an option for this?
Dav
PS. As an additional suggestion, I found it very confusing to run the update and see "success" in the status field but see no values shown against the fields. this was because the program determined that no updates where needed....but it looked like the firlds it was importing were blank. Very confusing.
Can I suggest that where no update is to take place, can you perhaps still show the field value, but grey it out or somehow show that it's retrieved the value from PVD, but will not update it in MC?
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Hi raldo, this is a great app.
Thanks.
One question, is there a way to force an update?
Yes, you can force updates in two ways, either by selecting files in the regular mc standard view and then right click "Send to\PvdImport". Or by pressing the "Mass Import" button on the plugin page.
How can I force it to re-apply all the fields? Can we have an option for this?
There already is an option for this "Only write empty fields" on the plugin page. Deselect this and all fields are overwritten.
Can I suggest that where no update is to take place, can you perhaps still show the field value, but grey it out or somehow show that it's retrieved the value from PVD, but will not update it in MC?
Usually, updates are done against many files, so graying out the fields in the plugin page wouldn't give you the info you need, I think...
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That all makes sense...thanks for the reply.
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Thank you for your work, Raldo
I see you're continuing to develop the program, it's wonderful. I venture to refresh the info on my problem .. I continue to experience the same problems when importing info on the DVD. In the mass import log - "not found in the database PVD". But I found solution - information on the DVD received correctly, if I use "send to pvdimport", but this is far from complete automation.. I tried all the available builds of PVD import.
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I continue to experience the same problems when importing info on the DVD. In the mass import log - "not found in the database PVD". But I found solution - information on the DVD received correctly, if I use "send to pvdimport", but this is far from complete automation.. I tried all the available builds of PVD import.
Could you please start a new thread and explain, step by step, what's going on? I realize that you've posted before, but there are many posts related to PvdImport so I suggest we start afresh.
Also, please enable logging ("Log" button) before you start your "procedure", and mail your log to harald.wikeroy at gmail.com . The log is found at <jriver install>\Plugins\PvdImport\Log.txt
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Hi Raldo,
Great tool. Works a treat. Very impressed both with PVDImport and PVD.
One minor suggestion, it would be great if it could automatically assign the Media Sub Type. Although not foolproof, I would suggest that most imports are either Movies or TV shows. If you could differentiate, it would save one additional step.
Thanks
Craig
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Hi Raldo,
Great tool. Works a treat. Very impressed both with PVDImport and PVD.
Thanks. Make sure you tell Nostra too!
One minor suggestion, it would be great if it could automatically assign the Media Sub Type. Although not foolproof, I would suggest that most imports are either Movies or TV shows. If you could differentiate, it would save one additional step.
The way I have solved this "problem" is that I have made a new expression type MC library field called ".Media Sub Type".
In the expression for this field, I test for folders and apply the subtype according to the folder the file is located in. I currently have Movies, Series, and Audio book folders. This method is "foolprof", but it requires, of course, that you move some files around to achieve what you need. It works much like the "Set Content" function in XBMC!
I then use ".Media Sub Type" in my views, both standard and theater, to filter for subtypes. This works really well .
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One minor suggestion, it would be great if it could automatically assign the Media Sub Type. Although not foolproof, I would suggest that most imports are either Movies or TV shows. If you could differentiate, it would save one additional step.
Like raldo, I use expressions to do this. But I think this is an important suggestion. PVD does, of course, distinguish between series and movies (or "not-series"—single record items), there's just no standard field that indicates this. PvdImport, however, can determine the type by querying the database and set the Media Sub Type value TV Show. This, then, could be used as a reliable automatic flag for determining the series/non-series type in MC.
We've been told there will eventually be special handling for series. I think it's reasonable to assume [Media Sub Type]=[TV Show] will be used to identify series for this purpose. I imagine it will somehow automatically group episodes by season and series. Once that's implemented, users will expect the necessary information to come from PVD—without them having to fiddle with expressions. More importantly, don't think it's even possible to set Media Sub Type with an expression or by similar means. (I do thinks like this using AutoTagger).
I think this should be implemented without delay. We don't know when series handling will be added to the program (it seems overdue). But, as soon as it is, PvdImport will seem broken without this. In the meantime, it won't help those of use who have figured out a way to handle series, but would make things a lot easier for new users.
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I think this should be implemented without delay. We don't know when series handling will be added to the program (it seems overdue). But, as soon as it is, PvdImport will seem broken
Well, My time is also limited, so for now I'm just going to clean up the GUI. Any new features are going to have to wait indefinitely.
In the meantime, maybe an SQL solution could do the trick...
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Well, My time is also limited, so for now I'm just going to clean up the GUI.
You've given a lot of it. Thank you!
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You've given a lot of it. Thank you!
No problemo.
One minor suggestion, it would be great if it could automatically assign the Media Sub Type. Although not foolproof, I would suggest that most imports are either Movies or TV shows. If you could differentiate, it would save one additional step.
On the PvdImport plugin page, add a new McField called "Media Sub Type" then copy the following expression into the corresponding "PvdExpression" row. This tags the entry either as "Movie" or "TV Show":
Select Case When (MOVIES."epid" Is Null)
Then
'Movie'
Else
'TV Show'
End
From
MOVIES
Where MOVIES."mid"=@id
Anyways, what to do with my audiobooks with this solution? I think I'll stick with expressions...
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thanks raldo, will give it a go.
as soon as i invent the magic time creating wand i will wave it in your direction :)
do you have your audiobooks in pvd? hadn't thought of doing that. what online database do you retrieve information? does it do comics also?
craig
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Well, My time is also limited, so for now I'm just going to clean up the GUI. Any new features are going to have to wait indefinitely.
Raldo, you've done a great job with this - I use it all the time. Between you, Rick's quick answers and Nostra's software I've saved so much time on here it's not funny!
Thanks again :)
~darichman
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Raldo, you've done a great job with this - I use it all the time.
+1 :)
In the meantime, maybe an SQL solution could do the trick...
That's what I had in mind. But when queries start to look like programming—which I know I'm hopeless at—my brain hurts. For example, I can't figure out why your suggestion returns 'TV Show' when true, but nothing when false (i.e., movies are not set to 'Movie'). This drives me nuts, because I imagine there are lots of cool things that could be done by including if-then-else login in the SQL queries.
Also, this tags episode records as 'TV Show', but not series records. Uh-oh, I can feel it coming. I'm going to fire-up that evil SQL utility and waste hours probing the database structure again... :-\
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Thanks, guys!
do you have your audiobooks in pvd? hadn't thought of doing that. what online database do you retrieve information? does it do comics also?
No audiobooks in PVD, unfortunately, but I'm sure it's somehow possible :)
I'm currently using my own field (.Media Sub Type) with an expression to differentiate between various Media Sub Types:
.Media Sub Type =
If(IsEqual([Filename],Audiobook,7),Audiobook,)If(IsEqual([Filename],Spillefilm,7),Movie,)If(IsEqual([Filename],Serier,7),Tv Show,)
The .Media Sub Type the becomes either "Audiobook", "Movie", or "TV Show" depending on the path containing either "Audiobook", "Spillefilm", or "Serier" respectively.
I can then use .Media Sub Type to filter in Theater view or Standard view. Some discussion threads in the forum have recently grinded this theme quite thoroughly, and I agree that Media Sub Type should be made more flexible.
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I am looking into using PvdImport for organizing my movies. Does it support .iso files and DVDs extracted in VIDEO_TS folder?
Thanks,
Osho
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I doubt PVD can do things like extract media info and make screen shots of video in an ISO file, but there should be no problem in importing metadata. Both MC and PVD will accept ISO as a file type, and all PvdImport needs to make the link is a common filename. It will also match PVD's record of multiple IFO/VOB files in a VIDEO_TS folder to MC's unique "DVD;1" file type.
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You stated in your frequently asked question (The plugin doesn't work, what do I do?), that "For DVDs, PVD stores the VIDEO_TS.IFO name with the full path. However, in MC the corresponding [Filename] tag has the name VIDEO_TS.DVD;1 with the full path."
That is happening to me... MC imported my DVDs with the filename tage containing the VIDEO_TS.DVD;1 while PVD lists VIDEO_TS.IFO". No files were found in the PVD database, see an example of the error below.
An example error msg I get in the log states: "10:53:45 PM - Processing: \\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VIDEO_TS.dvd;1 .. Could not find file in PVD. Exiting.."
In PVD, the movie File Path is listed as: "\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VIDEO_TS.IFO|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_0.IFO|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_0.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_0.IFO|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_0.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_1.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_2.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_3.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_4.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_5.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_6.VOB|\\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VTS_02_7.VOB"
Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong, or what help?
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An example error msg I get in the log states: "10:53:45 PM - Processing: \\Bms-qx9650\Movies-1\A Bronx Tale\VIDEO_TS\VIDEO_TS.dvd;1 .. Could not find file in PVD. Exiting.."
[...]
Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong, or what help?
Hi,
I have put a new version on the server which may fix your problem. See the next last item below:
* 1.2.1
o improved: When doing an auto update, files marked as "invisible" (==0) in PVD are excluded from the test.
o improved: In Vista and Win7, Firebird has issues when connecting to local databases via filename only. Thus, the computer name is now a separate (saved:PvdComputerName) edit box item. 127.0.0.1 is the default name which works when PvdImport and Firebird reside on the same computer.
o improved: PVD database connection mechanism: Better exception handling and GUI messages
o Fixed: DVD lookup in Auto Update and Mass Import could fail in som cases. This is because of dvd ifo file naming in MC.
o Fixed: Auto import would sometimes report "ghost movies" with no name.
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I have put a new version on the server which may fix your problem. See the next last item below:
Works great! Thanks.
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Hi Raldo,
I am still having great success with PVD and PVDImport, thanks.
Couple of queries....
Using PVDImport 1.2.1, MC 14.0.121, PVD 0.9.9.14, W7(32)
1. Each time I start MC there is the following in the PVDImport screen..
"There is no PVDImport Configuration file (C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 14\Plugins\Pvdimport\Pvdimportconfiguration.xml)"
then
"Generating default file"
I am guessing that this file is meant to remember settings, as each time I start it doesn't remember my database name, nor the cover art option I have chosen. Thus I am resetting each time and this is tiresome. Is there a sample file somewhere? Although I guess it is generating one as indicated above, it is not saved.
2. I have read the tip above, but I am still unable to simultaneously run MC and PVD. I have used the connect to database option with PVD and it shows the file in the PVD title with "Network" suffix, so I am assuming this is ok. PVDImport always shows an error until I shut down PVD and MC and restart MC. Any further suggestions?
Edit: Just answered #2... when connecting to server in PVD you must prefix database file location with 127.0.0.1:
Thanks
Craig
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"There is no PVDImport Configuration file (C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 14\Plugins\Pvdimport\Pvdimportconfiguration.xml)"
then
"Generating default file"
I am guessing that this file is meant to remember settings, as each time I start it doesn't remember my database name, nor the cover art option I have chosen. Thus I am resetting each time and this is tiresome.
Well, if PvdImport doesn't find the file in location C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 14\Plugins\Pvdimport\Pvdimportconfiguration.xml, it'll try and generate the file. You're correct when you say that this file contains your settings.
Affter you've started MC and you've seen these messages, could you try and see if you find the above file? If not, I'm thinking maybe the OS doesn't allow PvdImport to create the file. Did you try running MC as an administrator?
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You were spot on. There was no file in the plugin directory. Ran MC as administrator and it has created the file. Guessing I am all good now I have a file to edit, if I forget to run as administrator.
Thanks
Craig
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You were spot on. There was no file in the plugin directory. Ran MC as administrator and it has created the file. Guessing I am all good now I have a file to edit, if I forget to run as administrator.
Great!
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Hi again,
I use the SQL query you suggested above for automatically selecting whether or not a file is a movie or an episode....
Select Case When (MOVIES."epid" Is Null)
Then
'Movie'
Else
'TV Show'
End
From
MOVIES
Where MOVIES."mid"=@id
I though this was working but have noticed that the "Movie" is not working. In PVDImport, the SQL result shows 'Movie' but there are always two spaces after the word movie and thus it is not updating the field. Just to test I replaced "Movie" with "Home Video' in the query and it updated fine. TV Shows are also working fine. It is just "Movie" that is for some inexplicable (to me anyway) reason returning with two spaces after the word movie.
Any suggestions?
Thanks once again,
Craig
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Any suggestions?
Thanks once again,
Craig
I was able to reproduce what you describe above. There has to be some kind of bug in the Firebird SQL engine because, as you're saying, there is a padding of two space characters on these short strings. I was able to come up with a weird looking work around: replace 'Movie' with 'Mo'||'vie'
I.e., introduce a string concatenation and the problem goes away. So the new sql expression becomes:
Select Case When (MOVIES."epid" Is Null)
Then
'Mo'||'vie'
Else
'TV Show'
End
From
MOVIES
Where MOVIES."mid"=@id
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thanks. works a treat!
craig
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PVD import does not remember my settings anymore (with MC build 136). I have to manually select my field config file and PVD database location each time. This happens whether I run MC as administrator.. or not. It doesn't report any errors because it loads the default config file and default PVD database. Please advise on how I can remedy this if you can. Thanks.
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Hi, I have been directed here from the main forum after asking a question about auto updating tags on video files. However, i have immediatly run into a problem.
I'll I have done so far is follow the instructions above and installed the MSI, Firebird and PVD, yet I have am immediately shown these errors when I truy to start PVD:
(For reference, I'm running Vista, MC 14.0.137 and Firebird is running.
4:Unable to complete network request to host "My SBS Server".
Failed to establish connection.
The system cannot find the file specified.
Unsuccessful execution caused by a system error that precludes successful execution of subsequent statements
Error Code: 401
Failed to open Database
File is not a valid database.
Connection authorisation failure
Error code: 3
I'm not sure what is going on here, but the program seems to be looking for the database on my SBS server, and not the local machine. I do have instances of SQL server running on my SBS server if this sheds any light.
Cheers
Chris
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PVD import does not remember my settings anymore (with MC build 136). I have to manually select my field config file and PVD database location each time. This happens whether I run MC as administrator.. or not. It doesn't report any errors because it loads the default config file and default PVD database. Please advise on how I can remedy this if you can. Thanks.
Do you see any of the configuration files in the plugin folder? Are you getting any messages upon startup, similar to the ones struct reported in his most recent postings?
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I'm not sure what is going on here, but the program seems to be looking for the database on my SBS server, and not the local machine. I do have instances of SQL server running on my SBS server if this sheds any light.
Have you entered 127.0.0.1 in the edit box before the pvd database name? Which version of PVD are you using?
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Have you entered 127.0.0.1 in the edit box before the pvd database name? Which version of PVD are you using?
Yes. neither the "movies.pvd" file or "PVDImportFieldConfig.XML" are on the HDD.
PVD = 0.9.9.14
Firebird - 2.1.3
MC = 14.0.137
Cannot create a new DB either - same error
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Yes. neither the "movies.pvd" file or "PVDImportFieldConfig.XML" are on the HDD.
You might need to slow down a bit and take a more methodical approach. You're posting questions both here and in the PVD forum, and it's difficult to follow what's going on in either. If you haven't managed to install PVD correctly, then it seems likely there is no valid database (movies.pvd). So then PVDImport is not going to find one, even if it had a configuration file. It, in turn, may not have been able to create a valid configuration file initially because there was no PVD database for it to connect to.
I suggest you uninstall PVDImport and Firebird and focus on getting PVD working. That should be very straightforward. Whether you use the installer or zip archive, it just installs the files in the installation directory—there's no registry entries of any kind being created. And while a default database is created when it's first run, you should be able to create a new database with any pathname. Having installed Firebird server, there may be a compatibility issue with Firebird embedded that remains even after Firebird has been uninstalled. The fix for this has been explained to you in the PVD forum.
Once you get PVD running, add some movies to the database and verify it's location. Then reinstall Firebird and PVDImport. You then should have no difficulty specifying the location of the database in the PVDImport configuration. Enter all the configuration information, and then ensure it's properly saved. In case there is anything to the problem badger is reporting, verify that a current configuration file has been written to the plugin directory, as raldo suggests.
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Do you see any of the configuration files in the plugin folder? Are you getting any messages upon startup, similar to the ones struct reported in his most recent postings?
Yes, I have both the pvdimportconfiguation and the pvdimportfieldconfig files in the plugin folder. I also have a "pvdimportfieldconfig_default file. I have saved my own importfieldconfig file and pvd database elsewhere. This all worked until I installed MC 136. I was last running 101. The only error I get is the missing ModDate message. If I manually change the settings to point to my files, all is well....except my settings are lost everytime I exit MC.
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Yes, I have both the pvdimportconfiguation and the pvdimportfieldconfig files in the plugin folder. I also have a "pvdimportfieldconfig_default file. I have saved my own importfieldconfig file and pvd database elsewhere. This all worked until I installed MC 136. I was last running 101. The only error I get is the missing ModDate message. If I manually change the settings to point to my files, all is well....except my settings are lost everytime I exit MC.
The settings in the pvdimportconfiguation file are changed immediately after they're made. Could you check to see if your file is write enabled?
The pvdimportfieldconfig changes must be saved by pressing the save button.
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You might need to slow down a bit and take a more methodical approach. You're posting questions both here and in the PVD forum, and it's difficult to follow what's going on in either. If you haven't managed to install PVD correctly, then it seems likely there is no valid database (movies.pvd). So then PVDImport is not going to find one, even if it had a configuration file. It, in turn, may not have been able to create a valid configuration file initially because there was no PVD database for it to connect to.
Apologies for this. I can post in just one location if you like, but I was figuring that that posting in both places gives more options. Indeed, you have given me some ideas that I didn't get from the PVD forum, so I do try to update both posts with the same info.
I suggest you uninstall PVDImport and Firebird and focus on getting PVD working. That should be very straightforward. Whether you use the installer or zip archive, it just installs the files in the installation directory—there's no registry entries of any kind being created. And while a default database is created when it's first run, you should be able to create a new database with any pathname. Having installed Firebird server, there may be a compatibility issue with Firebird embedded that remains even after Firebird has been uninstalled. The fix for this has been explained to you in the PVD forum.
I have uninstalled both an re-installed both. I have copied across the FB 2.1.3 embedded file in the PVD folder as instructed but still the same error. PVD seems to create a program folder and a data folder in "My Docs", but the later is empty, and I don't believe PVD will allow me to create a DB anywhere, but will check
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Ah ha. Is is possible that PVD doesn't like UDF file names? My "My Docs" folder is re-directed to a server share and referenced via a UDF path name. If I actually try to create a new DB on a local HDD, then finally I can get PDV to work.
I don't believe its a permissions thing. The PVD data folder in "My Docs" was created by the PVD installation, and permissions are inherited, so full access is granted.
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Is is possible that PVD doesn't like UDF file names?
I don't know. It seems unlikely Firebird would. I suggest you create a database, and copy it to wherever you want it on the server share. Then install Firebird, start PVD and Connect to the database at the new location. (Copy the database, rather than move it, because PVD attempt to open the MRU file when started.) If that works, then install PvdImport and point it to the new location as well.
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Moved here from PVD forums—
I'm obviously doing something stupid.
I'm learning how to use the PVD plug-inwith j River Media Centre. I"ve installed PVD on my desktop (Widnows 7 Professional) and the PVDPlugin in MC.
Using PVD on a desktop I've created some .pvd files importing info from IMDB. But when I go to the PvdImport under MC's Services and Plug-ins, it opens ok but when I use the PVD DB button and select one of the .pvd files I've created, the plug-in won't read the file. The log at the bottom of the page reads:
Time: Failed to open database! Exception: Unable to complete network request to host "127.0.0.1"
Time: Cover art folder () doesn't exist. field cleared...
Time: You need to set a proper cover art folder The Folder doesn't exist
Time: The MC ModDate field: ModDate does not exist. Please create this field and try again!
Time: Plugin installed OK.
I've tried to go back over this data to make changes to the original .pvd file but can't find anything that makes sense to me (newb?). An the plug-in fields are all greyed-out so I can't make changes there. All in all, a bit puzzled.
I'm obviously doing something wrong. From what I've provided, you able to assist?
It's been a while since I've installed PvdImport, but the greyed-out field behaviour is intended to force you to provide the critical data—like a valid PVD database. If you've put the database on a server, you'll have to provide the correct address. If that's not the problem, and you're being prevented from entering the necessary information, then a solution would be to close MC and edit the configuration file (C:\Program Files (x86)\J River\Media Center 14\Plugins\PvdImport\PvdImportConfiguration.xml) directly.
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I actually tried this and it didn't work. I can neither open the database file on the share or connect to a reote server. I assume you conect using an ip address or the udf convention (i.e. either 127.0.0.1 or \\myserver)
As a mater of interest, I can't connect even to the local machine using the conventions above. And yes, the firewall is off.
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When using PVD locally the database must be on the same PC, if it is not you need to have a firebird server on the remote PC.
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The settings in the pvdimportconfiguation file are changed immediately after they're made. Could you check to see if your file is write enabled?
The pvdimportfieldconfig changes must be saved by pressing the save button.
I am saving the pvdimportfieldconfig, but changes to the pvdimportconfiguration aren't sticking. I notice that if I make changes... and exit MC, when I go to program files\jriver\media center 14\plugins\pdvinport\pvdimportconfiguation.xml... the modify date is not changed. Maybe I have another pvdimportconfiguration file out there somewhere being updated?
my pvdimportconfiguration.xml file is not write protected, or hidden.
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Thanks rick and everyone. I will install firebird on the server and see how we go.
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...my pvdimportconfiguration.xml file is not write protected, or hidden.
Close MC and try editing it directly.
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I tried editing the file and got "access denied"..... so I went back and ran MC as administrator. I swear I did that yesterday and my changes didn't stick, but now it works :-\. Sorry bout that... and thanks for the help.
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I noticed Duration is not in the default pvdimportfieldconfig. I tried modifying my importfieldconfig file by adding "duration".... without success. Any advice would be appreciated.
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MC determines Duration from the media file; the result cannot be edited or replaced. PVD does the same, and saves it as Length. I also download (from allmovies) a custom field I call Original duration—the runtime of the item as originally released—and import it using the following expression.
Select CUSTOM_VALUES_INT."value"
From MOVIES inner join CUSTOM_VALUES_INT on MOVIES."mid" = CUSTOM_VALUES_INT."mid" inner join CUSTOM_FIELDS_MOVIES on CUSTOM_VALUES_INT."cmfid" = CUSTOM_FIELDS_MOVIES."cmfid"
Where MOVIES."mid" =@id and CUSTOM_FIELDS_MOVIES."dispname" = 'Original duration'
This must be mapped to a MC field other than Duration—a custom field is required. The practice I use is to always include a period in a custom field (e.g., "Duration." or "Original.Duration"). This effectively distinguishes them from standard fields, while allowing them to appear where expected in lists and still be usable as a caption (e.g., column headings).
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OK..this all may be over my head. But concerning the "Duration" field (that displays in PVD). Is this the "Length" field you refer to? Because I don't see Length displayed anywhere in PVD. BTW, my movies are 95% DVD rips (if that makes a difference). Can I map this PVD field "Duration (or length) to a custom field in MC. Is the code you wrote to be entered in MC or PVD? Sorry...again, I may have to punt on this one.
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Is this the "Length" field you refer to?
Yes. The actual name of the field is "length." In the default skin, it's displayed "Duration" in the media information section of the movie panel.
Can I map this PVD field "Duration" (or length) to a custom field in MC.
Yes. I suppose you may want to do that because PVD (using MediaInfo.dll) can determine the duration of the media where MC cannot. Bear in mind, however, MediaInfo cannot read all media types either. You can check to see how well it does with your DVD rips before deciding if it's worthwhile to do this...
Use the following query to get Length from PVD. Enter this in the PvdExpression column of the PvdImport configuration.
Select MOVIES."length"
From MOVIES
Where MOVIES."mid"=@id
Map this to a custom field in MC. I call mine Duration.PVD. Enter your field name in the McField column, and create a custom integer field of the same name in MC. The data is in seconds, so you'll want to reformat this. You can do so using an expression whenever you want to display it. I prefer to use an expression field. Either way, the expression I use is FormatDuration(Math([Duration.PVD]).
I actually prefer video durations to be in minutes, but don't see a way to round Math([Duration.PVD]/60).
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Thank you. I was able to pull the "length" field over to MC and map to a custom field. (You're right though about the rounding....162.76485739012 minutes is kind of hard to look at). At any rate it appears the PVD length field is way off. I looked at about 10 DVD rips and it was off anywhere from +25 minutes to -15 minutes (when compared to time listed on the DVD box...or the progress bar in MC). I may just type this one in manually. Thanks again.
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At any rate it appears the PVD length field is way off.
It's seems unlikely it would be "incorrect" when it's being determined directly from the media files. I think the time it's reporting is the total length of all the media files included in the File path field. So that would include any extra features on the DVD that were included in the rip. Could that be the cause of the discrepancies?
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It's seems unlikely it would be "incorrect" when it's being determined directly from the media files. I think the time it's reporting is the total length of all the media files included in the File path field. So that would include any extra features on the DVD that were included in the rip. Could that be the cause of the discrepancies?
I'll bet you're right. Now that I think of it, I remember when I first started using PVD, it used to display a list of VOB's (during processing a new DVD movie)... and I believe there was an option to select or deselect files. I always accepted the default, but maybe these are the files it added up to calculate length. I don't get that option anymore, but I'm going to check an see if it's still there.
edit.. I just found it. "Show file selection When detecting DVD Duration" under Preferences/Options/Dialog. Some of my DVD are shrunk to 4.5gb and some are not....so I'm not sure if/how "counting" vobs would work. I'll do some testing.
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question about using PVD import. ive yet to start but just thought of soemthing...
i have a main computer that has a 16 bay direct attatched storage connected to it. meaning i dont have a true server yet.
now if use main machine and fill in all pvd import info then use jriver pvdimport to import actors plot producers etc.. will that stick when i buy and setup my server? what steps would be needed to make it work once all drives are on server?
once pvdimport imports all the info does it stick by the side of the files like the jriver sidecars?
what do you guys suggest? i dont feel like having to redo all these again once i buy my server.
thanks for any tips and i hope i can get to work on these if all looks like it will work out?!
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what steps would be needed to make it work once all drives are on server?
As you know, each record in MC is associated with one file on a drive. PVD doesn't require a file to be associated with a record, in most cases, it does. And it includes a file scanning facility for matching video files found on any specified drives to existing records. It will match files to existing records, record changes in path names previously recorded, and add records for new files. PvdImport matches records in PVD to records in MC by the common file paths.
So, to answer your question, there is really nothing out of the ordinary you'll have to do. You'll probably use MC to move files from their current locations to the server—to maintain the integrity of the MC library. You'll then need to run the PVD file scanner to update the path changes. PvdImport with then once again be able to match records based on the file paths.
once pvdimport imports all the info does it stick by the side of the files like the jriver sidecars?
No. PvdImport will automatically detect any changes to data in PVD and update the corresponding records in MC. There's no need for sidecar files. Similarly, posters are maintained in PVD and updated to MC by PvdImport. These, however, have to be saved somewhere in order for MC to be able to use them. It can be configured to so in any of the three ways supported by MC—beside the video, in the same directory as folder.jpg, or in a specified directory.
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Evening all....
I have this working, almost...
I cannot get both MC+PVDImport and PVD running together. Whichever one is opened first works, the other produces errors and does not open the database.
Firebird guardian and server are both running, and I've entered the path to the database file into the "File > server" option of PVD
Any ideas?
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Nothing specific. First-time connection issues are fairly common, and all seem to be resolved with some tinkering...
When properly connected, PVD shows the connection in the Title bar as "<computer name>:<local path> Network." Even if that seems okay, review the Connect-to-server (http://www.nimidia.com/pvd_wiki/tiki-index.php?page=Connect-to-server) wiki entry carefully, and try reconnecting. If you are connected directly to the database, you may have to load a different database before the Connect to database command will work effectively on the original database.
I'm not sure it's applicable, but here's a thread (http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php?topic=1585.msg7058#msg7058) where I resolved my own difficulties. There's a number of similar threads both here and the PVD forum.
Once you figure it out, we could probably use your advice on how to improve the instructions. ;)
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Thanks rick. The "here's a thread" link you linked to had the answer for me, which was to enter the path in PVD under "File>Server" to my movies.pvd file as:
\\Computer\Path\movies.pvd
It felt odd typing it in, but "\\DESKTOP\C:\Users\[]\Appdata\etc\etc\MOVIES.PVD" worked a treat and I'm now off and trialling.
Thanks again to all involved for providing this option.
-marko.
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It felt odd typing it in, but "\\DESKTOP\C:\Users\[]\Appdata\etc\etc\MOVIES.PVD" worked a treat and I'm now off and trialling.
Now I'm confused. Should it not be <computer name>:<local path> or <ip>:<local path> as stated in the wiki? In other words, if "DESKTOP" is your computer name: DESKTOP:C:\Users\...
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First, I tried 127.0.0.1, but got errors opening file, so, next up, I tried the \\name\path thing.
It worked straight off, even though the file I was pointing at via the server was the same file currently open by direct local path.
It just switched them and all was good.
I didn't read the wiki!!
My PVD config file looks like so:
[DataBase]
Network=1
FileName=\\DESKTOP\C:\Users\<snip>\AppData\Roaming\Personal Video Database\MOVIES.PVD
Mode=0
And that path is reflected in the title bar with "Network" appended to it.
-marko
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Thanks. This is the sort of thing I'm fishing for. It looks like it might be a network thing—which I can't see or test because I'm not on a network. So if you don't mind clarifying...
Might "\\<computer name>\" be the common way to reference the path to a computer in a network environment? I suppose it is, as I see it's used in the FAQ at the top of this thread—although in the context of movie pathnames.
Is this form of pathname what would result if you were able to select the path from a standard file selection dialog where "network" is selected as the root? I'm wondering if difficulties could be avoided by providing such a dialog in the Connect to server command.
What happens if you attempt to connect using <computer name>:<local path>. If this doesn't work in a network environment, we definitely need to revise the wiki entry. And in any case, it seems this should be explicitly addressed in the PvdImport documentation—probably right up front under "Installation" where it can't easily be missed.
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perhaps someone else would be useful - subtitles
List separator: ;
Group: MEDIAINFO
McField: User list
Comment: Subtitles
SELECT LANGUAGES."value"
FROM LANGUAGES INNER JOIN MOVIESUBS ON (LANGUAGES."lid" = "MOVIESUBS"."lid")
WHERE MOVIESUBS."mid"=@id
raldo, сan I set the login / password for the database through the configuration file?
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raldo, сan I set the login / password for the database through the configuration file?
You can't, but is there a reason why you'd want to?
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You're right raldo, no need. I thought I have a problem if I add additional users and accesses rights via PVD. But everything works, pvdimport login as SYSDBA.
I thought about the possibility of assignment of different users and access rights. PVD supports it, and I could use the same database as read-only on my htpc points (MC does not support links to persons, clickable www links and much more. For a detailed study of the film db is more convenient to work in PVD, and all at my house, except me, better do it in readonly ).
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Hi Raldo,
I am noticing something strange with screen shots for series. I have just run the automatic screen shot generator in PVD and MC/pvdimort automatically picks up that the file has changed. The screenshot is updated in MC but many of the files are the same screenshot. However, if I go to each file individually and "Send to PVDImport" it comes up with the correct image?
I am using the option where the image file is kept in same directory called folder.jpg, but I, as I guess most do, have many tv episodes in one directory and folder.jpg is simply the last imported.
Can you replicate and/or suggest a better way for me to be using?
Craig
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2 Craig probably for tv-show better apply the scheme of "InASpecifiedFolder", where covers will be stored as DVDVideo - name (usually unique). jpg in one folder.
I have a similar question to pvd importer users. Usually I use the scheme "InASpecifiedFolder", and it works fine, but fails when dealing with video_ts and m2ts files. These types of files typically have the same name field - VIDEO_TS or 000?? for m2ts files from the BD-remux. I don't change this in my db. As a result, the folder covers PVDimp repeatedly overwrite the same files - DVDVideo - video_ts.jpg and DVDVideo - 00000.jpg.
Now I use 2 scheme for auto import - [Media Type] = [Video] [File Type] = [ifo], [m2ts] + "InTheSameFolderAsTheFileAsFolderJpg" and [Media Type] = [Video] - [File Type] = [ifo] , [m2ts] + InASpecifiedFolder.
As you're using this feature? Thank you.
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It seems to me using the InTheSameFolderAsTheFile option should resolve both issues. Make sure the same choice is made in the MC options at File Location - Cover Art.
BTW, PvdImport will usually write the expected poster, but might use a non-visible (in PVD) one or a screen shot, if these exist. This problem can be avoided by explicitly setting the desired poster as the default (click the paper clip icon on the image in PVD).
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Good advice rick.ra, thank you. Now I also use this scheme. In the MC main settings I left "in a specified folder"- to me it's more convenient scheme for audio, and that has not troubles with video.
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Thanks. This is the sort of thing I'm fishing for. It looks like it might be a network thing—which I can't see or test because I'm not on a network. So if you don't mind clarifying...
Might "\\<computer name>\" be the common way to reference the path to a computer in a network environment? I suppose it is, as I see it's used in the FAQ at the top of this thread—although in the context of movie pathnames.
Is this form of pathname what would result if you were able to select the path from a standard file selection dialog where "network" is selected as the root? I'm wondering if difficulties could be avoided by providing such a dialog in the Connect to server command.
What happens if you attempt to connect using <computer name>:<local path>. If this doesn't work in a network environment, we definitely need to revise the wiki entry. And in any case, it seems this should be explicitly addressed in the PvdImport documentation—probably right up front under "Installation" where it can't easily be missed.
PvdImport cannot connect using this syntax.
More specifically: The connection string used in invoking the firebird client code inside the PvdImport code cannot be formulated with such a syntax. I then get "Host cannot be resolved" or something similar.
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Before I do any more blind tinkering...
The "Year" info is not making the transition from PVD to MC.
If I make an expression column using [date,0] to show the raw data, I can see that the year info is being added to MC literally.
ie. the year shown in pvd is 2002.
after import, the date field in MC shows 24/06/1905 and the raw date data, [date,0], shows, 2002.
Any ideas what's up here?
-marko
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It should be imported to Date (year).
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erm, ... ye-es... it was like that...
I'm guessing that as I hadn't hit the 'save' button, something caused the config file to be re-read, as I also lost some custom field changes too that had to be redone.
I was flipping to and fro between tabs, checking what was coming in against the pvdimport setup, and amending as I went...
config file saved now and all is good. I should say, all is really good. The downside of needing to install two external apps is out weighed by miles by the simplicity and efficiency.
This is one extremely clever plugin. Respect is due.
regards,
-marko
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I was flipping to and fro between tabs, checking what was coming in against the pvdimport setup, and amending as I went...
I find it convenient to put PvdImport in a split view, which I keep covered with my video view until needed.
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Added numbering to the FAQ Q and A.
Added some text, Q11...
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How can PVDImport be installed in MC15?
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As far as i understand, you should be able to use PvdImport with MC 15 as is (since all the registry settings are duplicated for mc 15)
Maybe you have to enable it in the plugin manager?
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after install MC15 and restore settings from backup, I receive message from MC about incompatibility version of PvdImport plugin, but don't remember text message..
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As far as i understand, you should be able to use PvdImport with MC 15 as is (since all the registry settings are duplicated for mc 15)
Maybe you have to enable it in the plugin manager?
Unfortunately, it does NOT appears to be quite as straight forward as this.
After an upgrade to MC15, I backed up the Library in MC 14 (File --> Library --> Backup Library), then Restored the library in MC15 (File --> Library --> Restore Library) and included the restore setting option.
PVDImport doesn't appear in the "Services and Plugins", so had a look in the Plug-in manager, but nothing in there.
Tried to re-install PVDImport plugin MSI, but still nothing
Copied the PVDImport folder from the Plugin directory in MC14 to the same folder in MC15 - still nothing
Tried to add the plug in directly from Plug in manager, but all the DLLs I tried to add from the PDVImport folder in the Plugin folder, returned with the error message "Failed to install Plug-in"
Any other ideas?
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Ok, I'll take a look sometime soon.
BTW: An MC15 request: Please fix the plugin interface on the MC side so that it is independent of MC version...
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Hey Raldo. Did anyone manage to solve the problem of getting PVD Import Plugin to work in MC15, especially as the MC15 licence has now separated from MC14.
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Hey Raldo. Did anyone manage to solve the problem of getting PVD Import Plugin to work in MC15, especially as the MC15 licence has now separated from MC14.
Yes, this has been solved (today). I'm working on a new version as we speak. It's posted in the plugin development board and I expect to "release" it soon...
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Yes, this has been solved (today). I'm working on a new version as we speak. It's posted in the plugin development board and I expect to "release" it soon...
This is obviously not happening "soon"—so what version should MC 15 users be installing? Is there some way to get this release version working, or is the as yet unfinished beta version (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=56563.0#lastPost) the only option?
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This is obviously not happening "soon"—so what version should MC 15 users be installing? Is there some way to get this release version working, or is the as yet unfinished beta version (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=56563.0#lastPost) the only option?
Go for the beta version for now.
It's summertime now so I'm putting this on hold for a while.
I've asked JRiver in the forums before why they cannot make the plugin architecture JRiver release independent. But no answer which I find strange considering the value added (for some users) of PvdImport and other plugins.
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Go for the beta version for now.
A note for others...
The auto import aspects don't work properly, but the beta is otherwise fine. The mass import is very fast, and the SendTo menu can be used to update new items.
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For clarification, do you mean that the plug-in isn't working correctly? Or that MC15 isn't?
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For clarification, do you mean that the plug-in isn't working correctly? Or that MC15 isn't?
It's not that things aren't working correctly, it's more a minor design flaw in the way MC recognizes plugins, I'd say.
The problem is that each new version of MC requires plugin descriptions to reside in the new versions registry area, otherwise the plugin isn't found by the new version of MC.
This means that Plugins become "old" when new versions of MC are released, this is what rick.ca is talking about in his previous posts. Either the developer must release a new plugin version for the new version of MC, or some clever user must derive a registry hack which fixes the issue.
I suggest that you guys create a new release independent section for plugins in the registry.
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After reading all the posts regarding the problems that I can encounter after importing from DVP, I finally imported my video library.
I have all my movies on cds/dvds marked with a number and previously cataloged in Ant movie catalog.
What I did (please correct me if I did enything wrong...):
- I imported everything in PVD from Ant movie catalog successfully
- I made ''fake'' avi movies on the hard disk and connected with movies in catalog
- I managed to connect the database with Firebird
- I got dvpimport dialog and able to import movies
Problem:
- I cannot (after lot of different combinations) get the data from PVD field ''Media index'' which is very important for me as it shows the exact number of the dvd/cd where the movie is...
Anyway what I did:
- I created a custom field in MC named : .label and tried to make the import...
Q: Does anybody know the exact name of the field ''Media label'' in PVD?
Or alternatively how exactly the custom row in dvpimport should look like for this data?
Thanks for your answers...
Oz
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Q: Does anybody know the exact name of the field ''Media label'' in PVD?
Since you refer to it as ''Media index'," I assume you mean the ID field. It's the one that's (optionally) automatically indexed, and appears to the left of the title in the default PVD skin. It's proper name is num. Use the query...
Select MOVIES."num"
From MOVIES
Where MOVIES."mid"=@id
But if you do mean ''Media label'' (it appears in the video information section), it's proper name is medialabel. Use that, instead of num, in the above query.
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Thanks for the answer Rick.
But still not working...I get the message: ...error code -206 column unknown.
But in personal video database I have data inserted under ''media label:''
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Sorry. It's referred to as medialabel in the skin, but it's a separate table in the database. So the query you need is...
Select LABELS."value"
From MOVIES inner join MOVIELABELS on MOVIES."mid" = MOVIELABELS."mid" inner join LABELS on LABELS."mlid" = MOVIELABELS."mlid"
Where MOVIES."mid"=@id
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Man, you are great...yuuupiii :), it works.
Thanks
Oz.
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I downloaded PVD and Firebird, both of which work properly. Well, I don't really know what it would look like it Firebird were or weren't working (I'm not super tech-savvy), but it's listed as running in the services tab of the task manager, so I guess that means it's good. However, when I tried to install pvdimport, nothing happened. I realized that it was creating a folder called Media Center 14 (I'm running 15), so I just moved the folder into the plugins folder of Media Center 15. When I open the plugins section of MC15, pvdimport doesn't show up. What exactly am I doing wrong?
I'm running Windows 7 x64. Are there compatibility issues? Am I supposed to be doing something more with Firebird? Any help would be greatly appreciated, because I love what I'm seeing so far with both MC15 and PVD.
Thanks
--Andrew
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Uninstall that and install the beta version posted here (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=56563.msg383935#msg383935). It has been updated to install properly to MC15, while this version apparently has not. Don't be concerned that it's a beta. It has more features, works better and seems more stable than this one.
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Ok, I'm pretty slow at getting this, but I have made progress, I swear :)
I got PVD working and I downloaded the beta plugin and now I at least have a tab for PVDimport in MC15. I guess I can't really even conceptualize what's supposed to happen. Do files have to already by loaded into my PVD database before I can see them in the PVDimport plugin? It's telling me that a bunch of fields don't exist in MC and wants me to create them, but I don't really get why, because i have other movies in there that i tagged with name, date, genre, etc. Are these specific fields to PVD that have to be different from the ones that came with MC?
I'm having a fair amount of trouble getting through the PVD wiki and forums, etc, so if you all could give me some beginner info, that would be great.
My goal is to load movies (and maybe TV shows once I get this down) into PVD and then import them into MC. It seems simple enough, but I seem to fail every which way. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
--Andrew
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Ok, so after some messing around, I think I got it all connected, and it's loading some of the info in. My new question is, is there a way to change what the MC field that it imports to is? When I change it by hand, and do an auto-import, it just goes through all of my files in a manner of seconds and just changes the .ModDate field. It added in keywords and descriptions originally, but for the imdb rating, it added it to ".Rating Imdb" and not what I would like to call it, "IMDB Rating."
Also, I can't understand exactly how it decides to change the Media Subtype. I think it removed it the first time i did the import, but I would like it to either not touch Subtypes I've already assigned, or assign them based on something I set in PVD. Is there a way to designate Movie vs. TV Show in PVD?
Thanks again, this looks awesome so far. Saved me lots of time.
--Andrew
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Does the screen shot help? You can put the result of any expression in any field, and name that field whatever you like, but the field name used in the configuration must exist in MC. In other words, if you want PVD's IMDb Rating to go into an MC field named IMDb Rating, create a field with that name (using Options - Library and Folders - Manage Library Fields) and enter that name in the McField column of the configuration.
Media Subtype is a special purpose field for which you can only set one of it's predetermined values. Those values don't match any field in PVD, so there's little point in attempting to use it. I imagine it's feasible to create and expression that would convert some PVD data to "fit," but I don't see any point in that when you can just use a custom field. I wouldn't recommend using this field in any case. Even if JRiver's fixed values work for you now, you'll never be able to change them. It's safer to just use your own field—if there's even a need for one. In the overall scheme of things, it's probably more effective to save different media types in different folders. Then, a "movie" is a "movie" because it resides in the \Video\Movies folder, and a "music video" is a "music video" because it resides in the \Video\Music folder. You have to put the files somewhere anyway, and by using that location information directly in MC means there's no tag to record, and no chance of error.
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Regarding Media Subtype, I'm just going to take your advice, save myself a headache, and ignore it for now.
For the other problem I was having, I just figured out that the MC field name can't have spaces in it, apparently, so that was causing my issue. Either way, I got that taken care of. Thanks for your help here (and with other people on other threads). I'll surely be back when I screw something else up ;D
--Andrew
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I just figured out that the MC field name can't have spaces in it, apparently, so that was causing my issue.
It must have been something else. MC supports field names with spaces, and PvdImport will fill them.
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Regarding Media Subtype, I'm just going to take your advice, save myself a headache, and ignore it for now.
Andrew, if you'd like to pursue some other methods in assigning Media Subtype, check this out (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=54918.msg380026#msg380026)
You can differ between Movie/TV Series using this method.
Im using a combined system: the above link, and a calculated field like rick.ca suggests above.
There have been multiple threads in this forum where expanding the built in subtypes was discussed. Unfortunately nothing has happend in this respect.
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Hello,
Please excuse me for butting in but I keep trying to find the correct area to post my problem.
I am testing the new MC16 and I cant get the pvdimport plug in to install.
I have put the folder into jriver/plugin and browsed for the dll but it does not work
any help would be appreciated
Cheers
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Use the PvdImport installation file (i.e., what you downloaded from here—if you don't have it, download another). Uninstall the existing installation and then re-install to the MC16 plugin folder. Copy your configuration file from the MC15 plugin folder to the new MC16 folder. Start MC16 and select the plugin. Load the configuration file to restore the field mappings, and change the other settings as required.
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Hi Rick,
I followed your instructions but when re starting MC16 pvdimport is not there. I browsed for the plugin but it fails to install plugin.
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Oops. I didn't notice what thread you were in. The fact you're here implies you may be using version 1.2.1 from the top of topic. You should be using the "beta" version 1.3.4 from here (http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=56563.msg383935#msg383935). Don't ask me why it's still called a beta when it works and the released version doesn't. ::)
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Thank you works!! 8)
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I moved the 1.3.4 beta version to this thread.
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The fact you're continuing to refer this as a "beta" suggests there's still work to be done. If so, are any significant changes planned, and do you have any idea when you might be doing more work on it?
For others who may find this question off-putting... I've been using this version regularly for six months without any problems or strong desire for additional features. Although now that I'm also using it to import music data, multiple configuration handling would be nice... 8)
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suggests there's still work to be done.
Maybe, but I haven't planned any changes. Unless someone donates a chunk of money, things are on hold indefinitely :)
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Hi Raldo,
I am trying to get Series genre information into MC and am having a little bit of difficulty.
I tried to modify one of the SQL queries to see if I could get the genre information for the series (by combining/modifying the current .genre and Series queries) but couldn't get it to work. Was wondering if this was an easy thing for you to help me with??
(I could assign a genre to each episode in PVD and then it works fine, but I have quite a few series and the bulk editor in PVD requires selection of one season at a time, hence a lengthier process than I would like).
Thanks
Craig
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I tried to modify one of the SQL queries to see if I could get the genre information for the series...
That should be possible, but Genre is just one field of the Series record. Consider using a dummy record (e.g., Series title.log) to transfer the entire Series record to MC. That gives you a whole bunch of data about the series and a poster to associate your episodes with. Whatever fields you choose to use in MC can now be relational fields. It takes a little fiddling to handle series and episode records together in MC, but hopefully we'll soon get some mechanism that will make that easier. But in my experience, it doesn't matter much. Once set up correctly, PvdImport automatically imports the data and it requires no ongoing maintenance.
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I just tried to add this to MC 16.0.99 and get "failed to install plugin." fbguard and fbserver are both running as well. Any ideas on figuring out how to get this to work?! Thanks!!
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I just tried to add this to MC 16.0.99 and get "failed to install plugin." fbguard and fbserver are both running as well. Any ideas on figuring out how to get this to work?! Thanks!!
bump. I got the same error after upgraded to MC17. (pvdImport installed into MC17 plugin directory)
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I got the same error after upgraded to MC17.
You probably need to add the corresponding key to the registry. In Windows 7 64-bit, the MC16 key is...
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\JRiver\Media Center 16\Plugins\Interface\PvdImport]
Otherwise, strike the 'Wow6432Node\'.
Export the key. Edit the REG file, changing 'Media Center 16' to 'Media Center 17'. Merge the modified REG file to add the key for MC17.
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Yep, that did it. Thanks a LOT.
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Hi Rick,
I dont seem to be able to download posters with IMDB or IMPAWARDS. Is there a fix?
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Asked and answered at PVD forum (http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php/topic,2498.msg14204.html#msg14204).
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Hi Guys, I'm having a problem with invisible text in the section of the interface where you can edit the fields etc. Or rather, it looks like the text is white on a white background - when I select a box in the grid it highlights the background of that box blue, and i can see the white text.
I thought it might be the MC skin i was using, but its the same with the default skin. MC16/Win7 btw, and whatever the latest version is of PVDImport.
I get the feeling I'm going to kick myself when I find out why this is happening...
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I thought it might be the MC skin i was using, but its the same with the default skin. MC16/Win7 btw, and whatever the latest version is of PVDImport.
That's interesting. I have the same problem in MC17, but not MC16. I assumed is was caused by some change in MC17. How long have you had the problem?
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Had the problem as of installation yesterday. I'm using a clean installation of everything on a new computer.
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cant get it to show up in plugins... mc19