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Author Topic: Changing Library  (Read 2498 times)

MRjr

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Changing Library
« on: May 31, 2017, 05:49:37 pm »

I cloned the  default library, located at:
C:\Users\MiltR\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 22\Library

to: U:/Library and I named it "Music Library". How can I make the "Music Library"
the default? Currently, each time I run MC  and want to use the new library, I must explicitly load it.
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RoderickGI

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Re: Changing Library
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2017, 06:06:35 pm »

Your original library in "C:\Users\MiltR\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 22\Library" is the Default MC Library. In fact, the library in Media Center's AppData folder is always, and always will remain, the default library.

You need to uncheck the setting at "Tools > Options > Startup > Library > Always load default library"

Mc will then start up with the previously loaded library, which in this case will be the cloned library on "U:/Library".
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

MRjr

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Re: Changing Library
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2017, 06:45:11 pm »

Many thanks. I am sure I have seen this before but there are a bewildering number of options - and finding them is not simple.

One other question if you don't mind. Under "Audio" there are a number of default Library Views. I believe there is a place where the ones displayed can be selected. If true can you tell me where?

Thanks,

Milt
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JimH

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Re: Changing Library
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2017, 06:47:01 pm »

The options page has a search window at the bottom.
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RoderickGI

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Re: Changing Library
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2017, 08:19:16 pm »

Many thanks. I am sure I have seen this before but there are a bewildering number of options - and finding them is not simple.

There are a lot, and that is good. But sometimes finding the right one, even with search, and understanding what they do, can be an issue. Searching the forum sometimes finds the answer quicker than looking around or searching the Options page.


One other question if you don't mind. Under "Audio" there are a number of default Library Views. I believe there is a place where the ones displayed can be selected. If true can you tell me where?

I'm not aware of any way to select which default views are displayed. However, you can delete any view you don't want to use. Just right click on it and use Delete on the menu.

You may want to hold off on that until you have spent a bunch more time with MC though. You are only six weeks in or so!

Or, you could:

Option One.

Perhaps set up a new top level group (at the same level as Audio) and copy or move the views you don't want into there, so you can check later how they are configured as you learn to modify views in MC. I keep all the default views for that reason. If you do delete any views, they can be seen again by creating a new, separate library (don't delete or overwrite your main library!) and having a look at the views in that library.

To create a top level group to save views under;
1. Right click on any view.
2. Select "Add Library View".
3. In the "Location" drop down at the bottom of the dialogue, select (Root), which is at the top of the list.
4. Click on the "Empty View" template.
5. Give your top level view, which will be viewed as a group of views like Audio, a name in the box near the bottom of the dialogue.
6. In the Customise View dialogue that pops up, uncheck the "Allow tree selection" box.
7. You can change any other settings if you wish, such as changing the Image to display to "Folder", or putting restrictions on the lower level views using "Set rules for file display...", or tick the "Advanced > Lock view" checkbox, but you don't need to.
8. Click the OK button.

Now you can click and drag any views you don't want to this new group. When you drop the View, you will be given the option to Move or Copy the view.

Done. Just be aware, once I moved a view from Audio to a new group, I had some trouble moving it back. In fact MC wouldn't do it, probably because I was testing on a MC Client, which doesn't allow saving of View changes. On a local library, or on a MC Server PC, dragging Views back to their original location works fine. Even if you can't move the View back, you can still view the View configuration and use it as a guide for recreating the View under the Audio group though, so nothing is lost.

Option Two
Under the View menu in the menu at the top of the Standard View window, you will find a sub-menu to Save and Load views. That has some quirks, but it works.

So before deleting any view, first Save it, and name the saved view so you can tell what group it belongs in. i.e. "Audio-Albums". The you can reload the view any time you want. It will be saved in an external file though, in a location like "C:\Program Files (x86)\J River\Media Center 22\Data\Saved Views", so make sure you don't lose the file during future upgrades.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

MRjr

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Re: Changing Library
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2017, 11:04:49 am »

Many thanks for the options -

I ham-fisted it once and removed more than I wanted. I then found an option to restore all defaults. This had the "unanticipated consequence" of removing the views I had created. Not so much an issue, they are relatively easy to create. I then discovered that you can drag views inside others so I nested the ones I want
and now, under "Audio" it is fairly organized. I also changed the startup to show "Audio", which is the place I go to play music. The interface is now quite nice, although I am sure I will make subtle changes as I go.

I also ripped CDs with probably too great a depth in the hierarchy but changing all of them would result in chaos so I am stuck with it. Generally I would like different configurations for classical music and other types but is seems you only get one layout.

Anyway, many many thanks for the time you have spend.

Regards,

Milt
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RoderickGI

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Re: Changing Library
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2017, 03:55:18 pm »

I also ripped CDs with probably too great a depth in the hierarchy but changing all of them would result in chaos so I am stuck with it.

If you mean the folder hierarchy, you should read up on the Rename, Move, & Copy Files function, which can fix all that for you. But learn it well and test it carefully on small groups of files, or better yet in a test library using copies of a few files, as it is a very powerful tool and can rename and move all your files and directories in one go if you aren't careful.


Generally I would like different configurations for classical music and other types but is seems you only get one layout.

If you are using folder structures to define you views, you don't need to do that. You don't even need to have different folder structures for Classical compared to other music, as tags can define how music is displayed in Views. But you can have different folder structures by Genre (or any other parameter) if you wish.

Many people use different views for Classical vs other music, and there has been lots of discussion on the "best" way to do it. Mostly personal preference.

Also, read up on the Library Backup functionality. If you muck up your Library (not the media files, but the Library itself, which is just an index), and you have a backup, you can restore back to an unbroken state of the Library. If you are about to do major changes in the Library, such as lots of work on views, it is a good idea to do a manual backup first. MC does automatic backups at regular intervals, but that probably won't be enough if you are doing lots of work.

You seem to have made a good start on using MC. But there is lots more to learn, and you could spend a lot of time customising how you music is presented, if you wanted to. Enjoy!
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner
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