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[8139david]

I have tried several times the advanced library tool 'Move, rename and copy'.
I've selected these options:
* Rename (move files if directory change)
* Move all files in folder (including non-imported files)
* Directories ... where I say how I want the folder to be renamed.

The folder name is renamed as I want, but subfolders are not moved, and at least some images (.jpg) are not moved.

What can I do in order to move everything at once?

[~OHM~]

just move em....have MC options set to fix broken links...this is a odd way but it will work, may take some time depending on your collection size....or wait for a guru to drop by and help you with the rename and move tool. good luck

[8139david]

That's what I usually do since it works.

But here I would like to use jriver to cleverly rename many folders at once with a fixed pattern, perhaps like this one:
[album artist] - [year] - [album] - [file type]

[swiv3d]

Could you explain a in a little more detail what you are trying to do? Are you just trying to put your music files into folders named [album artist] - [year] - [album] - [file type] such as "Bloggs Band - 2010 - Best of - mp3"

Normally I would create a directory structure such as [Album Artist (auto)]\[Year] - [Album] - [File Type] which would give me Bloggs Band\2010 - Best of - mp3\01 - file.mp3 which would do what you want I think. Personally I just use [Album Artist (Auto)]\[Album], but each to his own!

For this to work, in your case you should check your library to find those unmoved jpg files which you have probably inadvertently imported into your library and remove them from the library. Then select a view which shows all of the files you want to move and select them. Bring up the RMC tool using F6 and make sure that the files you are renaming are showing the desired folder structure. Then click OK. I would try it on a small number of files until you are sure it is doing what you want. Do check that all of the files have a Year tag in them first !
Hope this helps.

[RoderickGI]

What Swiv3d says...

Plus, upgrade to the latest version of MC24 because the functionality was improved around moving additional files recently and the setting is no longer called "Move all files in folder (including non-imported files)" but is called more correctly "Move all non-imported files in folder with selected media files".

24.0.68 (12/10/2018)
13. Fixed: Non-imported files were not moved with selected media files even if "Move all files..." checkbox was checked on "Rename, Move, & Copy" dialog window, when the action was initiated in Explorer view.
14. Changed: Moving files with "Move all files in folder (including non-imported files)" checkbox checked will only skip moving files that are at "main database location".
15. Changed: "Move all files in folder (including non-imported files)" checkbox on "Rename, Move, & Copy" dialog window is renamed "Move all non-imported files in folder with selected media files".

So turn off Move all files in folder (including non-imported files) unless you really do have non-imported files in those directories that aren't related to the file and known by MC (jpg and Sidecar files), such as PDFs, additional images, text files, and you really want to move those files, and you have all your music files for each album in their own sub-directory and don't have multiple albums in one sub-directory (breath!), and you really know what you are doing. 

[8139david]

Whether I turn On or Off the option "Move all files in folder (including non-imported files)", there are many files it doesn't move. So I give up.

[RoderickGI]

Okay.

But are you running the latest version of MC24, with the improvements?
If files don't get moved with that switch on, then they have been imported into MC at some time. Images are the common example, because importing images has been left turned on in Auto Import.

[swiv3d]

Like I said earlier - remove inadvertently imported jpgs from the library first and then do the Rename,Move&Copy trick.

[8139david]

Yes, I'm running the latest MC24.

Is there a setting that prevents images and text files to be imported when I ask a folder to be imported in MC?

Concerning the MC's features that I activate or not, I normally turn off Data support and Image support (since I don't use them), but I haven't been consistent with that over the years.

The problem with removing previously associated files is how to select which ones?
It's easy to delete from library all document files.
But what about images? There is no set rule (in my practice over the years) that specifies how the cover art is named within a folder, not whether it is in a subfolder of the folder.

In addition to that, there is the problem that some folders (quite a few) contain subfolders, such as "Art", "Logs" or whatever.
These subfolders are not moved.

[swiv3d]

It appears you are correct about subfolders not being moved - I was unaware of that fact and I can see why you are having problems. Perhaps one of the Development team will take a look at this but frankly I can't see them being able to do much since having the ability to move subfolders around could cause some serious problems for people who store their music files in inappropriate places. Sorry I couldn't help but at least by setting up a test library with subfolders containing the artwork I have at least learnt something!

[8139david]

Thanks for your help anyway.

In addition to the above, there is the pragmatic fact that, even if it were possible, the whole exercise would be unnecessary.
Overall, my folders are sensibly named.
But since I have tagged and retagged my music, many folders have a name that now doesn't match exactly what's in the tags.
The folder name is still informative enough to know what is contained in a folder, but it might be partially incorrect about such or such tag.
Given that, if I look at tags, rather listen to the music, it is within JRiver, it is somewhat pointless to try to enforce perfect consistency.
I would do it if it were easy, but as we saw, it is not.

Here are some example folders for classical:
- Gaillard Ophélie - 2015 - Alvorada (2 cd) - flac +
- Hough Stephen - 2014 - In The Night - flac +
Rachmaninov, Prokofiev - Cello Stas - 2008 - Capucon, Montero - flac ++
Schumann - Piano Cto, Piano Trio 2  - Melnikov, Faust, Queyras, Heras-Casada, FB - flac +

And for non-classical:
Armstrong Louis - 1995 - Let's do it (2 cd) - flac +
Fitzgerald Ella - 1960 - Sings songs from Let no man write my epitaph (hd remastered) - flac +

Re-reading myself, I just noticed that one album folder misses the year information (which is in the tags). How important is that? 

[~OHM~]

see now I put the year first because then all the albums for that particular artist are in chronological order...just my ocd

[RoderickGI]

Is there a setting that prevents images and text files to be imported when I ask a folder to be imported in MC?

Yes of course. Under Auto Import, select folder that you import, then click the Edit button. With the Mode set to "Import this folder and all child folders", check the file types that are being imported. Make sure image and text documents aren't selected. Also make sure that "Ignore special files (folder.jpg, etc.)" is ticked. You can also set up an item with the Mode set to "Exclude this folder and all child folders", and select the file types that you want to exclude.

Even when you import a single folder, you can uncheck any file types that you don't want to import, and MC will remember those settings.

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But what about images? There is no set rule (in my practice over the years) that specifies how the cover art is named within a folder, not whether it is in a subfolder of the folder.

That is easy as well. At least with my setup, I don't store any image, text, or other files under my Music directory that I want MC to import. Cover Art is not imported into MC, or isn't supposed to be. It is just used by MC in association with other file types, for display.

So I just navigate to "Audio > Files" which is a panes view, select any unwanted files in the Library under File Type, such as JPGs, and delete them all from the Library (not from the drive though). If you are concerned about where these image files are actually stored, and need that information to make a decision, just drill down in the Location item on the left to the folder on the drive that holds your music. But I just used the "All Locations" group to clean up some old images I had unintentionally imported into MC on a test Library. That covers any files import with a [Media Type] of "Audio".

Repeat for Video.

Then turn on the Image and Data features, and check them in the same way as above. The only images MC should know about, other than Cover Art which isn't shown as items in the Library, should be actual images you have deliberately imported. Which means there should be none.

Of course, you would just be deleting those images from the Library, not from the disk, unless you do also want to delete them from the disk, permanently.

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There is another way that is somewhat easier, but a little bit more dangerous.
Just navigate to "Drive & Devices > Explorer" and then drill down to, for example, your base music directory. Then tick the box up the top "Show Only Files In Library", and then "Show Files In Subfolders".

Now you will have a view of all files in the Library under your base music directory. You can now use the search function to find any files that do not belong. So you could search for specific file types that shouldn't be in your Library, such as jpg, png and txt files, using the search "[File Type]=jpg,png,txt". You could also search for any files that do not match the Audio files types that you own, for example using the search "-[File Type]=flac,mp3,m4a", which says 'Show any files that are not flac, mp3, or m4a files. Perhaps scroll through the list to check the results, before selecting any unwanted files and deleting them from the Library (not the disk).

Just be careful with using the MC Explorer functionality. Make sure you do tick the "Show Only Files In Library" box before deleting anything. If you untick that box, MC will show you all files and allow you to do normal things with files, like delete or move then, even though those files aren't imported into MC. Even OS files!  MC actually temporarily imports all those files in order to display them, so it can take a while to show the contents of large folders. MC deletes those temporary records once you finish using MC Explorer.

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In addition to that, there is the problem that some folders (quite a few) contain subfolders, such as "Art", "Logs" or whatever.
These subfolders are not moved.

Well, Swiv3d has confirmed that is an issue. I don't use sub-folders to store anything, but I could see how it may be a problem, particularly if the folders and files are being used with the MC "Extras" functionality. I haven't seen anything about sub-folders being moved using the "Move all non-imported files in folder with selected media files". I might have to have a play with that.

You will probably need to manage those additional sub-folders manually.

[swiv3d]

A very erudite summation Roderick. (Swiv3d claps joyously!!!!)

[8139david]

Thanks, RoderickGI!

I followed your first two pieces of advice.
There was no need to have documents and images in my MC libraries.

(As for renaming systematically my album folders, it ends up being too complicated to be worthwhile, as I explained. There are so many different cases that a significant part of it cannot be automated, so it would generate painful work for no tangible gain.)

[RoderickGI]

I should have noted, I only intended you to turn on the Image and Data features to clean out unwanted files imported into the Library, and not to leave them turned on.