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[glynor]

I've brought this up before, but it was near the end of the MC15 cycle so nothing was ever done about it.  I'd really like this addressed.

To review... I have a lot of Video files that are stored on "external" disks.  These are simply SATA drives that I use with my super-keen Thermaltake BlacX drive dock, so I use the drives basically like huge floppies.  I have them all set to mount in Windows as Drive X (for "external").  With many "good shows", I've collected an entire series of the shows, but we've finished watching them all.  I don't need them sitting on my big network drive sucking up space, because we aren't likely to want to watch them again anytime soon, so I move them off to these "external disks".  Likewise, I have many movies that I want to keep (things I've ripped painstakingly but that I've already watched and likely won't watch again for a long while), so those get shuffled off onto these same external disks.

I like to keep these files all imported into MC.  I use MC to manage them, move them around, and even find which disks they're on.  All of the files that live on external storage are tagged with [Offline]=1 and [Archive Drive] set to the "name" of the disk itself (which are labeled with tape and sharpie).  My "main" library views all filter out [Offline]=1, but I have special views set up where you can see these files and work with them, even if the drive isn't actually attached at the time.  The system MOSTLY works, but there are a few problems.

The main problem is with the Fix Broken Links function of the auto-import system.  I basically can't use this anymore, and have to keep it set to "No" and manually clean up broken links in my library.  That's too bad because I also delete new recordings (often outside of MC) of MANY shows that I'll never want to watch again.  I'll hang onto all of the episodes of LOST, but I don't care at all about the latest episode of CSI or the BBC News.  These broken links end up cluttering up MC over time.

The problem with the Fix Broken Links function is that it removes broken files EVEN WHEN those files aren't in a "watched directory".  So, like I said, all of my external drives are mounted as Drive X.  This keeps things simple, and I don't have to remember what drive letter goes with which Archive Drive.  My dock only has one port, so I can only use one external drive at a time anyway, so it makes sense to always mount them as the same thing.  The problem is that if I plug in my "External Movies 1" disk, and I have Fix Broken Links enabled, MC happily removes all of the files from my other "drive x drives" from the library (all of my "External TV Shows 1" files, and "External TV Shows 2" files, etc).  The auto-importer sees the disk, but can't find the files, so out they go.

Because of this, my only option is to Disable the Fix Broken Links function entirely, which means my library gets slowly filled with deleted cruft, and I have to go in and manually clear it out regularly.

I see two possible solutions to this problem:

1. Allow me to MANUALLY set the [Removable] tag.  Right now, I use the custom [Offline] tag as a proxy for [Removable] because I can no longer manually set files as removable.  We used to be able to do this, but the capability vanished somewhere along the line.  If the files were set as [Removable]=1, then I think the Fix Broken Links function would already know to ignore those files, or at least it should.

2. Have the Fix Broken Links function ONLY remove links to files that live in a "watched folder" (since I don't have drive X monitored, then it will leave those files alone).

I think choice #1 is a lot "cleaner" than choice #2.  There may be some people who will want MC to remove broken links even if those folders aren't watched.  Plus, what if you remove an entire directory structure?  You can't add it back to the "Watched" list, because it no longer exists, but you want MC to go through and remove all of the broken links from the files that are no longer there.  So, that would be less ideal for other users (it wouldn't bother me personally, though, so whatever).

[Alex B]

When Auto-Import was introduced in MC12, I suggested* that each stored Auto-Import path should have its own "cleaning and monitoring" options. The lack of this functionality has prevented me from using the "fix broken links" and "update for external changes" settings all this time.

Usually If I have broken links either the location is intentionally and temporarily off-line or the files are missing by accident from the old location. I want to preserve the library data and statistics in either case. However, I'd like to use the cleaning feature with certain locations that contain temporary media files.


* From a closed release thread (Media Center 12.0.44, July 29, 2006)

I did not even have the library base folders included in Otto's watched folders. I have only one test folder defined. However, it seems that Otto cleans always the complete database if the Fix Broken Links and Update For External Changes options are enabled.

Besides that Otto should not remove cue tracks Otto should check only the files that are in the defined import folders. Users may have reasons to have offline folders besides offline drives (it seems that the "leave network files" option can handle offline drives correctly).

These two "maintaining" functions are not tied to the folder list. They work on the entire library when enabled.

I am not going the let Otto maintain all 50000 files. I would like to give him only a couple of easy tasks.

This is the biggest problem with Otto for me. The other maintaining options besides importing are not restricted to the watched folders. These options should be changed to be folder specific.

Also, as I have requested, Otto should check for external changes and broken links only in my two defined Auto-import folders instead of all 2915 folders that are present in the library.

The "Update for external changes" and "Fix broken links" options check always the complete library. This has not changed. The old import tool worked similarly.

I have not noticed Auto-Import related performance problems, but I use it only with a couple of dedicated video & image import folders. I move the files that I want to keep later after everything is tagged correctly.

I've been asking and hoping that it would become possible to run Otto's fix & update functions only in the specified locations. I am not going to let him wander around the local & networked drives checking my 59000 files in over 3400 folders. Besides the possible performance issue I have some file types and/or library fields with slightly different external tags (intentionally).

Otto was a nickname for the Auto-Import feature.

[glynor]

Usually If I have broken links either the location is intentionally and temporarily off-line or the files are missing by accident from the old location. I want to preserve the library data and statistics in either case. However, I'd like use automatic cleaning with certain more temporary locations.

EXACTLY.  My DVR Recording Drive (T:) has broken file links all the time, and I want it to be auto-cleaned.  But my Drive X disks, and ESPECIALLY, my Drive M (where the main library lives) I basically never want anything removed.

Individually assignable settings for these functions would solve my problem as well.

And, I also fully agree on the Update Tags when File Info Changes setting too.  I'll want that setting enabled soon enough, but I really only want it enabled for the DVR Drive...