[Ned Scott]

If anybody is still here? I did this and it worked... the shows in the new path showed up in the library after I imported it. HOWEVER... Once i choose "clean up library", all the shows in the new path were removed. I tried it twice now with the same results.

Which method did you end up using?

Also, why it's a bit "messy" if you use other apps to access videos on your network shares, exporting the database files as NFO and images along side the media is still probably the best way to change paths: Exporting (wiki).

I used to resist doing this for my own library, but it has just made it so much easier for the long run. Just do a fresh export if you want to update your watched status, then scan the library in with the new path and you should end up with an identical library.

[tommymsw]

I exported the library as a single file, then I changed the paths to the shows that were moved to the new path in the .xml file. Then I dropped the database 76 in Mysql. Then I imported the library again from the updated file. It worked perfect. But then when I choose "clean library" on a system, it removes all the shows that are in the new path. ?

[Ned Scott]

It might be related to this bug: http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/14587

[MeMeMe]

I noticed this issue early on with XBMC, so here's what I implemented:

I setup my movie source path to smb://media-svr/Movies/...

Now, there's no such device named on my network. What I did was edited my hosts file and pointed hostname 'media-svr' to the IP address of the current storage device. At any time I can move my movie data to another device and just update the hosts file with the new IP address. Problem solved plain and simple.

FYI- If you do this like I did (with a phantom hostname), when adding the new video source you won't be able to browse out to the share. You'll have to manually type it in.

This media-svr hosts trick seems very handy, I tried editing my hosts file to set this up, adding a line
192.168.1.101 mediasvr
But it doesn't seem to work - xbmc doesn't recognise the address.
Am I doing somethign wrong?

[nickr]

Surely you are better to do this via dns not hosts. Then it will work for all your devices on your lan.

[MeMeMe]

how would you do it by dns?

Actually would a simple path substitution line in advanced settings work? Like redirect "oldserver" to "newserver" ?

[nickr]

When you comission a new server you make sure your dhcp/dns server makes it appear exactly the same as the old one, so no changes to the url for the video file.

The hosts file exists from when the internet consisted of a handful of computers. It is an anachronism.

[MeMeMe]

I still have the old server on the system, and since I'm using windows home server, i cant change its hostname (WHS stops working properly if you try to change that and the only fix is a reinstall).

[nickr]

Well that's windows for you!

[cbr600ds2]

For several questions similar to this, the proposed solution is:

- export db as one XML file
- open XML file and search&replace the old path with the new path
- clear database
- import database from (modified) XML file

Supposedly, that keeps watched status etc. but never tried myself.

I guess I'm not following. Clear database? As in Delete the videos##.db file and import the db?

[crawfish]

I'm considering doing the XML update, but a straight find/replace is not going to do it. I wanted to make sure I get them all, so I searched for SERVER_NAME and smb://SERVER_NAME and found 100 more of the former than the latter. It turns out the difference is due to lines of the form:

<thumb>image://video@smb%3a%2f%2fSERVER_NAME%2fSHARE_NAME%2flocal_filename.mkv/</thumb>

whereas the vast majority use the normal syntax:

smb://SERVER_NAME/SHARE_NAME

I don't want to mess anything up, so how should I proceed here? Most of the thumbs refer to JPG files on the Internet, while only these 100 refer to local MKV files. Can I just delete these lines and rely on XBMC to get the thumbs off the Internet? Or do I need to search and replace them, too? It's strange because one season of a show would refer to the MKV thumbs, while another season would use the remote paths.

[1Underpar]

As a 55 year old cord cutter, who is still trepidatious about searching for, and changing configuration files, I would like to offer a different solution to the changing the library & menu items path problem. I recently upgraded my network storage to a larger drive. As with most things computer, I have learned a great deal about my network since I plugged the original drive into the router. My folders were setup haphazardly. So in the new drive I made a much simpler file path. I copied all of the "stuff" to its new home. And of course, I found I was unable to use Kodi to view or listen to anything from the menu. And changing the path to my "stuff" was not a simple matter. After searching forums like this one, I decided to look at a the problem from a different angle.

My solution is the Estuary Mod skin. The Estuary Mod is based on the standard Estuary skin giving it that exact same look and feel but with advanced customization capabilities. I Installed the Estuary Mod from the Guilouz Repository, and after about an hour of learning how to customize the menu (a little trial and error period included), I had new and improved menu and clean library.

As more and more people, especially people in my generation (who don't have much computer skill), cut the cable cord and use Kodi, it will be important to provide solutions to problems that are doable by us old folks.

[Klojum]

and after about an hour of learning how to customize the menu (a little trial and error period included), I had new and improved menu and clean library.

Every single entry in Kodi's video database is stored with the full (network) path to the video file.
How your post, which deals with an alternate skin and menu customization, is even remotely related to this 5-year old thread's topic is beyond me.

Menu customizations & a clean library != Library path changes as per this thread's objective.

[1Underpar]

 

Menu customizations & a clean library != Library path changes as per this thread's objective. 

  Klojum, I am glad you responded to my recent post in this thread. I took a quick look at your profile and see you've been around here a long time, and you have made many posts. I'd imagine you've helped many people and solved many problems. Obviously I want Kodi users, who are looking for a solution to this problem to see this post. I also wanted to make a point to technical people such as yourself. You are exactly who I wanted to see my solution in this years old thread. 

  Just the fact that this thread is old, and the issue of upgrading storage devices is still a problem, says something in and of itself, but I don't wish to digress. You say "Menu customizations & a clean library != Library path changes as per this thread's objective." I say the objective of this thread is to solve a problem. The problem being that when a Kodi user changes their storage, whether that be a sophisticated NAS setup, or as in my case, a simple external drive plugged into the router, the buttons in the Kodi menu no longer work. The thread offers going into config files, sql, and database files, as a solution. And I imagine if you have the computer skills necessary to find these files and manipulate them, then that solution is here to be found. But what about the VAST majority of the users of Kodi? The VAST majority of users don't posses these computer skills. The vast majority of users don't know the letters "DB" stand for database. I guess the vast majority is just out of luck huh?

 While you technical wizards are busy impressing each other with your considerable skills, the rest of us just want the upgrade to a new storage device to work. And that's where I came into this thread. I just offer a simple solution to the actual problem. My thought is, if a user has the skill to download and use Kodi, they are likely to have the skill to download a skin that solves the actual problem. 

  Just because my solution is not myopically focused on the config and database files to change the library path, doesn't mean it's not relevant to this thread and more importantly, a viable solution to the actual problem, for the vast majority of Kodi users.

[trogggy]

  Just because my solution is not myopically focused on the config and database files to change the library path, doesn't mean it's not relevant to this thread and more importantly, a viable solution to the actual problem, for the vast majority of Kodi users. 

Changing skin shortcuts can not fix library paths.  This is nonsense.  Your database has to point at the right files to use the library.
Whatever you've done it hasn't fixed the library.