[gifton]

Hi All
Just a couple of anomalies I would like to clear up:

I have just been through my entire library (200GB) tidying up the tags and rating everything so I can use the dynamic playlist.

1. When I edit the tag using Tag and Rename, changes are not implemented with an update, or clean. I have to remove the library and completely rescan. Eg I change genre from "synth pop" to "Synth-Pop" , "synth pop" is still listed in genres eventhough there are no songs with this genre in the tag. This is the same with other tags. I have seen it with Artist, year and others.

2. Even though I set a rating or comment in T&R when rescanned, on some files these remain the same as previously. Leading me to believe that these values are not stored in the same file as the rest of the tag. If this is the case where are they stored and can they be overwritten or deleted?

I love XBMC and have been using it for a while now, but I would love to sort these things out if pos. Can anyone help?

[jmarshall]

1. If you change a tag then on "Update Library" the tag should update. This should also clean up any orphaned items as well.

2. That indicates that the tags aren't in fact changed - it may be that another tag is in place that T&R isn't showing?

Cheers,
Jonathan

[gifton]

1. If you change a tag then on "Update Library" the tag should update. This should also clean up any orphaned items as well.

2. That indicates that the tags aren't in fact changed - it may be that another tag is in place that T&R isn't showing?

Cheers,
Jonathan

Thanks for your swift reply however I am still having roblems with update library.
Tested as follows: Alice Cooper changed genre from Rock&Roll to Rock Pop ran update lirrary checked result no change to genre. I have tried this with other files and other parts of the tags with the same results. I have checked the tags using T&R and two other tag readers. Could the problem be a bug on account of the size of library? Also there are orphaned genres that have not been sorted by update library.When I used XBMC on an Xbox and had a smaller library, update library worked fine for me

When a rating is changed from within XBMC it is not written to the tag, where is it stored and does it take priority over the rating on the tag when the library is updated?

Sorry to be such a pest but I love this software and I am eager to get it working for me. I would greatly appreciate any feedback anyone can give me
TIA Gifton

[jmarshall]

There's a simple test you can do:

1. Rename your music database file. It's in userdata/Database - called MyMusic7.db, assuming you're on 10.1.

2. Check the same file in files mode.

Does it report the "correct" genre? If so, then the update library routine isn't working. If not, the tag is still not correct. Either way we have more info

Cheers,
Jonathan

[gifton]

Copied my database file to my PC, deleted the file from XBMC, song info in file mode, tag as it is in T&R, showing that XBMC is not updating. I also tried another experiment: With no existing library, I scanned one item then changed the tag and updated. The chages to the tag were not implemented. I tried this again using an album that was on my PC as an smb share as oposed to my NAS drive where all my music is. This also did not update proving it is not the size of my library or the location that is causing the problem.

Help!
Gifton

[gifton]

Hi it's me again. I just tried another test: Installed XBMC on my PC, Scanned an item to a blank DB, back to windows, ran T&R changed the tags, back to XBMC ran update, no change!

Gifton

[jmarshall]

Try the following as a test:

1. Single mp3 in a folder. Scan it in.
2. Modify the tags + Update Library. Check it hasn't updated.
3. Add a new file to the folder. Update Library.
4. Are the original mp3's tags updated?

Cheers,
Jonathan

[gifton]

1 made a folder placed 1 mp3 in it and scanned to a blank library
2 modified tag genre changed from Pop to test
3 added 1 new mp3 to the same folder and updated library
4 Previously added file updated to genre test, new file in library OK

I hope this helps to solve the problem

All the best
Gifton

[jmarshall]

Right. So the problem is that when tag & rename changes the file the folder does not receive an update to it's modified or creation time (mtime, ctime).

Thus, XBMC doesn't know that the folder contents have changed. Thus, we don't rescan that folder. This will all be evident in the debug log - you'll see it skipping over due to no change, except for in step 3 above where, because you've placed a new file in the folder, the folder's mtime/ctime flags have been updated.

There's not a lot we can do about this unfortunately without slowing down the scanner significantly (as we need to fetch all folders rather than skipping those that have no children).

It might be worth you experimenting a little on your computer and monitor the ctime/mtime (via Properties in the context menu) of the folder. eg modifying a text file in the folder should update ctime/mtime of both the file and the folder. What happens to the mtime/ctime of the mp3 after T&R updates it? What happens with the ctime/mtime of the folder after T&R updates an mp3 inside it?

Cheers,
Jonathan

[gifton]

Thaks I think I understand. As a matter of interest if I used a prog to edit the modified or created dates would this force XBMC into updating them? I have found a bit of freeware that will do this.

Also when a rating is changed from within XBMC does this take priority over an updated tag rating?

Thanks
Gifton

[gifton]

To answer my own question, the free prog I used to change the mtime works a treat although I would still like to know about the ratings changed within XBMC ie will updating the library overwrite the ratings set in XBMC with the ones on the tag

I have also contacted the distributors of T & R to let them know

Thanks again for all the help
Gifton

[jmarshall]

So altering the mtime of the mp3 does the trick? Mind checking whether that also altered the mtime of the folder?

As for ratings, if the mp3 has a rating (or it's set to 0) we use that. Else we use what was already in the database.

Cheers,
Jonathan

[gifton]

Altering the files tag does not change the containing folders mtime, adding or deleting a file does.

Gifton

[jmarshall]

Right - and does altering the mtime of a file change the mtime on the folder?

[gifton]

just thought I would recommend a tagger that does update properly: I found mp3tag which is free and powerful enough to manage most needs. Not as pretty as Tag and rename but it is free !

Gifton