[michaeljc70]

I have a playlist I created in WMP that won't show in Kodi.  It is an M3U.  I looked at playlists that are showing and modified the one that isn't showing, but still no luck.  I did a music library scan after each change. 

Is there a way to debug why it isn't adding this playlist to the library?  I looked in Kodi.log but didn't see anything there.

[Karellen]

Hello michaeljc70

Post the contents of your playlist file at pastebin and link it back here. Then one of the music gurus will be able to view and advise the problem.

[michaeljc70]

Here it is. It isn't that big. I removed all the EXT stuff hoping that would help.

https://pastebin.com/jAndvVf3

..\Mike\Bitter Sweet\Bittersweet04 - Heaven.mp3
..\Mike\Charts\The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart (08th Sep 2017) (Mp3 320kbps) [Hunter]\The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart (08th Sep 2017)\11. Camila Cabello - Havana (feat. Young Thug).mp3
..\Mike\NRJ\NRJ Summer Hits Only 2017\CD 2\04. The Chainsmokers& Coldplay - Something Just Like This.mp3
..\christmas\Christmas Remixed\Holiday Classics Re-Grooved\03 - Dean Martin - Jingle Bells (Dan The Automator Remix).mp3
..\Mike\Hotel Costes\Hotel Costes 15 (mixed by Stephane Pompougnac) - 2011\15. DELUXE - MISTER CHICKEN.mp3
..\christmas\02 Christmas Time Is Here.mp3
..\Mike\Charts\Latest Chart\Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart (11.11.2017) [Mga Zone Music]\34. Dua Lipa - New Rules.mp3
..\christmas\26 Ella Fitzgerald - Baby It's Cold Outside.mp3
..\christmas\windham hill artists\christmas time is here - george winston - the carols of christmas - 03.mp3
..\Mike\various artists\MegaHits - Sommer 2016\001. Kungs vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners - This Girl.mp3
..\christmas\So Fresh Songs For Christmas 2010 2CD 320KB TBS Spookkie\Music and cover\113-lady_gaga_feat._space_cowboy-christmas_tree.mp3
..\christmas\05 Do You Hear What I Hear- (3).mp3
..\christmas\Christmas Remixed\Holiday Classics Re-Grooved\09 - Louis Armstrong - Baby, It's Cold Outside (Mulato Beat Remix).mp3
..\Mike\Charts\VA - The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart (31 May 2015) [MP3-320KBPS] [H4CKUS] [GloDLS]\06 Lunchmoney Lewis - Bills.mp3
..\christmas\A Mary Christmas\03 Favorite Things.mp3
..\christmas\13 The Christmas Song.mp3
..\christmas\12-nancy_wilson-the_christmas_waltz_(awayteam_remix).mp3
..\christmas\Now That's What I Call Christmas Vol. 4 (2010)-LT\CD2\01 - The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) - Nat King Cole.mp3
..\Mike\Charts\2013.12.28\1 - USA Top40 - 28th December 2013 [Bubanee]\14 - Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood.mp3
..\Mike\NRJ\NRJ Summer Hits Only 2017\CD 2\20. Rag'n'bone Man - Skin.mp3
..\christmas\8 Sam Smith - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.mp3
..\Mike\Hotel Costes\Hotel Costes 15 (mixed by Stephane Pompougnac) - 2011\01. SLACKWAX - CLOSE TO MY FIRE.mp3
..\Mike\Lounge mp3\City Lounge - Paris Berlin London New York - La Corporacion\Berlin\Truby Trio - A Go Go.mp3
..\Mike\Lounge mp3\VA-Milano_Lounge_(3131272)-2CD-2008-BF\101-nocola_conte_-_fuoco_fatuo_(koop_remix).mp3
..\christmas\16 What Child Is This.mp3
..\christmas\Michael Buble - Let It Snow - 05 - White Christmas.MP3
..\Mike\NRJ\NRJ Summer Hits Only 2017\CD 2\11. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back.mp3

[Karellen]

Its not a good idea to redact it. All the contents in the file play a role. Post the full playlist with all the extra info.

[michaeljc70]

Its not a good idea to redact it. All the contents in the file play a role. Post the full playlist with all the extra info.

 Unfortunately I removed all the comments and didn't save a copy of the original.  This playlist still works in WMP.

[michaeljc70]

The playlist is readable by iTunes, WMP and MediaMonkey.  I tried to export from iTunes and MEdiaMonkey and Kodi still doesn't recognize it.

[DaveBlake]

The playlist is readable by iTunes, WMP and MediaMonkey.  I tried to export from iTunes and MEdiaMonkey and Kodi still doesn't recognize it.

I have to admit when given a list of things that play something that isn't working in Kodi in the way people expect I do get tempted to say "then use one of them". But it is the season of goodwill so I will try to sound less grumpy.

I am the music library guy, but must start by saying I don't personally use .m3u playlists at all so my knowledge of them is limited. However I will try to help. Going back to your OP.

I did a music library scan after each change. 

Library update only reads tags from within music files themselves, it does not process .m3u files. If you are creating .m3u files, placing them in the music source path somewhere, doing a library update and expecting the playlist to appear then it is not going to work.

So is your issue a simple misunderstanding of how Kodi handles .m3u files? Maybe you have forgotten what you did before? No offence intented, but it is best when giving support to assume nothing.

Sadly the wiki http://kodi.wiki/view/Basic_playlists is out of date (old skin) but may help. Briefly to add .m3u playlists to Kodi you go to the Playlists node and click on "New playlist...", then on "Open Playlist" and navigate to the .m3u file (which does need to be located under a music source so can be found under files) and finally click "Save Playlist".

If you are fine with using .m3u files in Kodi generally, and it is just this one file that is an issue then...

I looked at playlists that are showing and modified the one that isn't showing, but still no luck.

What is different about this .m3u file? Do the others have relative paths in the same way? Are all the songs in this playlist in some other playlist (not necessarily the same one)?
 

Is there a way to debug why it isn't adding this playlist to the library?  I looked in Kodi.log but didn't see anything there.

You would need to turn debug on for more info to appear in the log, see Karellen's signiture for link.

You may also want to say what version of Kodi you are using  and on what platform.

[michaeljc70]

The playlist is readable by iTunes, WMP and MediaMonkey.  I tried to export from iTunes and MEdiaMonkey and Kodi still doesn't recognize it.

I have to admit when given a list of things that play something that isn't working in Kodi in the way people expect I do get tempted to say "then use one of them". But it is the season of goodwill so I will try to sound less grumpy.

I am the music library guy, but must start by saying I don't personally use .m3u playlists at all so my knowledge of them is limited. However I will try to help. Going back to your OP.

I did a music library scan after each change. 

Library update only reads tags from within music files themselves, it does not process .m3u files. If you are creating .m3u files, placing them in the music source path somewhere, doing a library update and expecting the playlist to appear then it is not going to work.

So is your issue a simple misunderstanding of how Kodi handles .m3u files? Maybe you have forgotten what you did before? No offence intented, but it is best when giving support to assume nothing.

Sadly the wiki http://kodi.wiki/view/Basic_playlists is out of date (old skin) but may help. Briefly to add .m3u playlists to Kodi you go to the Playlists node and click on "New playlist...", then on "Open Playlist" and navigate to the .m3u file (which does need to be located under a music source so can be found under files) and finally click "Save Playlist".

If you are fine with using .m3u files in Kodi generally, and it is just this one file that is an issue then...

I looked at playlists that are showing and modified the one that isn't showing, but still no luck.

What is different about this .m3u file? Do the others have relative paths in the same way? Are all the songs in this playlist in some other playlist (not necessarily the same one)?
 

Is there a way to debug why it isn't adding this playlist to the library?  I looked in Kodi.log but didn't see anything there.

You would need to turn debug on for more info to appear in the log, see Karellen's signiture for link.

You may also want to say what version of Kodi you are using  and on what platform.    

Thanks.  I have not used music much in Kodi but am trying to use it now for video and music.  I've never used the New Playlists->Open before.  I tried that and it worked on the playlist in question.  All my other M3U playlists are in Kodi.  If a library scan doesn't look at playlists (M3U playlists as it definitely scans my XSP playlists), it must add them when you add a library.   I guess I am surprised there is that difference between adding a library (source) and updating one.  I had over 100 M3U playlists in Kodi and didn't manually add one until now.

[DaveBlake]

Thanks.  I have not used music much in Kodi but am trying to use it now for video and music.  I've never used the New Playlists->Open before.  I tried that and it worked on the playlist in question.  All my other M3U playlists are in Kodi.  If a library scan doesn't look at playlists (M3U playlists as it definitely scans my XSP playlists), it must add them when you add a library.   I guess I am surprised there is that difference between adding a library (source) and updating one.  I had over 100 M3U playlists in Kodi and didn't manually add one until now. 

Smart playlists (.xsp files) are not scanned either, they are simply located in the right place under the user folder. If you put your .m3u files there then Kodi will see them. Is that not where the "100 M3U playlists" are located? What you have done will have made a copy of that playlist there.

But I am not a playlist expert, and if I have missed something obvious forgive me. Anyway you have what you want working so all is well. Merry Xmas!

[michaeljc70]

Thanks.  I have not used music much in Kodi but am trying to use it now for video and music.  I've never used the New Playlists->Open before.  I tried that and it worked on the playlist in question.  All my other M3U playlists are in Kodi.  If a library scan doesn't look at playlists (M3U playlists as it definitely scans my XSP playlists), it must add them when you add a library.   I guess I am surprised there is that difference between adding a library (source) and updating one.  I had over 100 M3U playlists in Kodi and didn't manually add one until now. 

Smart playlists (.xsp files) are not scanned either, they are simply located in the right place under the user folder. If you put your .m3u files there then Kodi will see them. Is that not where the "100 M3U playlists" are located? What you have done will have made a copy of that playlist there.

But I am not a playlist expert, and if I have missed something obvious forgive me. Anyway you have what you want working so all is well. Merry Xmas! 

When I do a music library scan I see messages like "Loading Media information from files \\Media\d\music\Playlists\XXXXX.XSP".   The smart playlists take quite a while, but I suspect that is because it is going through the 20k items in my library.  

I had tried copying the problem playlist into the Kodi playlist directory before, but that didn't work.  If adding a source doesn't put them there, I am not sure how they got there but maybe I put them there at one point and forgot.  

As you said, I got it working so thanks for clarifying how this works.  Merry Xmas.

[DaveBlake]

When I do a music library scan I see messages like "Loading Media information from files \\Media\d\music\Playlists\XXXXX.XSP".   The smart playlists take quite a while, but I suspect that is because it is going through the 20k items in my library.  

Scanning loops through all the files and folders beneath all the music sources, but it only processes music files reading the embedded metadata, picking up related local art work too, and updecodes cuesheets. It does not process smart playlists at all, but will loop though them if there are on the path.

Those .xsp files just contain xml describing filter rules, they are only read and applied to the library when you view that smart playlist. I am a bit bemused why they are located in a folder beneath a music source. To appear on the playlist node they need to be in userdata/playlists/music, so these must just be copies.

I had tried copying the problem playlist into the Kodi playlist directory before, but that didn't work. 

Yes, I had not noticed before although the playlist open/save procedure adds an .m3u file to the userdata/playlists/music folder, it is not a simple copy of the original m3u folder. It has #EXTINF statements and expands filenames to full paths.

If adding a source doesn't put them there, I am not sure how they got there but maybe I put them there at one point and forgot.  

It must be something like that, or maybe done by an addon, but not part of music source processing.