[Klojum]

@Klojum  Is it too early to update the documentation ?

I'd say yes. I'm sure you cannot wait to have PS working again with your fix, but I'd rather wait until it is in an official release, and not just in nightlies. This basically applies to all Kodi features and updates.

Having a software testing background (ISTQB), every addition/change in software can lead to error regressions. So not to summon Mr. Murphy's Law here, but I prefer to have things checked and doublechecked.

[HeresJohnny]

inspired ksoo to find a better solution. 

And to think that "ksoo" is Japanese for "Shit!" ... the irony! :-)

[ksooo]

inspired ksoo to find a better solution. 

And to think that "ksoo" is Japanese for "Shit!" ... the irony! :-)

My nick name is ksooo, with 3 o's, if that helps.

[Kamikaze01]

Hello.

Thank you - this tread helped me

[Pico1965]

Hiii anyone.

I've try to upgrade my working version 17 of Kodi to 18.

My first problem is this:

Log

The pathsubstition of sources.xml don't work and kodi don't start.

This is a big problem for me.

I've read here

Note: Path substition for "sources" and profiles is broken, and will NOT be fixed.

but here

Note: Path substition for "sources" and profiles only works from v18.3

I use the 18.8 version but not work.

Any ideas?

P.S.
http://pikky.net/byX

Version 17.6 with the same advancedsetting.xml of 18.8 version.

[Pico1965]

Same in 18.9 version.

Sorry but ... is my question too stupid or too difficult to answer?

[Klojum]

Sorry but ... is my question too stupid or too difficult to answer?

No, and not really.
As far as I have noticed, path substitution only does network shares without passwords.
Also not every special path will accept substituted paths.

Why not first try with 1 path substitution instead of 20+ ones at the same time?

[Pico1965]

Thanks for your attention.

As far as I have noticed, path substitution only does network shares without passwords.

My network shares with sources.xml inside haven't password (indeed work fine in 17.6 version)
 

Also not every special path will accept substituted paths.

Therefore this affermation isn't true:

Note: Path substition for "sources" and profiles only works from v18.3
 

Why not first try with 1 path substitution instead of 20+ ones at the same time?

The problem aren't 20+ path substitution in my configuration, but the "sources" one!

[Pico1965]

Nothing news in Matrix version
Same problem.

Log

[Klojum]

Same problem.

I'm currently using pathsubstitution for thumbnails, favourites and playlists with NFS paths. They work.

Are any of your external links working in Kodi's File Manager?

[Pico1965]

Thank you again for the help you are trying to give me.

I'm currently using pathsubstitution for thumbnails, favourites and playlists with NFS paths. They work.

So, if you had + machines connected to the same DB, adding a new source in one, would you manually update the sources in all the others?
I don't think so ... this is the sense of sharing, among other things, the sources.xml

See ... as I said I can't migrate to new versions of Kodi because it is essential for me to have shared resources on the network.

When the staff wrote that sources.xml sharing was no longer planned ... I put my heart in peace.
But since the staff restored it I can't understand why it doesn't work for me.
(references to discussions some replies ago)
 

Are any of your external links working in Kodi's File Manager?

If you mean something like this

The answer is NO

But....
In Kodi 17.6 the same operation NOT work

But...

In Kodi 17.6 sources.xml is shared and working fine (see links in log before)
and if I write in browser:
http://my.external.ip.com:50000 etc etc the sources.xml file is opened.

I don't want to sound rude and pretentious to you.
I'm not much of an expert on networking, protocols, etc.
Since you are a Team-Kodi Member, IMHO, a good approach to the problem would be for you to try your network to see if your Kodi can access the shared sources.xml.
If not it's a Kodi problem;
If yes is my problem and let's continue with the investigations!

[Klojum]

Since you are a Team-Kodi Member, IMHO, a good approach to the problem would be for you to try your network to see if your Kodi can access the shared sources.xml.

I can do that, but one difference between us already, is the fact that you are using a Windows PC and I am using an Ubuntu Linux PC. Those are different beasts. I stopped using Windows PC as daily driver some 10 years ago. My media/file server is also an Ubuntu machine, using NFS as is only file server protocol. And Windows 10 Home has no clue what to do with NFS shares to begin with. Only the Pro and Enterprise-type editions (I think) have support/drivers for NFS clients.

My client/office PC uses OS-based NFS shares, which can be done by almost all my Kodi clients (LibreELEC RPi + Generic). The only Kodi client that is unable to do that, afaik, is the Nvidia Shield. My media sources rarely change, they have been the same for 6-7 years now. So setting them up on any new client is a simple case of copy/pasting the sources.xml file (as well as the other necessary files) to the new client device, do a reboot of the new client, and that's it. I don't see the need for http, ftp, webdav or any other protocol for streaming files on a local network. So when something would change, like drives or server names, I would have to change various sources.xml files. But again, I'd make 1 new sources.xml file, and copy it to the other Kodi clients. It's a one time thing, not a daily or weekly routine.

I think that Microsoft has create quite a chaos with its different SMB versions, only because they stopped way too late with SMBv1. The worldwide 'WannaCry' debacle, that included British hospitals and countless offices and family PCs, left MS no choice but to step in. And maybe things could have been handled better by us, but Kodi is an application that is intended to work in various environments: Windows 10, Linux in various flavors, OSX, Android, Raspberry Pi, as well as other chipsets in cheap boxes. Testing every possible combo of network/hardware is impossible.

A few possible hints on how to make SMB work were given in this thread: https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=360606
Browse it through, and see if it will help you.

[Lunatixz]

I don't want to sound rude and pretentious to you.
I'm not much of an expert on networking, protocols, etc.
Since you are a Team-Kodi Member, IMHO, a good approach to the problem would be for you to try your network to see if your Kodi can access the shared sources.xml.
If not it's a Kodi problem;
If yes is my problem and let's continue with the investigations!

FYI I've used path substitute for my sources.xml going back to the XBMC days... Works fine!!

So it's on your end!

[Pico1965]

My media sources rarely change, they have been the same for 6-7 years now.

It is a problem of approach to the collection of the material. My multimedia material is not on a NAS but on HH.DD. inserted locally to the player device via USB docking station. After the capacity of an HD ... I buy a new one and then I have a new source.
 

I don't see the need for http, ftp, webdav or any other protocol for streaming files on a local network.

Here too ... it's a scenario problem.
At home everyone watches the desired movie by inserting the HD that contains it in the player. At home the thumbnails, fanarts and trailers travel via samba protocol. When I travel I bring the laptop and one HD, I connect to the db at home, I choose the plot that I like and I look at it. Of course the thumbnails, fanarts (if not cached) and trailers are not available but you can't have everything in life.
Here is the need for some resources to travel via http.

I hope to be lucky that some of the team members work on Windows and can do the field test that the sources.xml sharing works.

Also because I think it is correct to understand if it is a feature offered or not by the program.

Thank you again for the attention you have given me.

[wsnipex]

I guess path substitution for SMB works on all platforms that use samba (which is all but windows). It will need a windows dev to take a look, since kodi on windows uses native methods for smb