[Karellen]

Hello @tdf1970

I am not sure what you are doing, but a user does not need to worry about API keys when using the Official Kodi scrapers. If an API key is cancelled, we issue new ones by releasing an updated scraper.

Simply allow the scraper to update via the repository and all should be fine.

[Karellen]

I just tested the TV scraper version 2.0.3 and I had no problems scraping two shows with it.

[tdf1970]

Hello @Karellen I am sure it works. But not in my case. Let me try to explain what I have done.
I had messed around with the previous version of the scrapper to correct a bug that I had found and to add a feature that I wanted as you may read in the previous posts in this forum. And it all worked perfectly.  I had no idea that the api keys might change.
Once the keys changed all tmdb  scrappers stopped working. I checked the logs and I found out about the expired key (I checked the replies from the server). So I manually updated all three tmdb scrapers.(tvshows to 2.0.3, movies to 5.1.2 and common to 3.1.2). Movie scrapper works fine. Tv shows still doesn't work. I haven't tried to change anything yet. Let me show you part of my log file.

cpp:


10:42:12.478 T:1958670336   DEBUG: VideoInfoScanner: Found episode match /media/Storage500/Ξένες Σειρές/Flash/Season 04/The Flash - 4x13 - True Colors.HDTV.x264-SVA.mkv (s4e13) [[\\/\._ \[\(-]([0-9]+)x([0-9]+(??:[a-i]|\.[1-9])(?![0-9]))?)([^\\/]*)$]

10:42:12.567 T:1958670336   DEBUG: GetEpisodeId (/media/Storage500/Ξένες Σειρές/Flash/Season 04/The Flash - 4x13 - True Colors.HDTV.x264-SVA.mkv), query = select idEpisode from episode where idFile=1049

10:42:12.568 T:1958670336   DEBUG: VideoInfoScanner: No NFO file found. Using title search for '/media/Storage500/Ξένες Σειρές/Flash/Season 04/The Flash - 4x13 - True Colors.HDTV.x264-SVA.mkv'

10:42:12.601 T:1958670336   DEBUG: GetEpisodeList: Searching 'http://api.themoviedb.org/3/tv/60735?api_key=ecbc86c92da237cb9faff6d3ddc4be6d&language=el' using The Movie Database scraper (file: '/home/osmc/.kodi/addons/metadata.tvshows.themoviedb.org', content: 'tvshows', version: '2.0.3')

10:42:12.618 T:1958670336   DEBUG: CurlFile::Open(0x78fff30) http://api.themoviedb.org/3/tv/60735?api...anguage=el

10:42:12.618 T:1958670336    INFO: easy_aquire - Created session to http://api.themoviedb.org

10:42:12.995 T:1958670336   ERROR: CCurlFile::FillBuffer - Failed: HTTP returned error 401

10:42:12.995 T:1958670336   ERROR: CCurlFile::Open failed with code 401 for http://api.themoviedb.org/3/tv/60735?api...anguage=el

10:42:12.995 T:1958670336   ERROR: Run: Unable to parse web site

10:42:12.996 T:1958670336 WARNING: No information found for item '/media/Storage500/Ξένες Σειρές/Flash/Season 04/The Flash - 4x13 - True Colors.HDTV.x264-SVA.mkv', it won't be added to the library.

Please examine line no 5. As you can see at the end of the line scraper version is 2.0.3. But if you look at the POST request the key is ecbc86c92da237cb9faff6d3ddc4be6d which is the old expired key. The weird thing is that the tmdb.xml file in the disk has the new api key which works perfectly.
I really can explain why although the tmdb.xml has the new api key, kodi still uses the old one for the tv shows. Movies work perfectly

[Martijn]

you need to hit refresh on the entire tv show

[tdf1970]

you need to hit refresh on the entire tv show

 Thank you. That did the trick.

[lskdfjldskjfi]

I am not sure what you are doing, but a user does not need to worry about API keys when using the Official Kodi scrapers. If an API key is cancelled, we issue new ones by releasing an updated scraper.

Are you saying millions of Kodi users worldwide are using the same TMDB API key?

[Karellen]

Yes. Why is this a surprise to you? Have you ever entered your own API key into Kodi for TMDB?

[lskdfjldskjfi]

I assume you're doing it this way to try to make Kodi more user friendly, but when the key stops working because TMDB invalidates it for whatever reason, you then have millions of users experiencing the frustration of having it not work. Then you go generate a new key, update the metadata xml and release the update. Then said millions of users hit your add-on repository to get the update which I assume you pay bandwidth for. Only to be repeated again when that key gets invalidated.

Yes, I use my own key.

[Karellen]

There is only one reason that causes API keys to be invalidated- DMCA takedown notice as a direct result of the activities of the Piracy Add-ons. That is currently beyond our control.

Out of curiosity... how do you add your own API keys to TheMovieDB movie and tv show scrapers?

[lathie]

Using your own API keys is way better

[Karellen]

Sure, that may suit some people, but it certainly won't suit all users. To suddenly force 50,000,000 users to apply for an account at TMDB would create havoc at that site.

[lskdfjldskjfi]

I use OSMC. I sed replaced all occurrences of the default API key in /home/osmc/.kodi/addons/metadata.themoviedb.org/tmdb.xml and /home/osmc/.kodi/addons/metadata.common.themoviedb.org/tmdb.xml with my personal API key.

I agree that forcing everyone to use their own key is out of the question. What might be nice is a setting that lets users enter their own key without having to SSH in and edit the xml files.

[Karellen]

Ok, thanks.

that might be nice is a setting that lets users enter their own key without having to SSH in and edit the xml file

That is an option that is being evaluated.

[olympia]

I assume you're doing it this way to try to make Kodi more user friendly, but when the key stops working because TMDB invalidates it for whatever reason, you then have millions of users experiencing the frustration of having it not work. Then you go generate a new key, update the metadata xml and release the update. Then said millions of users hit your add-on repository to get the update which I assume you pay bandwidth for. Only to be repeated again when that key gets invalidated.

Yes, I use my own key.

 Wrong assumption on how to process is designed. The process is the following, and not the above.
1. TMDB contacts us we have an issue and we would need to replace the keys and gives us the new keys at the same time
2. We replace the keys in the scrapers and release/ push the updated scrapers to the repo to have millions of users updated
3. After the scrapers released, TMDB waits about 48 hours before shutting down the old keys - so no millions of frustrated users, because the scraper update happens in 99.9% of them, before the old keys would got invalidated
4. There is like 0.1% of remaining users whose scrapers will not be updating for some reason during this grace period, yes they need to force update by checking updates manually or reboot - but that is far from being millions of frustrated users. Could you imagine what would be here if we would follow such process you suggested??!!

[lskdfjldskjfi]

99.9% of your users auto updating add-ons sounds optimistic. But if we go with that, 0.1% of 50,000,000 is still 50,000 users.