[mightyeric]

So if I perform a library export and all these extra files are created in my storage structure, this sounds like it will work great for importing after a Windows rebuild, but I have some questions.

1. Will the "watched" status be exported/imported along with the basic info?

2. If I later perform another export, will the files be overwritten? or will it cause confusion?

3. There seems to be a long-standing problem with single-file export....is anyone looking into this?

What are your experiences with this?

[PH-SYM]

I'll try to answer some of your questions:

1. See Watched Status for help on that. So yes, Watched Status is exported but you'll need to make some changes to import it again.
   
2. Never tried that but I guess tje files will just be overwritten.
   
3. No experience with that.
   

[PatK]

1) as mentioned by @PH-SYM

2) Creates a new incremental back-up by time "xbmc_videodb_2016-12-09"

3) No issue that I can see, of course I've never had opportunity to try it, Kodi is just too reliable.

This kind of export is great if you're just re-establishing the exact same set-up you once had. I'd recommend export as separate files if you move/modify your library around, a quick local scan will put everything back in order chop chop. If you're really paranoid, copy the entire Kodi folder from the roaming directory to a safe sport, then if the earth is destroyed, you can can re-install the flavour of Kodi (no can't mix iterations) run it, then replace the saved roaming folder.

[mightyeric]

2) Creates a new incremental back-up by time "xbmc_videodb_2016-12-09"

Does this mean every time I perform an export, multiple nfo and jpg files will be created in every movie and tv show folder?

[PatK]

New back-up with a new name/date for the single file.... export to 'single file', mind you I've never tried to a do a incremental back-up overwriting the existing file (it always seemed a dangerous postilion to be overwriting your back-up if something untoward happened) OTH export as 'separate files' will dump the individual meta-data and artwork into each video folder (if you don't have individual videos in their own folder named as the video, the meta-data is handled by the name). If exporting; at one point I will be offered choices, to overwrite everything.... or not. Kodi then promptly checks the entire sources online, and adds the meta-data if needed, so indeed this would be equivalent to an incremental back-up, is done pretty quickly. Stuff that is not online gets skipped.

A local scraper makes fast work of meta-data stored locally, and I do recommend this method 'separate files' over the export to single file.

[bilgepump]

Does this mean every time I perform an export, multiple nfo and jpg files will be created in every movie and tv show folder?

If you are exporting to separate files, no, it doesn't give you multiples. As PatK says, you are asked when doing the export whether you want to overwrite old files or not. Either way, (overwriting, or not) you only end up with one lot of files.