Emby Server - Populate Metadata via Filename Pattern for "Home Video" Content Type Libraries

[funwithmedia 368]

I have content (in my case work-related seminars, workshops, etc) that does not exist in any online metadata DBs and which I'm trying to organize in a "Home Video" Content Type Library. I would find it very useful if we could populate a few metadata fields by following a particular Filename Pattern.

 

My proposal is that support be added for the following two filename patterns (the first one is my preference, but I think some people might also prefer the second in some instances):

• (20190415) This Is A Title [People A+People B].mkv
   
• This Is A Title (20190415) [People A+People B].mkv

(20190415): yyyymmdd, which then populates the fields Release Date (mm/dd/yyyy) and Year (yyyy). If the user enters only a partial string, such as (2019) or (201904) then the provided data still updates the corresponding fields (and whatever is not provided is left blank).

This Is A Title: Populates the Title field.

[People A+People B]: Populates People, ie, People A is one person, People B is another, and so on. The plus sign "+" acts as the delimiter, which enables more than one person to be indicated. The limit to how many People can be added this way would just be the limits of how long a filename can be (which is an OS-specific limit).

A Title or Date (one of the two) would be required, but the People string would be optional. If someone just uses the Date (20190415) then that would populate both the relevant date fields, and it would populate the Title field, eg, with "20190415".

I propose that this feature be Enabled for new Library creation (only for Home Video Content Type Libraries), but disabled for existing Home Video Libraries (so we don't mess up anyone's existing content). And of course the feature could be Enabled/Disabled via a checkbox in the Library Settings. Perhaps the Setting could be called "Populate Metadata via Filename" and there could be a link to a wiki article on Github explaining the proper syntax. However, if the Devs feel that this should be treated as an Advanced feature and disabled by default for new Library creation I'm fine with that too.

Thanks for considering my request! 
 

PS - If this is something you might like to see implemented, be sure to "Like" this top/first post (as well as any subsequent posts in this thread that highlight particular aspects of what you are interested in) -- "Liking" the top/first post helps the Devs to know how much interest there is in a given Feature Request.

[Luke 39657]

The problem, with all due respect, is that this is highly specific to your needs and is unlikely to have broad appeal. 

 

I think a more practical approach for you would be to name them as you want displayed, and then use either nfo metadata or embedded metadata to hold the release date.

[funwithmedia 368]

The problem, with all due respect, is that this is highly specific to your needs and is unlikely to have broad appeal.

Sure, if that's the case then I agree. I just was thinking that it might be useful to others to be able to do this sort of thing as well, as it's often quickest/easiest to just enter the data via filename as opposed to naming a file and then editing the metadata or embedded metadata. I was trying to propose something that would be useful to more than just myself. But you would know better than I what the overall userbase is like, so I respect your perception that this is unlikely to be useful to others.

 

 

I think a more practical approach for you would be to name them as you want displayed, and then use either nfo metadata or embedded metadata to hold the release date.

I will ponder the embedded metadata option. Which embedded metadata field corresponds to the Release Date? I see Year, but not a yyyy/mm/dd value in the file details. I see there's an option to prefer embedded Titles over Filenames. Are there any other embedded metadata fields which populate the NFO metadata automatically (or via a setting)? "People" would be the other I'd be interested in (which maybe could map to "Contributing Artists"?), and maybe also Tags, if it's available.

[PenkethBoy 2066]

I have some videos which do not have metadata providers online

 

So

i fill in metadata for them that emby can read

 

Copyright = Studio in emby

Genre = Genre in Emby - Genre1, Genre2 format

Year metadata - does get read as release date in a yyyy-mm-dd format by Emby

PodCastDesc = Overview in Emby

 

I use Mp3Tag to add the metadata as it can read mp4 and mkv files

 

People you have to add manually

 

If you have metadata providers enabled for your library then the import of metadata from files can be hit or miss - as i think the online providers take precedence

[funwithmedia 368]

Very cool, and many thanks @@PenkethBoy! Am I correct that you've already tried/tested all the other embedded metadata fields (in .mp4/.mkv files) and that's how you've narrowed down that the ones you've listed get read by Emby? Just asking to save myself doing any experimenting on my own.

[funwithmedia 368]

@@Luke, am I correct that there's no way currently within the Metadata Manager to select multiple items and add an attribute to all of them at once (ie, select multiple videos, and add a People to all of them at once)?

[Luke 39657]

Correct.

[PenkethBoy 2066]

Very cool, and many thanks @@PenkethBoy! Am I correct that you've already tried/tested all the other embedded metadata fields (in .mp4/.mkv files) and that's how you've narrowed down that the ones you've listed get read by Emby? Just asking to save myself doing any experimenting on my own.

i tried a lot of different ones - some work for music some for "movies"

 

I dont think Luke has changed any of these imports in the recent past - @@Luke ?

[Luke 39657]

I dont think Luke has changed any of these imports in the recent past - @@Luke ?

 

No, it hasn't changed recently.

[funwithmedia 368]

Cool, thanks, both of you!

[naeonline 27]

Also, MP3tag can automatically import tag data from the filename if you want.

[funwithmedia 368]

Also, MP3tag can automatically import tag data from the filename if you want.

Good to know -- thanks!

[levander 96]

Actually this would be useful for any item that is not in any database emby uses for metadata. For example: Music videos that are not or probably never will be in any online db, Home videos, TV spectacles and events, etc. I personally like having BBC Play For Today as movies and not TV Show. So, I don’t know how complicated would be to implement that but I think it would make sense that something in form of Title (year) could be imported as title and year and not title. That is if it is not found in any online db.

[funwithmedia 368]

@@levander, "Liking" the original post in this thread helps the Devs to know there is interest in this Feature Request.