4.6 - How are Collections stored and other changes?

[Luke 37095]

The server's metadata folder /collections. That's where images for the collection will go, as well as collection level metadata. Like for example, the collection description.

We'll be adding this into the backup plugin, and @cayars will be updating our docs.

[Diedrich 355]

2 minutes ago, Luke said:

That's where images for the collection will go

The images are still in data/collections/{collection name} and not /metadata/collections/{collection name} as expected.

[blade005 172]

6 minutes ago, Luke said:

The server's metadata folder /collections. That's where images for the collection will go, as well as collection level metadata. Like for example, the collection description.

We'll be adding this into the backup plugin, and @cayars will be updating our docs.

Okay. But, that did not happen with this update. The folders were not created in the new file location and for the few collection items that I have run a REFRESH on, they create a folder and collection.nfo file, but no image data is stored. All of the image data is still sitting in the previous data/collection location. I would have thought that would have been moved over.

Edited May 20, 2021 by blade005

[Painkiller8818 203]

12 hours ago, Diedrich said:

WooHoo! 4.6 is out!

Are the updates published with some delay for some counries? On mine it says i am actual but i am still on 4.5.4.0 and 4.6 is still beta for me in Austria

[Luke 37095]

Just now, blade005 said:

Okay. But, that did not happen with this update. The folders were not created in the new file location and for the few collection items that I have run a REFRESH on, they create a folder and collection.nfo file, but no image data is stored.

Nobody said it would happen either. But they will work just fine for you in the user interface.

[Happy2Play 8296]

In the end you could copy from data/collection to metadata/collection then delete the collection.xml from metadata\collection as it is obsolete (but will have to rename all folders dropping [boxset].  Then on a refresh a nfo will be written if option is enabled.

So from a UPGRADE stand point there are going to be some quirks with dual metadata locations as old items will continue to use old location until refreshed.

OT: Same issue will happen over time with People as they exit in metadata\library, metadata\people\a to z folders and now just metadata\people no a to z folders.

Lots of posting while typing but as for images, not that anyone wants to but did you select replace images in the Refresh?

@LukeIf one where to manually move from folder to folder would the Metadata folder task need to be run or does that only apply to People?

[Diedrich 355]

1 minute ago, Painkiller8818 said:

Are the updates published with some delay for some counries? On mine it says i am actual but i am still on 4.5.4.0 and 4.6 is still beta for me in Austria

There were some questions about that in other forum posts. The answer was - it depends on what platform you run your server. I'm using docker and that seemed to be one of the first ones to be compiled/updated.

[Painkiller8818 203]

Just now, Diedrich said:

There were some questions about that in other forum posts. The answer was - it depends on what platform you run your server. I'm using docker and that seemed to be one of the first ones to be compiled/updated.

ok thanks. I am on Windows. so it seems i will need to wait

[Diedrich 355]

2 minutes ago, Luke said:

Nobody said it would happen either. But they will work just fine for you in the user interface.

Understood, but how would someone properly switch to a new server/OS? I'd like for my collection images to be in the same place as my collection nfo files. Right now they are in split locations.

[Luke 37095]

Just now, Diedrich said:

Understood, but how would someone properly switch to a new server/OS? I'd like for my collection images to be in the same place as my collection nfo files. Right now they are in split locations.

They would go to our backup guide and follow the instructions.

[blade005 172]

5 minutes ago, Luke said:

Nobody said it would happen either. But they will work just fine for you in the user interface.

Understood. Just trying to understand where collection information is and how best to manage it after the update. Most of us spend a considerable amount of time to build it out and would like to know there is a central location for all nfo and image files as a backup and/or starting point for a new installation.

Thanks for the quick replies. Much appreciated.

[Painkiller8818 203]

2 minutes ago, Luke said:

They would go to our backup guide and follow the instructions.

So if someone is using the backup plugin, this will also get an update to work for 4.6?

[blade005 172]

7 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

In the end you could copy from data/collection to metadata/collection then delete the collection.xml from metadata\collection as it is obsolete (but will have to rename all folders dropping [boxset].  Then on a refresh a nfo will be written if option is enabled.

So from a UPGRADE stand point there are going to be some quirks with dual metadata locations as old items will continue to use old location until refreshed.

OT: Same issue will happen over time with People as they exit in metadata\library, metadata\people\a to z folders and now just metadata\people no a to z folders.

Lots of posting while typing but as for images, not that anyone wants to but did you select replace images in the Refresh?

@LukeIf one where to manually move from folder to folder would the Metadata folder task need to be run or does that only apply to People?

Thanks. That may be the best option for trying to recreate the previous collection information in the new location. 

[Luke 37095]

4 minutes ago, Painkiller8818 said:

So if someone is using the backup plugin, this will also get an update to work for 4.6?

 

16 minutes ago, Luke said:

The server's metadata folder /collections. That's where images for the collection will go, as well as collection level metadata. Like for example, the collection description.

We'll be adding this into the backup plugin, and @cayars will be updating our docs.

 

[Happy2Play 8296]

8 minutes ago, Painkiller8818 said:

So if someone is using the backup plugin, this will also get an update to work for 4.6?

No \metadata folder is backed up as the plugin is for configs.

Everyone should technically have a backup plan for Emby-Server\programdata folder if not the entire Emby-Server folder.  Note each platform stores these folders differently compared to one location on Windows.

[Carlo 4330]

@Happy2Playdoes your old \programdata\data\collections folders contain posters?
I can't find a single poster in mine.

[Happy2Play 8296]

2 minutes ago, cayars said:

@Happy2Playdoes your old \programdata\data\collections folders contain posters?
I can't find a single poster in mine.

Sure 

 

[Carlo 4330]

Yea I just did a search and have 307 of about 900 collections.  I must have muffed mine up at some point.

[Happy2Play 8296]

Still the question if one manually migrates images from data\collections to metadata\collections is the Scan Metadata folder task required?

[Diedrich 355]

10 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

Still the question if one manually migrates images from data\collections to metadata\collections is the Scan Metadata folder task required?

I would also say there is the question of why images did not get moved after the manual refresh metadata. I'm guessing because the manual metadata refresh is not coded the same as the 4.6 update task.

[Happy2Play 8296]

6 minutes ago, Diedrich said:

I would also say there is the question of why images did not get moved after the manual refresh metadata

It is tied to "did you choose to replace images"?  Otherwise the refresh does not include that and previous images are used.

[rexerm 24]

A slightly different question on collections: it looks like the lock data or lock fields function no longer works?

I've got a new collection in metadata\collections. Typically, I lock the ratings field because I want this to remain blank. However, adding a new item to the collection will add a rating in the field. This happens whether the field is locked, the entire collection is locked (with the checkbox at the bottom), or both are locked.  I've also tested this with the genre field and the same thing happens.  Maybe a bug?

[pünktchen 1258]

I've created a plugin that will copy all collection and people images from the old to the new location and update the database entries. It will also create nfo files if needed. Will post it at the end of the week.

[pünktchen 1258]

41 minutes ago, rexerm said:

A slightly different question on collections: it looks like the lock data or lock fields function no longer works?

I've got a new collection in metadata\collections. Typically, I lock the ratings field because I want this to remain blank. However, adding a new item to the collection will add a rating in the field. This happens whether the field is locked, the entire collection is locked (with the checkbox at the bottom), or both are locked.  I've also tested this with the genre field and the same thing happens.  Maybe a bug?

This has always happened to me also with older server versions. So it's not a new bug.

[rexerm 24]

4 minutes ago, pünktchen said:

This has always happened to me also with older server versions. So it's not a new bug.

Weird -- the ratings lock always worked OK for me in 4.5.  Never tried anything else. Ah well. No biggie.