Newbie Clarification on NFO Settings so I do not Mess Up my Library

[Embodiment 28]

Just installed Emby this afternoon and looking to satisfy my wife's demand I purchase a Christmas present. IE. might accomplish that with the subscription.

I did a test on a network share where I just had a bunch of movie duplicates. This is apart from my large library.

Emby downloaded all the NFO files and graphics for each movie. I am fine with that as there was none in the duplicate folder.

MY concern is what it will to do my NFO files that exist already in my large library and what it will do with those graphics. 

I have read many posts but still I am not sure how to keep them from being overwritten by Emby unless I edit them myself.

Right now, Metadata Readers with a green check mark is next to NFO. --- What exactly is done here?

Metadata Savers is currently unchecked.   ___What exactly is done here?

I am familiar with how Kodi uses NFO files. If they exist, it will read them first, once and enter the information in the Kodi database (mine is centralized MariaDB). It will only overwrite the NFO if I choose the export option with overwrite. Otherwise it will just export NFO files that currently do not exist.

So when does EMBY overwrite NFO files and under what setting does it do so? Can it be controlled to only create NFO files that do not exist?

[Luke 42077]

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So when does EMBY overwrite NFO files and under what setting does it do so?

Hi, with it unchecked it won't, however you will have limited ability to use the metadata editing functions inside Emby. Or rather, you'll be able to use them, but then you'll notice edits getting lost later because they were never persisted to the nfo file.

To avoid quirks such as this, the recommended behavior is to keep both nfo reading and writing configured the same way - either both on or both off.

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Can it be controlled to only create NFO files that do not exist?

There isn't a specific option for this.

[Embodiment 28]

Can you verify my observations?

I copied a movie folder with the video, posters and NFO file to the duplicate folder (from my large library). The Metadata Savers box was  unchecked. 

Emby found the video and properly loaded it.

I took another movie, and did the same thing. This time the Metadata Savers box was checked. 

In both cases the NFO files that existed were NOT changed. Modified date was not changed. 

SOO, does Emby only change the NFO files when within EMBY when an edit is made to the Metadata and/or the status of the movie has changed?

The Metadata Readers = reads the NFO file correct?

The Metadata Saves = writes to the NFO file when a direct change is made to the movie (not just randomly).

[Luke 42077]

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The Metadata Saves = writes to the NFO file when a direct change is made to the movie (not just randomly).

This isn't the promised behavior but it is mostly true, yes.