Is there a way to use Backdrops on Genres home screen?

[Lighthammer 91]

Greetings,

I don't see any posts on this yet, so if there is, please feel free to redirect me to it.

On TV Series, specifically, I am trying  to  figure out if there is a way to make backdrops appear on the home screen for the Genres tab. I am trying to also determine if I can do the same for the home screens of Shows, Suggestions, Collections, Tags, Networks (and hell, lets toss in Episodes for completeness).

I've been trying to figure out if I just dump fanart.jpg (and/or fanart1+) in a specific folder that it would show it.

I've tried:

1. Looking at TV Series NFO to see if there was a  variable indicating that a fanart exists and/or where to look for it.
2. Dumping fanart.jpg into <Emby\programdata\metadata\genres\>
3. Dumping fantart.jpg into <Emby\programdata\root\default\TV Series\>
4. Ensuring that this is the proper install folder I am working with by checking <Emby\programdata\logs\> embyserver.txt has the correct, current date in the log.
5. Rebooting the server after each placement to ensure the server didn't need a 'que' to load it.
6. Looked to see if there were any settings under  < Libraries -> TV Series -> Edit Images >
   1. There IS  a place to upload Backdrops here, but they don't seem to show up in any capacity.  
7. I've tried placing purposely  different fanart.jpgs in each of these locations to clue  me in to  what actually works, if  I  find a  solution.
8. I dont see anything under <Emby\cache\> that suggests to me anything being stored in these areas.

I think this might be a bug, as one would anticipate that if < Libraries -> TV Series -> Edit Images > has images in it, one would think that those images would appear as backdrops regardless of what tab I am under. Some MIGHT like to have custom backdrops depending on which tab you viewing, but I believe that the intent of the design, insofar, is to at least have these backdrops appear if defined under the library's backdrop.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance!

[visproduction 315]

Currently, a genre page, for example, is presented when the URL has specific parameters which are values after the ? and & elements in the URL.  Look at the URL when you are on a genre page and you notice it ends in some parentId value followed by tab=genres.  

The only extra pages that could be targeted with CSS are the home page and collection and playlist pages, but unfortunately the last two would override any background image you assiged to a specific collection page.  So, the custom style for background images tweak is really only good for the home page.  These CSS custom styles are available with my Custom State Street Theme.

Getting specific background images to the pages, you mentioned, you would need to add javascript so the CSS can then recognize this end parentId value and the tab=genres.  There is no method to add javascript inside the custom CSS.  There may be a plugin that allows additional javascript to be introduced in a custom way.  I have not bothered to look into this.  Even if that worked, it would likely default back to no custom javascript on every update and running additional custom javascripts is really not such a good idea.  It can conflict with the correct javascript functions. I believe this can only be a feature request.

The genre page is a little busy to have an image background.  My custom theme actually includes a choice of about 15 background swatch of blended colors at an angle for all pages that do not get an assigned background.  I prefer this solution.

Here is a genre page using the Custom State Street theme, which is available in the CSS style forum discussion.  If you use this custom CSS, be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to get the latest update.  A new update is coming this month.



 

Edited May 7, 2025 by visproduction

[Happy2Play 9780]

Sorry you wanted the landing tab and I don't believe there is a way as you have Theme or enable backdrops.

 

 

@LighthammerThere have been so many changes over the years as my primary server is still using the images in my Genre folder but if I make changes it migrates/saves to Genres folder.  So depending on how old your database is you could be using different folders but the UI will always save to the proper location and can see it in debug logging.

2025-05-07 08:53:33.076 Debug SqliteItemRepository: GetitemById Genre 207927 A:\Emby-Server\metadata\Genre\Crime
2025-05-07 08:53:33.078 Debug ProviderManager: Saving image to A:\Emby-Server\metadata\genres\Crime\fanart.png

But had no issue saving a backdrop via Genre edit image on that genre and applying a backdrop to make it work assuming you have backdrops disabled as it will utilize library backdrops if you do.

Hide all media to show the backdrop.

But key is you cannot have backdrops enabled.

Edited May 7, 2025 by Happy2Play

[Lighthammer 91]

Hrm:

12 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

But key is you cannot have backdrops enabled.

I feel like we have a div/0 situation here, because ENABLING IT actually resolves my 'issue'.

I poked in settings and it WAS NOT enabled. Enabling shows the backgrounds as I anticipate it should; now I just need to track down where its actually pulling from; but thats the easy part.

Thanks.

 

12 hours ago, visproduction said:

Currently, a genre page, for example, is presented when the URL has specific parameters which are values after the ? and & elements in the URL.  Look at the URL when you are on a genre page and you notice it ends in some parentId value followed by tab=genres.  

Thanks for giving a longer explanation. I would have (and perhaps will) go down that track sometime in the future. I was mainly sitting here thinking "Why the heck don't I have backgrounds in the home tabs". ATM, I am not terribly concerned what I am presenting, it was more an "OCD itch" that I was positive there should be SOME KIND OF backdrop

 

12 hours ago, Happy2Play said:

But key is you cannot have backdrops enabled.

Edited 11 hours ago by Happy2Play

I guess hitting on this again, with backgrounds ENABLED, it started with the graphics I know I used and after rotating through the ones I know I purposely tossed in various places testing (as described above) it started doing random backdrops (which is fine, I wasnt trying to push a super specific graphic setup just now).

It's just curious that after spitting out MY images that I placed around, I see what you mean now (or at least how it is intended to work). I have to imagine I modified something somewhere that caused the images to display in the order I had them (which, for the record, I am pretty sure was 'fanart1.png, fanart2.png, fanart3.png', etc). 

I'll mark your solution as fixed and I suppose I'll report back if I figure out what I did that caused it to react the way I explained. 

----

Thanks much for the help both.

 

Edited May 8, 2025 by Lighthammer