Keeping empty folders on server

[JimB66 0]

Hi there,

 

I've fully made the transition from Plex to Emby, and may have a unique use case that I can't quite seem to find info on how to deal with.

 

I use Emby (with the Roku app) to mainly watch temporary/transient videos, usually for various race series (F1, DTM, IMSA, etc). On the unRAID server I have folders for each series. Once I've watched a race I delete it. At times the relevant folders are empty. With Plex, to keep it from deleting the empty folders I put a TXT file in the folder (Ex: DTM.txt). That worked, the folder stayed on the server and also showed up in the Roku app.

 

I'd like to achieve the same functionality if possible with Emby. I've tried a few things and am not sure what is the recommended approach. Basically, I'd like the race folders to remain on the server when there is no video content in them. It's OK if the empty folders don't show up in the app, as long as once the next race video is added the folder gets scanned/updated and the new content shows up in the app. The folders make it easy for me to go right to the particular race I want to watch - but I realize I've been conditioned over the last 20-30 years to organize stuff in folders.

 

Is the ".ignore" file the proper approach? Or should I change the way I do things with Emby?

 

Basic folder structure:

/TempVideo

   /DTM

      Race1.mp4

      DTM.txt (from Plex)

   /F1

      Austrailia2019.mkv

      F1.txt

 

Thanks for any help or guidance.

 

Jim

[ebr 16185]

.ignore is going to make Emby completely ignore that folder so I don't think that's what you want.

 

Unfortunately, what you are asking for is the exact opposite of what most have asked for/expect.  I'm not really sure how to handle that...

[pwhodges 2012]

Would Emby break if you just put a small random file (not "ignore"!) in the folder and made it read-only?  That would prevent the folder being deleted.

[JimB66 0]

@ebr: Thanks, yeah I kinda figured it wasn't a usual use case. I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

 

@pwhodges: I thought I had tried that, but I was working on several other things as well so may have gotten confused. Also, hadn't thought about making the file read-only, I'll give that a try.

 

Cheers.

[daedalus 434]

I'm not really sure how to handle that...

 

now wait this would completely blow your mind: make it an option

 

so the ones that want them hidden can hide them and the one that want them visible can let them be visible

Edited May 8, 2019 by daedalus

[CBers 7451]

Empty folders are now hidden in Emby.

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/71973-empty-folders-showing-up

 

No Release Notes though.

[rbjtech 5284]

perhaps a media stub or valid external subtitle file (.srt) may prevent emby deleting the directory ?

[rbjtech 5284]

-deleted- double posted ..

Edited May 9, 2019 by rbjtech

[BAlGaInTl 288]

What about using a custom series image and storing that in the folder?

 

Or how about this....

 

Create a your .txt file... or any file. Then go to the command line in that folder and change the permissions for that file so that it's owned by root, and can't be deleted. Assuming that you don't run Emby as root, if it can't delete a file in the folder, it can't delete the folder.

 

Might be a work-around.

[FrostByte 5392]

now wait this would completely blow your mind: make it an option

 

so the ones that want them hidden can hide them and the one that want them visible can let them be visible

 

 

Agree 100% this is the best solution and should be implemented at the user level because not all users will want the same result.

 

Also, don't remove support for ignore files because there is bound to be someone who wants some of their empty folders hidden and some of their empty folders shown.

[PenkethBoy 2068]

or folders hidden with content that they dont want to show up in Emby

[Spaceboy 2573]

I don’t understand the reference to “most people”. I remember one person asked, a lot of people disagreed and it got implemented anyway

Edited May 9, 2019 by Spaceboy

[daedalus 434]

in the emby world it needs only one man to completely get a feature removed, but a screaming mob with torches and pitchforks to get an option

and this would never change

[notla49285 48]

Emby doesn't automatically delete folders does it?

 

Unfortunately @@JimB66 you've stumbled into an ongoing argument between Emby users and devs, but tbh I don't think what is being discussed matters for you as you said you didn't mind if the folders didn't show up in the app, you just didn't want them deleted from your server?

[daedalus 434]

emby only deletes what its requested to delete, every higher tier stays intact

[notla49285 48]

emby only deletes what its requested to delete, every higher tier stays intact

 

In that case OP can just delete individual videos using the apps once they're watched and not have to worry.

 

@@JimB66 the app interface reflects the folder structure, so for example with TV shows if you deleted episode 1 from series 2, the series 2 folder would remain on the server, even if it's empty. If you delete series 2 using the Emby interface, the series 2 folder and all contents would be deleted but the show folder would stay intact (again, even if empty).

 

What everyone is currently complaining about is that empty folders no longer show up in the Emby app interface and there isn't currently an option to show them, though I've found it still shows empty series for TV shows.

[daedalus 434]

though I've found it still shows empty series for TV shows.

 

the only way to show an empty series is, to have an empty season folder inside, infact that isn't an empty series anymore, but "strangely" that empty season folder doesn't get hidden

 

so who ever implemented this just stopped the half way and didn't thought this to the end, or is there any reason to show an empty season but not an empty series?

[JimB66 0]

Emby doesn't automatically delete folders does it?

 

Unfortunately @@JimB66 you've stumbled into an ongoing argument between Emby users and devs, but tbh I don't think what is being discussed matters for you as you said you didn't mind if the folders didn't show up in the app, you just didn't want them deleted from your server?

 

Correct, that was the functionality I was looking for. Again, with Plex I had a "dummy.txt" file in the folder so that once the videos were watched and deleted the folder remained on the server. Having been "trained" for decades in Windows folder/directory structure - plus my own organization "issues" :-) - that's just how I handled these temporary videos.

 

And these aren't TV series or movies, but primarily videos of various racing series that I watch then delete. So not the usual use-case I know.

 

Anyway, I've migrated away from using folders to organize the various different videos and just put them in the main folder. A bit more straight-forward in terms of how Emby functions and I can still fairly easily navigate to the particular video/race event that I want to watch.

 

Thanks to everybody who replied; sorry if I brought up a contentious issue.

 

Jim

Edited May 9, 2019 by JimB66