Collections and multiple users

[kaledi 41]

I have set up a library with multiple resolutions / formats fo the same files and use user profiles to direct to the appropriate versions.  For example the user '4K' only sees 4K version of movies in library.  I have a master user who sees all version when selecting a media.  This approach works very well, even if it is slightly clunky.  The reason I do this is because different devices need different formats etc.

Anyhow, I've noticed that for the master profile collections correctly list all movies within a collection; however users often have some movies missing from the collection.  What could be the causes here?  To be clear all users are accessing the same library and I uses sub-folders to segregate different formats of the same media so every user sees every media in the library, it is just that if there are 3 version of the same move (stored in different folders) then said user will only see the relevant version.  To do this I use 'Auto Version Movie Grouping'.

[Carlo 4561]

Hi, Could you give us a specific example or two of what's not working correctly.

It's helpful to see actual examples.

[kaledi 41]

Are you looking for screen shots?

Otherwise, this is the library structure I have

Library: Movies

Folders:

1. Movies > 4K - contains 2160p files

2. Movies > 2K4K - contains 1080p version of files from 1

3. Movies > 2K - contains 1080p files

Master user sees all folders and when you go and play a file you are presented with both versions to play

User '4K' sees 1 and 3 therefore will only see a single version of a file.  If the file exists as 4K version, then it won't see the 1080p version

User '2K' sees 2 and 3 therefore will only see a single version of a file.

With collections, the Master user sees all movies within a collection.  The other users have movies missing from collections - not necessarily the same ones, and some are completely missing.  For example one collection has 4 movies and is seen by 'Master'; only one movie is seen by '4K'; and the collection is completely missing from '2K'

[kaledi 41]

Started to look myself.  I'm using a WD PR4100

I navigated to emby > data > collections

I've opened an XML file and it appears that the collections plug in randomly selects different paths for listing the movies in the collection.

For example if the movie sits in 4K and 2K4K folders, some movie paths are directed to 4K, whilst others are 2K4K.

My assumption now is that if a user doesn't have access to a path that has been used to list a particular movie in a collection then it won't appear for that user.

 

[Carlo 4561]

1 hour ago, kaledi said:

With collections, the Master user sees all movies within a collection.  The other users have movies missing from collections - not necessarily the same ones, and some are completely missing.  For example one collection has 4 movies and is seen by 'Master'; only one movie is seen by '4K'; and the collection is completely missing from '2K'

Specific examples of what's missing is needed to dive in to figure out what's not working correctly.

[ebr 16185]

3 hours ago, kaledi said:

Folders:

1. Movies > 4K - contains 2160p files

2. Movies > 2K4K - contains 1080p version of files from 1

3. Movies > 2K - contains 1080p files

So you defined the folders to the library exactly like that (nothing is pointing just to "Movies"), correct?  Then you restricted access to some of the folders for some of the users and then you used the 3rd party plug-in to group the movies across the folders?

My guess would be that the grouping is not designed for exactly what you are trying to do with it with some users not being able to see some of the versions that are grouped together...

[kaledi 41]

Ye, that's the conclusion I'm coming to. I said my solution is a little clunky but we really need some effective way to manage multiple versions of the same media so that different profiles (users) only see the appropriate version. The drop down list that is provided when a media is selected and about to be played is great for me, but for the rest of the family who literally have no clue about the differences, it just doesn't work well enough

The autobox set plugin randomly selects which file to include in the collection xml file, which of course doesn't help here. 

This problem isn't the end of the world, but is frustrating when I thought I'd found a well functioning work around. 

[Carlo 4561]

What you set up I think should have worked.  That is how (similar) many people use that plugin.  I asked before, but can we go over a specific collection that doesn't show up correctly or is missing movies?

[kaledi 41]

Sure happy to do that. If I'm posting personal set up information should I pm you? It's late here now but I can compile some screen shots, xml files etc in the morning 

[Carlo 4561]

You can post here.  For starters just show us pics of what you see in the collection (when it's wrong).  Then a picture of it in the proper library.

We'll take it from there.

[kaledi 41]

Here are some screen shots and the relevant text from the XML.

As a reminder I have a movies library and within which there are several sub folders, and it is to these sub folders that the library is directed.  I then use the user profiles to set up access to individual folders so that different profiles only see particular file formats / resolutions.  The below illustrates this.  For full disclosure in addition to separating out versions against 2160p & 1080p, I also have mobile versions - 2160p (if available), and 1080p (in MP4 format).  These are not listed in the example scenario I provide below.

Library: Movies

Folders:

1. Movies > 4K - contains 2160p files

2. Movies > 2K4K - contains 1080p version of files from 1

3. Movies > 2K - contains 1080p files

Master user sees all folders and when you go and play a file you are presented with both versions to play

User '4K' sees 1 and 3 therefore will only see a single version of a file.  If the file exists as 4K version, then it won't see the 1080p version

User '2K' sees 2 and 3 therefore will only see a single version of a file.

 

The collection I want to show here is the Bourne movies.  I have all 5 movies in 4K so there will be a total of 4 version for each movie:

1. 4K high bit rate in folder 'Movies (4K2)'

2. 1080p HBR in folder 'Movies (2K4K)'

3. 4K LBR in folder 'Movies (4KL)'

4. 1080p (mp4) LBR in folder 'Movies (2KL)'

For the master user that has access to all the above folders then all 5 movies are seen in the collection

For user profile 4K that has access to 1 then only 'The Bourne Legacy' is visible

For user profile 2K that has access to 2 no movies are visible

For user profile Port 4K that has access to 3 no movies are visible

For user profile Port 2K that has access to 4 the first 4 movies are visible (so NOT The Bourne Legacy)

Here is the relevant section of the XML file

  <CollectionItems>
    <CollectionItem>
      <Path>/mnt/HD/HD_a2/Media/Movies/Movies (2KL)/The Bourne Identity (2002)/The Bourne Identity (2002) - (mp4).mp4</Path>
    </CollectionItem>
    <CollectionItem>
      <Path>/mnt/HD/HD_a2/Media/Movies/Movies (2KL)/The Bourne Supremacy (2004)/The Bourne Supremacy (2004) - (mp4).mp4</Path>
    </CollectionItem>
    <CollectionItem>
      <Path>/mnt/HD/HD_a2/Media/Movies/Movies (2KL)/The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)/The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - (mp4).mp4</Path>
    </CollectionItem>
    <CollectionItem>
      <Path>/mnt/HD/HD_a2/Media/Movies/Movies (4K2)/The Bourne Legacy (2012)/The Bourne Legacy (2012) - (4K2 HDR mkv).mkv</Path>
    </CollectionItem>
    <CollectionItem>
      <Path>/mnt/HD/HD_a2/Media/Movies/Movies (2KL)/Jason Bourne (2016)/Jason Bourne (2016) - (mp4).mp4</Path>
    </CollectionItem>
    <CollectionItem>
      <Path>/nfs/Media/Movies/GHIJKL/Jason Bourne (2016)/Jason Bourne (2016) - (mkv).mkv</Path>
    </CollectionItem>
  </CollectionItems>
  <DisplayOrder>PremiereDate</DisplayOrder>
</Item>

So the visibility against each user profile correlates between the folder location autoboxset has used to catalogue the movie and the access rights for the user profile.   The line I have underlined seems to have 'stuck' in the XML file from a previous folder structure I used to use, and not longer exists, prior to using user profiles.

The above correlation is consistent across all the titles I have and the location that autobox set uses to catalogue appears to be random.

 

 

[Carlo 4561]

Thank you much for that!

Would you be up for a remote session where I can login and we can go over a few things?

[kaledi 41]

yes, that can work today as I'm not working

 

[Carlo 4561]

Download and install Teamviewer from www.teamviewer.com.  Send me via PM the userid and one-time use password you see on launch and I'll connect and open chat.

[kaledi 41]

@cayarsthanks for your help last night.  I believe we've resolved this issue by doing a library rebuild.  I was having issues with Trakt too for some shows, which seems to have resolved itself too!  I'll come back here if I find that everything hasn't been resolved.

[Carlo 4561]

Good, glad to hear it.  In the future if you ever want to change mounts or the way your libraries are setup, remove the mounts in Emby libraries first and rescan the library so Emby will remove entries from the database.  Otherwise if the mounts are removed Emby can easily think  the drive is offline and not remove those entries.

[ebr 16185]

Cayars, can you summarize what the issue and solution was and mark it as the answer here?

Thanks.

[kaledi 41]

@cayarsThanks for the tip above and will do.  I also get the sense that rebuilding the database isn't a bad option from time to time.

Anyhow, I may have spoken too soon!  It appears that all collections aren't available to all users.  I thought it had worked as I checked a couple of users and they apppeared to have all collections visible - not the case, one had 95/97 and the other 85/97 so missed a small number.  The 3rd user only has 27 collections visible. 

Very strange indeed

[Carlo 4561]

23 minutes ago, ebr said:

Cayars, can you summarize what the issue and solution was and mark it as the answer here?

Thanks.

What I was referring to is that there were orphaned files in the database from changing up the disc layout.  These Orphaned files would show up in the different collections.xml file.  So shutdown Emby, removed the collectons created by AutoBox plugin and renamed the library.db to rebuild things fresh.

22 minutes ago, kaledi said:

@cayarsThanks for the tip above and will do.  I also get the sense that rebuilding the database isn't a bad option from time to time.

Anyhow, I may have spoken too soon!  It appears that all collections aren't available to all users.  I thought it had worked as I checked a couple of users and they apppeared to have all collections visible - not the case, one had 95/97 and the other 85/97 so missed a small number.  The 3rd user only has 27 collections visible. 

Very strange indeed

Now that we have a clean database this shouldn't be hard to figure out.  Send me over TeamViewer info and I'll pop in and take a look.  Have ready a couple of collections not working exactly as you wish and we'll look at them.

[kaledi 41]

OK, will do now