[Fixed in v3.5] MyMovies.XML files not being generated

[Pauven]

Just to check, these files then have the same name as the movie file but end in ".mymovies.xml" ? so for example, "Aeon Flux (2005).mymovies.xml"

Yes, I believe that is correct.

[ScareDcrow]

BTW, it is this export of XML that I am searching in notepad to find all the "bad" paths

I am currently stuck on 26 seasons of "The Bill", someone has adjusted the TV Series and all my disc links are messed up....locking it now, but it was like 100 episodes per season so...sigh

[Pauven]

someone has adjusted the TV Series and all my disc links are messed up

Been there, way too many times. This is flat out broken in MMCM.

BTW, it is this export of XML that I am searching in notepad to find all the "bad" paths

Which export of XML? From CME? Or from somewhere else. I'm confused, because I thought we were troubleshooting discless movies not generating XML, and now you're searching XML.

[ScareDcrow]

Its an export of my entire collection from MyMovies (File->Export->To XML)

I thought at first I could simply edit the paths in that and reimport, but there's no corresponding "import XML" so I am editing the paths in mymovies, one by one. I was hoping that fixing all the paths in mymovies would somehow cause my problems with the disc-less movies xml to vanish, in addition to the help you've given me that the server should be in lower case, and that some of my historical servers where still in there, some of the log entries seem to imply that its expecting the shares also to always be in the same case (treating tigger\uk as a different share to tigger\UK)

Now I kinda think I am out of luck and lost all hope of mymovies making the xml for the disc-less movies (or indeed anything at all), but I am just fixing the paths to be consistent because I don't want it to be a problem later and got sidetracked as I mentioned with The Bill (which at least is T alphabetically so once I finish this, I am almost done fixing the paths)

[Pauven]

In my experience the share name is not really case sensitive (thought I could be wrong). I have shares like TV_Series, and when I manually apply the path the UpperCase stays and works fine, and if My Movies auto-updates the path I see it will go all lower, i.e. tv_series. I find this more annoying than anything - my OCD wants it to stay TV_Series and not tv_series, but regardless both variants work.

The critical thing is that the server name and username need to be lowercase, because My Movies uses the Server name as the User's Domain for authentication. Based upon what I've seen, you don't have an authentication problem in general. But you do seem to have some form of DB corruption since certain things are not working right.

If you blew away your DB, then scanned your folders for titles, MM would then probably read the mymovies.xml files to recreate the database, and bring in your path corrections. But anything short of that nuclear option (which I do NOT recommend) and I don't think MM reads the mymovies.xml files back in.

Here's an idea that may be fairly quick to try out: set up a new My Movies account (a free one, don't waste any money on this) and do a new MM install with an empty DB linked to that new account. Then add one of your discless movies and do all the export mumbo jumbo, and see if you don't get the exported data. It will also be interesting to see if the External Server Credentials behaves differently too.

Now I kinda think I am out of luck and lost all hope

Keep hope alive, you are not out of luck yet - you have me on your side, I am a luck dragon. In the future I will solve this problem, all you need is patience.

[ScareDcrow]

Cough, Cough....well.....I already setup a standalone version (but linked to my account) and downloaded all the titles from the online service (three times, just don't ask hahaha)....I only mention this because...yes, the External Server Credentials seem to function correctly.

When I have a free minute, I'll try as you suggest. It may well be better than trying to make the files by hand

[ScareDcrow]

OK, quick update

1) I have completely changed all my media paths to \\tigger and reloaded both server and client with no change in behaviour (no External Server Credentials AND no mymovies xml files being created)

2) As you suggested, I setup a new standalone copy of mymovies on a dummy account and added a disc-less movie......still no file !!!!!

[ScareDcrow]

Update....my manually generated mymovies.xml got me a lot further.
Once I changed the setting in CMC to import the xml, It then imported my test movie (no image as expected) and made the txt file. (this PLAYS fine)
CME then downloaded the images (and they look OK as far as I can tell)
But CME isn't now importing the image on synch.

And It found a load of the mymovies.xml in my @Recycle directories hahaha so these also imported discless movies, errored because they were encrypted, etc etc .....anticipating your next question, I am running v3.4.2020.0603

[ScareDcrow]

OMG....I think I found the problem with the mymovies.xml files
..
..
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....doing this for suspense
..
..
..they are being made as hidden files !!!!! CMC isn't seeing them either (but now I changed this new PC to show them.....)

[Pauven]

And It found a load of the mymovies.xml in my @Recycle directories

What! I thought I fixed that. What versi….

.....anticipating your next question, I am running v3.4.2020.0603

Man, you're on the ball today!

Hmmm... {checks code...} Ohh!!!

if (SR.Name[1] <> '.') and (SR.Name[1] <> '$') and (AnsiUpperCase(SR.Name) <> '$RECYCLE') then begin

I used $Recycle instead of @Recycle, doh!!! I just fixed this, it will be in today's v3.5 Beta 1 release (are you in the Prerelease Testers group?)

CME then downloaded the images (and they look OK as far as I can tell)
But CME isn't now importing the image on synch.

Can you provide a screenshot of this folder?

Also, did you do a SmartSync or a Full Sync?

OMG....I think I found the problem with the mymovies.xml files
..
..
..
....doing this for suspense
..
..
..they are being made as hidden files !!!!! CMC isn't seeing them either (but now I changed this new PC to show them.....)

Whoah! That's a huge find. And would explain a lot. If the mymovies.xml files are already there, My Movies will NOT create them (it's finicky like that).