Option to "Filter" Images by folder name (1 Viewer)

Nikki Locke

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It would be nice to have Folder Name as one of the categories available in the Images display. (And perhaps as a sort option?)

Each time I import the pictures from my camera, I place them into a folder named with the date imported and some descriptive text. Windows Media Centre displayed all these folders as folders (with a few icons from selected photos).

I have tried folder view, but you have to choose server or client first, then the root folder ("Pictures", which says it has 3 items in it), before you get to see the list (which takes ages to display).

Note that it would be best if the folder displayed was just the sub-path after the import folder was removed - i.e. if I import "C:\Users\nikki\Pictures", which contains folders "A", "B" and "C", the folders displayed would be "A", "B" and "C" (and any pictures in the Pictures folder would display directly - just like TV recordings when you filter by "Recordings by name").

Obviously if you import your pictures from multiple places, there is the opportunity for conflict where two folders would have the same name. In that case, I do not care whether the two folders are amalgamated together, or both shown (with the same name), or whatever.
 

HTPCSourcer

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  • May 16, 2008
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    It would be nice to have Folder Name as one of the categories available
    The way that filter works is by using attributes for each Media Item (MI) that is stored in the database together with its relationships. Attributes are read during the recognition process when MI's are added to the database.

    Generally speaking this requires a change of the underlying database model. Nothing is impossible.

    Obviously if you import your pictures from multiple places, there is the opportunity for conflict where two folders would have the same name. In that case, I do not care
    That's an interesting statement because it appears a little bit narrow. Others may see this differently. And others are maybe organizing their pictures in deeper hierarchical levels. Attributes with such characteristics are not optimal for a database.
     

    HTPCSourcer

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    Could there be an extra attribute
    As I said: that's a database structure change, which involves database upgrade in one of the next releases.

    You can achieve what you want via the Media Browser, although not as comfortably as being in a library view.
     

    HTPCSourcer

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    What is the Media Browser?
    I don't know what it is called in the English version, I believe "Search Media":

    Search Media.jpg
     

    Nikki Locke

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    That is very similar to switching the Images view to Folder View. I wonder why it takes so long (in both) to load the list of folders? Admittedly there are 190 or so, but it still takes longer than a normal database query should. Perhaps I will investigate one day.
     

    morpheus_xx

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    There are 2 different approaches when it come to media browsing:
    1. Based on the MediaLibrary on (database of MP2-Server).
      • It supports all kind of metadata (so called MediaItemAspects, can be extended by plugins)
      • Importing media items is done on server
    2. "Local view"
      • Media detection is done by same plugins (MetadataExtractors) as on server side's import process. Difference is, that they are used in "fast" mode.
      • Fast mode skips some expensive tasks (like thumbnail creation or online lookups)
      • Browsing and extraction happens in the MP2-Client
      • Result is not cached, due to metadata extraction browsing is significantly slower
    For the 1st approach based on DB we provide different ways:
    1. Movie, Series, Video, Images are using filters to show only related media items.
    2. The "Browse Media" shows all configured media sources (settings) and there content as subfolders. Here still DB metadata is read, so it is fast. This mode on they other hand does not provide all the extended metadata as the specialized views (Series, Movies). But you have to folder structure in return.

    When you are in "Browse Media", you can open the context menu and chose "Switch to local view". This will then use client side browsing and extraction as described above in point 2.

    I hope this makes some internals clearer.
     

    Nikki Locke

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    Thanks. So if I go to Images, hit right arrow, and choose the option "To folder view", then choose server and my Pictures folder, does this use database access or local view? Is about 30 seconds a reasonable time to load 184 folders and 3 pictures?
     

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