(original thread) MyFilms v3.1 - Use an ANT Movie Database (AMC) in MP (2 Viewers)

[zebons]

The two plugins HAVE NOT the same philosophy.
MyDVD uses it's own database in MP so you have to export and import your ANT database into MP. And if you want to already manage your database with ANT, you must each time you make a modification to export and re-import in MP your new database.
MyFilms uses directly the ANT database in XML format so you continue to use your software that you use for a long time (and you like !) to manage your database. Modifications made with ANT are immediatly visible in MP without any action .
If you like a software and it's my case with ANT why must we change ?

As I said before two plugins, two differents points of view and none is better than the other. Everybody can choose the best choice for him
In another hand, I try to load my database with that plugin and it's never gone for me. I always got errors (with XML file or HTML export...)

 

[htpcMe]

Man this is the plug-in I was looking for. It overcomes some of the things I disliked with the MyDVD plug-in.

One feature Request though. In MyDVD, the Film Number was visable from the list view screen. With the Films Plug-in, I need to select the movie first then try to play the Film before seeing its number. Can you implement a "sort by number" feature?

Thanks..

Just curious if you tried this plugin? It allows for the import of more than ANT catalog and I know in the DVDProfiler import it does provide what you are looking for.

Mike

Yep, I use this plug-in; however, I use ANT as my cataloging tool for my DVDs. DVDProfiler out of the question for me.

Maybe I said something that caused you to not understand. This plugin CAN import from the ANT catalog (it has to be saved in XML format). See this post to see what I mean. In fact this plugin can import catalogs from three different applications.

Mike

opps.. didnt notice the link. But yes, I have tried myDVDs. When I switched to the genres, or actor view, I was unable to go futher to see what films were in that catagory. Thus my frustration. Also the navigation never seemed to work right. Anyway the world is about choice and I choose the plug-in Films

 

[mzemina]

opps.. didnt notice the link. But yes, I have tried myDVDs. When I switched to the genres, or actor view, I was unable to go futher to see what films were in that catagory. Thus my frustration. Also the navigation never seemed to work right. Anyway the world is about choice and I choose the plug-in Films

Please don't think I am trying to get you mad at me. You have stated you choose the plug-in Films, that is fine and everyone has a right to choose what they want and as zebons has pointed out the two plugins have a different philosophy. That is great.

I'm only posting again because of a misunderstanding. I think either maybe you had an older version of the DVDs plugin or the view you were using wasn't able to display what films were in a specific catagory (I haven't check that out yet). I just checked it out to be sure and the plugin is can display the movies, as you can see below it does. Like I said, it could be there is a bug in another view (I am using list view here) and I have not checked that out because list view works for me. I am glad you have a solution that works for you and that is all I hope that anyone finds - a solution that works.

Note even though it is showing what movies I own that have Ben Afflect in them, it can show the same type view for year, director or also genre.

Mike

 

[htpcMe]

Hi mzemina,

it's a shame written words can be misinterperted. I am not mad. I have used my DVDs. I know that this function is there. With my htpc I only use a remote. When this is the case, you are unable to see what movies a particurly actor stars in. The plug-in will only allow this with a mouse (read it in the forum today). Mabye when it is fixed I will give it a try again.

 

[gabbe]

Hi, pliiis! leave this thread for myFilms plugin. Don't discuss what myDVDs can or can't. I'm very thanksfull for this new plugin that reads an ANT database directly.
/gabbe

 

[gabbe]

Hi zebons,
Your plugin seem to work good. I haven't tested it very deep but I tried launching avi and dvd's. It seem that if the disc is a DVD, then the path need to be d:\video_ts\video_ts.ifo , is that correct?
Is it possible to let the user set a path to the dvd reader, where the plugin should try to find the movie if no path is given in the database?
thanks /gabbe

 

[Mykee]

This great plugin! I used for my DVD...

 

[zebons]

Hi zebons,
Your plugin seem to work good. I haven't tested it very deep but I tried launching avi and dvd's. It seem that if the disc is a DVD, then the path need to be d:\video_ts\video_ts.ifo , is that correct?
Is it possible to let the user set a path to the dvd reader, where the plugin should try to find the movie if no path is given in the database?
thanks /gabbe

Hi gabbe,
For DVD, the directory name is always video_ts ans filename video_ts.ifo I think. So if you don't give the path in your database how can we distinguish betwen differents movies ?Can you explain with examples what you wish ?

 

[gabbe]

Hi, zebons

I will try to explain what I think can work:
In the setup the user can/should point to the normal dvd-reader that will be used by off-line movies, example:
Path for CD/DVD-reader: d:\ ( StdPath == "d:\" )

The workflow when a path is written in DB (DB=Ant database) should be:
If the file exists ( FileExists(FullPathToMovieToBeViewed) == true ) -> Launch the movie (as now).
If the file don't exists ( FileExists(FullPathToMovieToBeViewed) =! true ) -> Ask for the right disk (as now) and launch that file if it exists.

The workflow when the path in DB is empty (for the lazy ones that don't have the full path in DB (as me ...):
1/ Ask for the right disk and wait for the user to press OK (as now)
2/ Check if its a DVD (and launch it if it is) else try to find other file(s):
if (FileExists(StdPath+"Video_TS\Video_TS.ifo") -> Launch the DVD.
else
Scan the Disk for movie files
if NumberOfMovies == 1 -> Launch that
if NumberOfMovies >1 -> Let the user choose the right file name from a list

The scan should search the StdPath for all movie files (.avi .mp4 .ts .mpg .mpeg more?) and treat movie-cd1.avi and movie-cd2.avi as one movie. It should be able to scan sub-directories on the disk. Example a DVD disk with 5 avi's on it:

D:\Matrix\The Matrix-cd1.avi
D:\Matrix\The Matrix-cd2.avi
D:\Dracula\Dracula.avi
D:\Jurassic Park\JP-cd1.avi
D:\Jurassic Park\JP-cd2.avi

Should give this list for the user to choose from:
The Matrix
Dracula
JP

A better (more complicated) way whould be try to match the wanted movie name to the movie files on the disk. If only one match, then launch that.

I'm sorry for that all MP is written in .net, c#. I could help You with some code if it been c++ !!

This plugin will solve my last problem with MP (even without the above modifications, its only for me to go throught all disks again and write the full path in DB).

/gabbe

 

[zebons]

Hi gabbe,
I think that without a minimum information in your database, it'll be difficult to launch the movie :? Of course with DVD, we can search on all Video_TS.ifo files but how to be sure that is's correspond to the file choosen with the plugin ?
With your explanations, we could launch a file without any relation with the good one we want to see ...
With avi file it's even more complicated, file name could have nothing to do with the movie's title !!!
You are describing the Video module functionnality and it's not the purpose of my plugin. The only things that I'm able to do it's to search the file in a search path given via setup. But you have to give the filename in the database. It could be usefull for users who change the storage (but not the name) of their movies (ex store in a disk path and burning later on a CDROM). Without that information no automatic launch will be possible as each of us have differents codifications names.
Maybe you can write a c++ program to update your XML ANT database :wink: for adding that information. It would be usefull for a lot of us....