Reverse Filters Feature

Feature Request:  By adding a "NOT" option to the Filters section, you can decide what types of movies you DON'T want listed.

For Example:  Let's say I'm not sure which movie to watch, but I know for sure it's not going to be a Musical.  Instead of having to go to New Filter, Genre, and then select every single Genre except for Musical, I can simply select New Filter, select "NOT", and then go to Genre and select Musical.  Now, easily, I can peruse movies that are not awkwardly interrupted by song.

Another Example:  Let's say I've taken the time to add the label "Kids" to every movie I've imported that I'm ok with my kids watching.  But while I'm scrolling through movies to watch, I don't want to be bothered with movies that are targeted for tweens and younger.  By having a Reverse Filter option, I can go to New Filter, select "NOT", and then go to Labels and select "Kids".

Yet Another Example:  This one's easy. What if most of the movies I have in Plex are still marked as Unwatched, so, the Unwatched filter doesn't do me a whole lot of good, but I want to peruse the movies that I have already watched in Plex.  Select "NOT" and "Unwatched", and, voila!

Having a feature like this added at the Filter level, it can apply to any filters you select.  If I wanted to get crazy and find any movies that aren't from 1990, that aren't a Drama, AND aren't directed by Tim Burton, you can easily make this happen by selecting "NOT", and then the Year 1990, the Genre Drama, and the Director Tim Burton.  And Bob's your Uncle.

To make it more interesting, by also having the "NOT" option of the New Filter in the sub-sections, you can mix your Filters and Reverse Filters.

For Example:  How about I want to watch a movie that IS in the Science Fiction Genre, but NOT one that's directed by Steven Spielberg.  I could go to New Filter, Genre, and select Science Fiction, and then pop over to Director, select "NOT", and select "Steven Spielberg".  Niiiiice.

To get super crazy, by also having the "NOT" option at the filter-specific level, you can mix your Filters and Reverse Filters within a section!

For Example:  I want to watch a Comedy, but not one of the millions of Family-friendly kids movies that are tagged as Comedy, because, well, they're funny.  I go to New Filter, Genre, and select Comedy, and then Select "NOT" Family.  Boom!

Too ease impact to the UI, a "NOT" could simply be represented by the minus sign "-".  And the level at which you select the "-" indicates the operation.  So:

1.  If I selected New Filter and then immediately selected "-", then any further selections would be reversed.  That is, I don't want to see any of the selected items.

2.  If I selected New Filter, selected a tag type (e.g., Genre), and then selected "-", then my Reverse Filter would only apply to any selection within that tag type (e.g., Genre).  I could then go to another section and make another Filter or Reverse Filter selection.

3.  If I selected New Filter, selected a tag type (e.g., Genre), and then selected the "-" directly beside a tag (e.g., Musicals), then my Reverse Filter would only apply to that single selected tag (e.g., Musicals).  I could then either stay in this section and make another Filter or Reverse Filter selection, or go to another section and make another Filter or Reverse Filter selection.

Vote it up!

Simple but very useful. 

What do I want to watch? Not a musical, kids movies, horror, nothing newer 2000ad +, bam, a small variety to search through based on what I don't feel like watching.

Nice idea

Thanks for the support, jakchal!  I appreciate it.

totally agree... similar to watch i suggested previously... https://forums.plex.tv/topic/112205-feature-request-exclude-option-for-filters/

Time to merge requests ! Perhaps BigWheel can help..

found it!.. I knew someone else really wanted this feature and took a while to find the thing…

for myself it is to do with labels and sharing… e.g. on the “admin account” I woudl love to be able to search for what is not given the label “bob” so any new additions or missed films/tv series can be added easily rather than searvching through the entire list manually

You want a “not” and I want a “not” but does Plex want a “not?” I think not.

It seems from a lot that Plex has done as they bring on line their unified client where every client will be forced to conform to the least functional client many desired features get not implemented. In this case Plex want to make sure all clients are equal and none are more equal than others. Kind of an idealization of George Orwell’s society implemented in the realm of electronic media players.

Plex has not, at least not yet, even implemented multiple filters on most clients so, to use the same example, there is no way to browse every movie except musicals using the new client on clients like Roku, PMP on the Raspberry Pi and even PMP on Windows and even having a “not” would not allow you to browse all movies that are not musicals and not comedies.

Until Plex actually implements multiple filters I do not want a “not.” Although having a “not” with the currently crippled filters would allow for excluding one genera it would be just as brain dead as the current filters because you could not say that you do not want two or more genera in your current browse list.

Plex should not implement a “not” until they stop not having multiple genera selection. Again it is not that I do not want a “not,” it is just not important to me and I do not miss not having a “not” because notting is not of interest to me so right now for me “not” is not needed as I would not use it.

Love your quotations @Elijah_Baley"

@Elijah_Baley , you are a notty boy. And now I know where you live. (Nottingham)

@Elijah_Baley

Classic!

I can “not” say I did not like it.

OK, not(:P) wanting to get into an argument support of this quest was mainly for the “web admin” side of things. whilst the export of the library is a priority and has to abide by many different rules being able to control the content via the web admin better is preferred

I like this idea I’ll bet my wife would like it more. Its just like picking where to go for dinner. I just propose places and she says no till she picks one herself.

Al

I would like the ability to select NOT unwatched (i.e. Watched) or NOT in Collection xxxx

This would help with creating Smart playlists (i.e. a playlist that will play Comedy shows that you have already watched and not any new episodes).

I’d like the ability to say those movies that Do Not match label x or y, or say where label is blank.

Please add your vote to this feature request instead, since it has more votes already assembled:

Early 2021 clean-up: implemented (custom filters)