Bug: changing an item's file name does not update the metadata field "updatedAt"

Plex Media Server
1

Server Version#: latest
Player Version#: latest

The field updatedAt is NOT updated when an item’s file name is changed and the PMS picks up on this change.

To replicate:

  1. get any e.g. movie’s metadata XML
  2. change the movie’s file name slightly, re-scan the movie library
  3. get the movie’s metadata XML. Its updatedAt has not changed.

This is particularly annoying for PlexKodiConnect which heavily relies upon updatedAt. Example PlexKodiConnect GitHub issue: Renamed files not being synced to Kodi database · Issue #1893 · croneter/PlexKodiConnect · GitHub

1 Like
2

This behaviour is fully intended. Simply changing a file’s name without changing its contents is no “update” from Plex’s perspective. Therefore it is not recorded as such.

6

Well, the media’s metadata changed - something changed. I find a changed filename a substantial change.

I’m sure nothing would break on the Plex side if updatedAt were to include filename updates, correct?

7

Continuing the discussion from Bug: changing an item's file name does not update the metadata field "updatedAt":

Server Version#: latest
Player Version#: latest

As mentioned in the previous topic, if the file for an episode or movie is deleted and replaced with a new file with a different file name (but mapped to the same episode or movie within Plex). The metadata xml for the episode or movie won’t contain the updatedAt field.

1 Like
8

The episode is properly updated in Plex, thumbnails are generated, skip intro detection is done correctly and the file works and plays back as expected. It’s purely just that the metadata doesn’t reflect that the file was updated by updating the timestamp in updatedAt.

I don’t think the Plex dance is relevent or needed here as I do want Plex to acknowledge that there was an old file that was “updated”/changed at some point.

There’s both a clear change to the files content and the file fingerprint and Plex is aware of this given that it regenerates new metadata for the new file?

9

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