Server Version#: 1.29.2.6364
Player Version#: Web 4.7.2
Created brand new library, added one folder, complete, view in GUI, files there as expected. Edit that same library to ADD another folder to the list, view in GUI, second added folder DOES NOT show up in the GUI.
If you create a brand new library, and add two folders at one time, only one shows up.
I’m sure I’m missing something stupid? I remember that this used to work, but for some reason it isn’t now.
I have tried rebooting, cleaning bundles, empty trash, rescanning, etc.
The new “folder’s” files do not show on the web, or iOS apps so I don’t think it is a browser issue. It seems like the server isn’t updating the library or the library doesn’t like the two folders.
If I delete the “first folder added”, the second folder stays, but the GUI shows the original folder files only.
Wondering if this is a bug with the new version? I fully updated today.
Running on Mac mini with Monterey on an M1 chip - fully updated system versions.
You should only point your library to to library-level folder – not to individual shows.
Naming and file organization matter, especially when it comes to tv-shows!
Agreed - I’m not pointing to individual episodes, but I am pointing to a folder that only has a single show set (meaning seasons and episodes) in it. I realize that may not be ideal, but it allows me to test the metadata of a show and not mess with the entire folder structure all at once. I thought the idea of multiple folders in one library is a supported method for organization.
I’m adding one folder (aka show) at a time to the library as I clean up the file names, etc.). So I want a library with let’s say show 1 and show 3 since show 2 isn’t cleaned up yet.
I should be able to add that “show level” folder one a time right? And it wouldn’t matter if I have my sci-fi shows in one folder and comedy in another - I should be able to add two folders to a library and have the library display the right set of files in the GUI.
Any ideas?
And by the way - if I create two different libraries with the same folders, all the shows are correct, metadata, etc. So it works on the one folder at a time, but not two folders in the same library.
I understand, but it makes no sense what so ever. Why offer the ability to add multiple folders if the structure is so rigid?
If I want only a few “shows” in this example, I should be able to add the folders I want?
This used to work in older versions of Plex. I think there is a bug that should be tested and verified by someone from Plex. If this is truly a programming limitation, why it there an option to add multiple folders?
And what happens if I have multiple TV Shows folders to add to the library? Are you saying the design is that I would have to add a new Library each time for each folder structure? Take the sci-fi vs comedy example?
The answer does not make sense in terms of the software - you should be able to add multiple folders to the library and have it work - it should not matter what the top level folder is - it add the shows just fine individually, just not when TWO folders are added to the library.
Can you explain a bit more WHY the two folder concept does not work?
Plex has never supported adding the show folder to plex.
using your example:
–TV Shows
----Show 1
----Show 2
–Movies
–Other_shows
----Show 3
----Show 4
etc…
I would add the directories TV Shows and Other_shows to plex. I would never directly add a Show x folder. You do that so that a single TV library can be spread out across multiple drives if needed.
Plex uses the directory name for TV shows as part of the parser, but excludes the path part defined in the library. So TV Shows/Show 1is just parsed as Show 1.
If you add Show 1 directly to plex, the parser is unable to identify the show name.
Just a side note - it did identify the show name when I was adding the “show 1” folder - and all the seasons are right, and the episodes too. It was just that it fully ignores the second folder when added. But I guess if the parsing is trying to use the first level of the folder structure, then I can see how that would mess would things.
Thank you for the explanation. I don’t like it, but I get it.
Thanks for such a great active user community - I do appreciate it!
Are you trying to view this in Folder view? If so, folders are shown relative to the library location so if you add 2 folders to your library, they will be merged in the view.
\Shows\ Show A
\More Shows\Show B
In folder view you will just see the shows, not the folders they started in.
I ran another test tonight after reading your post. The first “show” that I add, is fine, then the second “show” (aka folder in the example I was trying to do) ends up as a second file when I look at the “get info” on the episode of the first show.
I’ve altered my plan of attack to deal with the way the folder structure is handled. Still a bit of a bummer that you can’t add a show folder, but it is what it is and I can do a manual work around.
Not looking at folder view - was at the library view (the one between recommended and categories) of the library I created with multiple folders - one pointed at a single show instead of a folder full of show folders.
Basic idea was to keep all of my shows in a common folder, but only add the specific shows I want to add to a Plex library when I had massaged the names, episodes, etc.
In some ways, it would be great if you didn’t have any naming conventions at all to deal with, but that would require an “asset management” type system where you could add a file of any name, and then edit manually some basic metadata (like show and episodes) then Plex went out and pulled in the rest of the metadata. That is likely a lot more to implement than the parsing method.
Anyway - the answers helped me at least get what I need in the library for now.
That’s the issue. The scanner does not look at this folder to extract a name. It looks at the first folder it finds.
So if you have “\Shows\ Show A\Season 1\Show A - S01E01.mkv” and point your library to “\Shows\ Show A”, the first folder it sees is “Season 1” and will use that as the name of the show. If you do this with 1 show, the episodes will show up but matched to a show called “Season 1”. When you add the second show folder, this also sees “Season 1” so now you’ll have 2 of the same episode number.
In some ways, it would be great if you didn’t have any naming conventions at all to deal with
