Server Version#: 1.18.0.1944
Player Version#: 4.8.4
This issue happened before and after the last update. I am posting this as more of a FYI for others that may have this issue. The naming within the file structure was correct but could not be picked up after a change. I was changing the metadata within a file(steps below). The two files were already in Plex Media Server.
Right click the file
Select properties
Select Details
Changed details within the Title and Year fields. Changed Movie (2019) to Movie and added the year into the year section.
Select apply
Select OK.
Upon completion, the files went missing. It was expected. In previous situations, the file was handled as a new file within Plex Media Server. The original way to get the file back into PMS was to go within the movie section and Scan Library Files. In this instance it did not work. Both files were still missing. I updated the server and scanned the library files again. The files were still not imported into PMS.
The fix was to change the parent folder from /Movie (2019) to /Movie and change the file name from Movie (2019).mp4 to Movie.mp4.
I would like for PMS to completely rid itself of any movie that is deleted or no longer available to PMS. Then when a re-scan happens, it picks up a corrected movie with the associated information. While I do not know how Plex handles the data, my experience is that Plex seems to know the file was deleted and it needs it to be a completely different file(or thinks it is) for it to be imported.
My general rule is to have the year. An example would be: D:/Movies/MovieName (Year)/MovieName (Year).mp4. Some files have the structure of D:/Movies/MovieName/MovieName.mp4. The files in question did have the year attached to both the folder name and the file name. My issue came up when attempting to modify the data within properties/metadata. I had to remove the year in the file structure to get Plex to see the two files as new files and import them. While it isn’t an insurmountable issue, it certainly could be easier.
To go into it further. The number one thing people bring up when others are having an experience like mine is to bring up the file structure. It is brought up first anywhere that Plex is discussed. It is to the point that people dismiss other options and believe that people can’t figure out their file structure. In fairness, it is the likely culprit most of the time so I understand. What about the times that it isn’t? There is little documentation past file structure issues. If we stop at the first option, Plex may not investigate further and the issue drags on over multiple revisions of the software. People may get frustrated that PMS will not display properly and leave the platform. As I mentioned earlier, this issue wasn’t happening two days to a week ago with previous versions. My post was in an information type manner so that others researching the issue has something past file structure issues. Thank you for your reply.
