While I like Plex Collections, if they did these two additional things they would be perfect (for me, at least ):
Display a single, integrated list of the items within the collection instead of a separate list for each of the libraries where items originated. Use different symbology and/or markers for media type instead of requiring the lists to be separate. Perhaps keep a sort (or grouping) option to keep the current scattered display for those who actually like it.
Allow a Collection to contain multiple Libraries instead of individual media items. Iâm OK if this is a Library Collection vs a Media Collection, keeping the two types separate. In fact, that could allow the Library Collection to be appear in (and be pinned to) my library list in the players, making it MUCH easier to find.
Apologies if this is a duplicate. I tried searching but do you know how many items on the forums mention library, collection and media? Neither do I, but I know if it more than I can possibly read in a sitting and it is simply not possible to guess well enough how someone else may have described the same feature â this is the biggest weakness of most search features.
Iâd like it if I could display collections and their contents as single line items, instead of forcing thumbnails.
Iâd also like it if I could actually get TV shows to sort manually. Movies seem to work, but Iâve been trying to get a custom sort order for BSG for like 4 months now, and it simply refuses to play nicely.
You can can create multiple libraries pointing to the same folders. I have a library for family-friendly movies, but I also point my main library to the family movies folder.
So you can have Library1 pointing to Folder1 and Folder2, then have Library2 pointing to FolderA and FolderB. Then you point LibraryCustom to Folder1, Folder2, FolderA and FolderB. Effectively, youâve created a collection of libraries 1 and 2. Tedious if you do it a lot, but it works just fine.
By creating a library with all the folders, you can create custom collections containing any arbitrary movies you want, regardless of what other libraries the movies show up in. Of course, you then have to sort through all your custom libraries, so itâs not quite as nice as having a server-wide set of collections that points into arbitrary libraries.
Just to be clear, Iâm requesting the ability to have a collection that contains two LIBRARIES. Not a collection that contains all of the media within the libraries but the libraries themselves. This way, when something new is added to the library it will automatically be visible in the library collection. This would allow me to create a single item (which I really hope I can pin to my list of libraries and other things Plex thinks I want [but I donât]) that contains all on my Disney movies and TV Shows, or a Documentary library that contains both feature file and tv show documentaries.
I am also hoping for an option to eliminate the separate lists by library within collections and just sort everything together (at least by name, date released, and date added.)
If you are suggesting different features than those above, it may be better to create a new thread to avoid confusion of other customers and the Plex developers, too! (smile)
However, if there is a way to actually add a FOLDER (i.e. Library*) to a collection, it is well hidden from me â please explain, I am very eager to learn!
A âlibraryâ is a grouping within Plex. A âfolderâ is a grouping on your computerâs file system. One library can consist of multiple folders, and multiple libraries can point to the same folder.
I donât know of any way to merge movies and TV shows into a single library, since the scanners for those are completely different and seemingly incompatible. The only way that sort of works is to make all the movies into single-episode, single-season âTV showsâ which then breaks a bunch of Plexâs matching algorithms.
For a specific content type, you can merge libraries by creating a new library that contains every folder in each library. Plex will auto-scan both libraries to see the added content. Since youâve added the folders to both libraries, any new files in the folder are added to both libraries without additional work.
If youâre adding content some other way I donât know about (like direct links to a YouTube or Netflix video), you might have to manually add it to both libraries, but as far as I know Plex only searches in folders on the filesystem.
Iâm not sure where to see a group of collections from multiple libraries. As far as I know, collections are part of the library, so you donât have separate lists by libraries in collections; you have separate collections by library.
However, you can create a collection that spans multiple libraries by creating a new library as above, then creating a collection using content from that combined library. That still doesnât allow merging multiple content types like TV shows and movies though.
Thanks, that clears up my confusion about âmultiple libraries pointing at the same folders.â
It is likely I am asking for some sort of âviewâ manager, rather than a change to collections, but I thought Iâd start with something familiar.
The things Iâd like most are
The ability to define a âviewâ that contains multiple libraries, regardless of the type of the items in the library. A single, comprehensive âviewâ of multiple libraries must be possible, since all media items share a few things in common:
A. Title
B. Poster/display image
C. Name of containing library
D. Date Added to library
E. Date of Release
F. Type of media
The ability to add new âviewsâ to my pinned library (and other stuff, now) list.
Options to group media within a âviewâ by source library, media type, or not at all.
Options to sort media within a âviewâ with each group (all using the same sort) or all together when there is no grouping.
The ability to add a âviewâ to the list of libraries available, and to pin a âviewâ to the favorites list.
The view itself does not require much info, except for the names of libraries contained and the userâs sort & grouping selections. All of the remaining info is already stored with each item, as (Iâm guessing) it is with the existing collections. After all, when I watch a movie in a collection, it is marked as having been watched outside the collection (in the original library) as well, so there must be only one record for the media item.
It cannot be too difficult to sort the information displayed for the various media types together and activate the correct player, by media type, then something is selected. But Iâm only a customer and these days it seems that what I would like to see is of little concern when all sorts of features that are trying to turn my Plex into a Roku are apparently the low hanging fruit.
Sorry, frustrated by the apparent stagnation with everything I bought my lifetime plex pass to use in favor of all sorts of things that do not interest me at all.
):