This has been brought up before in the forums but didn't seem to get too much attention so I thought I'd bring it up here.
I'd love to see the addition of smart collections to PMS. Essentially, Smart Collections would operate much like iTunes Smart Playlists in which a list of content (Movies, whole TV Shows or individual episodes) could be collected automatically from your media within Plex. An example I have previously seen outlined was for a Pixar or James Bond collection that would automatically include any new media. This would help to organize content that may have multiple directors, actors, and/or genres into logical collections without the manual work on the backend for the user.
Another great use would be a "10 most recently added unwatched movies with ratings above 4 stars" type of collection. The Smart Collections themselves could be exported and shared so that other users might benefit from the organization and creativity.
I had this exact same idea tonight when trying to create some new collections.
My first thought was a "save current filtered movie as collection" option, but smart collections much like iTunes smart playlists would be even better (mostly).
I can think of some circumstances where you would want to make a collection based on current filters and not have it updated automatically afterwards and so perhaps a "save current filtered movies as collection" option would also be good.
This can effectively be done at the moment by applying the appropriate filters and then using the "select" feature, then "add to collection". However, I think a "select all" tool in those circumstances would make that easier.
Either way, +1 for this idea! (and my idea which I'll try to piggyback in here since its closely related).
Apparently the current playlist feature on the WebApp can generate smart playlists, which will do part of what you want.
Filter your library the way you want, based on the currently available choices, then hit the Add to Playlist on the left hand side.
I just did a test and it worked. I took a James Bond movie and made a new James Bond collection with it. I then filtered my library by James Bond and the 1 movie showed up. I hit the Add Playlist and create a new Playlist named James Bond. I then check the playlist and there is the 1 movie. Now I go find my other James Bond movies and add them to the collection. Now when I check my playlist, these other James Bond movies have automatically been added to the list.
Yes, but ultimately you end up with a playlist, which is a very different anmimal compared to a collection. Playlists need to be created by users individually, they are not shared, and they collect items supposed to be played together (like a music playist). A collection on the other hand would just be a different means to display library content, as additional sections, that can be shared with your plex users.
Anyway, let's move this discussion to dane22's thread.
