Synology NAS and Importing Itunes playlist - here we go again

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

Server Version#: DSM 6.2.4-25556
Player Version#: Version 1.23.3.4707

Well, I’ve read through all of the forums for two days. Tried everything I’ve read about from other helpful users. I do not know Linux, I do not know python. I’ve tried to understand all the posts and even the python scripts to no avail.

I’m a lifetime plexpass Subscriber - I LOVE PLEX. I’d really like to be able to leave Apple and Itunes forever! I’m done with Amazon saying I had unlimited space for my library, then, removing that feature. I’m tired of Google Play Music forcing me to YouTube Music, then trying to bill me for my own music library. TIRED TIRED TIRED. Give me a good ol’ ipod and Itunes 8, that was when things were perfect. (end of rant)

But… Now I have about 40 playlists marooned in Itunes for different occasions, and now I can’t get them recognized by my plex server which I’ve moved from a Firewire 800 attached to IMac + Drobo (which was able to import the itunes xml playlists fine), to this new Synology DS 920+ which I am really excited about, but can’t seem to recognize the XML file containing my playlists.

I’ve created the new plex library on the NAS, all works fine, but despite checking the file paths to the Library.xml file, checking upper versus lower case, trying to understand the number of forward slashes I need as well as the backslashes to indicate a [SPACE] in linux, turning on and off the plex server, creating one new playlist and refreshing. NOTHING seems to work.

Plex team, can you PLEASE write a clear whitepaper on this so that someone who can follow directions can complete this import successfully and then not have to search and test for two days solid without success?

Did the lifetime subscription money I gladly paid not at least qualify me to ask for this one piece of support? :disappointed_relieved:

HELP.

1 Like
2

the synology, if that is where the server is, would need access to that file to read it,

Plex
Plex806×258 48.3 KB

4

Noted and checked and confirmed permissions for the folder. I also read someplace to put the XML in a separate folder of it’s own and that worked for them. Seems, doesn’t matter WHERE it is as long as the path and linux syntax is correct?

5

I (believe) I have done as you asked, with no luck. Could it be because my “ITUNES LIBRARY” folder is at the root of the Synology?

plexfilelocation
plexfilelocation929×538 55.4 KB

plexitunesxml
plexitunesxml988×506 82 KB

6

note, I DID change the name in the path to Library2.xml for a test.

8

I found out why the import wasn’t showing up. I needed to go down to the MORE and expand to show the Synology.
Yet, upon import, perhaps because of the wrong path as you’ve suggested, it didn’t work, and now the option is no longer there. Is there a way to try again?

nonexpanded view
nonexpanded view669×747 33.1 KB

MOREtabexpanded
MOREtabexpanded843×593 41.7 KB

Result1 import error
Result1 import error830×602 46.3 KB

10

DSM 6.2.4-25556 is what it says.

12

it worked, but then it errored, and now it no longer shows the option after that try!

14

Thank you for your efforts. :pray: Perhaps someone else out there might have a solution for this, hoping, as it was just there 20 minutes ago and now no longer appears. If I figure anything helpful I will post to this thread.

16

I will give that a try. I installed Plex fresh a couple days ago as the Synology is brand new. Shall report back!

17

Since I believe research is based on failures as lessons, too:

Cleared Cache contained within Privacy and Security in Chrome as shown.
Import Itunes does NOT reappear.

cleared cache chrome
cleared cache chrome1110×450 32.4 KB

18

Any further suggestions, BigWheel? Could really use your help. :pray: :pray: :pray:

19

@trumpy81 knows a hell of a lot more about Synology than me. I previously thought iTunes and the server had to be on the same machine else the relative paths to files would not be the same. I dunno how he got it to work.

20

After combing over stuff for two days, it would appear that it might have to do with linux way of seeing the spaces between words. Non educated, but well read guess…

23

Trumpy81,

This is (fingers crossed) terrific news! I actually did a full reorganization of my media to mirror EXACTLY what Plex recommends as well as NOT using any words with spaces in the folder names simply to meter that out as a non issue.
Hoping and praying. I would LOVE to see it function as follows for the end user:

  1. Import/Append Itunes Playlist button showing
  2. Hit button
  3. Dialogue “Please select the Itunes .XML file you wish to import”
    3a. “Import or Append?” (user selects to replace all playlists or append what they have)
  4. User navigates and selects their XML file.
  5. Hits import (or append) button (plex checks format and location of plex server versus itunes file paths as well as looking for spaces, also checks which OS the plex server is running on)
  6. Dialog “your itunes.xml file path does not match your current location of your plex server, would you like to correct it?” Y/N
  7. Dialog "Your plex is operating on (OS name), would you also like to modify your XML file to match your Plex Server OS? Y/N
  8. Plex Imports. Dialogue “Some of your playlists may not be a perfect match, plex has done it’s best to match them.”
  9. Import/Append Itunes Playlist Button remains for future use.

That would be the most ideal. :pray: :pray: :pray:

25

Running the lastest: 1.23.4.4805
Still no luck with seeing the import itunes playlist feature on the Synology.
Naw, not greedy, just trying to provide a simple flow for an average user, as I used to use visio to design shell screens for multiplayer games way back in the day.
I still strongly believe this feature will truly put the bullet in the head of Itunes.
:slight_smile:

27

Curses! :slight_smile: Even with the new version installed my Synology, the import feature is not showing like with yours. Not sure why. I can see the XML file at the root of the MUSIC folder. Could it be the file path as typed is wrong? I’ve tired with and without //localhost/volume1 without luck.

Currently I am using as the XML path
file://localhost/volume1/MEDIA/MUSIC/Library4.xml

Since I have no experience with Linux, and you mentioned it’s precision when dealing with files paths, I highly suspect I have done something wrong with the file path name that’s causing this.

My other server ( on USB3 Drobo direct connect to Imac) DOES show the Import Itunes feature. So it’s only something about the Linux/Synology, as I copied over the library with same structure and did the find and replace of the file paths.

Apologies in advance for beating this horse dead. But I truly want to get this to work, and them write out the steps for everyone after us to find.

29

current synology library xml flle paths
current synology library xml flle paths1162×430 79.6 KB

Posting to demonstrate what is likely wrong with my path.
Also, what about the %20 for the spaces? Just trying to be really detailed here to show my failures.

30

And showing the corrected path in PLEX, but have not change the paths within the XML files (yet). Waiting on your instruction.

I’ve restarted the plex server as it suggests.

corrected path for plex NOT the xml file
corrected path for plex NOT the xml file989×506 52.2 KB

32

Thank you!

  1. Will move XML elsewhere.

  2. That’s an important! detail. “ONLY WITH THE FILE PATH”, NOT every single space in the XML.

I’ll fix both of these and circle back with results.

And Trumpy81, thanks again for your help, guidance and extreme patience. I hope this can help a lot of others.