Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

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TheEmpathicEar
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Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSrFGjh8qKE&t=243s is where I got this idea. I want to learn how to move music from folder X to my Music Collection. Under Tools>Options>Auto Organize, I have one rule: "D:\iPod\My Music\<Album Artist>\[<Year>] <Album>\<Track #:2> - <Title>". In the video, the user selected the music they wanted to move into their collection by finding the tracks in Windows Explorer and right-clicking on the tracks. [So, that in MM5, they would appear in the playlist] 1. I need to associate MediaMonkey with music files [at a minimum] so that I could do this. 2. Is there another way to do this w/o using Windows Explorer? Any feedback/help would be appreciated. This would be the first time I have attempted to use MM5 to do this.
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

Auto-Organize only works on files that are being scanned into MediaMonkey for the first time or being edited in MediaMonkey. No File Explorer use needed.

You can use Tools > Auto-Organize Files on selected files to organize them: https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index. ... enames/4.0 (pretty much the same in MM5).
TheEmpathicEar
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:54 pm Auto-Organize only works on files that are being scanned into MediaMonkey for the first time or being edited in MediaMonkey. No File Explorer use needed.

You can use Tools > Auto-Organize Files on selected files to organize them: https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index. ... enames/4.0 (pretty much the same in MM5).
So, one example of this: In MM5, Sidebar, choose "Folders" and then select tracks here that you want to add to your library [music collection]. Right-click on the selected tracks and choose "+" Add to library. These tracks would be added to my library using Auto-Organize rules?
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

Yes, if the files are being scanned for the first time (being added instead of rescanned) they'll be organized automatically.
TheEmpathicEar
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Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:00 am Yes, if the files are being scanned for the first time (being added instead of rescanned) they'll be organized automatically.
I just did what I described above. In MM5, "Artist" view, the album appears under under the relevant artist. But, when I check the properties for the various tracks, they are still in the source folder and have not been moved to my music collection folder? "D:\iPod\My Music\<Album Artist>\[<Year>] <Album>\<Track #:2> - <Title>" is my rule for Auto Organize. "Automatically Organize Files (during scans or edits)", does this need to be checked? Would it make a difference in actually moving the album physically?
Last edited by TheEmpathicEar on Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

Yes, that option needs to be checked as that's what controls if files will be Auto-Organized. And again, this only works on files that are being scanned in the first time, not if they were already in the Library before scanning again.
TheEmpathicEar
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:42 pm Yes, that option needs to be checked as that's what controls if files will be Auto-Organized. And again, this only works on files that are being scanned in the first time, not if they were already in the Library before scanning again.
Thanks. I removed the album from the database. Checked that option. And, repeated what I described above. This time the tracks/album was physically moved to the music collection folder in the format I outlined in Auto Organize. I did not get any confirmation dialog(s) as described in that YouTube Video I linked to above though. i.e. The user was able to check tags to their satisfaction before the move was confirmed.
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

Correct, Auto-Organize works in the background without confirmations. If you want that you need to use Tools > Auto-Organize Files, but this is done manually on selected files.
TheEmpathicEar
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:56 pm Correct, Auto-Organize works in the background without confirmations. If you want that you need to use Tools > Auto-Organize Files, but this is done manually on selected files.
"D:\iPod\My Music\<Album Artist>\[<Year>] <Album>\<Track #:2> - <Title>" The rule I setup in Auto Organize. I just noticed that I accidentally have two spaces between [<Year>] and <Album>. I remember in MM5 during a Scan/Rescan file to the library I thought I saw a lot of copying activity at the bottom left of the window. Now, almost all of the albums in my music collection are like this: "[1992] Gold- Greatest Hits" [two spaces] and the original album folder was like this: "[1992] Gold- Greatest Hits" [one space]. I noticed this when I looked at my collection in Windows Explorer and saw that almost all the folders are timestamped 6/26. The actual MP3 files, I think, were moved, and so the creation date is the same. I have done some WiFi syncs since 6/26 that only synced the tracks that I added/changed. Anyway, I now have a lot of empty folders like the one above with one space.
Is it possible that changing that rule in Auto Organize would just simply move all the tracks in the folders with two spaces back to the folders with one space? And, are there going to be consequences if I do a Sync from MM5, Galaxy A51 - Card, to Android?
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

No, you do need to change the rule in Auto-Organize, but again it only moves files when they're first scanned in or when their properties are edited.

You'll need to run Tools > Auto-Organize Files on the files manually with the correct Mask (same as fixed Auto-Organize).
TheEmpathicEar
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 10:49 am No, you do need to change the rule in Auto-Organize, but again it only moves files when they're first scanned in or when their properties are edited.

You'll need to run Tools > Auto-Organize Files on the files manually with the correct Mask (same as fixed Auto-Organize).
1. If I want one space, I have to change the rule in Auto-Organize because at the moment it has two spaces? 2. After changing the rule in Auto-Organize, I will have to do a "Scan/Rescan file to the library" to reflect the change in the rule? i.e. Move all the MP3s back to the original one space music folders? Or, is there more I have to do? I just want to make sure I understand?
EDIT: To be clear, Auto-Organize seems to have done this to music already in my music collection.
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

1) Yes
2) No, like said before, rescan doesn't do this, only when files are first added to the Library.

Instead use Tools > Auto-Organize Files to fix the files.
TheEmpathicEar
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 1:38 pm 1) Yes
2) No, like said before, rescan doesn't do this, only when files are first added to the Library.

Instead use Tools > Auto-Organize Files to fix the files.
I think I see where my confusion started. Tools>Options> At the bottom is "Automatically Organize Files (during scans or edits)" checked. And, below that "Delete Empty Folders" is not checked. Click on the Edit Button brings up "Auto Organize Rule". This is where I added a rule:
"D:\iPod\My Music\<Album Artist>\[<Year>] <Album>\<Track #:2> - <Title>"
What I missed is at the top: Collections, Genres and Playlists. If you click on "Collections", you get a chance to select from "Music", "Classical Music" and "Podcasts". I assume when you say, "Manually", this is where I would check off "Music". In any case, "Automatically Organize Files (during scans or edits)", is where I assumed that that a Scan/Rescan was going to Auto-Organize my music collection? I just tested this by doing a "Scan/Rescan file to the library" w/o checking off "Collections">"Music". I checked the results by looking at a few artists/albums using Windows Explorer and it seems to have moved all the music back into the above folder(s) that have only one space.
Unfortunately, after I checked "Delete Empty Folders" and did another "Scan/Rescan file to the library", the empty folders remain? Any idea why this did not work? Maybe this is where "Collections">"Music" needs to be explicitly checked? Maybe there is 3rd party software that can do this?
Lowlander
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Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by Lowlander »

Delete empty folders will only remove empty folders when it leaves folders empty, not afterwards when the folders are already empty.
TheEmpathicEar
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:17 pm

Re: Moving Music to my Music Collection with Auto Organize

Post by TheEmpathicEar »

Lowlander wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:48 pm Delete empty folders will only remove empty folders when it leaves folders empty, not afterwards when the folders are already empty.
Thanks. So, MM in and of itself can not remove empty folders after the fact? Do you know of any 3rd party software that might be able to do this?
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