Show and season being stripped from filename...
Solved
I use TuneSpan all the time and appreciate the product. However, in some update, it now renames my files incorrectly. i use iFlicks to convert my files and have them renamed with the show name, SxxExx and the title. TuneSpan is now removing the show name and season number. Half my library is now like this. I don't know when this change was introduced. I want the files organized into Tv Shows and the Season name and season, ala iTunes, but I want the filename untouched. I wanted to share a file with someone, and now the filename no longer full reflects what it is. Very annoying.
Is there anyway to change this? Thanks.
The same problem
Thanks for getting in touch. I'm so sorry for my delayed response. I've been busy with other life stuff lately.
It is true that in TuneSpan 1.2 I've started having TuneSpan recreate the file names. In the past TuneSpan would only create folder names based on metadata, but would leave the file names alone. I decided to have TuneSpan recreate the file names based on the metadata when spanning for easier organization updating when metadata changes.
Since TuneSpan now moves files instead of copying them when spanning to and from the same drive in version 1.2, it's very quick and easy to reorganize your files based on the latest metadata. You can just re-span them to the same location. In the future I plan on having some extra code to detect any changes in metadata and offer to reorganize spanned files after metadata changes. Catching track name changes for the file names would be important in this reorganization, so I could no longer leave the file names alone in a span.
But, in your case, with customized file names, then this new code is understandably not what you would want.
Sadly, I can't really offer a solution at this point. I have a minor update in the works, but I wasn't planning on doing much more than fixing a couple bugs.
Maybe in this minor update, or in a later update, I could add an option to leave the file names alone like it did in the older versions. I'll think more about it and let you know what I decide for this minor update.
Thanks for getting in touch. I'm so sorry for my delayed response. I've been busy with other life stuff lately.
It is true that in TuneSpan 1.2 I've started having TuneSpan recreate the file names. In the past TuneSpan would only create folder names based on metadata, but would leave the file names alone. I decided to have TuneSpan recreate the file names based on the metadata when spanning for easier organization updating when metadata changes.
Since TuneSpan now moves files instead of copying them when spanning to and from the same drive in version 1.2, it's very quick and easy to reorganize your files based on the latest metadata. You can just re-span them to the same location. In the future I plan on having some extra code to detect any changes in metadata and offer to reorganize spanned files after metadata changes. Catching track name changes for the file names would be important in this reorganization, so I could no longer leave the file names alone in a span.
But, in your case, with customized file names, then this new code is understandably not what you would want.
Sadly, I can't really offer a solution at this point. I have a minor update in the works, but I wasn't planning on doing much more than fixing a couple bugs.
Maybe in this minor update, or in a later update, I could add an option to leave the file names alone like it did in the older versions. I'll think more about it and let you know what I decide for this minor update.
Alright, I've decided to add a new Advanced Preference in the Spanning & Restoring Options section to toggle "Rename Files Based on Current iTunes Metadata". The preference will be ON be default, you'll of course want to turn it OFF in the new version.
But, I'm sorry I can't offer anything to undo what TuneSpan has already done to your file names. You may be able to use iFlicks to rename them (not sure if it can rename files after the initial conversion though), or some other batch renaming app that can access the metadata.
Once the files are renamed manually, you can run TuneSpan's Locate Missing Files option in the File > Tools for iTunes menu to get TuneSpan and iTunes to find with their updated names.
Of course, the better option would be to have the files names customizable in TuneSpan similar to how folder organization is customizable. That may come in the future, but that would be a pretty big undertaking at the moment and not something I want to do for this minor update. There are a couple bugs that I'd like to be fixed and don't want to delay the update for new features. This simple toggle preferences is pretty quick and easy and something I can offer more immediately as a stop-gap for users who customize their file names.
I'm very sorry that the latest version of TuneSpan ended up messing up your custom file names.
Alright, I've decided to add a new Advanced Preference in the Spanning & Restoring Options section to toggle "Rename Files Based on Current iTunes Metadata". The preference will be ON be default, you'll of course want to turn it OFF in the new version.
But, I'm sorry I can't offer anything to undo what TuneSpan has already done to your file names. You may be able to use iFlicks to rename them (not sure if it can rename files after the initial conversion though), or some other batch renaming app that can access the metadata.
Once the files are renamed manually, you can run TuneSpan's Locate Missing Files option in the File > Tools for iTunes menu to get TuneSpan and iTunes to find with their updated names.
Of course, the better option would be to have the files names customizable in TuneSpan similar to how folder organization is customizable. That may come in the future, but that would be a pretty big undertaking at the moment and not something I want to do for this minor update. There are a couple bugs that I'd like to be fixed and don't want to delay the update for new features. This simple toggle preferences is pretty quick and easy and something I can offer more immediately as a stop-gap for users who customize their file names.
I'm very sorry that the latest version of TuneSpan ended up messing up your custom file names.
Pico, I appreciate the new option, that will at least solve the problem going forward. I know the full custominzing of the filename is much bigger work - just being able to turn off the name munging is super helpful. I've had good luck with "renameIT" in the past, so I should be able to use that for the previous files.
Pico, I appreciate the new option, that will at least solve the problem going forward. I know the full custominzing of the filename is much bigger work - just being able to turn off the name munging is super helpful. I've had good luck with "renameIT" in the past, so I should be able to use that for the previous files.
If you're interested in testing out the new option before release, please email me directly with http://contact.tunespan.com or one of the Contact Developer links in the app.
If you're interested in testing out the new option before release, please email me directly with http://contact.tunespan.com or one of the Contact Developer links in the app.
It's funny, I was just searching the site for exactly the opposite of what iapomme00 is looking for, which I guess is the epitome of not being able to please everyone.
As for iapomme00, if you want to easily batch rename the files that TuneSpan has already renamed, I'd recommend the "Rename Finder Files - Add Text" Automator action.
You would highlight a whole season, set Automator to add the text "Show Name - SxxE" before the current filename.
For example: "Simpsons - S05E".
Since TuneSpan renames based off the existing metadata of the file, your files already have the episode number and the title as the current filename. By choosing to rename them by adding text to the front of the file name,
you turn this:
01 Homer's Barbershop Quartet.m4v
02 Cape Feare.m4v
Into this:
Simpsons - S05E01 Homer's Barbershop Quartet.m4v
Simpsons - S05E02 Cape Feare.m4v
If you're completely lost when it comes to Automator, let me know. I'll make a quick video for what you want to do.
It's funny, I was just searching the site for exactly the opposite of what iapomme00 is looking for, which I guess is the epitome of not being able to please everyone.
As for iapomme00, if you want to easily batch rename the files that TuneSpan has already renamed, I'd recommend the "Rename Finder Files - Add Text" Automator action.
You would highlight a whole season, set Automator to add the text "Show Name - SxxE" before the current filename.
For example: "Simpsons - S05E".
Since TuneSpan renames based off the existing metadata of the file, your files already have the episode number and the title as the current filename. By choosing to rename them by adding text to the front of the file name,
you turn this:
01 Homer's Barbershop Quartet.m4v
02 Cape Feare.m4v
Into this:
Simpsons - S05E01 Homer's Barbershop Quartet.m4v
Simpsons - S05E02 Cape Feare.m4v
If you're completely lost when it comes to Automator, let me know. I'll make a quick video for what you want to do.
@AkuKnives, thanks for the hint on renaming. You can also use Path Finder (which I own) to Batch Rename files - appending the show name and season worked like a charm.
@AkuKnives, thanks for the hint on renaming. You can also use Path Finder (which I own) to Batch Rename files - appending the show name and season worked like a charm.
TuneSpan 1.2.1, which has the new "Change Filenames Based on Current iTunes Metadata" option in the Advanced Preferences, along with other nice new features and improvements is now available on the Mac App Store :-)
http://mas.tunespan.com
TuneSpan 1.2.1, which has the new "Change Filenames Based on Current iTunes Metadata" option in the Advanced Preferences, along with other nice new features and improvements is now available on the Mac App Store :-)
http://mas.tunespan.com
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