Linux Making my own movie set

Hey, I've been using and loving XBMC for a while now and I'm just adding some final things to my library.

I have a set of dozens of movies I'd like to add - Disney movies, actually. There is no set for these on the Movie DB site - there used to be, but it got removed - so I'm trying to make one myself.

What I'd like to do is leave all their info exactly as scanned, except add a set name - that is all. They're already in separate folders and scan perfectly.

I've tried making an NFO file with just the < set > tag as follows, and copied it into every movie directory:


...so my directory structure is as follows:


Now, this works - the movies are now in the set - except all the information is gone! They have no titles, dates, anything. (I'm guessing that would have to be in the .nfo, but there's too many movies for me to do by myself...)

I'm looking for an automated way to just add the set info to each movie. Perhaps there's a way to scrape all the scanned movie info into an .nfo in each movie directory, then I could make a script to add sets to these? Or maybe there's an addon that has this functionality?

(note: I'm on Linux so I'm afraid I can't easily use Windows media managers.)

Any help would be really, genuinely appreciated!

Why not make a smartplaylist that filter any movie that is made by Pixar and Disney? So much easier

(2012-07-01 19:54)Martijn Wrote:  Why not make a smartplaylist that filter any movie that is made by Pixar and Disney? So much easier

Thanks for the reply.

I forgot to mention the reason for making this set. I didn't want the Disney films to be mixed in with my main movie collection - I really appreciate the set function because it's fantastic at clearing things like this that I'd consider clutter.

(I'm about to try something - I'll export my video library to a file, clear the library completely, and import just the Disney films. Then, I'll export the new, Disney-only library to individual files - which I'm assuming generates NFOs - and I can make a script to manipulate the <set> tags, probably with grep or something, and re-import my old library. Would love to hear a better way though )

Sounds like you have the right idea. Just to clarify, I assume you mean: Export using multiple files, then it will give you .nfo files for all the movies, and add the set tag to those newly created nfo files for the Disney movies. In Files view, select that Disney subfolder, set content to "none" and tell it to update the library, removing them. Then set content on the Disney subfolder again, run automated scan, and it will re-add the movies, but using the nfo files.

Another idea would be to still use smart playlists, but create two. One for Disney, and one for everything but Disney. Then use a skin that supports custom main menu/home buttons (I personally really like Transparency) and point to those instead of the "real" Movies button.

Just a few thoughts on this issue (noting: J.Marshall has posted caution around custom sets) and some of the imminent changes coming in the next iteration of XBMC will make smart playlists and important way of manipulating the library. I'm in a windows environment, so you can take this with a grain of salt, but suspect most of this set stuff apply's across the board. I too have a number of 'custom sets' from Academy Awards through Disney, SFX, and Block Busters... in all quite a few of overlapping sets of which I don't have a lot of issues, but have noted that analytic's of smartplays lists go out the window with too many sets, e.g. Top 250 includes a lot of sets within which are the target, so you do not get a true representation of how many of the set you have and what you're missing. The whole set concept is "Boxed Set's" as offered for sale at times, but to use them as a catalogue tool will diminish your usage of the library.

I've stuck my Disney in one folder, Sherlock Homes in another etc... Creating a smartplaylist for a folder is pretty darn easy. Doesn't break the rules and more importantly when I add something new it's in the smartlist. No editing .nfo for me anymore... Well I admit to changing the studio to Criterion when needed..

(2012-07-01 23:13)Ned Scott Wrote:  Another idea would be to still use smart playlists, but create two. One for Disney, and one for everything but Disney. Then use a skin that supports custom main menu/home buttons (I personally really like Transparency) and point to those instead of the "real" Movies button.

You can even make a smartplaylist that excludes everything what is in the other smartplaylist.
So you only need to change the rules in that one playlist.

I have everything split up in my HTPC and i never need to change a thing. I just let XBMC scrape everything.
Another plus is that the boxset are stiull scraped for you Disney movies and show in that smartplaylist