Deal with missing / renamed files via COM interface

Hello,
I'm trying to find some way to programmatically identify missing files in iTunes, including where iTunes is looking for the file, and if possible to point iTunes to the correct path. It's very straightforward to detect missing files, the original path could probably be obtained by analysing the iTunes xml file, but I can find no programmatic way of telling iTunes where to look. Simply deleting the missing file and then adding a new file from the new location is not acceptable.
The reason for wanting to do this is very simple. I've a custom written backend music library management system that presents the library to iTunes as a set of .m4a files on a read only network share. From time to time, new files will appear, existing files will be updated or renamed, and files may be deleted. What I'd like to do is to write some simple vbscript that will keep iTunes in sync with this set of files.
Most of the functionality it easy. The difficulty comes with dealing with renamed files. I can identify missing files by looking for those with a null location. If I can then find out what the file was previously called, I can then quite readily determine what it will have been renamed to. At this point however, I can find no way to update iTunes. As previously mentioned, just removing and re-adding the file isn't acceptable, as it will then disappear from any devices synced with iTunes.
Does anyone have any clever ideas how to achieve this. The best idea I've come up with is to brute force the .itl file, and deal directly with that. I'd really rather not though, and it'll be a lot of effort, and may well spontaneously stop working. I'd also like to achieve the same effect of a mac platform, probably with Applescript, but am having basically the same issues.
Regards,
Chris
The reas

Christopher,
I, too, wish this could be done. Unfortunately it looks like Apple does not currently have this capability (i.e. the Location property is read-only). I've submitted an enhancement request for this feature (as I'm sure many others have), but this appears to be by design. It appears you have already figured out the only workaround I'm aware of -- adding the file again (and optionally copying the properties from the old file to the new one).
But by all means, please submit a bug report at http://bugreport.apple.com. Maybe if enough people gripe it will get implemented. You'll need an ADC account to submit a report via that link. If you don't have an ADC account already, you can get a free "ADC Online" account (or, of course, buy a higher-level account if you want).
If you don't want to get an ADC account, you can use the Apple feedback page (http://www.apple.com/feedback) -- but I think you'll get a better response as a developer via the bugreport site.
BTW, if you find good documentation on the iTunes Library file, I'd like to see it! I can't find any anywhere. Of course, if you figure it out and you don't want to share that's up to you...

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