Playcounts and other Metadata

I just set up 2 new Apple TV 2's. With homesharing, it doesn't change any metadata off the iTunes library I'm working off. So if I watch an unwatched TV show, after the show is completed my computer still lists it as new. Is there any way to have it add to playcounts or show as watched? I have a bunch of smart playlists dependent on "last played" or playcounts.
Very frustrated, please help!

This is a pretty huge fail.
All of my music is in Smart Playlists and this means it will never update when I listen to it via the Apple TV. The only useful way to play music is to do so from another computer and use the Apple TV2 as a remote speaker. With the original Apple TV when music was played on the device directly it did update in the source library, the same as an iPod or iPhone would.
I think the setup I have is not that unusual, my iTunes is on a remote "media center" MacBook with an external "iLife" drive hooked up to it. I have to use Screen Sharing to control iTunes on that machine from my main MacBook. This is solely because Smart Playlist won't update playcounts in shared libraries and therefore the playlists will never change, which is pretty useless. Smart Playlists is the coolest thing feature of iTunes and this kills it.

Similar Messages

Appending Keywords and other metadata to the masterfile

I can't find an answer to the question:
How do I append Keywords and other metadata I added in Aperture to the masterfile without exporting?
I need that to import all that metadata of the masterfiles in a Portfolio database.

I guess you will need a new copy of the RAW to import into Portfoilio. That's really the only way to get Aperture to make the XMP file that contains the keywords. There is a program called Annoture which can convert Aperture metadata into metadata for the program iView Media Pro. No one has made a program to get metadata directly into Portfolio. Aperture wpn't "embed" the keywords in a RAW file because it will not alter the original. Maybe someday Aperture will create DNG files.

Playcount and other Stats Not Sync'ing up between ITunes and Nano

Anyone know why the playcount and other stats won't sync up between an Ipod Nano and ITunes?
I am trying to get my wife's ipod set up on our shared computer. Using Windows XP, I've created seperate user accounts with seperate libraries both using the latest version of ITunes and things have worked great so far. Songs have transferred, audible works. Yet for some reason the playcount info isn't updating and it is one of the things she really wants to work.
Any thoughts?
PC Windows XP 2 IPods 1 Computer using the seperate user profiles trick.

If you are using manual updating rather than one of the automatic updating preferences, playcounts are not synced back to iTunes from the iPod.
Patrick

Removing EXIF and other Metadata from iPhoto 5 Library

This post is intended for users who have upgraded to iPhoto5 and have suffered extensive slowdowns because of metadata that has accumulated in their iPhoto library, specifically in the Library.iPhoto file.
This occurs if certain Pentax, Canon, and other digital cameras are used for pictures. Search this forum for "metadata" or "EXIF" or "makernote" (no quotes) for additional information about this issue.
If you are affected by this issue and want to rid your iPhoto 5 library of this extra garbage, follow the steps below.
1. Make two copies of your complete iPhoto Library folder and put them someplace else other than in the normal location. If something goes wrong, you'll have the backups. In any event, understand that if you follow these instructions, you are responsible for any problems, errors, or loss of photos. If you aren't prepared to take that responsibility, then do not read any further.
2. Go to http://www.versiontracker.com and search for and download the free SmallImage application. Install it in your Applications folder.
3. In your original iPhoto library, trash the Library.iPhoto file.
4. Launch SmallImage by dragging your entire (ORIGINAL) iPhoto Library folder on top of SmallImage.
5. There are 5 categories (checkboxes) of metadata (called profiles) that you can eliminate. I selected them all. Uncheck the "Recompress at quality:" checkbox. You don't want your photos altered. Uncheck the "Add Suffix" checkbox so that SmallImage will overwrite your photos with ones without the metadata. Select whether you want keep any custom file icons or not. Then, hold your breath and push the "Process Files" button in the SmallImage toolbar. If you have thousands of photos and/or a slow computer, it might take many hours.
6. When SmallImage is finished, lauch iPhoto5, holding down the command/apple, option and shift keys. Before iPhoto fully loads, you'll be presented with the library rebuilding dialog box. Check ALL 4 options (especially the last one) and then allow iPhoto to rebuild the library. This also can take a very long time, depending on computer speed and the number of photos you have. When iPhoto is finished rebuilding the libary and reloading your photos, you'll have an iPhoto library without any the metadata that seems to be slowing it down. If you hold down the wrong keys and don't get the library rebuilding dialog box, don't panic. Quit iPhoto, and try it again. Your photos are still there.
7. If you stay with your current camera (that is generating the metadata), manually transfer your picture files to your computer (but not directly into iPhoto) and use SmallImage to remove the metadata BEFORE you manually import them into iPhoto5.
Hopefully, future versions of iPhoto5 will include an import option to strip metadata from photo files. If SmallImage can do it, why can't our favorite fruit company?
Best of luck.
12 inch 1.5Ghz Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.3)
12 1.5Ghz Powerbook Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Link the two Macs together and use iPhoto Library Manager
Regards
TD

Does Front Row update playcount (and other attrbutes) in iTunes?

Excuse this question please which I could theoretically test myself, just don't have the resources at hand right now to try it out:
As I understand FR under Tiger uses iTunes to play music. So logically any smart playlists based on 'last played' or 'playcount' attributes will stay up to date?
However, since the new FR (Leopard) handles everything itself my question is, will it also update these iTunes attributes?
My previous quick test, seemed to suggest not. Pretty annoying cos I'm planning to use a MacMini as a mediacenter, connected to the TV and it seems to defeat the object of Front Row if I end up having to play music from iTunes in order to fully utilise my smart playlists.
Cheers,
Rich
PS And why do I have Front Row 1.0 installed on a brand new 10.5 iMac? I thought the Leopard version was FR 2.0 ?

...still don't umderstand why it's version 1.0 though!
The "Front Row" that is in your Applications folder may be "version 1.0" but it's really only a shortcut to the actual Front Row application that's inside your /System/Library/CoreServices/ folder. That's the application that is version 2 now and is actually displaying on your screen. I think Apple added this shortcut for people who don't have an Apple remote so it's easier to open Front Row.
-Doug

U3D, Ids and other metadata in the sceneobject

From the JS3D reference, and the "supported elements" in U3D, it seems that there could exist some overlap between what is accessible on a sceneobject through js and what is in the U3D, but that mapping is not explained anywhere. In particular I would like to know if these properties map to anything in the U3D file and what that mapping is:
SceneObject.name The SceneObject objectâs name.
Type: string
SceneObject.objectGUID
A value that uniquely identifies the SceneObject in custom data.
Type: string
SceneObject.objectID
An unsigned 32-bit value that uniquely identifies the SceneObject.
Type: integer
Thanks!
Johan

For the last two items, the scene does not automatically assign any U3D metadata to these properties. The latest reference for them can be found here:
http://livedocs.adobe.com/acrobat_sdk/9/Acrobat9_HTMLHelp/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhel p.htm?context=Acrobat9_HTMLHelp&file=JS_3D_Intro.90.1.html
However, the "metadataString" property might give you something you could use. Here's a hunk of JS code to show the values of all node properties in the Acrobat JS console. Attach this script to the model and compare the output to what you see from your original U3D creation program. There indeed could be some overlap you would find useful, and this is the easiest way to determine that, I'll bet (and the most dependable way).
First, here's how to use the script, just in case:
1) Attach the script to the 3D object, not as page script. To do this, use the "Select Object Tool" and double-click the 3D annot, click the 3D tab, script field is at bottom.
2) Activate the 3D annot, and open the Javascript console (ctrl+j) to see the results of the property search.
Here's the script:
console.println ("Number of nodes in scene = " + scene.nodes.count + "\n");
console.println ("Looping through nodes...\n");
for (i = 0; i < scene.nodes.count; i++)
objNode = scene.nodes.getByIndex(i);
console.println ("------------------------------------------------------");
console.println ("NODE INDEX " + i);
console.println ("-------------");
if (objNode == undefined)
{ console.println (" *** node = undefined ***\n\n"); }
else
console.println (" PROPERTIES:");
console.println (" objNode.firstChild = " + objNode.firstChild );
console.println (" objNode.hitEnabled = " + objNode.hitEnabled );
console.println (" objNode.info = " + objNode.info );
console.println (" objNode.metadataString = " + objNode.metadataString );
console.println (" objNode.name = " + objNode.name );
console.println (" objNode.nextSibling = " + objNode.nextSibling );
console.println (" objNode.objectGUID = " + objNode.objectGUID );
console.println (" objNode.objectID = " + objNode.objectID );
console.println (" objNode.parent = " + objNode.parent );
console.println (" objNode.type = " + objNode.type );
console.println (" objNode.transform = " + objNode.transform );
console.println (" objNode.wireframeColor = " + objNode.wireframeColor );
console.println (" objNode.visible = " + objNode.visible );
console.println ("");
console.println (" METHODS:");
console.println (" objNode.detachFromCurrentAnimation(). = " + objNode.detachFromCurrentAnimation() );
console.println ("\n");

Does consolidating masters retain Faces, Places and other metadata?

I just got done adding keywords, Faces and Places to ~2000 pictures, and I've decided I'm going to go ahead, take the full plunge and have Aperture manage my files.
Before I consolidate my images (via copy, so I have the option of using Lightroom or something else someday), I need to know: will all the work I've done migrate to the consolidated version of my Aperture library?
I'd hate to lose all of that work...
thanks,
paul

Whether the images are managed or referenced makes no difference to metadata etc. in Aperture.
Ian
P.S. If you're not already using other apps to directly access the files I'd not bother with copying, as you can always use File>Relocate Masters... to move them back out of the Library again.

Exporting EXIF and other metadata

I would like to export EXIF data into a spreadsheet format for my photography course assignment, but the "Export Metadata" menu option only puts out a limited set of metadata fields. I downloaded a trial version of Aperture 2 but that doesn't seem any better.
Is there any way of exporting the full set of metadata, or at least the EXIF data?

If you're comfortable using the command line, exiftool will do this for you.
When my house flooded back in September, I had to take pictures of all the damaged items in the house for an insurance claim. After adding the metadata and exporting the images as jpegs, I used exiftool to extract the metadata into a csv file for importing into a spread sheet. The csv file contained the caption, keywords, filename and headline. Just google exiftool.

Uploading data file with specific encoding and other metadata

Hello everyone.
I've been recently testing Microsoft Codename "Data Hub". When select the option to upload a CSV or XLSX file to populate my database, it basically has two problems, in my opinion:
1. It would be great if I could select the file's encoding. If my file is in Spanish, it won't properly load latin characters (e.g. accents, or special characters). The information ends up showing with a bunch of weird characters.
2. It also doesn't let me select which character to use as data separator. It uses the comma as the default. Some of the data might contain commas, so I usually change the separator to a pipe in my CSV files.
Does anybody know any workarounds?
Thanks.

Hey there, and apologies. I wanted to reach out and see if this is still a problem for you.
I also wanted to check if this is a question about Azure SQL Database or something else?
Thanks Guy

Are keywords and other metadata in web galleries Google-searchable

I am currently creating my first website and wish to use one of the website templates in LR 2.6.
My question is, will Google-etc search engines 'see' my keywords and image titles during their searches?
I hope someone can help.
Thank you

Not by google, yet, but by other methods.
.Jeffreys Exif viewer will read it and there are other web based image search engines that do. Only time before google does likewise I would guess.
This is a usful link to how to add google analytics to LR web sites

Smart Playlists, Last Played, and Playcounts (and some other stuff)

Well, so here's my contribution to piling on with iTunes Match annoyances...
* Artwork doesn't show up during playback on iPhone until I tap <- button and then tap on Now Playing > button.
* Not Played in a year smart playlist shows 3x more songs than the source computer's iTunes library shows. I consider the source computer that synched its library to iCloud to be authoritative.
* Furthermore, the Not Played in a Year smart playlist on iPhone doesn't match what is on my iPad. 300 additional songs on the iPad.
* Repeated attempts to copy 4 songs up to iCloud fail, even though they should've been added. Can other devices see them? Yes, but they're grayed out because the track isn't copied into the cloud.
* Battery is getting chewed through on my iPhone 4. I haven't tracked it too closely, but it does seem like there's something consuming more power, and I can feel that the phone is warmer to the touch.
* Playcounts are not updated when I listen to songs on iOS or even Mac OS X-based devices. This is an absolute dealbreaker for me. While it's great to get song upgrades, I can't use iTunes Match as part of my "playflow" until playcounts and smartplaylists that incorporate last played criteria are fully supported.
It's just sooo close to being great, but without Smart Playlist support and support for playcounts, there's no point for me. I have to revert to no iTunes Match on my iOS devices for now.
C'mon Apple, get this stuff fixed. PLEASE!

Well, the good news is that I sent these list of problems to someone a little bit higher up at Apple and was very pleasantly surprised to get a call from one of the support guys within the iTunes store today.
We went over the smart playlists issue and I've hopefully given him enough detail to help him reproduce the problem internally. He's going to look to get that issue reported to the iOS team. Regardless, I think Apple knows there's work that needs to be done to fix some of these bugs/oddness we're all seeing with Match.

Failed Hardware Scan and other issues E440

Hi all,
This is probably more rant than anything, but I wanted to give a heads up to others too.
I have a ThinkPad E440 that is a year old. From the very first time I turned it on, there have been issues. The first hardware scan (via Lenovo Solution Center - LSC) showed a warning for the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Local Connection Test. There were also tons of System Events that always show up in the "Configuration History" part of the LSC. You can look at the calendar and tell exactly which days I used the computer because there will be System Events generated each day. Things like app crashes and failed drivers.
In July 2014, I got the first warning for the 16 GB SSD - the SMART Short Self-Test. By February this year it showed as failed for each hardware scan (these were initially set up to run monthly).
Also the whole time I've had it the touch screen would just stop working at some point and I would have to reboot to get it working again.
I finally called Lenovo on March 30th, before my warranty expired. When I called that time, I didn't realize the hard drive failure was the SSD. So they sent me a new 500 GB drive. I also added the other things into the case when I talked to them. For the wireless issue they suggested making sure the driver was up to date. I did this and let them know when I called back that it was up to date and still having the warning. So I called them to tell them to tell them about the wireless and also that I realized it was the SSD having the failure, not the main drive. The first case had already been closed even though none of the other items were addressed.
So they opened another case (this is #2). They said to mail them the laptop since the wireless issue would probably be on the board and it wasn't something I could fix myself. They sent a box with a prepaid overnight shipping label. I was very sick for a few days so I sent it back to them on April 10th (a Friday). Via UPS I saw it was delivered on Saturday. Work was performed on it Monday, April 13th and sent back to me that very day. I received it on April 14th. This part of the service has been excellent - very fast response.
Being in IT, I included a letter with the laptop that outlined the issues that should have been in the case. I also printed the hardware scans and what the system events looked like.
When I got the laptop back, the sheet inside said they had replaced the Speaker because of Distorted Sound. This was not even on the list even though I had noticed it. I didn't even power up the laptop before calling them again - yes, I was furious! Plus our power was out...
So this was noon on the 14th. They opened case #3 and sent me ANOTHER BOX so I could send it back.
After our power came back on the 15th, I powered up my laptop. I opened the browser (I have it set to restore the previous session) and there was a sexually explicit video on YouTube. I opened the other browser and there was a different video on YouTube. So this person was watching YouTube instead of fixing my laptop. I looked through both browser histories and there was quite a bit of activity while my laptop was at the repair center... I ran the hardware scan - still failed and a warning for the wireless. They really hadn't done anything.
I also found two pictures of the repair person in the recycle bin...
So I called back. I was LIVID! They opened another case (this is #4). And sent me ANOTHER BOX. I finally learned the other day that once a case is opened, it cannot be edited or added to at all. Instead, they close the other case and open a new one. I guess their turnaround time for closing cases is excellent! I've never seen a system like that - and I've used a lot of them.
I got a really nice, patient fellow on the line. He took all my info (again). I emailed him the pictures, screen captures of the YouTube videos, the letter I had sent - everything. He entered as much into the new case as he could - he talked to one of the supervisors to make sure he did it right. Somehow he flagged it so that the laptop would get more attention (time) at the repair facility. He also opened a separate case (an escalation ticket?) for a supervisor to call me regarding the person's conduct at the repair facility. He said they would call me that day. (It's now the 25th and I've never heard from anyone)
So, he sent me ANOTHER BOX. I've built up quite a stack of them.
Our power was out AGAIN from the 17th through the 19th (don't get me started).
I noticed a hardware scan had now gotten a failure on the main hard drive. So I called them on the 21st to add this to the case before sending the laptop back. The girl said they can't add anything to an existing case or edit it at all once it's opened. She would have to open a new case and SEND ME ANOTHER BOX. I told her to forget it because I was ready to send it in and didn't want to wait for another box. I also asked for a status on that "escalation case" where the supervisor was supposed to call me. In order to do this she, yes, wait for it, had to open ANOTHER CASE!! So they would know I wanted a status. I'm completely dumbfounded.
So I sent it back on the 21st. This time I practically wiped it. I had already removed all my files the last time, but I had left my bookmarks and browser history intact. I set up a guest logon with admin privileges. I updated my letter and printed off more stuff to include with the box. On one sheet I had only the case number, the serial number and machine type. On another sheet I had "DO NOT SEPARATE THIS PAPERWORK FROM THE LAPTOP" and the case number. I put this sheet on top (The guy on the 15th said my letter and stuff may have gotten separated from the laptop once it was delivered to the repair facility). I used a ton of staples so it would all stay together. I included in my letter the failure on the main hard drive and asked if they could look at it. I wrote about having to open a new case if I wanted to include it.
They received it on the 22nd. A nice gentleman from the repair facility called me that day asking about the password. that. was. written. on the sheet they have you fill out. I told him what happened last time and also mentioned the hard drive failure and asked if he could look into it. He said they would.
I received my laptop back yesterday morning.The sheet that came with it said they had "replaced the following parts to complete the repair of your laptop."
Part Description                                           Symptom
IMAGE                                                             Replaced due to engineering change
System board                                                 Network card error
Hard disk drive                                                Network card error
ECA-WIRELESS                                            <no symptom listed>
There was also a sheet saying they had installed a factory preload of software and I needed to install Lenovo and Windows updates.
When I booted it up, the first thing I noticed, in the lower right corner was:
Windows 8.1
SecureBoot isn’t configured correctly
Build 9600
I ran a hardware scan. Well, I tried. It stopped part way through and said it finished successfully but most of the tasks showed up as cancelled. I tried to run it again - issues - rebooting ensued. It said the LSC wasn’t available and that I should try again or reboot.
Tried several times. Then got what I guess is the new BSOD - kinder, gentler:
Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We're just
collecting some error info, and then we'll restart for you. (xx% complete)
If you'd like to know more, you can search online later for this error: DRIVER_CORRUPTED_EXPOOL
Even though the LSC said my Lenovo files were all up to date, I ran the Update. And first I had to download a new version of Update. Then I downloaded all of the Lenovo updates and installed them (there were quite a few). The BIOS update failed. While I was doing the Lenovo downloads, I got a light blue screen but no text (I was out of the room so I'm not sure what happened). Did CTRL-ALT-DEL and it shows only IE and Task Manager as applications that are running. Could not “Switch to” IE. Hitting window key to go to start didn't do anything. So I had to restart.
By 3pm yesterday there were 34 system events in the configuration history.
I ran the hardware scan again after I updated the Lenovo files, and you guessed it! Failure on the SSD (SMART Short Self-Test) and warning on the wireless. Nothing had changed. Except hardware scan is acting different than it did before I sent in the laptop for repairs. When it finishes, it instantly closes and just shows 100% complete. When I click on "see last results" it shows a screen called
Log Information,
Canceled 04/24/2015 n:nn pm
You have not done a hardware test on your computer
And the calendar in LSC only shows the very first hardware scan I did on Friday. Even the hardware scan screen shows the date and time of the last scan. It also shows the error code. In order to see exactly what is failing, I have to sit there and watch it very closely and snap a picture of the screen as soon as the error (or warning) shows up.
When I would try to run Windows update, it would hang up PC Settings. I couldn't even kill it using task manager because it didn't show up as a task. During this, I got a flag saying the firewall wasn't turned on. I tried to turn it on, but clicking on Turn on Windows Firewall didn't do anything. I tried to setup my Microsoft account but that just hung too.
I ended up running Windows Update FOUR TIMES to get all the updates installed. Every time I ran it, it said "Done!" and I would run it again and more would show up. The last time was this morning.
At some point, the error about SecureBoot went away.
Then, I created a bootable BIOS update disk. Following the ReadMe instructions, I went through ThinkPad Setup and verified several values. Of note:
Secure Boot was DISABLED. According to the ReadMe file, this should be ENABLED in Windows 8.1. I enabled it.
Under Startup/Boot, according to the ReadMe that came with the BIOS update, UEFI/Legacy Boot is supposed to be set at UEFI Only for Windows 8.1. Mine was set to "Both". I changed it.
In Startup, OS Optimized Defaults was DISABLED, even though it says right there (and in the BIOS update ReadMe) it should be ENABLED to meet Microsoft Windows 8 Certification Requirement.
After these updates, I flashed the new BIOS.
Then, I ran hardware scan again...
Now I have TWO failures on the SSD: Random Seek Test and SMART Short Self-Test. Great.
In the Event Viewer (that I recently discovered), it says my disk has a bad block. It just says The device, \Device\Harddisk\DR1, has a bad block. I assume this is the SSD...
There are 867 events in the event viewer - Critical, Error, and Warning...
Fifty-two of these are from October 7, 2013 - before my little laptop was a glimmer.
The rest are from when Lenovo had it and yesterday and today.
64 of them are the disk error.
341 are from DeviceSetupManager. 65 of those are from failed driver installs. 69 are for not being able to establish a connection to the windows update service. 64 are from not being able to establish a connection to the Windows Metadata and Internet Services (WMIS).
3 times it's rebooted without cleanly shutting down
60 of them are from Service Control Manager and say The TDKLIB service failed to start due to the following error: The system cannot find the file specified.
One of them says {Registry Hive Recovered} Registry hive (file): '\??\C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT' was corrupted and it has been recovered. Some data might have been lost.
16 are warnings that various processors in Group 0 are being limited by system firmware.
12 say the certificate for local system with thumbprint <bunch of hex numbers> is about to expire or already expired.
108 are warnings for failure to load the driver \Driver\WUDFRd for various devices
16 are application errors
One is for the computer rebooting from a "bug check"
15 are for name resolutions timing out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.
10 are for SecureBoot being disabled.
14 for services terminating unexpectedly
15 are for WLAN Extensibility Module has stopped
61 are for applications not being able to be restarted because the application SID does not match Conductor SID
12 are for activation of CLSID timing out waiting for the service wuauserv to stop
So, I'll call them on Monday and open. a. new. case (#5?) - but really 7. And get A NEW BOX.
I'll keep you updated!

Hi amycdero and welcome to the HP Forum,
I understand that you are having scanning and printing issues after upgrading to Mavericks OS X v10.9.1. I will try my best to help you resolve this issue.
In this document for Mac OS X: Scanning Software Does Not Open or Stops Responding are steps the may help you with your scanning issue.
This document for Fixing Ink Streaks, Faded Prints, and Other Common Print Quality Problems should help with the streaking printing issue.
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know.
Thank you,
I worked on behalf of HP.

Logical systems for modeldata and RFC metadata

Hi All,
I want to know how I can display the my own created logical system names under the drop-down menu when i have to select the logical system names for modeldata and rfc metadata. I don't want to them to be written instead i want them to be one of the options in the drop down menu, as we have them in the FLIGHT_LIST_INIT example found in the sample applications and examples.
Thanks in advance
Srikant

Hi,
While creating SLD for your R/3 systems give the desired name of wht u want instead of logical name.
For configuring the same refer the link below :-
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_erp2004/helpdata/en/29/e0b75c2b7d40c5bfbda82e905b701c/frameset.htm
Regards,
guru

ITunes Fix for Manually Moving Music and other Media

Intro
Any iTunes 7.x user who manages their own music library outside of the "iTunes Music" folder might be able to tell you that iTunes DOES NOT respond well after manually moving tracks from one place to another on their computer systems. In fact, any file you move becomes immediately unplayable in iTunes. And, if you're anything like I am, losing several years worth of song rating metadata and playlists is not a good incentive for change. However, one thing others might not be able to tell you is that there's an easy workaround for the problem and you get to keep your playlists, ratings and other info. Read on to learn about the workaround.
About the Workaround
The workaround is a simple hack I devised after recently transferring a good portion of my music library between hard disks and running into problems with iTunes. The fix steps provided below are intended to circumvent the problems with iTunes and give users the freedom to move songs and other media files on their computers while maintaining the integrity of both the ratings and the playlists. Meaning you won't need to manually update the song locations in iTunes one-at-a-time, which, at version 7.02 is the only way to accomplish this task using the program.
Please be aware that not all information is retained using this workaround. What will be lost are the following: the "Recently Added", "Recently Played" and "Top 25 Most Played" iTunes Smart Playlists; any media file play counts; last played information; and possibly some other data used only internally by iTunes.
So, if you're comfortable parting with some metadata while keeping your cherished song ratings and playlists intact during file relocation, read on to learn how to use the workaround.
Workaround Steps
The following instructions walk step-by-step through the process of this workaround.
Note: All backslashes used in file paths have been converted to forward slashes so that they will adhere with MySpace XSS security validation checks. These altered paths can still be copy/paste into Windows Vista's Explorer program once the Username is changed to the User Account where the iTunes files reside.
Preparing for the Move
Before you move your files, do the following:
1. Close iTunes.
2. Create a backup copy of the following files:
iTunes Library XML (iTunes Music Library.xml)
Note: Vista users can find the Library XML at C:/Users/Username/Music/iTunes
iTunes Music Database (iTunes Library.itl)
Note: Vista users can find the Music Database at C:/Users/Username/Music/iTunes
Moving Your Files
This part should be self explanatory, but while you do it make sure to note the following two things:
1. The path where the files were previously stored (e.g. D:/Music).
2. The path where the files will end up (e.g. E:/Music).
Execute the Fix
After your files are moved, complete the following steps to implement the fix.
Note: Do not open iTunes during this process.
Hack the iTunes Library XML
Once the files are moved the Library XML file locations will be out of sync. Follow the steps below to update them so that they now reference the correct file locations.
1. Open the iTunes Library XML with a Text Editor with a Find/Replace function.
Note: Vista users can find the Library XML at C:/Users/Username/Music/iTunes
Tip: Do not try to do this with Dreamweaver if your Library XML is greater than 10MB.
2. Perform a Find/Replace using the following inputs:
Find: Path from Step 1 of Moving Your Files
Replace: Path from Step 2 of Moving Your Files
3. Confirm your results, and then save and close the Library XML.
Delete the iTunes Music Database
Hacking the iTunes Library isn't enough to fool iTunes. Like the Library XML, the Music Database also holds the file locations of all of the media stored within the program. And it's smart enough to wipe out the Library XML hack if iTunes is opened before completing this step.
Ensure you have backed up the iTunes Music Database (iTunes Library.itl) and delete the file.
Note: Vista users can find the Music Database at C:/Users/Username/Music/iTunes
Back in iTunes
Once the fix is in place you can now open iTunes again. You will notice that all of your playlists, music and other items have vanished. In order to recover them all (with the exception of the Smart Playlists mentioned in the About the Workaround section above) we'll need to import the hacked Library XML file back into iTunes.
1. Open iTunes and press CtrlShiftO or go to File > Import…
2. Navigate to and Open your modified Library XML (as pictured below).
3. iTunes will then begin importing the contents of the XML file (as pictured below).
Note: This process may take a while, depending on the size if your library.
Wrapping Up
Once the import process is complete iTunes will look almost exactly the way you left it, with the exception that some playlists have been duplicated and the number of songs may be a hair off. To fix this problem delete any duplicate playlists in the "Library" panel in iTunes. You can now test out the changes by selecting an item moved earlier and testing it out. All that's left from there is to let iTunes perform any automated analysis it needs to do and rock on.
Other OS

Holy Smokes:
I appreciate your detailed workaround post. My question is this: I use iTunes to keep everything organized (though I'm well aware of the shortcomings...) and can use the simple solution that Chris from CA posted, but I don't have room to consolidate everything. My read on consolidating is that you copy from wherever you have your music located (and right now my music is outside of the MyMusic/iTunes folder, as that backs up to my work server) and so you have to have enough room for all of your music to be copied (and then you delete it from its prior location). That's how Apple describes it in, e.g., http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748. I ain't go that kind of room. Is there any way to make the move to a completely different PC by following the simple option? From the posting I just linked it sounds like you MUST consolidate whether you use you iPod to move things or use an external drive.
Of course, I can use your workaround, but I thought I'd ask first. Many thanks.
Windows XP Pro iPod Video 60gb

Some questions on versioning and synchronizing metadata

Hy all!
I am quite new to warehousing and Oracle Warehouse Builder, and so i would have some questions regarding on some common issues. I would appriciate if you guys would who have experience in this domain to share some good practice knowledge :)
I am using OWB 10.2
So first of all i would like to know if you have some proposal of the way of versioning control and synchronizing projects between team memebers when working on a bigger project, team memebers that don't work on the same repository (cause i saw that OWB has an integrated multiuser support for handeling object locks and user sessions).
I saw that a way of migrating data from one place to a nother is using the import/export options integrated in OWB. This creates mdl files wich are some kind of "dumps" of the metadata informations, but the thing with these mdl files wich i don't think is a good way to synchronize is that first of all the .mdx and .xml files contained in the .mdl (wich is kind of a zip) contains many informations in it (like creation date, some timestamps, etc) wich are always updated when exporting, and if synchronizing these files maybee using CVS, we always will get differences between the files alltough they would contain the same thing, only timestamps changed.
Then a nother issue with this, is that we could have 2 alternatives: dump the whole project, wich is odd to have to synchronize a single file between users, especialy on a big project, then the orher way would be doing for each object from the project (each mapping, each table, etc) an separate .mdl filem then to synchronize each file of each object, wich will be unefficient on reimporting each file in part.
So please if you can share the way you work on a big project with many implementers with OWB, i would really appriciate.
A nother thing i would like to know is: is there a way to generate from an existing project (like one created with OWB) the OMB commands dump (maybee in a tcl script)? Cause i saw that the way the exeprienced users implement warehousing is using TCL with OMB language. I downloaded the example from oracle for warehouse project, and i saw that is entirely made from tcl scripts (so no mdl file involved). And this i think would be nice, to have the OMB commands generated from an existing projects.
I see this OWB projects like a database wich can be built up from only OMB commands and OWB a graphical tool to do this (same as constructing a database only from DDL commands or using SQL developer to do this), this is why i am asking about a way of dumping the OMB commands for creating an OWB project.
Please give me some advices, and correct me if i sad some dumb things :D but i really am new to warehousing and i would really appriciate if you guys with experience could share some informations.
Thank you verry much!
Alex21

Depends. Having everyone working on the same project certainly simplifies things a lot regarding merging and is generally my preference. But I also recognize that some projects are complex enough that people wind up stepping on each other's toes if this is the case. In those cases, though, I try to minimize the issue of merging changes by having common structural objects (code libraries, tables, views, etc) retained in a single, strictly controlled, central project schema and having the developer's personal work areas reference them by synonym, thus being unable to alter them to the detriment of others.
If they want to change a common object then need to drop their synonym and make a local copy which they can alter, and then there is a managed process by which these get merged back into the main project schema.
This way any changes MUST go through a central schema, we can put processes in place to notify all of the team of any impending changes, and can also script updates across the team.
Every hour a script runs automatically that checks for dropped synonyms and notifies the project leader. It especially checks for two developers who have built local copies of the same object and notifies each that they need to coordinate with each other as they are risking a conflict. When a structural change is submitted back to the central shared schema, it is added to a batch that is installed at end of business and a list of those impending changes is circulated to the team along with impact analysis for dependencies. The install script updates the main schema, then also drops the local copy of the object in the developer's schema who made the change and re-establishes the synonym there to get back to status quo for the change monitoring. Finally, it then updates itself in all of the developer areas via OMBPlus. So, each morning the developers return to an updated and synched environment as far as the underlying structure.
This takes care of merging structural issues, and the management of the team should minimize other metadata merging by managing the worklist of who is to be working on a given mapping or process flow at a given time. Anyone found to be doing extraneous changes to a mapping or process flow when it is not in their job queue without getting pre-approval will be spoken to VERY firmly as this is counter to policy. And yes, OWB objects such as mappings are then also coordinated to the central project via import/export. OMBplus scripts also propogate these changes daily across the team as well.
Yep, there is a whole lot of scripting involved to get set up.... but it saves a ton of time merging things and solvinv conflicts down the road.
Cheers,
Mike

Playcounts and other Metadata

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for