iTunes library 'catch-up'

[Sesshi]

I copied some tracks into my main iTunes library without going through iTunes, i.e. I just copied the tracks over into the music folder.

What is the best way to get iTunes to pick up these new tracks without losing prior playcounts, etc?

 

[tombarnes]

Do you mean you are copying them from one computer to another? Or from one user to another? Or from one hard drive to another? The thing is, playcounts don't get saved in the song file, they get saved in a file called 'iTunes Music Library.xml' which links itself to a computer or user on a computer, so the playcounts are unique to computer, not the song file itself. In other words, when you copy songs from one library to another (even if you put it dirctly in the iTunes library folder in 'Music') the playcount doesn't carry accross with them.

There may be some small apps out there which overcome this, but i've not seen any.

Sorry!

Tom

 

[Sesshi]

All my tracks are held on a NAS. The Mac Mini connects to the NAS.

I copied additional files into the NAS. I need the Mac Mini to be updated with the additional tracks, which have already been copied into the NAS, without disturbing the playcounts/status of the tracks already registered in the current iTunes library file.

And no, I don't remember each album I copied over.

 

[frankblundt]

Can you find them using a specific Finder search for modification/creation dates or such like? then just drag them onto the iTunes icon and it'll add them to the Library.

Alternatively, but much more tedious, create a new folder (on the same drive so it moves the files rather than copying them), make that your default iTunes folder, consolidate your library to it, and whatever is left over is what wasn't added..

 

[Sesshi]

Er... no, because I did some other library (files, not the iTunes library itself) juggling before I realised the implications for iTunes. I still keep thinking in Windows mode (where I had a much more versatile piece of software to use).

In all the time I've lived with iTunes my #1 gripe is that there's no way for it to scan the music folder and automatically incorporate any changes. It's a real pain for example when I want a computer other than the one containing the iTunes library to rip new material. One of the reasons I like the Mac iTunes better than the Windows equivalent is that it seems to be more extensible, and indeed there are a couple of Applescript addins I find indispensable.

But is there no way of automatically scanning an existing library, reconciling existing tracks and incorporating new files?

 

[frankblundt]

not that i'm aware of. It'd be nice tho - I must have rebuilt my Library 50 times.

Now, I rip on a bunch of different machines (to a network volume), but only one at a time, using duplicates of the Library file and then copying them back to the master when i'm done

vv edit] maybe they've fixed that function - last time i tried it (a while back) it just duplicated the entries.. it would make a lot of sense tho.

 

[PlaceofDis]

can't you, and i could be wrong, go to "add to library" and select your iTunes Music folder and have it scan the whole thing and it'll just add the new tracks? i could have sworn i've done this before but it was a while back and i can't remember correctly. if i was still at home i'd do a test run for you...

 

[Sesshi]

You know what? Turning off the 'copy tracks' option added the new tracks without drama.

So obvious...