[FAQ] Series added - asks for title for every single episode!

[Happy2k]

I tried to import a series, containing three full episodes. At first, it works fine. But here's a few issues:

PVD gets the title right - yay! It fills in the overall series info fine, but none of the episodes are filled with any info.. why?
Ok, so i select an entire season, and requests data import from theTVDB - a dialog box pops up and asks me to choose which series it is. There is.. 1 option - luckily its the right one.
At the next episode, im asked again to choose what series it is..

It shouldnt even ask.. what serie the episode belongs to, should be inherited from the series title. Anything else wouldnt make sense.


Any way to fix this? Babysitting the program through several thousand episodes, just isnt an option
Thanks in advance!

[rick.ca]

It fills in the overall series info fine, but none of the episodes are filled with any info.. why?

Generally—not for TVDb—it would take too long to download all episodes whenever a series is added. So this generally requires two steps. First, add the series. This will add episode records for whatever episodes exist, but will not add the data. So, second, select the episodes you want updated, and run the plugin. Unfortunately, only one season at a time can be updated. On the other hand, if you're adding Law & Order—and only want data for the 20th season—this is a very good thing.

In the case of TVDb, the plugin is only able to download all available data for the selected series. So you may as well just do that—I believe all the episode data will be updated (whether it needs it or not) without any further prompts. This is rather illogical if you only want to add one or two recently released episodes. You can update them separately, but there's no avoiding that prompt. No, I don't know why—I wish it would be fixed. [Edit] If the plugin is being run for the first time on a new series record, it will add all the episodes and add the episode data. In other words, it's a one-step update. To subsequently update episode data for episodes previously added, it seems to be necessary to select the episodes and update them. In other words, just as is required for other plugins. The plugin has been updated so there's no longer a confirmation prompt for each episode. There's still one prompt, apparently because the plugin has to get the series data by name, rather than URL.

BTW, I don't recommend using TVDb alone. Use IMDb to maintain the integrity of the people relationships in your database. Use TMDb to add additional information (I use it for it's better episode descriptions). For this reason, I haven't considered the case of adding a new series using only TVDb. I suppose you get the series and episode data in one step, but I'm not sure. The site is down now (another reason not to use it exclusively!), so I can't try it.

[Happy2k]

It fills in the overall series info fine, but none of the episodes are filled with any info.. why?

Generally—not for TVDb—it would take too long to download all episodes whenever a series is added. So this generally requires two steps. First, add the series. This will add episode records for whatever episodes exist, but will not add the data. So, second, select the episodes you want updated, and run the plugin.

Problem here, is that i have to confirm the series title for every single episode - that info should already be inherited from the series title.
It would be no problem if i could select an entire season, and run the update - but having to double-click for every single episode, is just too much work.

I hope it makes sense, else let me know

[rick.ca]

Are you saying it's asking you to confirm each and every episode, even though it's the series (and not a selection of episodes) you're updating?

[Happy2k]

Okay, its like this:

-- Eureka
- s01e01
- s01e02
- s01e03
- s01e04
- s01e05

The series is called Eureka, therefore the episodes within that series, should automaticly also belong to "Eureka". However, when i select episode 1 to 5, and press update, it asks me to select the title of the series. A list with 1 option pops up, and i have to select "Eureka" to proceed.

[rick.ca]

I already explained this. Don't select the episodes. Select the series record and update.

[Edit] Sorry for the confusion. I've revised my first reply to clarify.

[deazo]

 Rick, just so you know, if I select the series record only, the episodes are not getting updated, I have to select the list of episodes to update these.
 
 Using the method you described earlier (creating the series BEFORE scanning files) should solve this I guess, but I was doing it the other way round, scanning first (which would give me the type of list Happy2k has) then scraping the data from imdb.

 Now when scraping, however, I was not asked to confirm the series name each time, but I guess this is because the series name is on all my files? (Eureka S01E05.avi for example)

 Happy2k, are your files written like this: "S02E05.avi" or with the series name?
 In the imdb plugins settings, you have to tick the "episodes" box and also in the "configure" menu, you need to tick "download episodes".

[rick.ca]

Thanks, deazo. I now realize the plugin is still working, even though the TVDb website is down. I forgot that when I mass-update episodes, I use Silent mode (set at bottom of Preferences - Plugins) to prevent the prompts. Contrary to what I suggested earlier, the series and episode records (for each season) have to be updated separately—just like any other plugin.

I do strongly recommend adding a series and updating it with IMDb (to add the episodes) before scanning for media. Attempting the reverse is inefficient and error prone. That's not going to be the case if all existing episodes are in the database, and the episode files are properly named (e.g., Series title S00E00.avi).

[Happy2k]

Rick, just so you know, if I select the series record only, the episodes are not getting updated, I have to select the list of episodes to update these.
 
 Using the method you described earlier (creating the series BEFORE scanning files) should solve this I guess, but I was doing it the other way round, scanning first (which would give me the type of list Happy2k has) then scraping the data from imdb.

 Now when scraping, however, I was not asked to confirm the series name each time, but I guess this is because the series name is on all my files? (Eureka S01E05.avi for example)

 Happy2k, are your files written like this: "S02E05.avi" or with the series name?
 In the imdb plugins settings, you have to tick the "episodes" box and also in the "configure" menu, you need to tick "download episodes".

Rick, just so you know, if I select the series record only, the episodes are not getting updated, I have to select the list of episodes to update these.
 
 Using the method you described earlier (creating the series BEFORE scanning files) should solve this I guess, but I was doing it the other way round, scanning first (which would give me the type of list Happy2k has) then scraping the data from imdb.

 Now when scraping, however, I was not asked to confirm the series name each time, but I guess this is because the series name is on all my files? (Eureka S01E05.avi for example)

 Happy2k, are your files written like this: "S02E05.avi" or with the series name?
 In the imdb plugins settings, you have to tick the "episodes" box and also in the "configure" menu, you need to tick "download episodes".

An example af en episode: Eureka - s02e01 - 720p - Phoenix Rising.mkv


rick.ca -->

I just tried creating the series first, then adding the episodes, and.. Slightly better..
If i add season 1+2+3, it loads the info just fine, but! It also adds season 4 to the list - eventho it wasnt in the folder i just scanned.

Rest of the episodes are perfect - title is correct, info is there. Its good! But.. It adds the entire series - all episodes, even those not present in the folder i just scanned.

[nostra]

The TVDB plugin was improved recently. The new version should only ask once for the right series title if episodes are selected.

[Happy2k]

The TVDB plugin was improved recently. The new version should only ask once for the right series title if episodes are selected.

Not if you let PVD scan for files, so it adds the series by itself. Then it asks every single time - and the episodes names will be something like #1.1, #1.2 etc.

And even if you add the series title first and then scan for files - then it adds ALL episodes from that series, even those that are not present in the scanned folder.

[rick.ca]

It adds the entire series - all episodes, even those not present in the folder i just scanned.

Of course. Adding a series has nothing to do with whether or not you have the media. You can delete episodes and entire seasons if you want. But it doesn't make much sense to me not to have a complete record of a series. Filters can be used to display only those that you want to see (e.g., those for which media exists and have not been viewed).

The TVDB plugin was improved recently. The new version should only ask once for the right series title if episodes are selected.

Oops. I didn't notice that. Among other problems I've had getting a handle on this one. I've edited my first post in an attempt to clarify.

I still wonder if the plugin is working correctly. Even with all fields selected in Overwrite fields..., all I get for an episode is the description. There's no guest stars (I would expect that to be put into Actors), director or writer—even though that data exists at the website. Is there something wrong with the plugin, or is this episode-level data not included in the API? I've never noticed this before because I've always just used this for the episode descriptions.


Happy2k, I'm sorry for the earlier confusion. If you intend to use theTVDb for series data, this would seem to be the most efficient approach:

0. Select Help - Check for updates to make sure you have the latest version of the plugin.

1. Manually add a new record with just the name of the series (I tested this with Eureka). Run the TVDb plugin. This will add all existing episodes, although—as mentioned above—I'm only getting descriptions.

2. With the series record still selected, run the IMDb plugin to add people, and whatever other data is desired/preferred from that source. This will add all the people associated with the series from its inception to date—in a manner consistent with other people records in the database.

3. If you also want episode data from the IMDb, select all the movies for a season and run the plugin (you can only update one season at a time).

4. Scan folders to add whatever media you have to these records. As long as the files are named properly (e.g., Eureka S01E01.avi) and the necessary regex is in the scanner configuration, your files will be properly matched.

[Happy2k]

It adds the entire series - all episodes, even those not present in the folder i just scanned.

Of course. Adding a series has nothing to do with whether or not you have the media. You can delete episodes and entire seasons if you want. But it doesn't make much sense to me not to have a complete record of a series. Filters can be used to display only those that you want to see (e.g., those for which media exists and have not been viewed).

Thats just not really a good way to do it Like adding the first Harry Potter, and then you get all six... get the point?

But ok.. i tried first adding a new entry, named Eureka - and then updating it from theTVDB, and then IMDB. Again, all seasons gets added.
Scanning the folder adds the episodes with no problem - but again, all seasons are present, which is not wanted.

Deleted everything and started from scratch. This time, i would add the Eureka directory, without making the "Eureka" entry first.
I choose to get data from theTVDB and to get no poster. Moments later.. Season 1+2+3 is now added - yay! Season 4 has not been added, just like i wanted. But.. it loaded the poster, eventho i didnt ask it to do so.
And the episodes are now called #1.1, #1.2, #1.3 etc. But ok, i should be able to update it, right? Wrong!
IMDB - "No movies found ". theIMDB:




This is getting kinda annoying PVD should be able to do a mix of the above! Why cant it automaticly add season 1+2+3 with the correct episode title?

[rick.ca]

Scanning the folder adds the episodes with no problem - but again, all seasons are present, which is not wanted.

So you're saying it works perfectly, except that it includes a season that you don't want to see. Rather than select that season and press delete, you'd rather do a completely different way which I've already explained isn't nearly as effective. Yes, you are getting kinda annoying.

Posting a screen shot of an exception notification doesn't tell us anything. If you're concerned about it, use the "send bug report" button.

[deazo]

 One small detail Happy2k, kind off stupid but you might have not noticed it:
 I have recently used these scripts (Imdb and TVDB) to update series, and I too had the problem of the episode title being displayed as #1.1, #2.2 and so on.
 However I had noticed that the episode title was properly displayed in the information card (the list on the left however would still show #1.1, #2.2 etc.)
 Restarting pvd made them all appear poperly.

[Happy2k]

Scanning the folder adds the episodes with no problem - but again, all seasons are present, which is not wanted.

So you're saying it works perfectly, except that it includes a season that you don't want to see. Rather than select that season and press delete, you'd rather do a completely different way which I've already explained isn't nearly as effective. Yes, you are getting kinda annoying.

Posting a screen shot of an exception notification doesn't tell us anything. If you're concerned about it, use the "send bug report" button.

Its not episodes i dont want to see - its episodes that i dont own! So when adding 3500 episodes, i will have no clue about how many "fake" episodes i have. I only want the list to contain what i actually got - just like with the movies.. which btw works fine. 1 movie scanned, 1 movie added - thats the way.

Again, let me use this example: You add the first Harry Potter movie, and PVD automaticly adds the remaining 5 movies. You then have a list of six movies, where you actually only own one of them.. Is this a feature you like? Let say you add 1x Harry Potter, 1x Resident Evil, 1x Transporter, 1x Rambo, 1x Rocky... idealy you would have 5 movies on your list - and so you do! Because movies import works just fine. But when adding a series, i dont want anything else, but the episodes i scan in my folder.

When i then use the other method, that adds just the episodes i have and nothing more - no info is added, the episodes are named #1.1, #1.2 etc., and im unable to update. Thats what the screenshot was for - to show that the updater failed. So of course i'd like a mix of those two - where i can scan a folder, and only the present episodes are added to the list, with info and correct episode name.

Also, i think there's a small bug - because when importing and "poster" is unticked, a poster is downloaded and added anyway.

 One small detail Happy2k, kind off stupid but you might have not noticed it:
 I have recently used these scripts (Imdb and TVDB) to update series, and I too had the problem of the episode title being displayed as #1.1, #2.2 and so on.
 However I had noticed that the episode title was properly displayed in the information card (the list on the left however would still show #1.1, #2.2 etc.)
 Restarting pvd made them all appear poperly.

The information card says #1.1 here. I tried closing and opening like you suggested - nothing changed.

What i did when adding the series, was:
1) Scan folder (the folder contains 3 seasons)
2) Get information from IMDB (to get the cross reference with actors)
3) Choose "Eureka" 2006 from the list
4) Only the episodes in the folder is added - just like you would want
5) File info is read correctly, and is added to the info card

Here's what doesnt work then:
- Info card is blank, no info at all
- Episodes are named #1.1, #1.2 etc.
- Importing info from IMDB does not work - says: "No movies found "
- Importing info from theTVDB works better, but it asks for series title at every episode.
- Even after importing info with theTVDB, the title of the episode is still #1.1 etc.


How have you done it, since yours work?

I also tried this method:
1) Add "New movie master" - added the title "Eureka".
2) Scanned the folder with three seasons.
x) All the episodes are correctly added, but like i said earlier, so are all the other episodes not present in that folder.

So what doesnt work with this method:
- Adds episodes to the list, that are not in the scanned folder.
- Some episodes have no description.
- Updating info gives a pop-up for every episode.


So what do i do wrong? Must be something..

[deazo]

 OK this is how I do it (see all screens attached to this message and the next one, ' in each).
 The TVdb script does not ask me for series titles, and I did not set the plugins to silent mode. I attached a screen of the settings of that plugin.
 When running the imdb script it asks me once or twice to confirm the episode, that's because the title is quite common. I can set it to silent mode though.

 Hope this helps.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[deazo]

 OK I forgot to add that I scanned the files first, just like you.

NOTE: I restarded PVD between screen 4 and 5


[attachment deleted by admin]

[rick.ca]

Its not episodes i dont want to see - its episodes that i dont own!
...
So what do i do wrong? Must be something.

What you're doing wrong is assuming you understand how the program works or doesn't work or should work, and then not listening to the advice you're being given. I told you before there's a filter for media "owned." With that set, only the episodes that you own would be visible. How can you possibly object to that? It would only take about 1/2 second per season to delete them, but there's no good reason to do that. The information provides a complete history of the series, and might even be used if additional seasons are acquired later.

The other method—as you've discovered—is hopelessly inefficient and a PITA. While it's understandable you would want it to work this way, your inability to accept that it doesn't is not. Considering the recommended method is effective and is always going to be more efficient, it seems very unlikely any development effort will be wasted on improving it.

[Happy2k]

deazo --> Gonna give it a shot in a few minutes! Thanks!

EDIT: If i do it like you, i still get asked for the title at every episode. Could it have something to do with im running in "portable mode" ?
When the info is updated, the episode name doesnt change, it says with #1.1 etc.

Its not episodes i dont want to see - its episodes that i dont own!
...
So what do i do wrong? Must be something.

What you're doing wrong is assuming you understand how the program works or doesn't work or should work, and then not listening to the advice you're being given. I told you before there's a filter for media "owned." With that set, only the episodes that you own would be visible. How can you possibly object to that? It would only take about 1/2 second per season to delete them, but there's no good reason to do that. The information provides a complete history of the series, and might even be used if additional seasons are acquired later.

The other method—as you've discovered—is hopelessly inefficient and a PITA. While it's understandable you would want it to work this way, your inability to accept that it doesn't is not. Considering the recommended method is effective and is always going to be more efficient, it seems very unlikely any development effort will be wasted on improving it.

Yes, you told me i could filter that - but i asked if it were possible to setup the PVD to not add them at all. Thats what i would prefer - thats what seems most logical to me. But it sounds like that isnt possible, so i will have to try the filter you talk about.

Okay, so i figure its the filter called "Movies on Hard drives"? That seems to work ok. I gotta say, the opposite filter can actually help me locate missing episodes - so this might be a better solution. Thanks for holding out so long

But i still have an "info" problem. s03e14 to s03e18 and the entire season 4, got not info - rest is loaded the first time. Bug maby? When importing, i will get a pop-up at every episode.

If i use silent mode, that will mean, that if it guesses wrong on a movie title - it will name it with a wrong title?