Episodes or child pages - setting up folders and files for scaning by PVD

[chase]

Hi -

New to PVD and have started creating a db of all my tutorials and personal vids.

My question conserns child pages or "episode" pages and how do I set up my files and folders so I can just scan them for new movies and have it auto add them to the correct Parent DB page?

Right now I have them named
01. XYZ.FLV
02. XYZ.FLV
03. XYZFLV
and so on

Folders are set up like so:

Tutorials
- Cinema 4D
-- Maxon Videos
--- Quick Tips
---- C4D R13
----- 01. XYZ.movie file
----- 02. XYZ.movie file
----- 03. XYZ.movie file
---- C4D R12
----- 01. XYZ.movie file
----- 02. XYZ.movie file
----- 03. XYZ.movie file


- Blender 3D
-- CG Tuts
--- Create XYZ in Blender

Problem is I can't figure out how to get them to scan as episodes when set up this way.

They all come in as seperate video's and I have to manually put them in - adding a new child page or episode page for each video.

I did do an experiment in which i scanned my main tutoral file folder - all my tutorials and it did set a couple of them up with child / episode pages with the appropriate video.

But there was no label nor the correct "season"

And I couldn't see what difference in the way they were named for a reason as to why it put them in a child page or "episode" or what makes it a "season" number.

I could use some help on this as I'm currently going through all my tutorials - naming them appropriatley - sorting them etc etc.

Oh - one other question - In regards to the 1000 limit - does a child page count towards that 1000? or is that limit for number of parent pages only and you can have as many child pages as needed?

I ask because - In some series of videos - I have say 100 episodes that go with that 1 series.

So... does that leave 999 records i can add to the DB still or only 899?

tia
- chase -

PS: I just printed / saved pdf's of your help and manual files - do you want a copy of the pdfs?
Your welcome to them incase someone wants to download the help manual
- I did
.. stating the obvious, that's why i made the pdfs...

let me know and I'll attach them to a thread.

[Chamuelm]

hi! i have this problem too.
please answer 

[nostra]

In Preferences  -> File Scanner, you can define how PVD handles file names using regular expressions and a couple of options.
It could be a little tricky thou with such short and similar names...

[chase]

Thanx Nostra - I'll take a look and see if i can figure out something.

btw - those are not actual files names - just a sample of how they appear. Most are longer.

Can I have PVD use a folder name and sub/episode all file inside that folder?

I have some of my folders labeled (for intance) by program version.

In the case C4D for example:

The tutorial site / maker labeled folder like "Cineversity"
then inside
"Quick Tips"
Inside that - by app version such as R11, R11.5, R12, R13

and the files or "eppisodes" or tutorial movies for that software version inside that folder.

Can it be set up to list movies like the following:

Maxon Videos
Quick Tips (main heading or original title)
(Season)R11.5
(Season)R12
(Season)R13

and then the file names/movie names /episodes inside each "season"?

I take it with the proper scripting it can?

[rick.ca]

Regular Expressions work by recognizing patterns. While default are regex provided, they're designed to recognize a variety of different file naming patterns for movies and series. They won't be of much use in this unique situation—other than perhaps serving as a guide for files organized in a way similar to series. For example, if your files were organized by [Series] - [Season] - [Episode]. [Episode Title] (where [Season] and [Episode] are integers, but all fields are used for whatever you want them to mean) then one simple regex would recognize the pattern and effectively capture those values. Handling variations in the pattern is a little more challenging, but still possible. That's done by adding another regex that matches the different pattern, and then making sure the two regex are mutually exclusive or if they're not, they're placed in the correct order so the right one is applied (the processing stops when a match is found).

It seems this would require some renaming of your existing files. Applying a series structure PVD will understand suggests...

Series	Maxon Videos - Quick Tips
Season	1, 2, 3... instead of R11, R11.5, R12...
Episode	1, 2, 3... arbitrary or meaningful, but required
Episode Title	Whatever you want it to be

Thus far, I haven't said anything meant to imply exactly what the file pathname pattern should be—only that these elements must be identifiable in the pattern. The current pathname of...

..\Tutorials\Cinema 4D\Maxon Videos\Quick Tips\C4D R13\01. XYZ.ext

...could be handled by one regex—if it's consistent. By that I mean (counting folders from the end)...

Series	Folders 3 & 2 (yes, the title would include a '\')
Season	One or more digits at the end of folder 1
Episode	One or more digits at the beginning of the filename
Episode Title	Filename following any number of digits and '. '

There can be any number of different variation handled by different regex. If, for example, folder 2 doesn't always end in a release number (i.e., there is only one release, or it's not applicable), a regex based on it's existence would fail. Another one that ignores folder 1 and doesn't attempt to capture [Season] would be used. Matched episodes would end up in Season 0.

I don't know how you intend to use this information, but Tutorials, Cinema 4D, Maxon Videos and Quick Tips can all be entered in separate existing or custom fields (e.g., [Genre], [Studio], [Medium], [Type]) for grouping, sorting, searching, etc.).

If you don't already have something in mind, consider how you might use the People fields to maintain useful data related the videos. Your videos probably don't have actors, but they might have different people involved in some capacity. More likely, there are tools or techniques involved in their production you might want to keep track of. Then the database can answer questions like, "What videos did I use this technique in?"

You probably already know you can create or modify an existing skin to suit this data. What's not so obvious is you can modify a language file to change the captions in the program to ones more appropriate for what you're using the program for. For an illustration, see Personal Anything Database?

[chase]

Thank you very much Rick.

have to copy this and save it so I can take a look at it tonight.

I don't know how you intend to use this information, but Tutorials, Cinema 4D, Maxon Videos and Quick Tips can all be entered in separate existing or custom fields (e.g., [Genre], [Studio], [Medium], [Type]) for grouping, sorting, searching, etc.).

I really like your suggestion and it's following my same thought pattern.

If you don't already have something in mind, consider how you might use the People fields to maintain useful data related the videos. Your videos probably don't have actors, but they might have different people involved in some capacity. More likely, there are tools or techniques involved in their production you might want to keep track of. Then the database can answer questions like, "What videos did I use this technique in?"

I thought of using the People side of PVD too... because I do have some favorite tutorial hosts.
Some do have actors and I've been using the actor area to input them for now.
I've been using the Director slot for the Tutorial host at the moment.

I have added a couple custom area's to cover "Additionitional Plugin's" and "Additional softwares"
Been a long time since I played with trying to put something like this together and figuring out what should be included and the best way to catagorize things... pretty much trial and error for me right now. At least it is getting organized to some sor to of order on my drives as I am moving all my tutorials to another drive... labeling them - renaming them organizing them via App version etc etc. More work than I thought it would be but - it's coming along.

You probably already know you can create or modify an existing skin to suit this data. What's not so obvious is you can modify a language file to change the captions in the program to ones more appropriate for what you're using the program for. For an illustration, see Personal Anything Database?

Yeah- I saw that straight away - and one of the reasons I chose PVD over many other video DB's. The customization features I think will allow me to use PVD for my tutorials - as well as for regular movie db.

XML is pretty easy - I remember most of it from web design. And have some thoughts on a custom page for tuts. I will definitly check out that link you provided as a starting point.

The RegEX is new to me... has me a tad baffled at the moment trying to figure out what PVD is looking for via the expressions. I can make out part of them - as they are pretty obvious - but some parts I haven't a clue what they do yet. There's a link I remember in the help file for PVD that is to MS coding page - (i haven't been there yet[MS] - just thinking back to what it mentioned)

Once i have this figured out - problems should be solved. Of course I want to make changes to hopefully be as little work as possible from the default downloaded file names.
I'm all over the place right now - trying out different file and folder names / labels and symbols. Limiting my new HD to around 200 tuts till I can get the pattern and every thing figured out to where I can bring in my entire collection and of course - I'm downloading more all the time.

In the end I hope to share the DB with others... so they can add there own in but have a starting point with the one I'm creating.

I did try to run two seperate installs of PVD - renaming one to PTD (Personal Tutoral DB) and leaving the other as PVD 09 - Definitly did not work - crashed them both and I lost most all my data. lol

I did so to get seperate set of preference settings to stick per data base. PReferences I have for Movies and catagories obviously I don't need for the Tutorials.

What you suggested - helps a lot in figuring this all out.
I want to add also something like Basic - Beginner - Intermediate and Advanced catagories.

Preview movie of course. I kinda have that figured out - kinda... ;-) I've got it to play the preview first before starting the tutorial via scan every time...

Any help or suggestions on how to set it up - is 100% greatly appricated.

But from what I see - it's going to kick butt when done. I love it so far. Makes life so much easier just with what i have together thus far.
Fine tune this puppy - get all the settings right - nothing will touch it as far as a Tut data base.
I even got it to work with my PDF tutorials. Gotta love it!!!

[rick.ca]

I did try to run two seperate installs of PVD - renaming one to PTD (Personal Tutoral DB) and leaving the other as PVD 09 - Definitly did not work - crashed them both and I lost most all my data. lol

You can use any number of separate installs but running the additional ones with the -portable switch. The configuration file is then saved in the installation folder, which is also the logical place to save the database—to ensure it's not used by other installations. If you fail run an additional installation in portable mode, it will use the default configuration (stored in the Application Data folder) which in turn can cause the wrong database to be loaded.

Preview movie of course. I kinda have that figured out - kinda... ;-) I've got it to play the preview first before starting the tutorial via scan every time.

If you have a preview for a tutorial, and would always want to play it first followed by the tutorial, you could simple include both files in [File Path]. Unfortunately, the file scanning system will have difficulty adding and maintaining two files (e.g., when it finds one, it may suggest it as a replacement for the other). I do this with movie trailers, but I keep the trailers in a separate folder and add them to [File Path] manually.

[chase]

- portable switch - got it. I'll try it tonight.

which reminds me I need to re-down the portable PVD.

Yeah I found  that keeping them both in the file path was what worked and then I label the preview 01 in the file name first and the main 02. keeps them in order.

As far as your previous post suggesting putting the "season number" in the folder name last
and the episode number in the file name first followed by the "episode title name" and a "."

It didn't work and i tried every variation i could think of there of.

What I have so far is this:

Tutorials\Cinema 4D\Maxon Video\Quick Tips\ Quick Tips R12.<episode #>.<file name or episode title>.ext
and
Tutorials\Cinema 4D\Maxon Video\Quick Tips\ Quick Tips R13.<episode #>.<file name or episode title>.ext

and so on...
All files in the same folder
The above way works as well as the below way works:

Tutorials\Cinema 4D\Maxon Video\Quick Tips R12\ Quick Tips.<episode #>.<file name or episode tile>.ext

Tutorials\Cinema 4D\Maxon Video\Quick Tips  R13\ Quick Tips. <episode #>.<file name or episode title>.ext

with each folder containing all the tutorials for each App version in seperate folders.

What I can not for the life of me get it to do is add the <episode title> it always adds the title as #1.<episode #> in the episode title space.

Nothing I've done yet changes that.

Nor can i get it to change the <season #> it always comes up again as either season 1 or one time i got it to change add a season 2 but that was manually changing the season number in edit mode.

I've cut it down to ten files to work with in two folders just to try and get the setting right.

I'm also getting a 1101 error code each time it brings in a file - have since the beginning. Not sure if that matters or not.

And the Solo Snapshot taker doesn't work - I thought it might bedue to the file type since it has opened a couple times -but never worked.

The Auto snapshot taker works though.

I'm going to look at that link you gave in your previous post - the Personal Anything Database. See if that will help me get further along as well.

While online this time I'll copy it and take a look at it tonight as well.

BTW - here are a few of the PVD Help files I converted to PDF.
They are current as of a week or so ago.
you can do what you want with them.

I find them handy since I'm not always online for reference. So every one is welcome to them.
I'll upload the rest when i get time to convert them. I have a lot to do when i get online so - no promises as to when - but I'll try to get them asap.

(note: okay I discovered you can't upload pdf files to the forum but - here are the ones I did so far in a rar file)

includes the following pages of the help section:

Scripting
Export
Skins
Preferences Part 1 and Part 2

Dang nab it... this forum is picky about file formats
here they are in a zip file... lol

[attachment deleted by admin]

[rick.ca]

which reminds me I need to re-down the portable PVD.

It's not a separate version of the program. All you need to do is use the switch.

It didn't work and i tried every variation i could think of there of.

You're not going to get anywhere with this while ignoring the regex in the configuration. The default regex are intended to work for commonly-used filenames for movies and series—not tutorial videos. Use Utility to test regular expressions for extracting movie data from file names to test your own regex (or whether an existing one will work for a given filename).

[chase]

It's not a separate version of the program. All you need to do is use the switch.

Okay... so were is the switch??
- I have the Desktop version from the download page and installed the Portable version on USB this morning.

btw - After installing the Portable version I found the pvdconfig.ini file in it you mentined in the other thread - but not the desktop version of .09... so I'm getting more confused here.

There are two download links for PVD - one for the Desktop version of .09 and one for the Portable version of .09 on the download page. I realize they are the same program but... ones portable and one is desktop right?

You're not going to get anywhere with this while ignoring the regex in the configuration. The default regex are intended to work for commonly-used filenames for movies and series—not tutorial videos. Use Utility to test regular expressions for extracting movie data from file names to test your own regex (or whether an existing one will work for a given filename).

I see... downloaded your link file and I'll start there and apply your suggestions.

This is my first attempt at working with Databases and I'm not familiar with this coding launguage a whole lot. REGex is new to me... so please bare with me - I'm trying...

EDit - I'm also checking out your sticky thread File Scanner and Regular Expressions to see what I can learn about RegEX there as well.

[rick.ca]

I realize they are the same program but... ones portable and one is desktop right?

I have no idea why separate 'versions' are posted. AFAIK, they're identical. Maybe the portable version is packaged to comply with somebody's standard for USB stick installation.

By 'switch' we mean 'command line switch'. Run the program with a shortcut using '..\viddb.exe -portable' or use the portable.bat file provided.

REGex is new to me...

There are lots of introductory resources available (I believe the topic you found includes some). You don't have to become an expert to understand the rather straightforward use of regex for matching filenames.

[chase]

By 'switch' we mean 'command line switch'. Run the program with a shortcut using '..\viddb.exe -portable' or use the portable.bat file provided.

Discovered that over the weekend actually - and today read your Help page - "
Getting Started" I highly recommend that to anyone reading this. It explains all you were talking about conserning the "switch"

I took a look at that RegEx tester - can't make heads or tails out of it... yet. Ididn't have time to explore RegEx this week-end. To be honest I'm not dying to jump into learning another scripting launguage. But will look at it.

I can certainly see why you stated you were at wits end trying to figure out some of it.
I thought i had it figured out - it scaned all the files correctly - put them in the right episode number which correlated to to the software version number and even added the episode titile!

So I set out and renamed 200 files - and it worked beautifully but noticed I missed naming the second to last file correctly - renamed it correctly and rescaned and ...BAM!
The whole thing fell apart..
It wouldn't scan correctly anymore... no matter what i did... even deleting the database didn't work, so I gave up at that point.

I do have a data base i started with it - I manually put in the episodes and make corrections - good enough for the moment - scanning includes most of them and does put them in some episode headings - faster than doing each by hand for sure.

So I'm still happy with PVD. and will work on learning more about Regulaur Expressions as I go. My interest is in learning the software and expressions I need to use for them - more so than the database, I'm sure you understand.

I did take a look at the templates as well - they are going to be real easy to come up with new ones. I optimized a few I had downloaded from here  - corrected one of them and will post them in a new thread for everyone.

I really want to get my hands on the gui template and change the artwork... make it more modern.
As i did with things like the Stars and tool bar this morning...

You might like the new Rating artwork - I made the stars into a meter - like on a sound board. or amplifier. I'd like to make it better / different still - but i need the gui template for that.

Hey thanx again Rick for all the help.

[rick.ca]

I really want to get my hands on the gui template and change the artwork... make it more modern.

AFAIK, there's no such thing as a GUI template. What you've found in the \Images folder are likely the only elements that can be modified by the user.