itunes renamed filename as tracks?

I've sent you an email with a return address, but in general you can post the images up to any publicly visible web space and then place a standard html img tag within your post.

All the scripts on my site work by selecting one or more tracks in the iTunes interface and then running the script. It would seem you've managed to get that far if you're being asked for the correct number of tracks to process.

The script lacks robust error checking but should have worked if things were as you originally described them. I'm pretty sure the error will be caused by your folder names NOT being in the pattern <Artist> - <Album>.
(Just checked, and I get the same error if there is no " - " in the folder name.)

I'll post up a new version shortly...
I've posted up a new version at the same link. This assumes that you've used the more normal <Some path>\<Artist>\<Album>\<Filename>.<Ext> layout. It should still work slightly more sensibly if you don't have this layout first, though it should be easy enough to rename the folders before import to iTunes if you want. Again the script assumes the filename is in the *D## T##.<ext>* layout you've previously described and will not produce sensible results if the filename does not conform.

The reason for disabling *Copy to iTunes Media folder when adding to the library* is that iTunes is then connected to the copy of the file *with its original file name and folders*. The script can read this information and update iTunes and the file's internal tag with the data. When everything is correctly labeled in iTunes you can turn the feature back on and condolidate the tracks which will make copies inside the iTunes folder.

Note I suggested that you make a backup copy of the original media folder first to ensure that even if my script makes matters worse you can at least go back to where you started.



tt2

Message was edited by: turingtest2

Always a pleasure to help out...

Once you know the process works, and you've got all the source files in the same layout, you can import them all and then process them all together in one hit. Since iTunes rewrites the database after every edit the process can be a little slow but you shouldn't need to supervise once it has started.

Rearranging a few folders by hand is easy enough, but if you've also got content with a different file name layout I can probably tweak things for that without too much effort. Again, the original TagFromFilename script might prove useful.

Futher tips on organising the audiobooks at Audiobooks on iPods and general iTunes organisation at Grouping tracks into Albums.

tt2

allesim wrote:
Dear TT2

I have not received yet your email: when I receive I will show some screen shots.

I sent a message a while back... Anti-spam perhaps?

Here some refinements which I wish you can implement.
1. my final goal is to have ALL files copied into C:\iTunes, to sync with my iPad and my iPhones, since Disk Usage and space is not an issue for me.
I wish I can keep my original MP3s into separates places in my hard disk.

No problem, as long as space isn't an issue you can keep as many copies as you like.

2. What I did is to use your script to modify my files, then I re-enabled "copy files into iTunes Media Folder" and I am now importing my audio books one by one

Just to clarify... Whichever option you have for *Copy files into iTunes Media Folder when adding to the library* affects all subsequent imports until you change it again. If you have already connected iTunes to some files that are outside of the iTunes Media folder then iTunes will stay connected to those files unless you opt to consolidate them, in which case new copies will be made inside the iTunes Media folder and iTunes will update the references to point to the new copies.

3. I noted that album name is truncated in winodws explorer but NOT in iTunes! For example, I am now working on Dalai Lama - Emotional Awareneed read by Richard Gere and Paul Elkman. I see that is it truncated: in other words my windows explorer shows: c:\iTunes\Music\Dalai Lama\Emotional Awareness, read by Richard Ger

By contrast, iTunes windows shows the full name (= "Emotional Awareness, read by Richard Gere and Paul Ekman"... I am a bit puzzled.

iTunes imposes a 40 character limit on folder and filenames (inc. the file extention). This "feature" bugs me too. Turning off "Keep the iTunes Media folder organised" will let you copy files into the iTunes Media folder first, arrange them how you want and then import them into iTunes without them being rearranged. I also have a script which lets me rearrange tracks the way I want rather than the way iTunes would do it, but since my rules are proably rather quirky I've not made it public as yet. At some point I hope to make a version where the rules can be set out in a few declarations near the beginning of the script which would be more suitable for general release.

4. The progressive number is reset at any CD: this means that the first column on itunes goes from 1 to 12 (12 corresponds to name: "Emotional Awareness, read by Richard Gere and Paul Ekman D01 T12")...

then the progressive number restarts from 1 (corresponding to name: Emotional Awareness, read by Richard Gere and Paul Ekman D02 T01).
Is this normal? Will it affect the way it will be reproduced on my ipod?
Why the progressive number does not proceed to 13 when I reach D02 T01 ?

Yes this is normal. See my comments on One cover for multi-disc album. As long as both disc & track numbers are there tracks should play in the correct order. Audiobooks may need filenames to be ordered alphabetically which the script I've given you should also achieve. As it happens I have another script for automating the process of updating track number on subsequent discs, e.g. adding say 20 onto all the track numbers of disc 2. I've yet to get to the point where it can process multiple discs at once but it does save a bit of manual clicking & typing. I'll try to post it up later on.

Thanks a lot!
SA

You're welcome.

tt2

allesim wrote:
now a different but related topic.

I understand that I used a very unsophisticated method of encoding my Audiobooks which are all orginally in audio CD format...

What is
1. the most popular enconding way (from Audio CD to mp3) in order to be most efficient when reproducing on iTunes and iPod/iPhone?
Artist - Album - D0x T0y.mp3 ? or
Album - Artist - D0x T0y.mp3 ? or
Album - Track no.mp3 or else?

As long as all the tag information is embedded in the file, the folder and file names really don't matter.

2. What is your preferred way? yes I am very curious to know it, if you do not mind.

To my mind the <Album Artist>\<Album>\## <Name> layout is fairly uncontentious.

This is pretty much what iTunes does apart from limiting the file & folder names to 40 characters. Personally I use a scheme which allows up to the filing system limit of 255 characters for each folder or file name.

Some characters such as " are not permited in filenames. iTunes replaces all such characters with _ whereas my personal preference is more complex. For example a double quote becomes two singe quotes, : becomes ; and ? is just omitted. Other illegal characters are replaced with -. There are also some complex rules about what to do with file & folder names that would begin or end with a space or dot that I wouldn't dare try to recall from memory.

iTunes only puts in a (normally one digit) leading disc number if it knows there is more than one disc. If needed it is followed by a space. My preference is for sequential track numbers over the whole album with no disc number in the filename.

Another personal tactic is to place guest artists into the track tile and the artist onto the end of the track filename when it is different from the album artist. E.g.
...\Various Artists\Now 56\01 Where Is The Love \[Feat. Justin Timberlake\] - The Black Eyed Peas.mp3

This gives all the information required to rebuild the tag from the filename & path just in case.

I should add that once your files are tagged and accessible from your application it really shouldn't matter too much how they are laid out in the filing system. I generally recommend people just let iTunes get on with it. However before I started using iTunes I had an iRiver which I navigated via the folder structure and having developed a system I like I'm reluctant to let it go.

Other aspects not already mentioned are having Comedy, Classical & Soundtracks in separate folders, splitting the general music collection into subfolders 123, A, B, C... Z, having "The Artist" or "The Album" stored as "Artist, The" or "Album, The" etc. etc. Like I said, it's quirky.

tt2

As promised I've uploaded AddToTrackNumber.vbs to my iTunes scripts page. Use for example to add the number of tracks on disc one onto all of the track numbers of disc two so that the tracks are sequentially numbered across both discs. For larger multi-disc albums simply repeat for subsequent discs adding the number of tracks on the previous discs. At some point I'll try to write an updated version that can automatically sequence or unsequence multiple discs, checking that all tracks are from the same album and updating the total no. of tracks fields.

tt2

allesim wrote:
Dear tt2

1.
I have tried your second script. It works perfectly. Now track # from my second CD shows as 13, 14,...27, instead of 1,2, 14.

You said that this is only a cosmetically change, since reproduction on iPod would anyway be fine, no matter if I change or not the track #. Did I understand correctly?
I mean if on my ipod I open the entire audiobook (96 tracks) ipod will play sequentially from track # 1 (1st CD encoded as mp3) through # 12 (1st CD) than track #1 (2nd CD) through #12 (2nd CD) ....is that right?

Yes, as long as the tracks all have the same album title and have both disc & track numbers set correctly then they will play in the correct order as audio tracks, i.e. if the *Media Kind* is set to Music. If you tell iTunes that these tracks are Audiobooks, i.e. change the *Media Kind* to Audiobook, then access them via the iPod's audiobooks menu they will also play in the correct order because their track names are also arranged in alhabetical order, <Book> D## T##.

2.
If you have time it would be nice to have your script work on the whole audiobook (96 tracks in my case ) instead of having a limit of 50 tracks.

I put a limit of 50 in the AddToTrackNumber script to guard against accidentally running the script on too many tracks. Of course the maximum number of tracks on a single disc is 99 so this would be a more appropriate value. I've updated the script accordingly.

3.
Also a nice feature could be to combine both scripts, so that, in just one step I can have both functions (introducing album-artist tags and renaming tracks #), but, of course, I am more than satisfied now, so do not bother too much.

AddToTrackNumber is meant to be used one disc at a time whereas the other script can process all your audiobook tracks that are in the expected format in one session. Combining the two wouldn't work.

4.
I have not received yet your email...I have also controlled my spam filter. Maybe you can try: simone<at>riello<dot>cn

It's a good idea not to put your actual email address online as the spammers of this world have tools to scan and harvest them from web pages. You can contact me at steve<at>samsoft<dot>org<dot>uk.

tt2