Is there any way for additions made by one user of a shared library to be visible to the other user of the same library, without having to always "add file to library"? This was the whole reason we consolidated the library into a public folder

iTunes' basic operation is when you add a file it makes an entry in a library database file (Library.itl), puts a copy of the file you added in the media folder (the one you share) and makes a note of which file to use. iTunes does not actively scan that media folder. Once a file is added it goes by the content of the database alone for inventory.

One (of many) way to share (and probably what you are using) is for people to have their own individual library file but to share media. This lets you have your own playlists, content, etc. However, when an item is added to that shared space the other person's library database does not have that entry. You can add the item, as you are doing, by dragging it to iTunes but this time make sure you hold down the shift key (I think that's the key for Windows -- I'm on a Mac) which will (should) stop it from making a copy of the file.

You could, if you wish, revert to using a single library file. You can make your own playlists but but everything the other person does will be there too. Also if one person logs in and starts iTunes in their space, then you switch to the other user, the library file will be flagged as "in use" and you can't start iTunes from the other space.

It sounds like you are using two independent libraries with a common media folder, whereas the plan would have been to ensure that both profiles were using the same library library database. Although you can place this within the Public folder I would normally create a shared library at the root of a drive, e.g. at X:\iTunes where X: is the drive that you want to use. See Make a split library portable for information on moving the library around back into a standard shape.

As for duplicates, Apple's official advice on duplicates is here... HT2905: How to find and remove duplicate items in your iTunes library. It is a manual process and the article fails to explain some of the potential pitfalls such as lost ratings and playlist membership.

Use Shift > View > Show Exact Duplicate Items to display duplicates as this is normally a more useful selection. You need to manually select all but one of each group to remove. Sorting the list by Date Added may make it easier to select the appropriate tracks, however this works best when performed immediately after the dupes have been created. If you have multiple entries in iTunes connected to the same file on the hard drive then don't send to the recycle bin.

Use my DeDuper script if you're not sure, don't want to do it by hand, or want to preserve ratings, play counts and playlist membership. See thisthread for background, this post for detailed instructions, and please take note of the warning

to backup your library before deduping.

(If you don't see the menu bar press ALT to show it temporarily or CTRL+B to keep it displayed.)

The most recent version of the script can tidy dead links as long as there is at least one live duplicate to merge stats and playlist membership to and should cope sensibly when the same file has been added via multiple paths.

tt2

"It sounds like you are using two independent libraries with a common media folder, whereas the plan would have been to ensure that both profiles were using the same library database."

This intrigues me - given that iTunes is essentially based on a "one user, one computer, one library" paradigm, does it have sufficient "multi-user" capabilities to allow for scenarios in which two (or more) users are running iTunes concurrently with each configured to use the same iTunes library? I've not had occasion to try this, but I would have thought that there are - at a minimum - potentials for conflict or even corruption within the iTunes database if two or more instances are attempting to update it at the same time. I can see that it should work, though, if the setup is that iTunes is being run from one profile at a time, but never more than one.

No, desktop versions of Windows support multiple users with serial access, only one user in control at a time. iTunes will normally give each user their own library, but each user's profile can be directed to a common library using the shift-start iTunes > choose library method. The library must be closed before switching user profiles or there will be a runtime error when you start iTunes. Disabling fast user switching is one method of enforcing this.

tt2

Makes sense, thanks.

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

turingtest2 wrote:

.... See Make a split library portable for information on moving the library around back into a standard shape.

Not sure what happened to the highlighting on the original link. 😕

tt2