Batch Relinking of Missing iTunes files?

Rather than break the existing link, moving files to something very different from the standard iTunes layout, and then try to fix it afterwards, it would be better to let a script manage the moving/renaming and relinking all in one go. See CustomRenamer for such a script. At the moment the following properties are available for use as part of the folder or file names, but they could be easily expanded:

<Album>,<AlbumArtist>,<Artist>,<Composer>,<DiscNumber>,<Genre>,<Grouping>,<Name> ,<TrackNumber>,<Year>

tt2

The usual approach to disc numbers is not to include them at all unless the disc count is greater than one, in which case you include them for all discs. In terms of keeping things elegant on the drive you can either add the disc numbers before the track number, e.g.
2-13 - <Name>.<Ext>, or you can add an extra layer of folders. e.g. ...\Disc 2\13 - <Name>.<Ext>. I would normally go with the first option if I didn't already make a point of making my track numbers sequential over the whole album so that tracks are always at the same level regardless of other properties. I guess I could find a way to support the alternatives. Again without going over the script with this version you either include the disk number or you don't and you could chose to use different patterns for different selections of content.

I cannot see any obvious way to tell VBR from CBR in the scripting interface. You could potentially sort things into different playlists and then apply a different pattern to each.

One other side effect of the script it that moves any artwork when the last media file is moved out of an old folder, and then deletes any folders that become empty.

For now you could try testing with the pattern:

X:\Music\<AlbumArtist> - <Album> - <Year>\<TrackNumber> - <Name>

or

X:\Music\<AlbumArtist> - <Album> - <Year>\Disc <DiscNumber>\<TrackNumber> - <Name>

The file extension is included automatically. You could insert a - VBR or - CBR into those patterns as fits the selected content if you wish.

tt2

OK, I've uploaded a new version of the script that suppresses the following items from the filepath:

• Disc 0\
• Disc 1\, only for an album with a disc count of 1
• 00 - , space after -
• 00-
• 00 , space after 00

Each of the lines that make these changes can be commented out if you don't one of want them.

You can edit what is currently line 155 and starts Pattern= putting your preferred pattern in between the quotes so you don't have to type it out each time.

tt2

I was thinking you would choose which pattern to use out of:

X:\Music\<AlbumArtist> - <Album> - <Year>\<TrackNumber> - <Name>

or

X:\Music\<AlbumArtist> - <Album> - <Year>\Disc <DiscNumber>\<TrackNumber> - <Name>

depending upon whether or not you're dealing with a single disc album or not, but I should be able to update the script to suppress Disc 0\ in the path of single disc albums, and while I'm at it probably 00 - for unnumbered tracks too.

tt2

Copying to ' looks like an error, there should be a more sensible path there. Without looking at the script right now I could be making an assumption that iTunes has moved the file when instead the File System might be lagging. Disabling anti-virus, or excluding the media folder might help there. The second error is probably the result of another assumption when the code traverses folders trying to move album artwork with the tracks, and clean up folders that become empty.

I may not have time to look at this again for a few days as things are busy at work. Feel free to nudge me towards the weekend.

tt2

You're welcome. 🙂

Feel free to come back to me if you want the behavior tweaked a little.

tt2

Yes. iTunes turns everything that cannot be used in a Windows file path into an underscore, and limits file and folder names to 40 characters. I have a different set of custom replacements and will use up to 256 characters for the file path.

\ / * become -

: becomes ;

? becomes <nothing>

double quote becomes two single quotes

< becomes {

> becomes }

| becomes !

Again a chance for you to edit if you're really particular.

When my custom replacements are in use I also change The Value, to Value, The for artist and album folder names. I could split that out into its own option if you didn't want that. There's possibly some logic missing for when you've used <AlbumArtist> in the pattern but it is blank and could be inferred from <Artist>, or vice versa. I'd have to spend time revisiting the code to be sure.

tt2