Missing Artwork when importing an 'organized' iTunes library

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JohnInToronto
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 6:04 pm

Missing Artwork when importing an 'organized' iTunes library

Post by JohnInToronto »

I would like to request a new feature for Muso to perform an additional artwork scan from iTunes libraries when and folder or subfolder name is 40 characters.

The additional scan would check for the original folder name using the long folder name from the metadata and look for any album artwork i.e. jpg's in that location if it cannot find the artwork anywhere else.

Reason for New Feature:

When the 'Keep iTunes Media Folder organized' option is checked in iTunes preferences, iTunes will - at its own discretion - rename folders it thinks may break the Windows 260 character path name limit. This can occur when iTunes imports music or any changes are made to an album or song using the right-click 'Get Info' functions.

When iTunes detects a long name folder, it will create a new folder and limit each segment of the path to 40 chars. It then copies all of the music to the new condensed name folder.

However, iTunes does not copy any other files i.e. artwork to the new location.

During the import process from iTunes, Muso reads the music folder. If it cannot find the album artwork online it then looks for jps'g. However, it will not find the jpg's since it doesn't know about the original location.

For example, here is a long folder/file name:

Adrian Leaper_ Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra\Sibelius_ Symphonies\Sibelius: Symphony #1 In E Minor, Op. 39 - Andante, Ma Non Troppo, Allegro Energico.aif

Here is the folder/filename after iTunes 'organizes' and truncates all the names to 40 chars :

Adrian Leaper_ Slovak Philharmonic Orche\Sibelius_ Symphonies\1-01 Sibelius_ Symphony #1 In E Mino.aif

However, The original artwork jpg is still stored in the long name location.
The music/aif files are all moved to the after path location. The jpg is left behind.

iTunes seems to keep track of these changes internally since the artwork in iTunes is still displayed correctly. However, the iTunes XML files makes no mentioned of the original artwork location.

However, Muso reads the after path location and never finds the original jpg artwork in the before path.

This additional check in the Muso 'Find Missing Artwork' function would indeed find this type of missing artwork in the original long name folder.
musoware
Site Admin
Posts: 1847
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 6:50 am

Re: Missing Artwork when importing an 'organized' iTunes lib

Post by musoware »

I don't think Muso will be able to find the original folder containing the artwork, as you said there's nothing in the XML that points to it. Isn't the answer simply to turn the 'Keep iTunes Media Folder organized' and ''Copy files to iTunes Media Folder' iTunes options off? That way you prevent iTunes changing your structure and media files stay together with the artwork.
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