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Collection Rules
Recorded TV Manager 4.1
Collection Rules are a list of instructions (commands) on where and when to move specific series recordings. Collection Rules are stored in the file named CollectionRules.txt which is located in the Recorded TV Manager Data folder.
The CollectionRules.txt file is a standard text file. Use Notepad or any other text editor to maintain the file.
You can open the file for editing in Notepad directly from the Tools menu in Recorded TV Manager 4.
Each line (command) in the text file is processed sequentially (from the top down) by SmartMove until the STOP command or the end of file is reached.
Parameters which are set by commands take effect immediately and apply to all subsequent commands, unless the parameter is changed again.
The SmartMove Service Refresh Cycle also creates two lists, the OnCreate List which is a list of all newly recorded (created) files, and the OnDelete List which is a list of all files deleted since the last Refresh Cycle. Those lists are utilized by the Collection Rules processor as discussed below.
See an example of a working Collection Rules file here.
Use Recorded TV Manager Event Viewer to trace processing of Collection Rules.
Command Syntax
Each line of the text file is a command.
Blank lines are ignored.
Lines which begin with a semicolon (;) are considered comments and are ignored.
Command keywords must be all UPPER CASE such as MOVE or COLLECT.
Command parameters, such as <series name> or <folder name> are case-sensitive and must be entered exactly, including any punctuation.
(Examples of events shown in the Event Viewer are included with most command descriptions below.)
COLLECT
COLLECT <series name> TO <destination folder>
This command COLLECTS a series to a specified destination folder.
Note that the following is a screen shot from the Recorded TV Manager Event Viewer. Subsequent command descriptions will also include related screenshots.
The COLLECT command first looks at the OnCreate list for any new recordings of <series name>. If any are found, they are MOVED to the specified <destination folder>. The command terminates after the new recording has been moved. The recording is removed from the OnCreate List.
If there are no new recordings of <series name>, then the COLLECT command will search all the folders in the Folder List, except for the <destination folder>, for other recordings of <series name>. If any instances are found, then the first one is MOVED to the <destination folder>. The command terminates after this recording has been moved.
Before moving a recording to the <destination folder>, the COLLECT command will enforce the AutoDelete option settings.
Please note that the COLLECT command will only move one recording per Refresh Cycle. If you use the COLLECT command to move a large series collection to a different folder, it may take a while because it will only move one recording every hour. On the other hand, it works unattended in the background. This behavior is by design so that the SmartMove service does not get tied up for extended periods of time which might impact the performance of the host computer and the network. You can also use drag-and-drop in Recorded TV Manager 4 to move series recordings in larger groups.
MOVE
MOVE <series name> TO <destination folder>
This command MOVES a series recording to a specified destination folder.
The MOVE command looks at the OnCreate list for any new recordings of <series name>. If any are found, they are MOVED to the specified <destination folder>. The command terminates after the new recording has been moved. The recording is removed from the OnCreate List.
If there are no new recordings of <series name> then the command stops immediately and does nothing.
Before moving a recording to the <destination folder>, the MOVE command will enforce the AutoDelete option settings.
What is the difference between MOVE and COLLECT?
MOVE looks only at the OnCreate list of new recordings. COLLECT will also search the Folder List for recordings of <series name>.
Example: Hawaii Five-0
I have a small collection of original 5-0 episodes on my Windows Home Server. We watch the new 5-0 in the TV room in HD so the new episodes need to be moved to the dedicated Media Center computer in the TV room. If I use MOVE then only the newly recorded episodes are moved and the ones on the WHS are ignored. If I use COLLECT it will move everything to the TV room, which is not what I want.
WATCH
COLLECT <series name> TO <destination folder> WATCH IN <watch folder>
This command COLLECTS a series to a destination folder while also managing a <watch folder>.
A <watch folder> works as follows:
-
If there are no recordings of <series name> in the <watch folder>, then MOVE or COPY the next episode from the <destination folder> to the <watch folder>. See the WATCH COPY command.
-
Apply the COLLECT command but ignore the <watch folder>.
This functionality is referred to as Play Next in earlier versions of Recorded TV Manager. The basic intent is to store a collection of series episodes on a different computer, and place the next episode to watch in the Media Center Watched folder. After watching the episode, delete it and SmartMove will MOVE or COPY the next episode to the <watch folder>.
WATCH COPY
WATCH COPY ON/OFF
This command sets the WATCH COPY parameter to ON or OFF.
The default value is OFF.
The WATCH COPY parameter is used only by the WATCH command.
WATCH COPY ON - The software will COPY the next episode from the collection folder. No episodes are moved or deleted from the collection folder. After watching and deleting the last episode, WATCH will reset to the first episode and start again. This action preserves the collection.
WATCH COPY OFF - The software will MOVE the next episode from the collection folder. After watching and deleting the last episode, there will be no more recordings of <series name>. This action consumes the collection.
MOVE ALL
MOVE ALL <source folder> TO <destination folder>
This command MOVES all recordings at <source folder> to <destination folder>.
Before moving a recording to the <destination folder>, the MOVE ALL command will enforce the AutoDelete option settings.
This command is intended to be used in a stand-alone manner such as the following which simply moves all recordings to the Windows Home Server.
MOVE ANYTIME
MOVE ANYTIME
This command removes all time constraints on when files are moved. Applies to all subsequent commands in the rule file.
This is the default.
MOVE BETWEEN
MOVE BETWEEN <time1> AND <time2>
This command applies a time constraint on when recordings can be moved. <time1> and <time2> are clock times in 24 hour notation, for example 0500 is 5am and 1800 is 6pm. Recordings will only be moved between<time1> and <time2>.
Note that when MOVE BETWEEN is applied then all subsequent commands in the rule file will be subject to this same time constraint.
CHECK ON DELETE
CHECK ON DELETE
This command applies a checkmark (watched episode) to all recordings in the OnDelete List. The OnDelete List is the list of recordings which have been deleted since the last Refresh Cycle.
The idea here is that when you delete a recording, it is assumed that it has been watched.
The checkmarks are saved in the SeriesInfo Database for all known recordings, even after the file is deleted, providing a history of what you've watched and when.
DELETE CHECKED
DELETE CHECKED ON/OFF
This command sets the DELETE CHECKED parameter to ON or OFF.
The default value is OFF.
If DELETE CHECKED is ON then, before moving recordings, the software will check in the SeriesInfo Database to see if the series episode is checked. If it is, then the new recording is deleted.
See more information about checkmarks here.
DELETE DUPLICATES
DELETE DUPLICATES ON/OFF
This command sets the DELETE DUPLICATES parameter to ON or OFF.
The default value is ON.
If DELETE DUPLICATES is ON then, before moving recordings, the software will check the destination folder to see if this (new recording) is a duplicate episode. If it is, then the new recording is deleted.
A duplicate episode has the same title and original air date.
DELETE AFTER
New in Version 4.1
DELETE <series name> AFTER <number> HOURS/DAYS
This command deletes recordings after a specified period of time has elapsed.
The <number> of HOURS or DAYS before <series name> is deleted. Must be a whole number.
For example, for this rule
DELETE Eyewitness News at Noon AFTER 3 HOURS
For each Refresh cycle the software will compare the Create date of the specified recordings with the current time. If the elapsed time exceeds the time specified in the command, then the recording is immediately deleted. This activity will be noted in the Recorded TV Manager Event Viewer.
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