Feature Request: Enhanced Archive

[jominor]

We should be able to set a drive or folder for the archive. That way, anything we archive goes onto that drive or folder.

We could then back up...JUST THAT DRIVE OR FOLDER as our most important content. Or even compress just the stuff that is basically considered long term storage.

Currently, archive must sets a 'Don't delete' flag.

[GKusnick]

I agree that the existing Archive feature is not very useful, but my preferred solution would be to get rid of it altogether and replace it with two separate features:

1. The ability to assign keywords to recordings and favorites, and to sort/filter the list of recordings based on keyword. This seems like it would have to be implemented in the core.

2. The abililty to move recordings automatically into folders based on title, channel, date, keyword, or whatever arbitrary rule you like. This could be done as a core feature or as a third-party add-on. Sage Job Queue already has most of the framework needed for this sort of thing.

[jominor]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

I agree that the existing Archive feature is not very useful, but my preferred solution would be to get rid of it altogether and replace it with two separate features:

1. The ability to assign keywords to recordings and favorites, and to sort/filter the list of recordings based on keyword. This seems like it would have to be implemented in the core.

2. The abililty to move recordings automatically into folders based on title, channel, date, keyword, or whatever arbitrary rule you like. This could be done as a core feature or as a third-party add-on. Sage Job Queue already has most of the framework needed for this sort of thing.

Works for me, but neither of these would handle the need for a 'Don't ever delete me.' Keep archive and add those items,but gives us a way to consolidate the really important shows into once place.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by jominor

Works for me, but neither of these would handle the need for a 'Don't ever delete me.'

If that's all that Archive means, then it's redundant with Manual recording status.

[jominor]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

If that's all that Archive means, then it's redundant with Manual recording status.

Manual means "record me." It doesn't make as much sense, to me anyway, for shows that have already been recorded. The most important use of the flag, again for me, is to move it out of the Sage recordings.

I think that this is very useful. Pull long term stuff out of the more transitory list. For example, I've rename the option to 'TV Library'. While they clearly overlap, I do think that they serve two different purposes.

[GKusnick]

I guess what I'm saying is that while there may be useful definitions of the "Archive" concept (such as the one you're proposing), it should not be up to the core to enforce a particular definition. Instead, the core should provide API methods for classifying recordings according to some user-defined scheme (i.e. keywords), controlling the autodeletion eligibility of recordings (via Manual status or some more direct method), and moving recordings painlessly from one folder or drive to another. With those tools, it would be possible for the UI (or a UI add-on) to implement an Archive feature that would meet your needs, but it would also open up a whole range of other useful features as well (such as sorting recordings into folders by title, or by Grownups v. Kids, or whatever).

[jominor]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

I guess what I'm saying is that while there may be useful definitions of the "Archive" concept (such as the one you're proposing), it should not be up to the core to enforce a particular definition. Instead, the core should provide API methods for classifying recordings according to some user-defined scheme (i.e. keywords), controlling the autodeletion eligibility of recordings (via Manual status or some more direct method), and moving recordings painlessly from one folder or drive to another. With those tools, it would be possible for the UI (or a UI add-on) to implement an Archive feature that would meet your needs, but it would also open up a whole range of other useful features as well (such as sorting recordings into folders by title, or by Grownups v. Kids, or whatever).

Agreed. Now if only Narflex would do it!

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

2. The abililty to move recordings automatically into folders based on title, channel, date, keyword, or whatever arbitrary rule you like. This could be done as a core feature or as a third-party add-on. Sage Job Queue already has most of the framework needed for this sort of thing.

And tonight I started testing what would probably be the final piece required for this. Since I got my NAS online a few weeks back, I've been working on a task that does this exact archiving task. Tonight I was able to complete an initial version and started running it. It's working, but it's still too early to release this feature to the public because of the severe damage it could cause. However, I'm using it right now to archive all my syndicated shows from the local recording drive onto my new NAS and so far so good...

This ruleset in SJQ (3.x):

// Archive recordings of Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends, skip ones already archived
if [IsObjMediaFile == true && $.IsFileCurrentlyRecording{} == false && $.IsTVFile{} == true && $.IsLibraryFile{} == false && $.GetShowTitle{} =% "Family Guy|Seinfeld|Friends"] {
   :MOVERECOPTS "\\\\nas\\tv" # Archive the recordings into tv dir on nas
   _MOVEREC
}

Results in this output (and the recording successfully gets copied to the NAS, is verified, relinked into the wiz.bin and the original file deleted.

Fri Oct 30 22:34:19 EDT 2009
Source: D:\tv\FamilyGuy-ItTakesaVillageIdiotandIMarriedOne-902903-0.mpg
Target: \\nas\tv
Renaming source file... DONE!
Copying source file to target directory... DONE!
Deleting source media object in SageTV... DONE!
Renaming target file... DONE!
Creating SageTV media object for target file... DONE!
Relinking target file to SageTV airing... DONE!
Deleting source file... DONE!
Copying artifacts... DONE!
Archive operation completed SUCCESSFULLY!
Fri Oct 30 22:35:36 EDT 2009

The task also detects a failed step and triggers a rollback. My #1 goal for this project: allow the moving of recordings without the need to stop SageTV at all. If I can't script the moves automatically then the whole idea is useless to me. My initial testing tonight proves that scripted moves of recordings while SageTV is running will be possible.

This feature will be a part of SJQ v3.