drive names instead of letters for collection criteria

[godspeed you!]

I created a collection with the criteria based on backup drives path. Backup as they are, they are occasionally connected. That collection works only using the drives letters, and when they are connected. When they are disconnected, that collection no longer works.

I noticed that the entire collection node shows the content of those drives, and they are referred using their names, instead of letters. When those drives are connected, it shows their letters on that entire library node.

I just want the collection I created to work just like the entire library node, to show the drives connected or not. How do I refer to a drive using their drive name, instead of letter? Otherwise, how do I refer to a drive regardless of being connected?

[godspeed]

Hey developers, it looks like no one around knows how to answer this question. Can you give some help, please?

[Lowlander]

Because it's not possible.

[godspeed]

The information is inside the database. There is a unique identifier for all drives (perhaps drive serial number) in such a way that whenever that drive is connected, it is recognized by mm. It cannot be drive letter, as whenever a memory stick is connected, it is assigned the first available letter, and multiple sticks could have the same drive letter, if not used simultaneously.

It is not currently possible (or I just don't know how) to create a collection with folder criteria just because we have to refer to it using drive letters. I tried replacing the letters by [Drive Name], in many different combinations, and even copying how mm shows a song on the entire library node, but no luck.

Under entire library node, when a drive is disconnected, the songs in that drive are greyed out. But is still possible to do everything with those entries but play them (as expected). When viewing the properties, instead of the drive letter, it is shown [Dive Name]\folder\name.mp3. This is the point, mm already knows how to refer to those entries without drive letter. How can we use the same system?

For it not to be possible, mm could not show anything for disconnected drives. If it can show (as it should, since the entries are stored in the database), there are means already inside the system for doing so.

If it is really not possible, can the developers please implement such feature for next update?

[Lowlander]

Assuming you use a folder like \Music\ within the drive you could make the folder name unique and thus be able to use it in the Path criteria.

[godspeed]

That is a good idea. However, it will not fit with how I deal with my files. First, I have 2 redundant hard discs, with both inside mm. This way I try to get both discs identical by checking with mm if all tags are the same. Second, I have a copy of one of those discs in one hd partition dedicated to store a copy from files already in the backup. Those are "disposable" files, but those are the ones I use for listening, and converting to mp3 for the portable player. The directory structure for all 3 locations is identical.

I can create a criteria for all files but those in the computer (using the drive letter for that partition). This collection would have both backup discs content. I can create a criteria for only the files in the computer (again using the drive letter for that partition). But I cannot create a collection for only those in a particular folder of only one of the backup discs. And this is the problem.

For using this suggestion to work I would need to rename the directories to something like music1, music2, music3, hence breaking the similarity, somewhere down the line. Perhaps I could, I thought about this possibility before, but I really didn't want to do it. Perhaps it is because of my mental/psychological issues/limitations. I am a bit systematic (if you didn't realise yet), I would like to avoid changing names, I'd rather have identical structure for both discs. Also, deep inside I believe what I am after is possible, and I don't think it is absurd either. But indeed, this is a way of walking around this current limitation for mm.

Is it too much for this to be implemented in future versions? I don't think so. In fact, to me it is like just providing more access to what already is there. The data is there, the criteria and collection filtering systems are there, I cannot really see how much more effort is necessary for implementing the access to information for disconnected drives. If I am wrong, please enlighten me.

[Lowlander]

There is a problem as drive names won't work either as you can set the same name for multiple drives. driveID which MediaMonkey already uses instead of drive letter would be the way to go, but would be problematic in the UI towards the user. A smarter handler of driveID vs. drive letter has been requested before (although MM uses driveID the user sets drive letter in several places): http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=9647

[godspeed]

There you go, diveID it is then. So can this request be implemented in future versions?