Submission details
iTunes can't auto-scan folders for new or missing media
If iTunes could automatically scan folders for changes it would be almost perfect software!
At the moment I can't simply download movies or music into a folder and have iTunes automatically index all new files, it has to be manually added. Having to manually add all media is a pain. It's also very annoying if you delete a song from your hard drive but it's still sitting in the iTunes library with a marker next to it saying it can't be found. You have to manually go through and delete all the marked files, but you have to try playing all of them before it tells you which ones it can't play! Very time-consuming and tedious.
Allow iTunes to scan for folder changes. Have it check upon startup, or have a button in Preferences along the lines of 'Scan folder for changes'. Add new files into the 'Files Added Today' smart playlist and alert when media is missing, with the option to remove it from the library or search for it in a different location.
There are AppleScripts to add similar functionality to Smart Folders, but they are slow, cumbersome and it would be better to simply include it in iTunes itself.
Low
Medium
Not fixed
Discussion (9 comments)
iTunes only manages files if they've been manually added and duplicated into the iTunes Music folder. It won't move the files into its own folder for you, it makes a duplicate. So I end up with two copies of each file, one in one place, the other in the iTunes folder. If I turn off the 'Copy to iTunes Music folder when adding to library' setting iTunes won't manage the music, so I have to delete it from iTunes then manually find the file and delete it from the hard drive. If I delete the file first by accident or the file is moved to another location, it stays in the iTunes library and is only listed as missing it it tries to first play the file but can't find it. It's just so confusing dealing with two files all the time, instead of just one folder.
Every single other MP3 and movie management system can scan folders for changes. MediaMonkey, Windows Media Player, WinAmp, SoundJam, MacAmp, MusicMatch all offer this functionality. iTunes can't call itself the best music player in the world if it doesn't offer something as simple as this. It would be so easy to put all my podcasts and music into one folder then let iTunes immediately recognise it, and also recognise if the music was removed. Maybe simply adding a 'Move files to iTunes Music folder' option would be fine, then the music would be managed by iTunes but not still leave a duplicate in another location.
I've tried using AppleScripts but they are all so darn SLOOOOOOW and not terribly reliable when dealing with more than a few thousand files.
Apple probably intentionally never added this feature to discourage people from adding music obtained from questionable sources, and to encourage people to download music and podcasts through iTunes. But there are plenty of legitimate podcasts and sources of music/audiobooks/lectures etc that aren't available through iTunes, so it's a function that really should be added.
So, um... just to be clear: You are, on a regular basis, adding and subtracting *thousands* of files to your iTunes library? I would agree that iTunes isn't designed for that. I would also argue that not many people need a feature like that.
I think you're right that this may be an intentional missing feature, but I wonder what percentage of users really need to be adding things on a regular basis in those numbers.
"You are, on a regular basis, adding and subtracting *thousands* of files to your iTunes library?"
No, I'm not suggesting that at all, but I do have thousands of files in my iTunes library. For an AppleScript to compare a folder's contents to the existing library items, it's necessary for it to first scan all the items in the library and compare it to newly added items (or missing items). If the feature was integrated into iTunes itself, it would be much faster because the method of operation would be completely different. MediaMonkey takes 3-5 seconds to scan its library for changes, even with over 9,000 files. It reads the folder directory in and compares it to the existing library in memory. iTunes AppleScripts take 5-10 minutes to do the same thing, because they have to request filenames from iTunes one at a time, and it's very slow.
So many Windows using people I know just let all their music, lectures and podcasts download into a single folder, and their music software finds it and adds it to their iPod or MP3 player without any extra effort. If they've finished with a lecture, they delete the MP3 from their music application and it's deleted from their download folder. It just happens without them even thinking about it. That's what computers are ultimately supposed to do, make life easier. So yes, people do use the feature.
This is such a basic feature I fail to see why anyone would object to having it.
For those of us who don't want iTunes to mange our libraries (for example, my library is too large for a single drive) an auto-scan function would be brilliant.
This is just one of those things I have never understood about iTunes. Every other media player out there has supported this in some way since about 2002.
I don't see why this shouldn't be included as an option. If you don't want it, you can turn it off, but it makes a lot of sense. Instead of people suggesting that you just use iTunes the way it is, maybe make arguments about why it shouldn't be an option. I can't think of any.
Here is a my "legitimate" scenario that requires a 'Scan drives' function. My wife and I have separate computers, she has an iMac I have a Windows 7 PC. We also have a home server which we use as shared drives for common storage and backup. We both have iPods. We also have TiVo's which we use to play our music around the house (similar functionality to Apple TV)
In order for this setup to work we keep all our music on a shared drive on the server in MP3 format (the TiVo's need MP3) and point iTunes to the shared server drive from both computers.
The problem is that if either of us adds music or video to the library, no matter if it is by downloading from iTunes or ripping a CD, the other one has to go an manually add the files using "Add Folder" or "Add File" ... it's pain and means we are both for ever out of sync.
If there was another music program that I could use to sync my iPod I would switch to it in a second just to get that functionality.
Nigel R, Wisconsin
This has been fixed in iTunes 9.0 kinda. iTunes now features a new folder in the Media Library Folder structure called "Automatically Add to iTunes".
Anything in that folder will be added to iTunes in background while running and deleted from that folder. Or on startup if iTunes didn't run while files got added to it.
This new feature does not help me I am afraid. I need my iTunes to find music placed in the correct location (IE in folders by artist / album) on my shared network drive on my server.
Media player can do this, unfortunately it can't sync my iPod
ebaur wrote on December 29, 2008, 6:42pm
The intention of iTunes is that you allow it to control your music locations. Instead of deleting via the Finder, I'd suggest that you get in the habit of deleting via iTunes instead and allow it to manage the files. You'll have less headaches - at least in that category.