[mythtv-users] Userfreindly filenames of .nuv files?

[Michael T. Dean]

Greg Estabrooks wrote:

>>is there a way to make the .nuv files names more userfriendly?
>>
> In 0.18 release your only real option is to run mythlink.sh to create
>friendly symlinked names based on the show title.
>
> In SVN you can just rename the file and udpate the database entry as 
>filenames are now stored along with the recordin the database. There
>is I believe a mythrename.pl type script available for doing something
>similar.
>
Which you should do with mythrename.pl .  Note, however, that no matter 
what you do, mythrename.pl (in its current implementation) will *always* 
use spaces (even if you specify, i.e., an underscore ("_") for the space 
character) and Myth cannot delete recordings with spaces in the filename 
( http://svn.mythtv.org/trac/ticket/622 ).  Therefore, your best bet is 
to use "mythrename.pl --link" to create links instead of actually 
renaming the file.

I'll eventually do up a patch for mythrename.pl to allow you to specify 
a filename that doesn't contain spaces, but it's low on my priority list 
(I only use mythrename.pl to create links--not to rename files--and I've 
been using an older version from before Chris's illegal character 
replacement update which is what's causing the spaces).  Of course, once 
Myth is updated to allow deletion of files with spaces, the 
spaces-in-filename issue will simply be a matter of aesthetics (or 
typesthetics for those of us who use the command-line), so if either of 
these get fixed, you can actually rename the files.

Why I prefer symlinks instead of renaming files:
    a) I can put the symlinks in a "clean" directory that doesn't 
contain a bunch of thumbnail files that I don't care about (all the .png 
files).
    b) I can make multiple "views" allowing me to identify recordings by 
whatever criteria I desire (i.e. sorted by title/start time, 
title/original airdate, start time, recording group/title/start time, 
category/title/start time).
    c) I couldn't care less what the database/myth calls the files. ;)

Mike