[mythtv-users] Batch Download and Archive Recordings With Expanded File Names

[tortise]

On 27/10/2012 8:13 a.m., tortise wrote:
> On 26/10/2012 6:34 p.m., tortise wrote:
>> On 26/10/2012 2:59 p.m., Michael T. Dean wrote:
>>>> I now realise I can also make a file listing under the web server
>>>> which makes for really quick navigation and selection on PC's without
>>>> a frontend! Nice.
>>>
>>> Feel free to update the mythlink.pl page with a section on how to do
>>> this, perhaps with an example.
>>>
>>
>> OK, will do. Just need to get the crontab working properly first, it may
>> be that running my command as root is causing the files to output as
>> $1.mpg $2.mpg $3.mpg.....instead of my current preference of:
>>
>> /usr/share/doc/mythtv-backend/contrib/user_jobs/mythlink.pl --link
>> /var/www/mythlinks --format '%T/%T-%Y%m%d-%H%i-%S'
>
> Think I've debugged my issue, the crontab files need the "%" signs
> escaped. I now have this that runs on the hour on mythbuntu 10.04:
>
> 0 * * * *   {username}
> /usr/share/doc/mythtv-backend/contrib/user_jobs/mythlink.pl --link
> /var/www/mythlinks --format '\%T/\%T-\%Y\%m\%d-\%H\%i-\%S'
>
> All my recordings start a minute early which is why on the hr is OK for
> me as the script takes a few seconds to run.  Anyone starting recordings
> on the hour might be better to make it run 1 minute past the hour. I'll
> see if I have any need for more often.

Small tip for anyone looking at this thread, don't assume that dragging 
dropping sym links in Nautilus or any other graphic file app will copy 
the underlying files, I've learned the hard way it only copies the 
links...!  Use cp in a terminal which copies the underlying files with 
the new symlink name.  HTH someone!  I find cp -i -v the best.

Also I've now got three directories under var/www/...
One for Recording Directories with recordings under each directory, one 
with all the files with names starting on recording date and a third 
similar one but with name starting with recording name.  Having over 2 
thousand recordings appear in a flash is superior to mythwebs 
alternative which is miles slower.  I just use mythweb/tv/recorded to 
click the autoexpire icons for files archived.

While I've not done it yet, I might do a second run of these on one of 
the media drives, because if I lose my OS HDD (and my backup?) the 
native recording names take some deciphering but would be easily found 
under the various naming schemes chosen...  Again HTH someone.