Fanart for folders with videos within, grid flow

[JonTom]

I'm using Grid Flow for my video UMB and I wonder if there is a way to show some sort of fanart for a folder that contains multiple videos? For example, I have a Pink Panther Boxset folder with all the individual movies within, same with Star Wars. I also have some situations where the main movie is ripped along with a collection of DVD extras as unique media files. I like to keep them grouped together this way, but would like some fanart to show up for the folder if possible (like TV series will do, essentially). Same goes for my imported TV shows - they use Banner Flow, and I get backgrounds once I get into the list of episodes, but I get no Banner fanart.

[bialio]

If you aren't letting phoenix do the grouping for you (which it sounds like you are using views that are reflections of the folder structure on disk, rather than virtual folders) then there isn't a fully deterministic way to know WHAT fanart to display for the folder.

In other words, there is nothing to indicate to the UI that all the shows in a folder share something in common.

It's possible of course to just pick an item from the folder and use it's fanart - this might work some of the time, but not for every use case, which is why we don't do it now.

We'll think about things we could do for this, but you might consider ways to move away from the location / structural based management. I have movies all over the place, with no common naming or hierarchy, and and I don't have to worry about it because Phoenix doesn't care where the item is on disc, it gives me a virtual view that is location agnostic. Just something to consider.

btl.

[JonTom]

Ahh, okay. I'll have to see what I can figure out. I like the folder-base because it allows me to easily segregate some content from others (keep box sets together, for example, but also keep my son's movie away from mom and dad's, etc).

Off to read up on groupers!

[JonTom]

So, I need to use a metadata field to group these types of files together. I'm thinking that I could use thumbnaildesc (i'm unlike to ever actually use that info, I think?) - i'd blank out that field for ALL files, then place "pinkpanther" into the approp files. Then make a view that groups files based on thumbnaildesc.

Is that a good approach?

[bialio]

That might work, and be sure to set 'prune-single-item-groups' so that any movies that just have a single item are shown as an item, rather than a folder with 1 item in it.

If it's a TV show that's imported (with special features) you can just make the Show title the actual show title, then the episode title something like "Special Feature 1" and then use the real season number and episode number 0 - that should get them all grouped together with the default 'show' grouper.