Hi’
With my being offline a lot, it’s been a while since the last online update (2 years!), but I’m still using Collection Manager (and its "cover launcher") pretty often —and quite happily I must add…
And it seems I’m not alone, so upon user request, here’s the latest version.
Enjoy,
Flux
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• Main changes: (whole changelog below)
—
Rating ★ folders: if some files are in folders named with stars, filtering by stars will be auto-enabled
› Star symbols can be copied from CM Help file, or here: (bomb, half-star, star) ⏺ ☆ ★
— Define
Exclusive filters: inverted filter search, e.g. "Movies (Not Series)" will find files not having filter "Series"
— Code is more robust and
compliant with XY
Syntax Checking.
- CollectionManager_Stars_s.png (108.64 KiB) Viewed 8193 times
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• General note about my
current approach to "generic" DAM (Digital Assets Management) and database managing / tagging / filtering:
— Along the years, I had to do too many conversions (when not losses of metadata) between DAM (and note-taking) softs to reach a conclusion:
› I wanted my metadata reliable, so it had to be "embedded" in the files one way or another.
› If it’s really embedded, like EXIF or MP3 ratings: excellent! (Though unfortunately not universal among formats.)
› If not, file or folder names are a working last resort: clumsy and limited, but secure enough; hence Collection Manager approach.
⏵ I use tags, sometimes extensively, but exclusively for transient works.
⏵
Collection Manager only finds items based on their name:
—
smart search based on "filters", i.e.
› part of filenames enclosed in
[brackets
], e.g. "Dumas, Alexandre - The Three Musketeers
[Action, Adventure, History].epub"; or
› name of (grand-)parent folder if starred, e.g. "…\★★★★☆\…\Dumas,Alexandre…"
—
regular name search (restricted to folders of selected collection)
⏵ When embedded solutions are not available,
this approach to generic DAM is less than ideal, but it’s the only reliable one I’ve found as of now.
⏵ Well, XY’s ongoing addition of tag database management (and by extension backup!) —though still external— might open new horizons, so we’ll see…
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Collection Manager v1.3 - Changelog:
+++ Added exclusive filters, i.e. for a chosen Filter, you can also display (and rename) a "Not Filter". e.g. define "Series" as exclusive and name its exclusion "Movies", then you’ll be able to filter by "Series" but also by "Movies (Not Series)".
CM > Manage Collections > Define Exclusive Filters…
++ Added filtering by rated folders named with stars (see CM’s Help to copy star symbols)
* Removed filtering by rated folders named @A-E
* Compliance width XY’s strict code ("Scripting" > "syntax checking")
+ Added setting (in script header) to disable use of labels as filters
+ Added some status info
* Enlarged dialog boxes to accommodate larger fonts
! Create missing thumbnails in some cases [pending XYplorer update]
* Enhanced name of results tab
! Fixed actions (searches, cover launcher…) being too broad when several folders had same name/basename
! Folder monitoring not always set/removed in rare cases
*/+ Cover Launcher: now uses only quicksearch (needs XYplorer >= v16.0202)
+/! Cover Launcher: Enhanced detection of corresponding item to launch when double-clicking on a cover
* Cover Launcher: Reverted to always run first matching item if several matching items are found (before, items where reordered by prefered extensions)
XYplorer Beta Club
Note to existing users:It's advised you redefine your filtering and filtering window choices by rebuilding filters for all your collections in Collection Manager Menu: "Manage Collections..." > "Rebuild Filters of Collections...".
in the "Find Collection by name" functions. 
