Problem with Playlists, Thumbnails Updater and Manual scan

RetroArch General
#1

I have a problem that I cannot really understand/solve: After a thumbnail update (from online updater) playlist stops working: File could not be loaded from playlist

I have Portable Playlist set to ON.

this is how my playlist look after a manual scan

{
  "version": "1.5",
  "default_core_path": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\cores\\mednafen_pce_libretro.dll",
  "default_core_name": "NEC - PC Engine / SuperGrafx / CD (Beetle PCE)",
  "base_content_directory": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\ROMs",
  "label_display_mode": 0,
  "right_thumbnail_mode": 0,
  "left_thumbnail_mode": 0,
  "thumbnail_match_mode": 0,
  "sort_mode": 0,
  "scan_content_dir": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\ROMs\\Nec - PC Engine CD",
  "scan_file_exts": "",
  "scan_dat_file_path": "",
  "scan_search_recursively": true,
  "scan_search_archives": false,
  "scan_filter_dat_content": false,
  "scan_overwrite_playlist": false,
  "items": [
    {
      "path": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\ROMs\\Nec - PC Engine CD\\Advanced V.G. (Japan).chd",
      "label": "Advanced V.G. (Japan)",
      "core_path": "DETECT",
      "core_name": "DETECT",
      "crc32": "00000000|crc",
      "db_name": "NEC - PC Engine CD - TurboGrafx-CD.lpl"
    },

This is how it looks after a thumbnail updater:

{
  "version": "1.5",
  "default_core_path": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\cores\\mednafen_pce_libretro.dll",
  "default_core_name": "NEC - PC Engine / SuperGrafx / CD (Beetle PCE)",
  "label_display_mode": 0,
  "right_thumbnail_mode": 0,
  "left_thumbnail_mode": 0,
  "thumbnail_match_mode": 0,
  "sort_mode": 0,
  "scan_content_dir": "\\Nec - PC Engine CD",
  "scan_file_exts": "",
  "scan_dat_file_path": "",
  "scan_search_recursively": true,
  "scan_search_archives": false,
  "scan_filter_dat_content": false,
  "scan_overwrite_playlist": false,
  "items": [
    {
      "path": "\\Nec - PC Engine CD\\Advanced V.G. (Japan).chd",
      "label": "Advanced V.G. (Japan)",
      "core_path": "DETECT",
      "core_name": "DETECT",
      "crc32": "00000000|crc",
      "db_name": "NEC - PC Engine CD - TurboGrafx-CD.lpl"
    },

I noticed that the line:

"base_content_directory": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\ROMs",

Disappears after a Thumbnail Updater, also the path to the content changes from

"path": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\ROMs\\Nec - PC Engine CD\\Advanced V.G. (Japan).chd",

to

"path": "\\Nec - PC Engine CD\\Advanced V.G. (Japan).chd",

Question: why the thumbnails updater modify playlist files at all? is this intended? is there some setting that I am overlooking?

EDIT:

after trying to load content the line :

"base_content_directory": "D:\\EMU\\RetroArch\\ROMs",

Appears, but still the content do not load. The only way to “fix” is to re-do a manual scan.

#2

Just tried with a fresh install of retroarch for windows x64.

Options I changed from default:

  • gui set to xmb
  • Portable playlist set to ON
  • Set default browser directory (to a directory within RA main folder)

same issue.

How to replicate:

  • Do a manual scan (I tested with a few nes games)
  • check if the playlist is working by loading a game from it (it should).
  • close content
  • Main Menu -> Online Updater -> Playlist Thumbnails Updater -> Select the playlist
  • load a game from the playlist -> File could not be loaded from the playlist

Are there any options to fix this?

I reiterate from previous post: why the thumbnail updater is modifying the playlist file at all?

#3

Did anybody tried to replicate the issue? almost 50 views and no replies :sob:

I also posted this issue here, hope it was the right place.

#4

There’s an option called “Validate Playlist Entries” inside of the manual scan menu. Have you tried with that enabled? By default, it’s disabled.

1 Like
#5

Thanks for answering!

I actually turned off portable playlist to kinda “solve” the issue.

But after your comment I went back and tried again and now on a fresh install it works (!) with or without Validate Playlist Entries. Up until yesterday it was not. My confusion increase.

Something probably wrong with my main cfg but I have no clue on what/where to look for. the interaction between Playlist thumbnails updater and the actual playlist file is very weird to me.

1 Like
#6

Glad you solved the issue. RetroArch has lots of configuration possibilities, so it may be hard to pinpoint the cause of something. Sometimes, a fresh install ends up being a “shortcut”.

Anyway, I’d suggest leaving “Validate Playlist Entries” on, unless you want outdated entries piling up for some reason.

1 Like
#7

Yeah, I wanted to keep portable playlists but I was not actually making any use of it, so disabling it is not a big loss.

I think that the way I handle playlists don’t need that option: when I add/remove or update files/romsets I just do Refresh Playlist and it will basically re-do the manual scan, for that playlist, with the same settings so there are no old entries piling up.

Not sure when Validate Playlist Entries comes into play.

#8

I need to confirm that, so take it with a grain of salt, but I think the refresh playlist only repeats the manual scan with the same parameters you first chose. So, by default, it won’t clear your playlist from removed/renamed games and invalid-extension files… unless you delete the playlist and manual scan it again. That’s why you’d enable the validation option, to avoid that scenario and just keep refreshing the playlist.

#9

But I think that’s what refresh playlist does. Am I wrong?

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#10

I think it only does that if you enable the “overwrite playlist” option.

#11

I made (most of) my playlist with Overwrite Playlist and Validate Playlist Entries, both set to OFF.

when I add /remove files from that directory and hit Refresh Playlist, the result is no duplicate nor missing entries. That’s why I said that I’m not really sure when those options come into play.

#12

Then I really don’t know anymore. Perhaps, someone changed the default behavior and forgot to remove obsolete options.