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The problem
I've normally been able to right click on my library folder (using file explorer right clicking and choosing "play in VLC media player") and have VLC add all the files to its playlist, even files in sub folders. In short, I reinstalled VLC on a fresh Windows install. For some reason it only sees that there are folders there, but it doesn't add the songs to the playlist and when I click on the folders the songs are added. I have at least 309 folders and over 2300 songs (about 35 GB) so, scrolling trough the list clicking to expand them is out of the question, considering that it normally works. Oh, and the randomize button ignores the folders that hasn't been expanded. Sry for bad English.

TL;DR
Install VLC. Right click in context menu in file explorer, press "play in VLC media player" adds all songs to playlist, even the ones in sub folders.
Downloads VLC again on a fresh Windows install, doesn’t work. Only adds first set of folders. Randomize button ignores the folders that hasn't been expanded
Sry for bad English.

I feel you
This issue appeared, it seems, in Version 3.0.4.
As I haven't found another "solution", I went back to Version 3.0.3 where it's still working.

It does go through sub-folders. It just takes some time to scan everything.

It does go through sub-folders. It just takes some time to scan everything.

I don't think thats the problem, as it stops scanung after the first set of folders.

I feel you
This issue appeared, it seems, in Version 3.0.4.
As I haven't found another "solution", I went back to Version 3.0.3 where it's still working.

Thanks. Think I'll just do that.

It does go through sub-folders. It just takes some time to scan everything.

Well I don't know, for me it doesn't . My (simplified) case:

Main-Folder
- Sub-folder_1: 100 Items
- Sub-folder_2: 1000 Items
Now I start 3.0.4 (with shuffle enabled) trough the context menu of the file explorer (on main-folder).

If on start, an item from sub-folder_1 is chosen, 3.0.4 only scans the individual items from that folder, then it stops scanning and sub-folder_2 rests as a single item with a blue folder-symbol in the playlist-view.
This leads to the problem that it shuffles through 20-30 items of sub-folder_1 in a row, until per chance sub-folder_2 is chosen. Only then are those 1000 items scanned also and the shuffling of all 1100 items works "normally".

In 3.0.3 this doesn't happen for me and all 1100 items are scanned and listet from the start.

It does go through sub-folders. It just takes some time to scan everything.

Well I don't know, for me it doesn't . My (simplified) case:

Main-Folder
- Sub-folder_1: 100 Items
- Sub-folder_2: 1000 Items
Now I start 3.0.4 (with shuffle enabled) trough the context menu of the file explorer (on main-folder).

If on start, an item from sub-folder_1 is chosen, 3.0.4 only scans the individual items from that folder, then it stops scanning and sub-folder_2 rests as a single item with a blue folder-symbol in the playlist-view.
This leads to the problem that it shuffles through 20-30 items of sub-folder_1 in a row, until per chance sub-folder_2 is chosen. Only then are those 1000 items scanned also and the shuffling of all 1100 items works "normally".

In 3.0.3 this doesn't happen for me and all 1100 items are scanned and listet from the start.

Exactly!

Update: Downgrading to 3.0.3 fixed the problem. Nice feature, why remove it?

Downgrading to 3.0.3 Did not work for me. I had to go in Winamp, create the playlist there and then export the playlist as an m3u File. The problem Now is that VLC is stuttering when loading certain files but the randomization now goes accross all of the files. Unfortunately whenever a file changes or is added I have to do this all over again.

An also now VLC Displays the full relative path for the song so Instead of "01-Thriller.mp3" I now see
POP\Michael Jackson\Thriller(1983)\01-Thriller.mp3 whis is a bummer.

hi all

I posted basically the identical issue here ([url]https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=150579[/url])

I wasn't able to find this thread of yours until I'd googled the problem yet again (using a different search phrase).

Are people still experiencing the problem of what i call no auto scan or full parsing of the media library (if a new folder with subfolder content is added)?

I'm running 3.0.8 currently.


Real world usage problem from this issue
you can't basically search for anything if it's below the first level of folder hierarchy.

For example, ones adds "tunes" folder to media library. This folder contains multiple other folders (typically artists) and subfolders (typically albums) and/or individual files (typically tracks).

I get the blue icons as Symoris has described.

These subfolders only change colour when you browse the subfolder in question (colour is irrelevant - just describing behaviour) or play that subfolder (e.g. shuffle).

No subfolder or file (below first level of subfolders) is visible or searchable for until browsing has occurred.

This means if you had an artist folder with multiple album subfolders (all contained in the "tunes" parent folder), none of that content is visible, until you actively browse.


Reason?
I'm assuming it's much quicker and involves less disk thrashing if deeper parsing doesn't occur, so it was a deliberate change to VLC.

Can't find it in the changelog though :\

[url]https://www.videolan.org/developers/vlc-branch/NEWS[/url]


Correction / fix / choice
Surely if the devs want this (quicker loading of media library folders), could we not have a button or function which performs a full scan, should a user be happy to do this?



Regards,

Gary

This solved it for me in 3.0.8
Preferences - show all settings -> playlist -> Subdirectory behaviour - Expand

This solved it for me in 3.0.8
Preferences - show all settings -> playlist -> Subdirectory behaviour - Expand

@weirddave

thanks

i actually had found that setting too - that revealed the subfolders for me (i.e. the tree) but I thought it hadn't parsed the contents.

I've just retested 3.0.8 from a full clean install (i'd previously updated from 2.2. and I confirm your findings.

Firstly, all subfolders show.

Secondly, their icons are grey, not blue (unparsed / unscanned i believe).

Thirdly, you click on it and content immediately appears.

I've also tested and even if you don't open the root folder (in case it was parsing on tree browse) and search for something, the track is found.

Thank you very much for reporting this.




Regards,

Gary

Preferences - show all settings -> playlist -> Subdirectory behaviour - Expand

Man you made my evening! Thanks so much!

The position of this setting is ridiculous. If I do not know where it is, I'll not find it quickly.

I don't get it. My source directory is CDs, under that is artist, The Cars, then under that is albums, then under that is songs. That is how a LIBRARY should look. When I open a folder CDs, all I get is a list of songs with alblum art pictures not a tree like in media monkey. A play list is a list of the same structure as library but only the songs I drag to the "Named Playlist" No playlist should be the whole library. The library is all artist, albums, songhs, library is not a play list. Now how to see that when I click on library, And only see the play list I created when I click Playlist? I didn't like Media Monkey because it kept adding playlist like recents, or added, or whole library. The tree was ok but playlist automatic creation was a pain and the playlist would not sync with phone. I wanted to sync just one playlist not all playlist and 300 songs to my phone.

I know it does but I don't see the tree under library. It's what you see not what it does.

I don't get it. My source directory is CDs, under that is artist, The Cars, then under that is albums, then under that is songs. That is how a LIBRARY should look. When I open a folder CDs, all I get is a list of songs with alblum art pictures not a tree like in media monkey. A play list is a list of the same structure as library but only the songs I drag to the "Named Playlist" No playlist should be the whole library. The library is all artist, albums, songhs, library is not a play list. Now how to see that when I click on library, And only see the play list I created when I click Playlist? I didn't like Media Monkey because it kept adding playlist like recents, or added, or whole library. The tree was ok but playlist automatic creation was a pain and the playlist would not sync with phone. I wanted to sync just one playlist not all playlist and 300 songs to my phone.

I'm sorry man. I don't understand the problem

My VLC media library is nested as in a directory structure.

If i right click add a folder from my media library to a playlist, it just produces a list of tracks.

I've added some photos of what my media library looks like.

Aside from the enormously irritating issue of the track field being immovable (known issue with 3.x), this is what i anticipate the VLC media library looking like.

https://ibb.co/hgKpy80

Does your experience look like this?

https://ibb.co/31pPvWg

If so, just try clicking the playlistview button (looped).