Option to display FILE NAMES instead of META TAGS

[Ocsid]

OK, thank you.

I take it that, thank you, was for my response to your question for me as well?
Got a feeling you mixed up the conversations and missed my response to you.
Se the answer above to your query about: "for the playlist? For the library [...]"

[kryxan]

I thought for sure this was some new bug, but finding this post I realize this bug has been present in VLC for a very long time.

really hope this bug gets fixed!!!! please devs, if you're listening! fix this bug!!!

As I stated in my post linked below, I know this is not working as intended, because if the devs intended it to read metadata for the filename then it would be reading the metadata stored in the .nfo file stored alongside the video.

https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=146428

[Ocsid]

Any news on the matter?

[1010011010]

I also think this is a sensible thing to do, file names are usually accurate and are extremely easy to change where as metatags are sometimes just random crap as the numerous examples show it's also way harder to fix (as far as I know it requires loading it in mkvtools or similar and manually removing the tags from each individual file) and since it already uses the filename itself if no tags exists it makes me think it should be easy as to change it to filenames only.

Jean-Baptiste Kempf you said "What is the reasoning for that request?" but I am genuinely curious why vlc uses these metatags instead of using file names? Is there any reasoning for that decision?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Is that a rhetorical question? Meta tags are explicitly, well, meta informations related to the content of the file, whereas filenames are not. So it makes sense to use the earlier.

I would rather ask, why in bloody hell would somebody file incorrect meta tags? If you have no meta-data to fill, just don't add meta tags.

[Lornadoo]

Rémi, take for instance a blu-ray rip of a TV series made from MakeMKV, transcoded to mp4 with Handbrake. The resulting output file(s) will contain the metadata from the original blu-ray disc. Regardless of what the files are named, VLC will only display the metadata in the playlist. This metadata is useless to help the user to identify which file they are trying to play because the metadata titles are identical. Do you understand the frustration, and why we want the VLC playlist to display the filenames instead of the meta tags?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

In other words, the meta-data are incorrect. The VLC UX is not optimized for invalid inputs for obvious reasons.

[Lornadoo]

Well, Rémi, sources such as DVD do not contain the stubborn meta data that blu-ray discs contain, therefore mp4 transcodes of DVD titles only show up in the VLC playlist with the file name given to those titles. Therefore, it can be said that VLC is able to display file names in the abscence of meta tag data. Why can't there be an option in VLC to only display file names in the playlist? Why is it mandatory for you to only accept that if meta data exists that it must be displayed in the playlist instead of the filename? Please explain why this is.

[DieDaily77]

Yes! Nothing more annoying than bad metadata obfuscating your titles in the playlist. 'Save Metadata' does nothing to persistently change the title (hey, no offense VLC, neither do the Windows 10 properties dialogs...the whole metadata-handling paradigm at present is a hot mess). But just as the OP says: wouldn't it be great if by default the filenames were the playlist titles??? Yes! Or, even, if there were an option to make this happen? Also: NO, guys and gals, using the column heading that gives you the complete file path is obviously NOT a good option...my monitor has a nice, wide display width and it is STILL not at all practicable.

[Ocsid]

If all roads were nicely maintained, no shock absorbing measures would be needed in cars.
If you've left CapsLock active when typing a password, your computer informs you of a possible misstake.

Wouldnt it be awesome to be able to say: "VLC, still working great even when handling the work of idiots"

Giving the users the OPTION to correct something disturbing would be a step towards ease of use.

I am wondering, how is it coming along? Any progress of implementing the aftersought option?

[Enthusiast01]

Yes, please implement this option. For a stop gap solution, I fixed the issue myself by scrubbing all my .mkv & .mp4 files with the following programs: MKV Optimizer 2 & Mp3tag. No metadata titles & VLC will use the file name. I personally do not use Plex or similar software & I abhor the naming schemes they force on you anyway.

[s.Ahmad]

This Is already been done just untick in Tools/Preferences/All/ Playlist untick automatically preparse files save exit restart vlc and all titles will now be the filenames as found in folder hope this helps

Thanx "JarodKyle01"
Thank you, very very much.

[OldGeezer]

Four pages of people wanting the same as me since the thread began in June 2014.. How hard could it be to give an option to ignore the metadata? I've seen entire seasons where the file names were correct but every episode has the same metadata for episode 01. Even when there is no metadata, VLC will shorten it to the just the series name & episode number such as S03E16. File names often have the episode name, audio & other info. There is an option not to preparse & the filenames show in the playlist until the episode is played. Why not just give an option NOT to parse at all? There is an option to show the filename at the top of the window. How hard could it be to do the same for the playlist? I am doubting they are going to ever fix this if we had 20 pages of people wanting it. Don't get me wrong, VLC is still the best media player. I ditched Windows when I refused to install that spyware version 10. They sent out an "update" to brick security updates because I have a 7th generation processor. Last time I tried their sorry media player it wouldn't even play an MKV file. VLC has fixed other annoying bugs like that horrible default dark red screen it kept reverting to even if there was a 2 pixel size difference between files & you had to keep stopping to recheck to adjust the video. HEVC files had just begun to show up when they updated to play them. So credit to them for many good things. Why are they ignoring this very easy request so many people want?

[Enthusiast01]

This Is already been done just untick in Tools/Preferences/All/ Playlist untick automatically preparse files save exit restart vlc and all titles will now be the filenames as found in folder hope this helps

Thanx "JarodKyle01"
Thank you, very very much.

I had to Google how to fix this & this was the fix. If the tooltips actually had a description most people could understand, it would save a lo of these questions.

I solved mine also by brute force. I wiped the metadata filename from all my videos with either MKV Optimizer 2 (for /mkv files) and MP3tag (for .mp4 files). I have never liked how the metadata is done in almost any media file.

[Ocsid]

If all roads were nicely maintained, no shock absorbing measures would be needed in cars.
If you've left CapsLock active when typing a password, your computer informs you of a possible misstake.

Wouldnt it be awesome to be able to say: "VLC, still working great even when handling the work of idiots"

Giving the users the OPTION to correct something disturbing would be a step towards ease of use.

I am wondering, how is it coming along? Any progress of implementing the aftersought option?

Still wondering. =)

[maslopigwa]

At least here is a following option that could help somebody, but it is not the solution, too.
Tools > Preferences > Show settings = All > Playlist: [ ] Automatically preparse files

Great! It works! For my needs of showing just 'normal' file names on playlist. Thank you so much for the solution! I registered on this forum just only to thank you

[missjmelville]

At least here is a following option that could help somebody, but it is not the solution, too.
Tools > Preferences > Show settings = All > Playlist: [ ] Automatically preparse files

Great! It works! For my needs of showing just 'normal' file names on playlist. Thank you so much for the solution! I registered on this forum just only to thank you

I cannot believe how long this has been an issue. I have been looking everywhere for a solution and this just does not cut it. All this option does is display the correct file name UNTIL you play it, then it changes it back to the metadata tags name. This is honestly ridiculous that it is an issue going back, at least, five years if not more. All my searching only ever brings me back here to this thread or to articles telling me to download a third party software to change metadata tags. No one has time for that. It is absolutely mind-boggling to me that this has been going on so long, with no fix when by all accounts, it should be simple to include an option to check/uncheck whether to use metadata tags for file names or not.

I made this account specifically to comment on this problem as maybe if more voices ask for this to be fixed, maybe, maybe something will be done. But I won't hold my breath.

[unidan]

I cannot believe how long this has been an issue. I have been looking everywhere for a solution and this just does not cut it. All this option does is display the correct file name UNTIL you play it, then it changes it back to the metadata tags name. This is honestly ridiculous that it is an issue going back, at least, five years if not more. All my searching only ever brings me back here to this thread or to articles telling me to download a third party software to change metadata tags. No one has time for that. It is absolutely mind-boggling to me that this has been going on so long, with no fix when by all accounts, it should be simple to include an option to check/uncheck whether to use metadata tags for file names or not.

It happens in free software, where people don't have a lot of time and prefer spending it in issues that are not workarounding bad input files.
UX issues like this should be improved, but they are difficult to tackle because you need a bigger picture than a specific use case.

[mederi]

It is possible to customize playlist table (Qt GUI on Windows): mouse-right-click the header of playlist table and select "Filename" in context menu. Perhaps this missing column/field could be implemented in VLC 3 for XP/Vista users.

[Ren_Flow]

How is this STILL an issue??? The only workaround I've found is to go to the trouble and scrubbing all the tag data from video files. A pain, but the least amount of pain necessary in order to get what I want.

[eltodesukane]

Still no solutions. VLC displays wrong annoying metadata when playing, instead of the filename which would be correct and useful.
Can't VLC do something about it?

[eltodesukane]

VLC, please just give the option to display the filename, is this so hard to do?

[eltodesukane]

I wish to request a feature for upcoming versions of vlc.
I wish to be able to turn off the metadata being displayed in the playlist. Resulting in the filename being shown instead.
How hard can it be to give the option to display the filename instead of wrong/missing/useless metadata?
Please give us the option to display the filename.
Anyone listening???

[SpectateSwamp]

To ignore this incredible feature is shortsighted.

My app determines the video thumbnail from the FN
ie start point, duration, speed, repeat, freeze and more.

Every player should easily be able to implement this WOW feature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJZfY6lxBaQ

[videobruce]

I use LA Player, I don't have this problem that whomever owns/runs VLC doesn't seem to give a --please stay polite-- about!
100 posts in over two years and nothing changed with these people?