LINKSHEETS for IDIOTS

[oldskool4572]

The 1.05.04 is the one I'm looking at. I take it that must be the one you mean? Thanks.

[oldskool4572]

Ok I'm completely stumped. Moviesheets just will not show up. I think I have the correct naming conventions, but to be honest I'm starting to get confused the more I read. I am just trying with one movie at the moment just to get it to work.

My folder lay out for sheet mode is this:

Movie (folder)
Movie brrip
Movie.jpg (thumbnail)
Movie_sheet.sheet.jpg (movie sheet)

Is this right? I keep reading that you need a folder.jpg, but I have no idea what this means.

Also If I am mounting a usb drive, do I need to set the destination of said drive within the S00 options?

Thanks

[oldskool4572]

Shouldn't be this hard to do something so simple. Will leave it as its becoming totally frustrating.

I can and drop jpg images into my movie folders to create thumb nails and they show no problems, but this is just silly.

Thanks anyway, but I'm going back to the old official firmware as I only wanted to use this one for the movie sheets.

[superbigjay]

Movie (folder)
Movie brrip
Movie.jpg (thumbnail)
Movie_sheet.sheet.jpg (movie sheet)

The wiki has some clear examples of the naming conventions to use.

In your case...

Assuming that your folder is named "Movie""
and that your video file is "Movie.avi"

Then you would need
- when you highlight the "Movie" folder
folder.jpg --> the thumb for the "Movie" folder
Movie_sheet.jpg --> the folder sheet
- when you go inside the folder "Movie"
Movie.jpg --> the thumb for the movie file (it's the video filename where the extension is replaced by jpg)
Movie.avi_sheet.jpg --> the file sheet that will be displayed when Movie.avi is selected

Hope this gives you new clues....

[oldskool4572]

I have tried sheet mode only so far. Should I try std? I have read some people get better results with this. I know that linksheets is being scanned as my power light does blink, but they just don't show up.
I will give the example of the movie I am trying:

HD Movies-main folder that contains all my movies. Let me be clear about this; all my movies have their own individual folders within HD Movies.

127 Hours -folder...and then within this...
127 Hours.brrip (does it need an ext on the end?)
127 Hours.brrip.jpg -thumbnail image for the folder
127 Hours.brrip_sheet.jpg- movie sheet

The jpg's are all under 300kb.
That's it. I don't bother with the cmd/nfo file. I just delete that.
All I see is the 127 Hours thumbnail jpg. I then click on that all I then get is the icon for the movie itself. Click again and it plays. No movie sheet, no other jpg's.

Am I understand that I need to have 2 thumbnail jpg's? Really confused on that one. Another folder within the 127 Hours folder? Or just all files within the folder? Sorry to sound dim about it.

Do I have to create a directory within the S00 script files to show it where it to look on my usb hd? This is where I read conflicting things and simply don't understand it.
In my thumbgen settings I just use the generic WDLXTV sheet that can be used for sheet, std and wall mode. I am not using any other templates.
I would love to get this to work but simply can't understand why its not. It must be something I am missing.

As for the naming conventions, well I must be thick because I don't think they are.
Should I name a sheet:
127 Hours.brrip_sheet.sheet.jpg
or:
127 Hours.brrip_sheet.jpg
or:
something else? Or does it matter if I am using the generic thumbgen template that apparently can be used on all 3 modes?

Appreciate the help as I know you guys must be sick of answering these questions many times over, but I am new to the firmware having owned the hub for ages. Just decided I wanted to get more out of it.

[superbigjay]

I have tried sheet mode only so far. Should I try std? I have read some people get better results with this.

It shouldn't really matter, it depends on your personnal preferences...

HD Movies-main folder that contains all my movies. Let me be clear about this; all my movies have their own individual folders within HD Movies.
127 Hours -folder...and then within this...
127 Hours.brrip (does it need an ext on the end?)
127 Hours.brrip.jpg -thumbnail image for the folder
127 Hours.brrip_sheet.jpg- movie sheet

Well you have some errors in your names...

First, I think you're missing the file extension for the media file (127 hours.brrip). Are you sure it's the right file name? Most common container are *.avi, *.mkv, *.mp4.
Maybe your OS is set to hide extension for known file type (example, a word document would show as Letter instead of letter.doc).

But assuming that your media file is really "127 Hours.brrip" and your folder "127 Hours", then you would have:
[HD Movies]
--- [127 hours]
------ 127 Hours.brrip (media file)
------ folder.jpg (folder thumb)
------ 127 Hours.jpg (file thumb)
------ 127 Hours_sheet.jpg (folder sheet)
------ 127 Hours.brrip_sheet.jpg (file sheet)

Or if your real file name was "127 Hours.brrip.mkv"
[HD Movies]
--- [127 hours]
------ 127 Hours.brrip.mkv (media file)
------ folder.jpg (folder thumb)
------ 127 Hours.brrip.jpg (file thumb)
------ 127 Hours_sheet.jpg (folder sheet)
------ 127 Hours.brrip.mkv_sheet.jpg (file sheet)

That's it. I don't bother with the cmd/nfo file. I just delete that.

Note: When you'll be setup, generate the tgmd files and keep them somewhere. That way, when you'll need to generate your sheet again because you modified or changed your template, it will be much faster...

Am I understand that I need to have 2 thumbnail jpg's? Really confused on that one. Another folder within the 127 Hours folder? Or just all files within the folder?

It's 1 thumb per folder and 1 thumb per file.
Also depending on the mode you choose (wall, sheet, std), you might end up not using some of them, but you better generate all of them.
You can put all file in the same folder like the examples above.

As for the naming conventions, well I must be thick because I don't think they are.
Should I name a sheet:
127 Hours.brrip_sheet.sheet.jpg
or:
127 Hours.brrip_sheet.jpg
or:
something else?

Unless you plan to generate version for all modes, and change your mode from time to time,
I would simply use the "_sheet" like in the example above.

Or does it matter if I am using the generic thumbgen template that apparently can be used on all 3 modes?

If you simply use the "_sheet", this will work with all 3 modes.
As for the generic template, keep in mind that for the sheet mode, you need an area at the bottom with no relevant information since this is where the 7 thumbs will be displayed (and hide any info that might be there).
Same thing for the wall mode, where 4x3 thumbs are displayed on the left.
And finally, for the std mode, there's no thumbs displayed at all.

See the wiki for some snapshots...

Jay

[oldskool4572]

Sorry,now I'm really confused.

127 Hours_sheet.jpg (folder sheet)
------ 127 Hours.brrip.mkv_sheet.jpg (file sheet)

I have 2 movie sheets but which one is the folder one and which one is the file?
One seems to be called "Movies_sheet" which I generated. Do I have to rename that one?
None of them contain the .jpg on the end of the names, so I guess I have to manually do that myself?
Also, do I have to generate spare sheets and thumbnails?

This is what I have now:

127 Hours
127 Hours.mkv
127 Hours.mkv.tgmd
127 Hours.mkv_sheet.jpg
folder.jpg (do I leave this named exactly that?)
Movies.tgmd
Movies_sheet.jpg

In that order as well.

As for the thumbgen template I think I have really fried my brain on that one. There seems to be loads of options of templates that all contain the word "sheet".
Which one do I choose?


Really appreciate your patience on this,

[superbigjay]

127 Hours
127 Hours.mkv
127 Hours.mkv.tgmd
127 Hours.mkv_sheet.jpg
folder.jpg (do I leave this named exactly that?)
Movies.tgmd
Movies_sheet.jpg

You're getting there...
- 127 Hours---> is your folder
------ 127 Hours.mkv ---> is your media file
------ 127 Hours.mkv.tgmd ----> is your metadata
------ 127 Hours.mkv_sheet.jpg ----> is your FILE sheet (whole file name + _sheet.jpg)
------ folder.jpg (do I leave this named exactly that?) --> is your folder thumb : yes you leave it as "folder.jpg" always
------ Movies.tgmd ----> also a metadata, but you can only one (in thumbgen, you can generate 2 : one for main+extra and the other for spare. Use only one)
------ Movies_sheet.jpg ---> this would be you folder sheet, by name is incorrect, it should be "127 Hours_sheet.jpg"
*** you seem to lack the file thumb which could ba a copy of folder.jpg, but renamed "127 Hours.jpg"

In that order as well.

yes in alphabetical order...

As for the thumbgen template I think I have really fried my brain on that one. There seems to be loads of options of templates that all contain the word "sheet".
Which one do I choose?

it's a bit long to explain all this, you'll have to look at the threads or wiki for thumbgen, but you will need:
- main sheet (for folder_sheet) ----> $M/$F_sheet
- extra sheet (for file sheet) ---> $M/$N$E_sheet
- main metadata (for the movie folder) ---> $M/$F_sheet
- thumb (for folder) ---> $M/folder
- extra thumb (for file) ---> $M/$N

this should keep you going ...
Jay

[oldskool4572]

Ok, many thanks for your help so far. I am slowly starting to understand this a little better.

However ...I know I'm being thick, but....any chance you could provide a link to where the thumbgen wiki is?

In the options on thumbgen I cannot seem to change some of the settings? For example in the input/output naming on the main/extra metadata option it just says default with this: "$M\$N$E".
Can I manually input different values by just typing them in? And why is it that there is no single template for say, sheet mode, that simplifies the whole thing?

[recliq]

http://wiki.wdlxtv.com/How_to_use_Movie_sheets_v2#Example_File_Structures

I just added the TG filename variables to the examples... Hope this makes some things easier.