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Media Manager GUI for Windows

A user-friendly Windows GUI application that simplifies the process of monitoring media files and detecting missing content. This GUI wraps the existing command-line scripts in an intuitive interface.

Features

  • Easy Directory Management: Add/remove directories to scan for media files with a simple GUI
  • Automated Media List Generation: Scan directories and generate timestamped media lists
  • Missing Media Detection: Compare recent lists to identify missing files
  • Email Notifications: Automatically send email alerts when missing media is detected
  • File Retention Management: Automatically manage old list files (keep only the latest N files)
  • Configuration Persistence: Save all settings between sessions
  • Real-time Logging: View operation status and results in real-time
  • File Management: View and browse generated lists and results

Installation

Option 1: Standalone Executable (Recommended)

No Python installation required!

  1. Download the executable from the releases page or build it yourself
  2. Double-click MediaManager.exe to run
  3. First run may take 10-15 seconds (extracting files)

To build the executable yourself:

build_exe.bat

See BUILD_EXECUTABLE.md for detailed instructions.

Option 2: Python Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.6 or later
  • Windows operating system
  • Internet connection (for email notifications)

Setup Instructions

  1. Download or Clone the Repository

    git clone https://github.com/TrueBankai416/missing-media-scripts.git
cd missing-media-scripts

  2. Run the GUI

    python media_manager_gui.py

    Or double-click the run_gui.bat file

Quick Start Guide

1. Initial Configuration

When you first run the application:

  1. Go to the Configuration tab

  2. Add Scan Directories:

    • Click "Add Directory" to select folders containing your media files
    • Add multiple directories as needed
    • Remove directories using "Remove Selected"

  3. Set Output Directory:

    • Choose where to save the generated lists
    • Default: lists folder in the current directory

  4. Configure Email (Optional):

    • Set up email notifications for missing media alerts
    • Required fields: Sender Email, Receiver Email, Password, SMTP Server
    • Default SMTP: Gmail (smtp.gmail.com:587)

  5. Set File Retention:

    • Choose how many old list files to keep (default: 100)

  6. Click "Save Configuration"

2. Basic Operations

Generate Media List

  • Click "Generate Media List" in the Main tab
  • This scans all configured directories for .mp4, .mkv, and .avi files
  • Creates a timestamped list file

Check for Missing Media

  • Click "Check for Missing Media"
  • Compares the two most recent media lists
  • Identifies files that were in the previous list but missing from the current list
  • Sends email notification if configured

Run Complete Check

  • Click "Run Complete Check" to perform all operations in sequence:
    1. Generate new media list
    2. Check for missing media
    3. Clean up old files

3. Viewing Results

Use the Logs & Results tab to:

  • View all generated list files
  • Read file contents
  • Open the output folder in Windows Explorer
  • Monitor file creation timestamps

Configuration Details

Email Setup

For Gmail users:

  1. Enable 2-Factor Authentication on your Google account
  2. Create an App Password:
    • Go to Google Account settings
    • Security → 2-Step Verification → App passwords
    • Generate a password for "Mail"
  3. Use the app password (not your regular password) in the GUI

For other email providers:

  • Update the SMTP server and port in the configuration
  • Common SMTP settings:
    • Outlook/Hotmail: smtp-mail.outlook.com:587
    • Yahoo: smtp.mail.yahoo.com:587
    • Gmail: smtp.gmail.com:587

Directory Scanning

The application searches for these file types:

  • .mp4 - MPEG-4 video files
  • .mkv - Matroska video files
  • .avi - Audio Video Interleave files

Hidden directories (starting with '.') are automatically ignored.

File Naming Convention

Generated files use timestamps in the format: YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS

  • Media Lists: media_list_20240522_143022.txt
  • Missing Media: missing_media_20240522_143022.txt

Automation Options

Windows Task Scheduler

To automate the media checking process:

  1. Open Task Scheduler (Start → Task Scheduler)
  2. Create Basic Task
  3. Set Trigger: Daily at your preferred time
  4. Set Action: Start a program
  5. Program: python.exe
  6. Arguments: path\to\media_manager_gui.py --auto-run
  7. Start in: Directory containing the scripts

Note: The --auto-run flag is a future enhancement for headless operation.

Batch File Automation

Create a batch file to run operations:

@echo off
cd /d "C:\path\to\missing-media-scripts"
python media_manager_gui.py
pause

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. "No module named 'tkinter'"

    • Ensure Python was installed with tkinter support
    • On some Linux distributions: sudo apt-get install python3-tk

  2. Email sending fails

    • Verify email credentials and app password
    • Check firewall/antivirus settings
    • Ensure SMTP server and port are correct

  3. Permission errors

    • Run as administrator if accessing system directories
    • Check folder permissions for output directory

  4. No files found

    • Verify directory paths are correct
    • Check that directories contain .mp4, .mkv, or .avi files
    • Ensure directories are accessible

Log Messages

The application provides detailed logging in the Status section:

  • Green messages: Successful operations
  • Red messages: Errors that need attention
  • Timestamps: All operations are timestamped for tracking

File Structure

missing-media-scripts/
├── media_manager_gui.py          # Main GUI application
├── generate_media_list.py        # Core media scanning functionality
├── generate_missing_media_list.py # Missing media detection
├── manage_txt_files.sh           # Original bash script (Linux/Mac)
├── manage_files.py               # Python equivalent for Windows
├── media_manager_config.json     # GUI configuration (auto-generated)
├── run_gui.bat                   # Windows launcher for Python version
├── build_exe.bat                 # Build script for executable
├── media_manager_gui.spec        # PyInstaller configuration
├── BUILD_EXECUTABLE.md           # Executable build documentation
├── requirements.txt              # Python dependencies
├── example_config.json           # Example configuration file
├── dist/                         # Built executable (after building)
│   └── MediaManager.exe          # Standalone executable
├── lists/                        # Default output directory
│   ├── media_list_*.txt          # Generated media lists
│   └── missing_media_*.txt       # Missing media reports
└── README.md                     # Original documentation

Differences from Command Line Scripts

The GUI provides several enhancements over the original command-line scripts:

  1. Persistent Configuration: Settings are saved between sessions
  2. Real-time Feedback: Status updates and progress indication
  3. File Management: Built-in file browser and viewer
  4. Error Handling: User-friendly error messages
  5. Cross-platform File Management: Python-based file retention instead of bash script
  6. Email Configuration: Built-in email setup and testing

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests:

  • GitHub Issues: Create an issue in the repository
  • Discord: Join the community discord at the link in the main README

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.