[portowench]

I apologize if this question has already been asked - I didn't find it when I searched the forum.

I use MobileSheets for PDF lyrics sheets. The storage location is a folder on my tablet's external micro sd. I've had no trouble at all batch importing.

However, when I add or update files in the storage location, MobileSheets doesn't detect these changes on startup. I have to go directly to the storage folder and add the updated files one by one to the library.

This is quite time-consuming, as I have to go through hundreds of files in several sub-folders in order to get to the updated files. Usually, I end up clearing my library, doing another complete batch import, and recreating all of my set lists.

Does MobileSheets have an "auto-scan" feature that can automatically detect and import/update the new/changed files in the storage location? If so, where is it, and how do I access it?

If this feature doesn't exist, are there any plans to include it in a future release?

[GraemeJ]

I don't think this is possible with the current version. Whether or not it will come later, only Mike can answer.

Of course, not deleting existing files is exactly what some of us want. We might well have several files with the same name (derived from the title of the piece) but different keys, so we would want to keep all versions. In this instance, to have one file automatically replaced could be a bit of a disaster.

There is an 'Avoid Duplicate Songs' option, but I don't know if this means an original is deleted and replaced with the new, or the new one is ignored. You'd have to play around with that to check it out.

[portowench]

I don't have any actual sheet music in my library, just text lyrics - but some of the lyrics sheets do have several versions. These lyrics are used by our choir and church band, so multiple versions of a given song might be needed, depending on the occasion when they're played.

A song might have a wedding version, a quinceanera version, and a "rock out" band version (in addition to a regular, unmodified version), where the verses are rearranged or truncated. This is similar to you having one song in multiple keys. What I do in these cases is manipulate the filename/song title, so that there's no chance of any song having an exact duplicate, and nothing is overwritten if I don't want it to be.

For example: I'll name the file "Song Title (Wedding Version) - Song Author" or "Song Title (Band Version) - Song Author". This way, if I change the band version, only that file is updated.

In the same vein, you could try including the key in the filenames, as in "Song Title (A minor)" and "Song Title (G)".

[GraemeJ]

Actually, I do include the key in the filename, as it makes it quick to find the tune/arrangement for a specific singer. I often include the singers name as well (where possible) as it speeds up building a setlist for that particular person.

I think we all tailor our use of MS to suit our particular needs and I can see where your request could be of use in some circumstances. Maybe Mike could include that as an option but, at the moment, I think he's doing his very best to get v5 rolled out.

[Zubersoft]

One of my goals long term is to provide a method to sync to a specific folder, and with a single press, search for any changes in any of the files. In version 5, I already have code in place to track the file creation times for the PDFs that are imported. If the file suddenly changes, my plan is to search for changes, and update the database with the changes if necessary. This may in essence support what you are looking for as far as updating existing songs, but it would not handle deleting songs if files are deleted. This is a dangerous thing to do in general, and I'm not sure that would work for everyone...

Mike

[Harry_M]

Great to hear!
I would appreciate such an update and sync feature.

I am creating my pdf files with a notation software (finale) and a pdf writer and am also updating them if some chord is wrong or something else has to be corrected.
At the moment, I have to remember the updated files and manually sync them in MobileSheets.
Tracking the file creation times is a good starting point and would also help.