newsbin.com

In 6.81 final, 3 issues with nzb files are really screwing things up for me.

1. Shortening of the extracted renamed file names. Why?!!! This bug was introduced deliberately, if I remember correctly.
So every time it happens I rename the files back to full nzb name manually. Why am I forced to do this?
It occurs often enough so I am even thinking about writing some specialized software or a script or a macro for that specific task.
Besides, it forces me to check if the file name is complete EACH time. So this specialized software would do also that.
But this whole problem is because Newsbin shortens file names deliberately.

2. Not renaming shorter file names at all - why? Again, I have to rename manually, but also this issue causes huge problems together with the following issue #3:

3. In options, there is no separate UnRAR Folder for downloads from NZBs.
So when shorter names are not renamed and unrarred files are left in various groups instead of putting them back into the nzb folder of the specific post - it is impossible to know which is which unless downloading one at a time.
I need either a separate UnRAR Folder in options for nzbs or an option allowing to put extracted files back to the folder of the nzb folder.
Here is the typical situation how I use those paths:

Main download folder:
U:\NNTP\$(GOG)\

Downloads from NZBs:
U:\NNTP\NZB\$(NZBFILE)\

UnRAR Folder:
U:\NNTP\$(GOG)\X\

You see, I use NZBFILE but I don't use filenames or subjects for regular posts - but I put extracted stuff in a subfolder X so that it is clear what is extracted successfully and what is perhaps (possibly incomplete or wrong) spam.
I don't want to change anything there.
But if files extracted from NZBs are not renamed because they are too short - so how to make those non-renamed files to be moved to the NZBFILE folder or even better: NZBFILE\X folder?
A separate path field in options would be helpful for X, but even without it NewsBin could move extracted files back to the NZB folder - so at least a checkbox?
I need to be able to tell which short file is from which nzb file - I currently can download only one nzb at a time to avoid confusion.
Besides, I don't know in advance if the file name will be short and left unrenamed or not. So again, only one nzb at a time, even when the extracted files are renamed - because not all of them are renamed.

So, sometimes I modify the UNRAR Folder to add NZBFILE into it when I need to download lots from nzb files, but then I have to restore it back. This back-and-forth would be unnecessary with a separate field in options.


There is also an additional issue with NZBs:

4. All the pars are downloaded first, at least for some NZBs, and then an unnecessary repair is done and the rest of the files are still downloaded already after extracting - there is a separate thread about it.

1 - Firstly, with modern obscured NZB files, the only way to get a reliable download is to feed them directly to the download list. Either with autoload folder or double click.

2 - If you use the NZB Autoload folder, you can spec a different unrar path per autoload folder.

So knowing this, are you feeding them to the post list first and then sending them to the download list or are you feeding them directly to the download list?

None of your numbered reports are clear enough to understand what's actually happening. It works better if you fake up some examples. I have no idea what kind of unrars you're even talking about. You understand what you're saying but you need to make me understand it, if I'm to do anything about it.

I just don't understand why you decided to truncate the nzb file names when renaming the extracted files.
Only forcing me to rename them back manually to their full length.

As to the short name being not renamed you wrote something about problems with recognizing if you need to rename them or not, or somthing like that, if I remember correctly.

And I also would like to have a field "UnRAR Folder for downloads from NZBs" in the Newsbin options.

I click on a nzb - it shows up in a separate tab
I don't know what autoload folder is, so I don't use it. But if I need to create a separate such folder for each nzb in order for the extracted file to be placed in it, then it is not an acceptable solution.
I need a solution where the nzb unrar folder has NZBFILE in its path. But I don't want to have NZBFILE in unrar path of any other downloads that are not from NZBs. So I need a separate unrar folder for downloads from NZBS.
It is very simple and very clear, I think

Let's say, I am downloading some tv series, episodes 01 - 24
and I get the extracted files:
goat\x45nrx5v9Kdvzk0k8xDqGEu.mkv
bravo\8iT2e4tDMZXJg832C2Rmvng1q.mkv
etc.
So how can I then know which of those is 01 and which is 02 or 24 ?

If you cannot rename those extracted mkv files to the corresponding nzb file names, at least they should not be left in those goat, bravo folders. At least they should be placed in:
some.tv.series.s01e01\x45nrx5v9Kdvzk0k8xDqGEu.mkv
some.tv.series.s01e02\8iT2e4tDMZXJg832C2Rmvng1q.mkv
- assuming that some.tv.series.s01e01.nzb and some.tv.series.s01e02.nzb are my nzb files.
Those folders corresponding to nzb names are created but left empty. Only a small step is missing - to move those files from goat, bravo, etc. to those already created empty folders.
If I need to check a box or to add NZBFILE to a special field "UnRAR from nzb" (currently missing) in options - that is fine. I can do that.
Still, I don't understand why those empty folders are created but the files are left in goat, bravo etc. - that makes no sense. Perhaps it is a bug in Newsbin?
I mean, these folders are used for rar parts and par2s etc. But after successful unrarring, the rar/par files are deleted and they are left empty.

Extracting them all into some autoload folder with the name some.tv.series would not be enough. I would have to create a separate autoload folder for each episode then, if I understand you correctly. That is not a solution.
There are three possible solution:
1. If you could rename those files instead of leaving the garbage names
2. If you could allow me specify in settings an option to add the corresponding nzb file name to the download path of each such file
3. If you moved the extracted files from those goat, bravo folders to the empty nzb folders where they clearly belong - without any need for solution 2.

Are you saying there would be a difference if I enabled "Automatic download for double clicked nzb files"?
This is not a thing I want to do - to download blindly without first seeing at least the size and if the post is indicated as complete. Sometimes multiple nzb files are available for the same post, and some of them are better than others, So I don't want to download dupes with a double click or to choose the wrong nzb by not seeing how it looks in Newsbin first.


UPDATE:

I tried keeping that NZBFILE argument in the UnRAR Folder path when doing regular non-nzb downloads.
It seems that the NZBFILE value in such cases is an empty string.
In other words, I can keep NZBFILE in the UnRAR Folder expression permanently - this is an acceptable workaround.
Of course, it would be much better if the unrarred from nzb file were moved back to the corresponding nzb folder, but this solution at least allows to eliminate ambiguous situations.

I click on a nzb - it shows up in a separate tab

Yeah, this is the wrong way to download these obscured NZB's. In the newsbin options, in the NZB options, you can add a watch folder with "New Watch" then specify a folder for Newsbin to watch. Any NZB's that end up in that folder will be picked up by Newsbin, then loaded into the download list. You can set "per watch" specific download and unrar folders. Alternatively you can check "Download Double-Clicked NZB" so when you double-click or "open" and NZB in exporer, they should automatically go into the download list.

So how can I then know which of those is 01 and which is 02 or 24 ?

That's what's inside the RAR file. It's not Newsbin naming these things. Normally if you use an NZB File per show, Newsbin should rename them to the proper name one at a time using the NZB Filename as the source. That assumes you fed it to the download list. If it's a batch of MKV's inside the RAR files. Newsbin has no way to rename them.

If you have your unrar path set to include the NZB Filename, you're saying they don't remain there? The download path doesn't matter. What's important in this case is the unrar folder. I might download to the main download folder and only use the UnRAR path to set the final destination.

It seems to be that you're setting download paths and then also have an unrar path set. If you want them to download and unrar into the same folder, you need to remove the unrar path.

Thanks!

I did not realize that for the download and unrar paths for NZB Watch folders I also can use (NZBFILE) parameter. That solves everything.
Thank you very much. Now I have what I need.

Perhaps an option (a checkbox) not to delete the nzb file but instead to move it to the nzb download folder of the NZB Watch folder would be nice. But if I want to keep the nzb file, I still can copy it to the NZB Watch folder instead of moving it there.

Still, two rather important questions remain, because those two issues cause me to do lots of manual checking and manual renaming:

1. Why nzb file names used to rename the unrared files are truncated when they are longer than what, 57 characters? I don't want them truncated. Because when they are truncated I ALWAYS rename them back to the full nzb file name.
So now I have to check if the file name is truncated or not, and if it is - to rename it back to the full length name. Each and every time!

2. Why unrared files are left not renamed to the corresponding nzb file name at all if they are shorter, than what? 28-30 characters or so? Not sure what the exact length is.

It would be so much better if all the unrared files were renamed, now we have only a range when nzb file names are of certain length, not shorter than some number of characters and not longer, because then the new names are unnecessarily truncated.
Please, at least do not truncate them. Or at least give an option to choose to truncate or not.
Likewise, if there are some issues with renaming when the nzb file name is shorter, perhaps you could also leave it to the Newsbin user to decide to rename or not to rename.

Could you add two checkboxes to NZB Options or allow to add the corresponding lines to the .nbi file:
1. Truncate / do not truncate longer names
2. Rename / do not rename shorter names
Perhaps even the 3rd one:
3. Rename / do not rename - any length.

Actually, those checkboxes could be for each NZB Watch folder separately, especially the 2nd and the 3rd ones - to rename or not the short names or at all.
Then a separate NZB Watch folder could be used for the nzb files where there is a strong probability that renaming is not needed because the names inside rars are not obfuscated but the real ones.

Perhaps an option (a checkbox) not to delete the nzb file but instead to move it to the nzb download folder of the NZB Watch folder would be nice. But if I want to keep the nzb file, I still can copy it to the NZB Watch folder instead of moving it there.

The NZB's are all moved to the NZB folder in the data folder. If you want to make copies you can from there. They'll purge automatically in 2 days if you don't. Are you just trying to save them? Newsbin doesn't do anything with them after they're loaded.

OK, thanks.

What about renaming / not renaming to the name of the nzb file when extracting from rars with obfuscated names inside rars?
Such options as:

1. Always rename (even the short names!!!: the user knows they all are obfuscated)
2. Never rename (the user knows none of them is obfuscated)
3. Never truncate long names

Sometimes files inside rars in a certain batch of NZBs are always with obfuscated names, sometimes - never obfuscated - so the user could choose the appropriate option.
If no option is chosen, then - auto, as it is now.
And the reason for truncating the names when renaming is really puzzling - quite often at least the name of the release group is cut off if not more.
I would keep truncate = OFF always, but if for some reason sometimes truncating is needed, then let the user choose.

Actually, I would prefer to have these proposed renaming options for each Watch Folder separately.
Then the user could just put nzb files into different watch folders instead of keeping changing renaming options.
NZB Watch folders: AutoRename, AlwaysRename, DoNotRename, DoNotTruncate, etc.
For example, I would make one NZB Watch folder with (NZBFILE) parameter included into the UnRAR Folder path - without forcing renaming,
and another NZB Watch folder without (NZBFILE) in the path - with the option to rename always = ON, even when the names inside rars are very short.