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+--- Thread: First time trying Kodi (/showthread.php?tid=342041)
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First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-15
Hello,
I am just trying Kodi for the first time. I have my files organized on my PC the way I'd like Kodi to display them but I'm not sure how to go about it. It seems that Movies is working the way I want but I have my TV shows in two different folders and I'd like to have Two TV show selections on the menu on the right. I have current TV shows and past TV shows and I'd prefer not to have them all in one place as sometimes I feel like watching something new and other times something older.
So on my PC I have
TVPast, Hogans Heroes, Season 1, Season 2,....
TVCurrent, The Rookie, Season 1..
Is there a way to add categories on the left hand pane in Kodi?
Likewise for Movies - I have folders for the Categories/Genre's I believe they belong in - e.g. Superhero, Bond, Comedy - I'd like when I select Genre's it to either show me my movies folder structure or I'd like to edit the genre's so they point to particular folders.
RE: First time trying Kodi - Karellen - 2019-03-15
Custom home items (wiki)
RE: First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-16
Thanks very much! I've been playing about with Kodi for a while today and while I love the info and posters, I find it to be less than simple to organize the way I want to use it. I did try to follow the instructions however I've failed as it seems that either the writer assumes my Kodi knowledge of how to get from place is present or the way to get there has changed from versions of kodi. I've tried plex and didn't care for it much. I've been streaming from my Oppo and it is very simple, straight forward, plays back flawlessly however it is primitive in that it has no summaries or posters. Do you happen to know of something that is in between the complexity of Kodi for customization and the simplicity of Oppo for easy menu access?
RE: First time trying Kodi - Karellen - 2019-03-16
(2019-03-16, 00:47)boe_d Wrote: Do you happen to know of something that is in between the complexity of Kodi for customization and the simplicity of Oppo for easy menu access?Sorry, no I don't.
You could alternatively just use the Videos>files menu option and access your sources directly. That is just a file manager view, same as you would have in, say, Windows. You won't have all library functions available there.
If that is ok, then you could add an autoexec.py script that will take you straight there at startup. If that interests you, read here... https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=336407&pid=2782088#pid2782088
(2019-03-16, 00:47)boe_d Wrote: I did try to follow the instructions however I've failedWhich skin are you using?
RE: First time trying Kodi - PatK - 2019-03-16
If Movies are handled the way you want, and your issue is TV is just bundled up into one, continue with both folders as sources, then put in the Add-on:LazyTV (wiki) dead simple and definitely easy.
RE: First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-16
I'll be honest I don't know what skin I'm using - Caucasian?
I have kodi set up pretty much as is. I've added some addins - not sure if they go into effect or you have to do something to use them. I'll be honest, I'm sure Kodi makes perfect sense the way it does things but for me it seems very counter intuitive.
RE: First time trying Kodi - Karellen - 2019-03-16
Well if you are using the default Estuary skin (the one you see when you first install Kodi), then you cannot use Custom Home Items. That is clearly explained in the wiki page I gave you.
RE: First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-16
Thanks - I'm not trying to be obtuse - I read this
1. Intro - just says requires stuff for it to have custom home things
2. Skins - modified version fo Estuary for Kodi v18 - says install a bunch of stuff
3 - Create Smart playlists which shows a different menu than I have but that doesn't matter. However it seemed to just add all my movies with no organization and never asked for the path. I also couldn't find a way to group by folder path. I could sort them by folder path which means I have to scroll through 1500 movies and significantly more files. I don't see a way of adding a group by option. I'm not complaining just explaining where I'm lost. Maybe I need to activate a skin or addon or widget first to get that option.
RE: First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-16
Also I couldn't figure a way to use the keyboard with kodi - for example if my playlist is grouped by actor I have 30,700 actors to choose from. Scrolling through them would take days. I tried typing a name and that brought up a menu. I tried CTRL F and typing a name same issue - mark as watched, mark as unwatched, play, queue... Right click the names - same men choice.
RE: First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-16
Sorry - one more thing - I clicked on the magnifying glass at the main menu to search - said I had to add global search. I installed it then searched for an actor's name - no response. I tried searching for a character name - no answer. It did manage to find a movie title.
RE: First time trying Kodi - jools5000 - 2019-03-16
The default Kodi skin is easy to use and simple for all users (on the other side its basic and lacks customisation)
If you like the default Kodi look then you can try Estuary MOD which is much more customisable
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=306757
Plus theres plenty of other skins in the Kodi repo you can play with
RE: First time trying Kodi - PatK - 2019-03-16
In the way you're approaching your collection, Kodi can be frustrating. Stop trying to micro manage the the software, with groups and categories etc. Kodi will handle the library automagically. It will slot everything into nice neat genre, and categories that have been pre-set by the scraper database. Click on SiFi and you get all your Science Fiction etc. Point at a few drives/folders with Movies and let the program go to work and build a comprehensive library, with some organization.
Search should be built in to most skins, and you search for the movie from the search function, (there are settings for search), but for the most part, looking at a movies information and clicking on a select actor will bring all his movies to focus. I guess it's just getting to know what the software does for you, rather than taking control of every aspect of a very complex universe.
The skin 'Estuary' was built with some simplicity in mind for the newly initiated, and has most of the structure set-up to serve someone just starting out and looks great and handles well for new users. Kodi is very customizable, with open source code that anyone could dive into at any level of expertise, diving into the deep end can be dangerous. Learn to swim through the program, you'll find that various skins offer much more to various interests; as your knowledge and experience increases, you'll find most pre-set functions inadequate, and want to replace mostly everything with your own playlists, nodes, menu's and buttons. That level of customization is somewhat more difficult, and requires some experience with the program for smooth operation and set-up.
As a fairly new user, but someone who has an existing library with previous experience, the caution I offer is not to take on too much. Try a few different skins, see which offer close to what you had in mind, skin settings between will be maintained along with your library. Your question
(2019-03-15, 17:49)boe_d Wrote: TV shows in two different foldersShows me that your approach is micro managing, and I doubt in the near future this will be of concern. Take a hands off approach, know full well you will get what you want, but you might be at the wrong end of the swimming pool atm.
RE: First time trying Kodi - ponkotsu - 2019-03-18
(2019-03-16, 08:17)boe_d Wrote: Also I couldn't figure a way to use the keyboard with kodi - for example if my playlist is grouped by actor I have 30,700 actors to choose from. Scrolling through them would take days. I tried typing a name and that brought up a menu. I tried CTRL F and typing a name same issue - mark as watched, mark as unwatched, play, queue... Right click the names - same men choice.
Hold down SHIFT and press the first letter of the name. That should move you directly to the first entry that starts with that letter. If you press the first 3 or 4 letters (while holding down SHIFT throughout the whole time), you can target even closer.
RE: First time trying Kodi - boe_d - 2019-03-20
(2019-03-18, 20:23)runningnaked Wrote:Thanks - I still seem only able to search by movie title. Is there a way to search for actors or characters - e.g. Bruce Campbell or Ash Williams(2019-03-16, 08:17)boe_d Wrote: Also I couldn't figure a way to use the keyboard with kodi - for example if my playlist is grouped by actor I have 30,700 actors to choose from. Scrolling through them would take days. I tried typing a name and that brought up a menu. I tried CTRL F and typing a name same issue - mark as watched, mark as unwatched, play, queue... Right click the names - same men choice.
Hold down SHIFT and press the first letter of the name. That should move you directly to the first entry that starts with that letter. If you press the first 3 or 4 letters (while holding down SHIFT throughout the whole time), you can target even closer.
RE: First time trying Kodi - Karellen - 2019-03-20
(2019-03-20, 04:51)boe_d Wrote: Is there a way to search for actors or charactersYes, the search add-on is named Global Search. Find it in your Add-ons>My Add-ons>All list. Go to Configure and enable Actors search as shown in the image. Some options are disabled by default...
