Devices: Catalogs

Summary

This page describes all the features of the Catalogs list view of the Devices screen and how to use them.

A Catalog is an index of files from a given directory referred to as the catalog path.
The Catalogs list displays all catalogs of the Collection, filtered according to the Selection.

List and selection

The list of catalogs can be narrowed down using the Selection left panel.

When the source path of a catalog points to a connected and mounted location, the catalog icon is shown in color (blue), indicating the catalog is active.

Action buttons

Button	Enabled when	Description
Update	A catalog is selected	Re-scans the selected catalog from its source path, according to its criteria (file type, hidden files, etc.)
All active	Always (Catalog list view only)	Updates all displayed catalogs whose source path is reachable
Stop	An update is running	Cancels the running update operation
Verify MIME Types	An active catalog is selected	Re-checks the file types of all files in the catalog using the system MIME database
Import	Always	Imports catalogs from a VVV export file — see Import below

note

The All active button is only available in the Catalog list view. It is disabled when the Device Tree or Storage list view is selected.

Context menu

Right-clicking on a catalog in the list opens a context menu:

Action	Condition	Description
Update	Active catalog only	Re-scans the catalog from its source path
Explore	Always	Opens the catalog in the Explore screen to browse its folders and files
Edit	Always	Opens the Edit panel to modify the catalog's settings
Open folder	Path is set and not an export	Opens the catalog's source folder in the file manager
Verify Checksums	Always	Re-calculates and compares checksums for all files in the catalog
Filelight	Active catalog only	Opens Filelight in the catalog's source path
Unassign this catalog	Catalog is assigned to a virtual group	Removes the catalog from its virtual group (the catalog itself is not deleted)
Delete this catalog	Physical group catalogs and exports	Permanently removes the catalog from the collection

Edit

The edit panel gives access to modify the following fields:

Field	Description
Device Name	The display name of the catalog
Parent device	The storage device this catalog belongs to
Source Path	The folder path from which the catalog is built
File Type	Restricts the catalog to a specific file type (All, Audio, Image, Text, Video)
Include Hidden Files	Whether hidden files and folders are included when scanning
Metadata	Level of metadata indexing: None, Standard, or Extended
Checksum	Whether file checksums are calculated: None or SHA-256
Exclude Folders	List of sub-folders to exclude from the catalog scan

It is generally recommended to set the correct options when creating a catalog rather than editing them later.

Import

Catalogs can be imported from a VVV (Virtual Volumes View) export file using TAB as the separator.

Each VVV physical volume becomes one separate Katalog catalog.

Steps:

1. In VVV, choose File / Export… and select TAB as the separator.
2. In Katalog, go to the Catalogs list and click Import, then select the exported file.

note

The source path and other details about VVV volumes are not available in the export. Use the Edit panel afterward to add the source path if you want to enable future updates.

Development

Some ideas of developments for this screen:

• See the backlog of Devices development.