If parameter isn't provided to a template, is it ignored?

[douginoz]

templates:
    Studio:
        plex_search:
          studio: <<studio>>
        url_poster: <<poster>>
        sort_title: +++++++_<<collection_name>>
        collection_order: release
collections:
 Aardman:
    template: {name: Studio, studio: "Aardman Animations"}

If url_poster isn't included in the line
template: {name: Studio, studio: "Aardman Animations"}

Q1: Will the existing poster for the Aardman collection get overwritten/removed?
Q2: If I use the assets folder (config/assets/Aardman/poster.jpg), will this file automatically get added/set to active in Plex for this collection, even if something else is currently active?

Background: I was having problems with including the poster url in the template line:

template: {name: Studio, studio: "Aardman Animations", poster: https://blah/file.png}

What seemed to be happening is that nothing woud get returned/set in Plex until I manually viewed the poster in my web browser, and then only some of these seemed to appear. I couldn't spend time debugging it as I have a couple of dozen that needed fixing so I'm hoping to use the workaround of keeping poster files in the config/assets folder. I just need to know if they are always used and always checked each time PMM is run.

[meisnate12]

the assets folder is checked with each run.
you can have optional variables and they can have defaults as well.
The optional attribute and default attribute are about half way down this page.
Let me know if your still having trouble

[douginoz]

Awesome. That fixed it:

templates:
    Studio:
        plex_search:
          studio: <<studio>>
        optional:
          url_poster: <<poster>>
        sort_title: +++++++_<<collection_name>>
        collection_order: release
collections:
  DC Extended Universe:
    template: {name: Studio, studio: "DC Extended Universe"}

when run, produces:

| Scanning DC Extended Universe Collection                                                           |
|                                                                                                    |
| Sync Mode: append                                                                                  |
|                                                                                                    |
| Processing Plex Search: studio(DC Extended Universe)                                               |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | = | Wonder Woman 1984                                            |
| 1 Movie Processed                                                                                  |
|                                                                                                    |
| Detail: summary updated Collection Summary                                                         |
| Detail: sort_title updated Collection Sort Title to +++++++_DC Extended Universe                   |
| Detail: collection_order updated Collection Order to release                                       |
| Details: have been updated                                                                         |
| Detail: asset_directory updated collection poster to [File] /opt/Plex-Meta-Manager/config/assets/DC Extended Universe/poster.jpg |
|                                                                                                    |
| No background to update                                                                            |

However, taking a step back, if I don't have any movies in Plex with a studio value of "DC Extended Universe", and no existing collection of that name, the following disaster starts to happen:

|====================================================================================================|
|                                     Movies Library Collections                                     |
|====================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                    |
|====================================================================================================|
|                                  DC Extended Universe Collection                                   |
|====================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                    |
| Scanning DC Extended Universe Collection                                                           |
| Plex Error: studio: DC Extended Universe not found                                                 |
| Collection Warning: No valid studio values found in DC Extended Universe                           |
|                                                                                                    |
| Sync Mode: append                                                                                  |
|                                                                                                    |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | The 'High Sign'                                              |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 1 Chance 2 Dance                                             |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | １リットルの涙                                                      |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 2 Fast 2 Furious                                             |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 2 Guns                                                       |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle                             |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 2.0                                                          |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 3 from Hell                                                  |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom                                   |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | 3:10 to Yuma                                                 |
| DC Extended Universe Collection | + | The 5th Wave                                                 |

I have to abort it at some point. The movies listed are every single movie in Plex.

[douginoz]

Ok, made that change, but still the same result. It's currently adding several thousand movies to the DC EU collection...

    Studio:
        plex_search:
          studio: <<studio>>
        optional:
          - poster
        url_poster: <<poster>>
        sort_title: +++++++_<<collection_name>>
        collection_order: release

[meisnate12]

i added a break for when this happens so it wont add all movie to your collection

[douginoz]

Is this in 1.7.2? I just installed 1.7.2 now but same result. Or did you mean that I should just let it run and it won't actually add them all?

[douginoz]

I can of course work around this by simply modifying an existing movie and changing the studio to 'DC Extended Universe'. This doesn't cause the runaway action.

[meisnate12]

its just in develop atm