How to create/keep Collections, which are empty (via plex search) ?

[gitttt54]

Hello,

I'd like to add a Collection for trashed movies. It works well, if there are movies in the trash, but it fails, if no movies in the trash:

===================== Running *TheTrash Collection ======================
Sync Mode: sync
Builder: plex_search: (2, 'Plex Show Search\nSort By: title.asc\nFilter:\n  Match all of the following:\n    Trash is true', '?type=2&sort=titleSort&episode.trash=1')
Processing Plex Show Search
Sort By: title.asc
Filter:
  Match all of the following:
    Trash is true
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "//plex_meta_manager.py", line 583, in run_collection
    builder.filter_and_save_items(builder.gather_ids(method, value))
  File "/modules/builder.py", line 1492, in gather_ids
    ids = self.library.get_rating_keys(method, value)
  File "/modules/plex.py", line 862, in get_rating_keys
    raise Failed("Plex Error: No Items found in Plex")
modules.util.Failed: Plex Error: No Items found in Plex
Plex Error: No Items found in Plex
    Finished *TheTrash Collection
     Collection Run Time: 0:00:00
       Running mm-dynamic_collections Metadata File
  config/mm-dynamic_collections.yml

config:

  '*TheTrash':
    sort_title: +++蔡_TheTrash
    plex_search:
      all:
        trash: true

Is there a way to keep such an "empty" collection, although the are no items in it?

I've only found this by the error I got, but it did not help.

Thank you for any ideas!

P.S.
The purpose for this:
before using PMM, I had created a collection "TheTrash" by hand and set it up (prefs->manage recommandations) to be shown on my Plex-Home, so I could easily see, if someone deleted a movie. The collection won't show up, if empty, but shows up, when containing something.

Same I did for "duplicated" movies. That way I could see, if someone added a movie, which already was in the plex library.

[meisnate12]

you could accomplish this by using smart_filter instead of plex_search

[gitttt54]

Thank you!

I have read the wiki and it turned out, looking at the examples, that I just had to replace plex_search with smart_filter. Nice.

Unfortunately, that did not help, I get a likewise error "Plex Error: No items for smart filter"

|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                    Running mm-Serien Metadata File                                                                                     |
|                                                                                          config/mm-Serien.yml                                                                                          |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                            Test Collections                                                                                            |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                     *TheTrash Collection in Serien                                                                                     |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Log Folder Name: *TheTrash is invalid using TheTrash                                                                                                                                                   |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|================================================================================== Building Definition From Templates ==================================================================================|
|=================================================================================== Validating *TheTrash Attributes ====================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Validating Method: smart_filter                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Value: ordereddict([('all', ordereddict([('trash', True)]))])                                                                                                                                          |
| Smart URL: ?type=2&sort=random&episode.trash=1                                                                                                                                                         |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Validating Method: sort_title                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Value: +++蔡_TheTrash                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Looking for: *TheTrash                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Validation Successful                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|===================================================================================== Running *TheTrash Collection =====================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Smart Show Filter                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| Sort By: random                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Filter:                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|   Match all of the following:                                                                                                                                                                          |
|     Trash is true                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| Smart Collection Test: ?type=2&sort=random&episode.trash=1                                                                                                                                             |
| Traceback (most recent call last):                                                                                                                                                                     |
|   File "//plex_meta_manager.py", line 638, in run_collection                                                                                                                                           |
|     builder.load_collection()                                                                                                                                                                          |
|   File "/modules/builder.py", line 2422, in load_collection                                                                                                                                            |
|     self.library.create_smart_collection(self.name, self.smart_type_key, self.smart_url, self.ignore_blank_results)                                                                                    |
|   File "/modules/plex.py", line 718, in create_smart_collection                                                                                                                                        |
|     self.test_smart_filter(uri_args)                                                                                                                                                                   |
|   File "/modules/plex.py", line 714, in test_smart_filter                                                                                                                                              |
|     raise Failed(f"Plex Error: No items for smart filter: {uri_args}")                                                                                                                                 |
| modules.util.Failed: Plex Error: No items for smart filter: ?type=2&sort=random&episode.trash=1                                                                                                        |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|======================================================================================= No Collection to Update ========================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                     Finished *TheTrash Collection                                                                                      |
|                                                                                      Collection Run Time: 0:00:00                                                                                      |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                Summary                                                                                                 |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|============================================================================================ Serien Summary ============================================================================================|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Title                       | Run Time |                                                                                                                                                               |
| =========================== | ======== |                                                                                                                                                               |
| Library Loading and Mapping |  0:00:05 |                                                                                                                                                               |
| Library Metadata Files      |  0:00:00 |                                                                                                                                                               |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|        Title         |   +   |   =   |   -   | Run Time | Status                                                                                                                                       |
|======================|=======|=======|=======|==========|==============================================================================================================================================|
| *TheTrash            |     0 |     0 |     0 |  0:00:00 | Unchanged                                                                                                                                    |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|
|                                                                                           Finished Test Run                                                                                            |
|                                                                                            Version: 1.17.3                                                                                             |
|                                                                            Finished: 14:30:58 2022-09-08 Run Time: 0:00:07                                                                             |
|========================================================================================================================================================================================================|

[gitttt54]

With the Wiki examples I referred for my config, I guess, I have no error in the config, yet PMM is throwing an error.
Anyone has an idea?

Or is is just not possible to create a smart collection with zero entries in PMM?

It is possible within Plex! If the filter I create has no matches, I still can save the collection inside Plex.