I have a USB 2.0 NTFS formatted drive with over 60k tracks. Amarok correctly recognizes this drive as an external device. When I configure this drive for a library collection using the Configure USB Mass Storage Device dialog, I can only configure one directory, and not multiple locations as in Settings/Configure Amarok/Collection. Is there another method which to configure an external drive?

Yes, why not mounting it permanently and entering it as a collection location? That should solve the issue.

I use my laptop for other things and don't always have the USB drive connected - especially since it has a AC power cord tagging along. If I have the external drive as part of the collection and want to use Amarok but don't have the external drive connected/mounted, my database will be overwritten and only contain the smaller local collection. This happens even though I have Watch Folders disabled.

Well, if it is part of the collection, you should really have it mounted before you start Amarok. Disconnected devices are detected by solid as not available, so those will be removed from the collection.

Sounds like an opportunity to fix a problem with how collections are recorded in the database.

This is an example of software dictating how a user should act; that's kind of backwards

@blwallace, perhaps a time to file a well-written bug to ensure that collections/portions of collections on removable media are not eliminated simply because the removable media is not present at a point in time. It may require user intervention to remove that portion of the collection, but that would be a user option, not a software default.

I would write such a bug, but I don't use Amarok right now.

jglen490 wrote:This is an example of software dictating how a user should act; that's kind of backwards

Thanks jglen490 - I agree. I'll look into documenting specifics and filing. I'm not sure I know how to file a bug - or is this a user enhancement? Without specific details on how an external device should behave relative to the local collection - seems to me to be a bug.

blwallace wrote:

jglen490 wrote:This is an example of software dictating how a user should act; that's kind of backwards

Thanks jglen490 - I agree. I'll look into documenting specifics and filing. I'm not sure I know how to file a bug - or is this a user enhancement? Without specific details on how an external device should behave relative to the local collection - seems to me to be a bug.

Bugs is bugs, whether it's something that the software doesn't do correctly (when compared to the software's advertised capabilities) or should be done inherently.

There will, of course, be disagreement. There will be time before it's implemented, KDE/Amarok doesn't have the largest programming staff. But keep at it; you may even get some assistance from other users.

EDIT: Record a bug at: http://bugs.kde.org you'll need to create an account.

Please don't report a new bug, there already is one: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=171213

jglen: if it were that easy to solve it would have been so since a long time. You are welcome to give a hand if you know the solution.

It's good that you have identified the bug, it's always nice to know that others have the same experience!

They (devs) already know the solution, it's identified in the bug conversation.

Why didn't you mention this in your first post on this thread, perhaps along with offering a your temporary solution?

Because I didn't remember the bug, a bit hard to remember all of them... but checking the bug database is also something the users can do, why is it only us? Amount of work is the same...

Sorry, didn't mean to get you all defensive.

You're right - check bugs before posting