Directory not deleted after recording deleted

[Bobins]

I've noticed I'm getting a lot of empty directories on my recordings disc.

When a recording is made, a suitably named directory file is created and contains the recording plus the support files (thumbnails etc).

After watching the recording using the NPVR client, if you go the delete option, the recording and support files are deleted but their directory file is not. It just sits there empty.

Strangely, if the recording is watched from a browser and the recording deleted, the recording files AND directory file get deleted.

I've not checked but wondered if this is related to recordings which go into a "series" subdirectory. i.e is the subdirectory being deleted but its parent isn't (even though it's empty)

Ray

[mvallevand]

This could likely be explained with logs. Do you play with the Video Library?

Martin

[Bobins]

Martin. There's nothing in the logs other than it saying it was deleting the recording so didn't include them. (no errors or any reference to deleting the directory).

Playback in the NPVR client is from the Recordings menu and deletion triggered from the selected recording sub-menu.

Ray.

[mvallevand]

Since directories are getting deleted in my testing of NextPVR.exe, the logs sometimes show things that give us a clue to help duplicate a scenario.

Martin

[Bobins]

Did a bit more testing today.
The directories that aren't getting deleted are the ones where there is a series subdirectory.
The series subdirectory is deleted when the last recording in it is deleted but its parent directory isn't.
If the recording is not in a series subdirectory, its parent directory is deleted when the last recording in it is deleted.
The orphaned empty directories I'm seeing all appear to once have had a series subdirectory.

Ray.

[mvallevand]

NextPVR.exe for me removes the season directory in the parent and if the parent directory is empty it removes it.

We meed more information primarily the zipped logs to help duplicate your scenario.

Martin

[Bobins]

Martin,

I checked again today with the show "Richard Osmans House of Games".
The file was in a subdirectory "Season 00" under a directory named "Richard Osmans House of Games".

When the recording was deleted, it removed the recording and its support files and the "Season 00" directory but it left the empty parent "Richard Osmans House of Games" directory.

The only relevant entry in the NPVR log is:-

2025-03-04 16:41:12.243 [DEBUG][1] ANIMATION COMPLETE
2025-03-04 16:41:13.875 [DEBUG][1] Deleting recording (file:R:\Recordings\Richard Osmans House of Games\Season 00\Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S00E96.Former.winners.Jimi.Famurewa,.Harriet.Kemsley,.Colin.Murray.and.Sara.Pascoe.test.their.general.knowledge.skills.on.this.weeks.Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.ts)
2025-03-04 16:41:13.970 [DEBUG][1] Removing popup

The relevant entry in the nrecord.log is:-
2025-03-04 16:41:05.300 [DEBUG][53] GetExtraInfo@exit
2025-03-04 16:41:13.876 [DEBUG][64] DeleteRecording(8372)
2025-03-04 16:41:13.876 [DEBUG][64] DeleteRecording@1
2025-03-04 16:41:13.876 [DEBUG][64] -removing: R:\Recordings\Richard Osmans House of Games\Season 00\Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S00E96.Former.winners.Jimi.Famurewa,.Harriet.Kemsley,.Colin.Murray.and.Sara.Pascoe.test.their.general.knowledge.skills.on.this.weeks.Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.ts
2025-03-04 16:41:13.965 [DEBUG][64] DeleteRecording@2
2025-03-04 16:41:13.966 [DEBUG][64] -removing: R:\Recordings\Richard Osmans House of Games\Season 00\Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S00E96.Former.winners.Jimi.Famurewa,.Harriet.Kemsley,.Colin.Murray.and.Sara.Pascoe.test.their.general.knowledge.skills.on.this.weeks.Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.xml
2025-03-04 16:41:13.966 [DEBUG][64] -removing: R:\Recordings\Richard Osmans House of Games\Season 00\Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S00E96.Former.winners.Jimi.Famurewa,.Harriet.Kemsley,.Colin.Murray.and.Sara.Pascoe.test.their.general.knowledge.skills.on.this.weeks.Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.thumbnails
2025-03-04 16:41:13.966 [DEBUG][64] -removing: R:\Recordings\Richard Osmans House of Games\Season 00\Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S00E96.Former.winners.Jimi.Famurewa,.Harriet.Kemsley,.Colin.Murray.and.Sara.Pascoe.test.their.general.knowledge.skills.on.this.weeks.Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.timing
2025-03-04 16:41:13.967 [DEBUG][64] PlaybackPositionHelper.DeletePlaybackPosition(R:\Recordings\Richard Osmans House of Games\Season 00\Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S00E96.Former.winners.Jimi.Famurewa,.Harriet.Kemsley,.Colin.Murray.and.Sara.Pascoe.test.their.general.knowledge.skills.on.this.weeks.Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.ts)
2025-03-04 16:41:13.971 [DEBUG][64] DeleteRecording@5
2025-03-04 16:41:13.971 [DEBUG][64] DeleteRecording@exit
2025-03-04 16:41:14.272 [DEBUG][11] Reloading recording schedule


I checked a few other recording deletions and I see a pattern.

If the recording has a subdirectory with a none zero Season number (e.g. "Season 12") or there is no season subdirectory, the parent directory is deleted.

If the Season number is 00 (i.e "Season 00"), then then parent directory doesn't get deleted when the other files are removed.

The deletion of the parent directory is NOT recorded in the nrecord.log either for successful or non-successful deletion.

Ray.

[mvallevand]

That makes sense since season 0 might be considered no season, we don't have that numbering here.. That is exactly the kind of thing I would look for in logs.

Martin

[mvallevand]

I can duplicate this with season zero. The real question to me now is should season = 0 even create a season folder. To me they are for separating seasons but season = 0 implies (in the UK context) it is a short run single season series.

Martin

[Bobins]

In the UK, some series broadcast the episode number in the EPG but not the season.
Richard Osmans House of Games is a classic example. There are 100 episodes in the season and the epg shows the episode number out of the total e.g. 79/100 which would be episode 79 out of 100.

This results in the recording being contained in a season 00 subdirectory.

There have been multiple seasons of the quiz show over several years.
This does appear to be a common issue as having manually deleted the empty directories a couple of days ago most are back again.

Ray.