Plex-Meta-Manager/docs/home/kb.md

Frequently Asked Questions & Knowledgebase

This page aims to provide knowledge based on combined user experience, and to answer the frequent questions that we are asked in our Discord Server.

Frequently Asked Questions

This sections aims to answer the most commonly asked questions that users have.

"How do I update to the latest version of Plex Meta Manager?"

OS X/Linux

[type this into your terminal]

cd /Users/mroche/Plex-Meta-Manager
git pull
source pmm-venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Windows

[type this into your terminal]

cd C:\Users\mroche\Plex-Meta-Manager
git pull
.\pmm-venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Docker

[type this into your terminal]

docker pull meisnate12/plex-meta-manager

"How do I switch to the develop branch?"

OS X/Linux

[type this into your terminal]

cd /Users/mroche/Plex-Meta-Manager
git checkout develop
git pull
source pmm-venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Windows

[type this into your terminal]

cd C:\Users\mroche\Plex-Meta-Manager
git checkout develop
git pull
.\pmm-venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

"How do I switch to the nightly branch"

OS X/Linux

[type this into your terminal]

cd /Users/mroche/Plex-Meta-Manager
git checkout nightly
git pull
source pmm-venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Windows

[type this into your terminal]

cd C:\Users\mroche\Plex-Meta-Manager
git checkout nightly
git pull
.\pmm-venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

"How do I switch back to the master branch?"

OS X/Linux

[type this into your terminal]

cd /Users/mroche/Plex-Meta-Manager
git checkout master
git pull
source pmm-venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Windows

[type this into your terminal]

cd C:\Users\mroche\Plex-Meta-Manager
git checkout master
git pull
.\pmm-venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Knowledgebase

This section aims to provide some guidance on the most common issues that we see.

Locating Log Files

The meta.log file can be found within the logs folder of your Plex Meta Manager config folder [right next to config.yml]. meta.log is the most recent run of Plex Meta Manager, meta.log.1 is the previous run, meta.log.2 is the run before that, so on and so forth.

Basic Log File Troubleshooting

Wondering how to troubleshoot Plex Meta Manager and how to read through the meta.log?

Using a text editor like Visual Studio Code or Sublime Text is recommended

In all cases, the first step is to open the meta.log with your text editor and perform these steps:

1. Check that you are running the latest version of your branch. Your current version can be found in the meta.log file either below the Plex Meta Manager ASCII art, or at the end of the run. If you are not on the latest version of your branch, you will see Newest Version: X.X.X below this. Ensure you upgrade to the latest version of Plex Meta Manager.
2. When scanning your meta.log file, search for [CRITICAL] items first as these will definitely need to be fixed
3. Scan your meta.log file for [ERROR] and make a note of the content of the full line to start your search below on how to resolve

Checking Plex Meta Manager Version

Checking the version: You will find that in your meta.log around the 8th-10th line and will look something like this:

|                                 |
|     Version: 1.17.1-develop10   |
|=================================|

If you are not on the latest version of your branch, you will see Newest Version: X.X.X below this. Ensure you upgrade to the latest version of Plex Meta Manager.

|                                       |
|     Version: 1.17.1-develop10         |
|     Newest Version: 1.17.1-develop20  |
|=======================================|

Understanding Log File Event Types

There are five main event types that you need to be aware of when understanding the log files, detailed below:

Type	Short Info	Description	Recommendation
[INFO]	Information log	Informational message that does not require much attention	No action required
[DEBUG]	Debug Log	Debug log message that does not require much attention	No action required
[WARNING]	Warning Log	Warning message that may require your attention	Read the warning and determine if this is something you need to take action on or not
[ERROR]	Error Log	Error message that in MOST cases requires action on your part to resolve	Read the error message, look for the message below and try recommendations
[CRITICAL]	Critical Log	Critical messaage requiring you to fix it for PMM to run properly	Read the critical message and take appropriate action. look for message below and try recommendations

Common Log File Messages

This section aims to explain some of the commonly seen event messages that are produced in the logs.

CRITICAL

This table details examples of the most commonly-seen [CRITICAL] events and what they mean for the user.

Type	Short Info	Description	Recommendation
[CRITICAL]	Failed to Connect to https://api.themoviedb.org/3	Current step PMM was on made an API call to TMDb, but it aborted and moved on	Determine if TMDb was offline and not replying to api requests. Try again and see if it fails again or not.

ERROR

Type	Short Info	Description	Recommendation
[ERROR]	Playlist Error: Library: XYZ not defined	Plex library XYZ is not found	Ensure that your config file has defined the proper library name as found in Plex
[ERROR]	Plex Error: resolution: No matches found with regex pattern XYZ	While looking for a pattern in Plex, this one was not found	This may be normal and require 0 actions. However, if you expect that Plex should have returned records, check the pattern to ensure it is working properly
[ERROR]	Plex Error: No Items found in Plex	While using the PMM builder, no items with that criteria were returned from Plex	This may be normal and require 0 actions. However, if you expect that Plex should have returned records, check the builder to ensure it is working properly
[ERROR]	IMDb Error: Failed to parse URL:	While using the PMM builder, url does not exist	This may be normal and require 0 actions. However, if you expect that the URL should have returned records, check the url in your browser to ensure it is working properly
[ERROR]	Trakt Error: No TVDb ID found for Nightfall (2022)	Online sources are missing information	These sorts of errors indicate that the thing can't be cross-referenced between sites. For example, at the time of that error, the Trakt record for "Nightfall (2022)" didn't contain a TVDb ID. This could be because the record just hasn't been updated, or because "Nightfall (2022)" isn't listed on TVDb. The fix is for someone [like you, perhaps] to go to the relevant site and fill in the missing data.
[ERROR]	MdbList Error: Not Found	Online sources are missing information	These sorts of errors indicate that the thing can't be cross-referenced between sites. For example, at the time of that error, the the MDBlist record was trying to get a rating for a media item and could not find it.
[ERROR]	Plex Error: actor: Mel B not found	Actor not found and hence unable to create the collection	Report error in #pmm-support channel and see if there is a fix.
[ERROR]	Input Failed	A token or password is no longer valid for an online source of information	Review the meta.log for more information
[ERROR]	Collection Error: trakt_list requires Trakt to be configured	You are using a builder that has not been configured yet.	Review the meta.log for more information on what went wrong. Refer to the wiki for details on how to set this up (in this case Trakt)

WARNING

This table details examples of the most commonly-seen [WARNING] events and what they mean for the user.

Type	Short Info	Description	Recommendation
[WARNING]	Convert Error: No TVDb ID Found for TMDb ID: 15733	Online sources are missing information	These sorts of errors indicate that the thing can't be cross-referenced between sites. For example, at the time of that error, the TMDb record for "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" [ID 15733] didn't contain a TVDb ID. This could be because the record just hasn't been updated, or because "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" isn't listed on TVDB. The fix is for someone [like you, perhaps] to go to the relevant site and fill in the missing data.
[WARNING]	Convert Error: AniDB ID not found for AniList ID: 21400	Online sources are missing information	These sorts of errors indicate that the thing can't be cross-referenced between sites. The fix is for someone [like you, perhaps] to go to the relevant site and fill in the missing data.
[WARNING]	Convert Error: No TVDb ID or IMDb ID found for AniDB ID: 14719	Online sources are missing information	These sorts of errors indicate that the thing can't be cross-referenced between sites. The fix is for someone [like you, perhaps] to go to the relevant site and fill in the missing data.
[WARNING]	Convert Error: AniDB ID not found for MyAnimeList ID: 36838	Online sources are missing information	These sorts of errors indicate that the thing can't be cross-referenced between sites. The fix is for someone [like you, perhaps] to go to the relevant site and fill in the missing data.

INFO

This table details examples of the most commonly-seen [INFO] events and what they mean for the user.

Type	Short Info	Description	Recommendation
[INFO]	Detail: TMDb_person updated poster to [URL]	Person image was downloaded from TMDb	May require you to update the people poster image to your style or request it in the style of the PMM defaults people posters

DEBUG

This table details examples of the most commonly-seen [DEBUG] events and what they mean for the user.

Type	Short Info	Description	Recommendation
[DEBUG]