iTunes 9 Auto Import Folder

Saw this tip on another site and figured others may find it useful and wanted to pass it along.

http://www.cultofmac.com/tip-using-the-new-automatic-import-folder-in-itunes-9/16163


Tip: Using The New Automatic Import Folder In iTunes 9

10:26 am, September 10th, 2009, Giles Turnbull

iTunes 9 has neat little new feature: it will automatically import any music or videos you throw into a specific folder.

That folder is called “Automatically Add to iTunes”, and after installing iTunes 9 you’ll find it tucked away inside your “~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/” folder.

Anything you drag into it will be imported into iTunes immediately – and it’s worth noting that the original file (the one you put into the Automatic folder) promptly disappears afterwards. It doesn’t get trashed, but moved to the appropriate place inside the iTunes Music folder.

I’m slightly bemused about this folder’s location. It’s a bit, well, tucked away. If you move it elsewhere, the automatic import function stops working. It has to be inside the iTunes Music folder.

Still, now at least we know it’s there and we know what it does; perhaps there’s some scripting or Services potential to uncover. One benefit is that you no longer have to keep iTunes running to add new stuff to it, you can simply save files to this folder instead. The files will sit there until iTunes is next launched, and get processed then.

 

Well, that's borderline useless for anyone who desires to maintain their library the way they want to as opposed to the way Apple wants you to. Honestly, what would be so hard about simply having folder monitoring on whatever folders you choose? Every other media app that I've ever used has this. Why not iTunes? I struggle to even come up with any reasons why they'd NOT want you to be able to do that.

Utterly baffling.

 

you can create an alias to that auto-add folder in any folder you want.

 

I agree, and I miss foobar2000 because of that.

Unfortunately for me, none of the new iTunes stuff really helps in what I want(more/better codecs, and single folder monitoring so I can keep my files where I want them damnit!).

I'm on the verge of writing my own music player that just monitors a set folder and plays from that(with some minor playlist support)...