Local content scanner doesn't see new symlinks (Windows)

[latenitetech]

Like many before me, I'm trying to hack/correct mismatched episodes in my local content library. For proper interoperability with other programs, most of my local content uses TVDB for it's episode numbering. I stumbled into yet another case where TVDB and Gracenote/TMDB don't align, so my proposed personal hack is to maintain the "real" files in TVDB episode numbering format, but then keep a shadow folder of re-named symlinks using Gracenote/TMDB numbering that ChanDVR will scan/import as local content. Note that I only need this hack for outliers; the vast majority of local content files work just fine as is.

What I'm finding is that the ChanDVR scanner doesn't seem to pick up new symlinks in an otherwise working local content folder, but is OK with them once discovered. That is, if I temporarily place the "real" file in the folder, scan and have it loaded to my library, then delete the real file and replace it with a symlink (of the same name) to the "real" location (outside the original folder), then the new symlink continues to be recognized and works as desired. I'm trying to avoid this extra pre-scan step, and would prefer that the ChanDVR scanner would just recognize a new file symlink and import it properly in the first place.

Of course my real desire would be for ChanDVR to support using TVDB in addition to Gracenote and TMDB then none of this would be an issue, but I also recognize that is a long-standing ask that never seems to get traction.

Any help on this would be appreciated. I'm a big fan of ChanDVR and all it does for me, but mismatched episodes in the library are a real annoyance to my family and I, especially given it's now nearly all automated and works properly 'most' of the time.

[chDVRuser]

That sounds like it would be a nice workaround.

It doesn't work on Linux either.
Not sure if it's seeing the symlink file size as too small, or it just doesn't follow symlinks.
It doesn't follow directory symlinks either, so must not like any symlinks.

[latenitetech]

I was really hoping someone from the developer team would chime in on this, but lacking that, I will share that I eventually settled on using hard links (rather than symlinks) for the re-mapped files and so far seems to work fine. In my case, my local content is directly attached (an 18TB HDD), so hard links was an option. I prefer using symlinks as they're much easier to keep track of, being obvious when viewed in Windows Explorer. Hard links tend to be nearly invisible unless you know to look for 'em. But I now have added the remapping using hard links for affected series/files as part of my media file processing automation and the family is happy again with proper episode numbers/descriptions appearing when browsing our library with Channels DVR.