Monitoring folders

[pison]

I am hoping someone could shed som light on this:
1. In the menu File > Scan Folders for New Files you can set which files should be scanned at startup.
2. At the same time, in the MB menu Edit Preferences > Library, there's an option called "monitored folders" where you seemingly can do the same, either Choose Folders or Exclude.
3. So, when I open the Choose Folders option, I expect it to reflect my choices from step 1. (above). But it doesn't. All I get is a range of unchecked boxes.
So I wonder what's going on here? Aren't step 1. and 2. essentially the same? And if so, where did all the preferences I set in step 1. go? Can I even use the "Choose Folders" option without messing up my preferences from step 1.
And what's the point of the Exclude option? In my understanding, when you have checkboxes for Choose Folders this in itself encompasses both include and exclude.

[Pickles7853]

In the menu File > Scan Folders for New Files you can set which files should be scanned at startup.

This does not scan folders at startup.  It is a one time option to scan a folder(s) for new files which may not be in folders which are set in option 2

At the same time, in the MB menu Edit Preferences > Library, there's an option called "monitored folders" where you seemingly can do the same, either Choose Folders or Exclude.

This is where you can set up folders to be monitored/ scanned

So, when I open the Choose Folders option, I expect it to reflect my choices from step 1. (above). But it doesn't. All I get is a range of unchecked boxes.

Correct.  These are separate options and are saved independently of each other.

And what's the point of the Exclude option? In my understanding, when you have checkboxes for Choose Folders this in itself encompasses both include and exclude.

Including a folder is forward recursive.  So if you set it to scan D:/media/ it will also find anything beyond this.  Like D:/media/songs1/ etc.  Exclude is usually not needed.  But you could set it to scan all of drive D:.  Perhaps you know in advance you will not move tracks to your D:/installers/ folder so you could exclude it while still scanning the rest of D:

[pison]

So is Choose Folders unconditionally forward recursive in Edit Preferences > Library? What happens if I uncheck a box (boxes) in f ex D:/media/ to exclude a subfolder (which is technically doable)? Does the system just ignore this, or what happens? The fact that the system allows you to uncheck subfolders (in Choose Folders) makes you think (me, at least...) you are excluding them - hence my question if the separate "Exclude" option is really necessary.
If Choose Folders is unconditionally forward recursive, the subfolders should be greyed out, and then the Exclude option becomes logical.

[hiccup]

I'm not sure I understand.
These are separate features.
'scan folders for new files' does what it says.
You can use it when creating a library or for selecting other folders/paths to be added to your library.
It's a manual function.
(the last setting will be remembered when using that function (e.g. by pressing [Ins]) a next time.

The 'monitor' function also does what it says.
It will monitor selected folders.
It's an automated function.

Both functions have their own purpose and their own method for selecting what paths/folders to use.
So the user is in control of both, and it is up to him to not set them up to do conflicting things.

[Pickles7853]

hence my question if the separate "Exclude" option is really necessary.

This is just speculation, but the scan once option from the menu <File : Scan Folder For New Files> may take the exclusions into account.  So you could scan for new files all of D: but it would skip certain folders marked in exclusions.  In such a circumstance, unmarking folders in <choose folder> option will really not help.