03_Configuration_Reference - nzbgetcom/Extension-RemoveSamples GitHub Wiki

Configuration Reference

Complete guide to all RemoveSamples-NZBGet configuration options and settings.

🎯 Overview

RemoveSamples uses a modern dropdown-based configuration system that eliminates the need for manual file editing. All settings are accessible through the NZBGet web interface under Settings → Extension Manager → RemoveSamples.

⚙️ Basic Configuration Options

These are the primary settings with simple Yes/No dropdown menus for easy configuration.

Remove Directories

Type: Dropdown (Yes/No)
Default: Yes
Description: Delete entire directories whose names match sample patterns

When to use "Yes":

  • ✅ Most users should keep this enabled
  • ✅ Removes folders like SAMPLE/, samples/, Sample Videos/
  • ✅ Cleans up download directories completely

When to use "No":

  • ❌ If you want to manually review sample directories first
  • ❌ If you're unsure about the detection accuracy (not recommended)

Examples of directories removed:

samples/
SAMPLE/
Sample Videos/
preview_samples/
SAMPLES_FOLDER/

Remove Files

Type: Dropdown (Yes/No)
Default: Yes
Description: Delete individual files whose names contain sample patterns

When to use "Yes":

  • ✅ Standard configuration for most users
  • ✅ Removes files like movie.sample.mkv, sample.mp4
  • ✅ Works in combination with size-based detection

When to use "No":

  • ❌ Only if you want directory cleanup without file removal
  • ❌ For testing purposes (not recommended for production)

Examples of files removed:

Movie.Name.2023.sample.mkv
sample.mp4
preview_sample.avi
soundtrack_sample.mp3

Debug

Type: Dropdown (Yes/No)
Default: No
Description: Enable verbose logging for troubleshooting and development

When to use "Yes":

  • 🔍 When troubleshooting detection issues
  • 🔍 When testing new configurations
  • 🔍 When reporting bugs to developers
  • 🔍 During initial setup to verify behavior

When to use "No":

  • ✅ Normal production use (recommended)
  • ✅ When logs are working as expected
  • ✅ To reduce log verbosity

Debug output example:

[INFO] RemoveSamples: Scanning directory: /downloads/Movie.Name.2023/
[DEBUG] RemoveSamples: Checking file: Movie.Name.2023.1080p.mkv
[DEBUG] RemoveSamples: File size: 8.5 GB - Above threshold, preserving
[DEBUG] RemoveSamples: Checking file: sample.mkv
[DEBUG] RemoveSamples: Pattern match: 'sample' found in filename
[DEBUG] RemoveSamples: File size: 45 MB - Below threshold
[INFO] RemoveSamples: Removing sample file: sample.mkv

🎬 Advanced Configuration Options

These settings allow fine-tuning of the detection algorithms for different media types.

Video Size Threshold

Type: Number (MB)
Default: 150
Range: 1-10000
Description: Maximum size (in megabytes) for video files to be considered samples

Recommended values:

  • 50 MB: Aggressive removal (720p clips)
  • 150 MB: Balanced approach (1080p clips) - Recommended
  • 300 MB: Conservative (4K clips)
  • 500 MB: Very conservative (long 4K previews)

Size guidelines by resolution:

Resolution Typical Sample Size Recommended Threshold
480p 15-30 MB 50 MB
720p 30-60 MB 100 MB
1080p 50-150 MB 150 MB
1440p 100-250 MB 300 MB
2160p (4K) 150-500 MB 500 MB

Example configurations:

# Conservative (avoid false positives)
Video Size Threshold: 300

# Balanced (recommended)
Video Size Threshold: 150

# Aggressive (maximum cleanup)
Video Size Threshold: 50

Video Extensions

Type: Text (comma-separated)
Default: .mkv,.avi,.mp4,.mov,.wmv,.flv,.webm,.m4v,.3gp,.ts,.mpg,.mpeg,.vob,.iso
Description: File extensions to treat as video files for size-based detection

Default extensions explained:

  • .mkv: Matroska Video (most common for downloads)
  • .mp4: MPEG-4 Video (universal compatibility)
  • .avi: Audio Video Interleave (legacy format)
  • .mov: QuickTime Movie (Apple format)
  • .wmv: Windows Media Video
  • .flv: Flash Video (web videos)
  • .webm: Web Media (modern web format)
  • .m4v: iTunes Video
  • .3gp: Mobile video format
  • .ts: Transport Stream (broadcast format)
  • .mpg,.mpeg: MPEG video formats
  • .vob: DVD Video Object
  • .iso: Disk image files

Custom configuration examples:

# Minimal (most common formats only)
.mkv,.mp4,.avi

# Extended (include rare formats)
.mkv,.avi,.mp4,.mov,.wmv,.flv,.webm,.m4v,.3gp,.ts,.mpg,.mpeg,.vob,.iso,.asf,.rm,.rmvb

# Specific use case (only high-quality formats)
.mkv,.mp4,.mov,.m4v

Audio Size Threshold

Type: Number (MB)
Default: 2
Range: 1-1000
Description: Maximum size (in megabytes) for audio files to be considered samples

Recommended values by quality:

  • 1 MB: Very aggressive (30-second 128 kbps MP3)
  • 2 MB: Balanced approach (30-second 320 kbps MP3) - Recommended
  • 5 MB: Conservative (2-minute 320 kbps MP3)
  • 10 MB: Very conservative (5-minute FLAC sample)

Audio sample size guidelines:

Format Quality 30 seconds 1 minute 2 minutes
MP3 128 kbps 0.5 MB 1 MB 2 MB
MP3 320 kbps 1.2 MB 2.4 MB 4.8 MB
FLAC Lossless 3-5 MB 6-10 MB 12-20 MB
AAC 256 kbps 1 MB 2 MB 4 MB

Set to 0 to disable: Audio size-based detection entirely

Audio Extensions

Type: Text (comma-separated)
Default: .mp3,.flac,.aac,.ogg,.wma,.m4a,.opus,.wav
Description: File extensions to treat as audio files for size-based detection

Default extensions explained:

  • .mp3: Most common compressed audio format
  • .flac: Free Lossless Audio Codec (high quality)
  • .aac: Advanced Audio Coding (Apple/modern standard)
  • .ogg: Open-source compressed audio
  • .wma: Windows Media Audio
  • .m4a: MPEG-4 Audio (iTunes format)
  • .opus: Modern, efficient compression
  • .wav: Uncompressed audio (large files)

Custom configuration examples:

# Minimal (most common only)
.mp3,.flac,.m4a

# Lossy formats only
.mp3,.aac,.ogg,.wma,.opus

# Lossless formats only
.flac,.wav,.ape,.alac

🎯 Configuration Strategies

Strategy 1: Conservative (Avoid False Positives)

Best for: New users, valuable content, paranoid administrators

Remove Directories: Yes
Remove Files: Yes
Debug: Yes (initially)
Video Size Threshold: 300
Audio Size Threshold: 5

Strategy 2: Balanced (Recommended)

Best for: Most users, typical media servers

Remove Directories: Yes
Remove Files: Yes
Debug: No
Video Size Threshold: 150
Audio Size Threshold: 2

Strategy 3: Aggressive (Maximum Cleanup)

Best for: High-volume downloaders, automated setups

Remove Directories: Yes
Remove Files: Yes
Debug: No
Video Size Threshold: 50
Audio Size Threshold: 1

Strategy 4: Testing/Development

Best for: Initial setup, troubleshooting

Remove Directories: No
Remove Files: Yes
Debug: Yes
Video Size Threshold: 150
Audio Size Threshold: 2

🔧 Configuration Best Practices

Initial Setup

  1. Start conservative with higher thresholds
  2. Enable debug mode to observe behavior
  3. Test with a few downloads before full deployment
  4. Gradually lower thresholds based on results

Production Use

  1. Disable debug mode for cleaner logs
  2. Monitor logs occasionally for unexpected removals
  3. Adjust thresholds based on your content types
  4. Document your settings for team members

Content-Specific Tuning

  • 4K content: Increase video threshold to 300-500 MB
  • Music downloads: Lower audio threshold to 1 MB
  • Anime/TV shows: Standard settings usually work well
  • Movies only: Can be more aggressive with thresholds

📊 Testing Your Configuration

Test Download Structure

Test.Movie.2023/
├── Test.Movie.2023.1080p.mkv (8.5 GB)
├── sample.mkv (45 MB)
├── soundtrack.mp3 (4.8 MB)
├── samples/
│   ├── preview1.mkv (25 MB)
│   └── preview2.mkv (30 MB)
└── subs/
    └── English.srt (45 KB)

Expected Results (Default Config)

✅ Preserved: Test.Movie.2023.1080p.mkv (above video threshold)
✅ Preserved: soundtrack.mp3 (no sample pattern + above audio threshold)
✅ Preserved: subs/ directory (no sample pattern)
❌ Removed: sample.mkv (sample pattern + below video threshold)
❌ Removed: samples/ directory (directory pattern match)

🚨 Common Configuration Mistakes

Mistake 1: Thresholds Too High

Problem: Legitimate samples aren't removed

Video Size Threshold: 1000  # Too high!
Audio Size Threshold: 50    # Too high!

Solution: Use recommended defaults (150 MB video, 2 MB audio)

Mistake 2: Missing Extensions

Problem: Files with uncommon extensions are missed

Video Extensions: .mkv,.mp4  # Missing .avi, .mov, etc.

Solution: Use the comprehensive default list

Mistake 3: Debug Always On

Problem: Logs become cluttered in production

Debug: Yes  # Should be No for production

Solution: Enable only for troubleshooting

Mistake 4: Disabling Safety Features

Problem: Risk of removing wanted content

Remove Directories: No  # Missing directory cleanup
Remove Files: No        # Missing file cleanup

Solution: Keep both enabled unless testing

🔄 Configuration Updates

When to Reconfigure

  • False positives: Wanted files being removed (increase thresholds)
  • False negatives: Sample files not removed (decrease thresholds)
  • New content types: Different video/audio formats (update extensions)
  • Workflow changes: Integration with new tools

How to Update Safely

  1. Enable debug mode before changes
  2. Test with non-critical downloads first
  3. Monitor logs for unexpected behavior
  4. Revert if issues occur
  5. Document working configurations

Need help with configuration? → FAQ | Troubleshooting Guide
Ready to integrate? → Workflow Integration