consistent writing & moving options: -wWcCM, import.write, etc.

[tlc]

I'd love it if I could configure beets such that nothing but 'write' or 'move' wrote or moved my music files without an explicit command line option. I can do that for 'import', but I have to remember different command line options for the other commands.

More generally, -WwCcMm could be made consistent across anything that writes or moves files.

• import supports -WwCc, import.write, import.move, import.copy
• modify supports -WwM (and import.write ?), moves by default
• update supports -M, moves by default ('update the db' moves files by default?!)
• mbsync supports -WM and import.write, moves by default
• lyrics supports import.write. Does it write one field or everything 'write' would?
• lastgenre -- no related command line options. Will it write the files?? Everything or just the related field?
• replaygain -- no related command line options. Will it write the files?? Everything or just the related fields?
• ...

[tlc]

Does copyartifacts work for all these possible ways of moving files or just some of them?

[sampsyo]

This is a good point. Most (all, I believe?) of these commands look at the import.write config option to decide whether to write. That's a little bit strange since they're not actually related to importing—what would you suggest we do? Just document things better, or is there something else that would be better?

[tlc]

Here are some possibilities. They are probably all more effort than you had in mind. :)

1. Only 'write' and 'move' write or move the files. No options or defaults to worry about. Remove the ability for plugin commands to write and move files. Pros: Simplest model for users and plugins. Cons: Usage changes. Work required.
2. Like 1, but other commands can write and move the files with -w & -m. Change the plugin model to allow plugins to enable -w, -m or whatever you choose, not whatever they want. Plugins can call enable_writing_and_moving_options(), not write() and move() so you force consistency. (I don't actually know your plugin models.) Pros: Fairly consistent model for users and plugins. Cons: Usage changes. Work required.
3. Like 2, but enable_writing_and_moving_options() enables a full suite of -WwMm and global defaults write:, move: and copy:. Pros: Fairly consistent model for users and plugins. Least usage change. Cons: Work required.
4. Don't change the plugin model to force anything but change all the current commands to use the options and global defaults from 3. Pros: Consistent model for users and plugins. Least usage change. Least initial work? Cons: Maintaining consistency going forward.

[sampsyo]

Thanks for the thoughts. It doesn't change much, but one approach to bringing consistency to the current situation is the "plugin templates" of #607.

[sampsyo]

We now do this with a few simple helper functions and standard option sets.