Bruji

That within the 'Smart Collections' criteria panel there be added a Tick Box: 'Exclude from 'Library' this 'Smart Collection'. Or just enable 'Exclude or Include from 'Library' for 'Smart Collection's. But I think the Tick Box in the Criteria panel would be better and safer - Default being Not Ticked.

That way any Edits done within that Excluded 'Smart Collection' is not passed back to the Library. But any new entries in the Library that meet the Smart Collection criteria are met and any Edits in the Library pertinent to the Smart Collection are passed down.

This would reverse the order of the exclusion, making it quite confusing.

Every smart collection is based on base collection that has items. All smart collections are a subset of another collection. By default this base collection is the invisible but clearly understandable "everything/anywhere" (that for most people tend to be Library).

The check box in the preferences refines that base collection to actually be the Library and exclude all excluded entries in grey icon collections (or wish list).

If you start excluding smart collections themselves, where would those items go if you edit them to no longer fit the smart collection, as they would be excluded from all other collections. They would end up orphaned in the database, not linked or seen anywhere.

Conor wrote: If you start excluding smart collections themselves, where would those items go if you edit them to no longer fit the smart collection, as they would be excluded from all other collections. They would end up orphaned in the database, not linked or seen anywhere.

Thanks Conor - had not thought that through enough - as usual.

Well, that's what the forums are for, so that we newcomers don't do something stupid but that isn't clearly counter-indicated and get stuck!

Because yes, I did get a little bit lost at first with these collections, smart collections, exclusions...