June 19, 2010 by sharky
uTFilterManager is for everyone; uTorrent pros who’ve already mastered the art of RSS filters will find this app extremely useful for creating multiple sophisticated filters. Novices on the other hand, will discover that the brunt of the filter work is already done in advance with little else to do. Enough with the intro - let’s get down to how this tiny open-source application does its thing.
Installation:
uTFilterManager runs on all Windows OSes; although users are required to install Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (which is included in the installer). If .NET 4 hasn’t been previously installed, you’ll be required to restart your PC after doing so before proceeding to install uTFilterManager.
We also recommend you take a look at their short video tutorial called "uTFilterManager.mp4" found here. Or here.
uTFilterManager vs. uTorrent ‘RSS Downloader’
When running uTorrent Filter Manager for the first time, you may notice that it appears similar to uTorrent’s own integrated "RSS Downloader". At first glance it is somewhat similar, but instead comes packed with amazing addons (which we’ll document). Our guess is that someone grew weary of requesting new uTorrent RSS features and decided to take matters into their own hands. We’re glad they did. There are some major enhancements made to this little RSS adaptation; most of which should/could have already been included in uTorrent, but are not.
| uTorrent’s "RSS Downloader" | uTFilterManager’s RSS Setup |
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uTFilterManager Usage
The above differences are not so subtle once you switch over from the ‘default’ profile in uTFM to TV, HD or DVDRip - see image below at Selected Profile. These pre-defined Profiles contain filter criteria done in advance (set to ’scene release’ standards), and thus users don’t need to manually input various, and tedious, filter options (for instance, uTorrent’s RSS Downloader is entirely empty). However, nothing is set in stone - users still have the option to edit filters and other fields for the filter.
The reason that uTFM wins out is due to convenience, and a whole lot of saved time. For the example in the screenshot below we chose the TV profile, although other profiles offer similar automated filtering.
- • The "NOT:" fields are predetermined; customized specifically for TV scene releases (or HD, DVDRip).
- • The Quality fields are established for a selected profile (DSRip, HDTV, PDTV, etc).
- • A uTorrent ‘Label‘ is appended to each new torrent that fits the profile/filter.
TIP: You’ll need to change the default directory setting in Save in: to your own specific location (or leave the field empty to use uTorrent’s default path). Naturally since this is just one instance of a filter; the download path can be changed to suit different multiple filters. What we’re getting at is this: TV releases can be set to download to C:\uTorrent\TVRips\ while movies can be pointed to C:\uTorrent\DVDRips\ - just for a basic example.
Making it Work (Basic):
The scenario above is just an elementary example of how to create a new RSS filter using uTFilterManager. But we haven’t yet explained how to actually apply it to uTorrent. There are a few final steps necessary to save and append it directly to uTorrent.
1. In the Name: and Filter: fields - enter the name of a TV show/series for both fields. For simplicity, keep it the same name. Having said that, the filter field is more important (don’t leave it blank). We used "dexter" for both, which will be used for a majority of this tutorial.
2. Change the default download path (or leave it blank).
3. Click "Add Filter". You’ll be presented with this message below. For now, forget about this - click OK.
TIP: Advanced users who already have RSS feeds/filters set up in uTorrent - it’s not a bad idea to make a backup of rss.dat before making any permanent changes.
Saving Changes to RSS.dat
Exiting uTorrent.exe
Once completed, open up (restart) uTorrent, and go to Options > RSS Downloader. You’ll notice that there are 5 new instances for "dexter". Note: If you already have RSS Feeds set up through uTorrent, any matching criteria (torrents) will automatically begin to download by default, based upon these new RSS filters.
Why 5 instances of "dexter"? — uTFilterManager’s filter system is based on scene releases and specific scene tags, and works best when "smart episode filter" is enabled. Back in uTFM, click on the ‘Current Filters‘ menu tab - this will display your filters (5) which is a representation of the 4 tags used in the ‘Proper Tags‘ tab, plus a more general filter which does not contain these tags. If smart ep. filter is disabled, these additional 4 filters will be disregarded, although the first (main filter - see "dexter - P1" below) will still be applied to RSS downloading.
RSS Feeds:
Individual feeds can be applied to specific filters in uTFM. However, making changes or additions to physical RSS feeds (not filters) done through uTorrent will only be reflected through uTFM when uFTM has been restarted afterwards. And as already mentioned, any alteration to the rss.dat file (through uTFM - ie File > Save) will also require the restart of uTorrent in order to reflect these changes.
Adding RSS feeds — It’s assumed you already know how to add RSS feeds in uTorrent. A detailed RSS guide can be found at uTorrent’s website in this link.
Other uTFM Features:
Multiple filters on-the-fly
One feature that is a real timesaver is the ability to add multiple filters in one step. For example, you can add a list of TV shows/series by using the "List" tab. Here, simply enter titles or names for your filter on separate lines.
Now go back the the "New Filter" tab, and put a checkmark in the box "Use List", then click "Add Filter" to finalize.
To confirm these new additions, click on the tab "Current Filters".
In uTFilterManager, select File > Save. Close uTorrent and restart it. In uTorrent go to Options > RSS Downloader - here you’ll find these new RSS filters have been imported successfully.
Multiple "Profiles"
The TV profile is used throughout this tutorial, but profiles can be combined to work together. For example; you want an RSS filter that grabs both "TV" and "HD" releases. Click on the "Also run Profile #1" dropdown box and select a different profile (up to 3 different profiles can be used for the same filter).
Back in the "Current Filters" tab, you’ll notice 5 new entries for dexter HD, each of these contain specific HD filters and a new label (used in uTorrent) is applied to this category.
This multiple profile feature also works in conjunction with the "Use List" option, as opposed to having to manually create new filters based on name/filter. As well, users are able to create their own customized profiles in the event that TV, HD and DVDRip filter options are not enough. While uTFM is designed specifically for TV and movie releases, there truly is no limit to how far this RSS filter manager can be modified.
Happy RSS’ing!
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