FAQ on Hybrid List
Related to Hybrid Lists & Mixed Lists on SIMKL
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Related to Hybrid Lists & Mixed Lists on SIMKL
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Many entertainment tracking platforms allow users to create mixed lists/watchlists that combine movies, TV shows, and anime in the same list. However, these platforms often lack proper tracking & filters features for TV shows and anime, which leads to major issues in managing progress, filtering, and recommendations.
SIMKL, on the other hand, is a highly specialized tracking platform designed to provide accurate progress tracking across movies, TV shows, and anime separately. Because of this advanced tracking system, SIMKL does not allow mixed lists, ensuring that each media type is handled correctly. Here’s why:
Many platforms that allow mixed lists do not have proper filtering and sorting when combining different media types.
Example of problems:
You might want to sort your list by "Latest Episode Aired", but that would not apply to movies.
Sorting by "Watch Progress" would be inconsistent since movies are either "watched" or "not watched," while TV shows and anime have ongoing episodes.
Recommendations based on a mixed list would be unreliable because movies and TV shows are structured differently in terms of suggestions.
Why SIMKL keeps them separate: Each category on SIMKL has its own advanced filtering options, such as:
TV Shows & Anime: Sort by "Next Episode Airing," "Watch Progress," or "Seasons"
Movies: Sort by "Release Date," "Runtime," or "Genre"
SIMKL integrates with many third-party services like IMDB, Trakt, TV Time, MyAnimeList (MAL), and Letterboxd and few more, allowing seamless syncing of watchlists.
However, these services also separate movies, TV shows, and anime into different sections. If SIMKL allowed mixed lists, syncing issues would occur, causing:
Why SIMKL keeps them separate: Keeping lists categorized by type ensures that third-party integrations work smoothly without tracking errors.
Currently, SIMKL does not support hybrid lists natively (i.e., mixing movies, TV shows, and anime within the same custom list). However, you can still create a workaround hybrid list using the Collections feature:
Create Separate Lists – Make individual custom lists for Movies, TV Shows, and Anime.
Use the Collection Feature – Group these separate lists together into a Collection.
Manage All Lists Under One Collection – This allows you to keep track of all your related watchlists in one place.
Share & Organize Easily – You can share the collection instead of separate lists, making it functionally similar to a hybrid list.
🔹 Example: If you want a "Best of Sci-Fi" hybrid list, create:
Sci-Fi Movies List
Sci-Fi TV Shows List
Sci-Fi Anime List Then, group them into a single "Sci-Fi Collection."
SIMKL separates its database into three distinct categories:
🎬 Movies - Films are single entities with a runtime & box office.
📺 TV Shows - Series have multiple seasons and episodes.
🎞️ Anime - Anime follows a similar episode-based structure but often includes different tracking options like subbed vs. dubbed, fillers, seasonal releases.
Each category has different tracking systems (Episodes, Season vs. Full movies) and metadata structures. Since TV Shows and Anime have multiple episodes, while Movies do not, mixing them into a single list would create technical complications in tracking progress, watch history, and recommendations.
No, SIMKL does not support mixed (hybrid) lists that include movies, TV shows, and anime in the same list. However, you can create separate lists and group them into a Collection, which allows you to organize and manage them together.
No, SIMKL’s filtering system does not merge Movies, TV Shows, and Anime into a single list. However, you can:
Use the Collection feature to group separate lists together.
View your watch history or favorites across all categories.
Check the "Plan to Watch" tab, which organizes all items you’ve marked but keeps them separated by type.
The best method is:
Create separate lists for movies, TV shows, and anime.
Use Collections to group them together.
Name your collection something like "Best of Sci-Fi", "2024 Watchlist", etc.
Share the Collection instead of individual lists!
Lists: Store a single type of content (Movies, TV Shows, or Anime).
Collections: Group multiple lists together, allowing you to combine different types of media in one organized way.
There are no official plans for hybrid lists right now, but the Collection feature already offers a similar way to organize your mixed lists. However, user feedback plays a role in future updates, so if enough users request hybrid lists, it might be considered!
If you really want hybrid lists, you can suggest it as a feature request on:
🔹 SIMKL’s Discord Server
🔹 SIMKL Forums
🔹 SIMKL Feedback Page
Consistent Tracking – TV Shows & Anime have seasonal episodes, whereas Movies don’t. A mixed list would break progress tracking.
Database Optimization – SIMKL’s system is designed to filter & recommend content based on type.
Sorting & Filtering Issues – Since Movies, TV Shows, and Anime have different metadata formats, sorting would be inconsistent.
Alternative Solution: Instead of a hybrid list, use the Collection feature to group multiple lists together!
