fix: download and queue episodes in watch order, Specials last

close #1414

lib/media/episode_collection.dart

@@ -54,11 +54,18 @@ Future<MediaItem?> fetchFirstEpisodeForSeason(
   return null;
 }
 
+/// A season number of 0 (or missing) denotes the Specials folder, which the
+/// app treats as a last resort for "what to watch next" — see
+/// [defaultPlaybackSeasonIndex], [firstUnwatchedSeasonIndex] and
+/// [compareEpisodesByWatchOrder].
+bool isSpecialSeasonNumber(int? seasonNumber) => (seasonNumber ?? 0) == 0;
+
 /// Prefer the first regular season over specials, falling back to the first
 /// season row when a show only has specials or lacks season indexes.
 int defaultPlaybackSeasonIndex(List<MediaItem> seasons) {
   if (seasons.isEmpty) return 0;
-  final regularSeasonIndex = seasons.indexWhere((season) => season.kind == MediaKind.season && (season.index ?? 0) > 0);
+  final regularSeasonIndex =
+      seasons.indexWhere((season) => season.kind == MediaKind.season && !isSpecialSeasonNumber(season.index));
   if (regularSeasonIndex != -1) return regularSeasonIndex;
   final firstSeasonIndex = seasons.indexWhere((season) => season.kind == MediaKind.season);
   return firstSeasonIndex == -1 ? 0 : firstSeasonIndex;
@@ -84,7 +91,7 @@ int? firstUnwatchedSeasonIndex(List<MediaItem> seasons) {
     final leaf = season.leafCount;
     if (leaf == null || leaf <= 0) continue;
     if ((season.viewedLeafCount ?? 0) >= leaf) continue; // fully watched
-    if ((season.index ?? 0) > 0) return i; // first regular season with unwatched
+    if (!isSpecialSeasonNumber(season.index)) return i; // first regular season with unwatched
     firstSpecial ??= i; // specials only count as a last resort
   }
   return firstSpecial;
@@ -96,12 +103,38 @@ int? firstUnwatchedSeasonIndex(List<MediaItem> seasons) {
 MediaItem? firstUnwatchedEpisode(List<MediaItem> episodes) {
   for (final episode in episodes) {
     if (episode.kind != MediaKind.episode) continue;
-    if (episode.isWatched && !episode.hasActiveProgress) continue;
+    if (!episode.isUnwatchedOrInProgress) continue;
     return episode;
   }
   return null;
 }
 
+/// Orders episodes the way the app selects "what to watch next": regular
+/// seasons first, Specials (season 0) last, then by season number, then
+/// episode number. Mirrors the "specials are a last resort" convention used by
+/// [defaultPlaybackSeasonIndex] / [firstUnwatchedSeasonIndex] and the offline
+/// continue-watching sort, so a count-capped "next N" selection (download /
+/// sync rule) takes the next regular episodes instead of the whole Specials
+/// folder first (#1414).
+///
+/// The trailing id comparison keeps the order deterministic for episodes that
+/// share a season/episode index — Dart's [List.sort] is not stable — so the
+/// "next N" cut is stable across runs.
+int compareEpisodesByWatchOrder(MediaItem a, MediaItem b) {
+  final aSpecial = isSpecialSeasonNumber(a.parentIndex);
+  final bSpecial = isSpecialSeasonNumber(b.parentIndex);
+  if (aSpecial != bSpecial) return aSpecial ? 1 : -1;
+  final season = (a.parentIndex ?? 0).compareTo(b.parentIndex ?? 0);
+  if (season != 0) return season;
+  final episode = (a.index ?? 0).compareTo(b.index ?? 0);
+  if (episode != 0) return episode;
+  return a.id.compareTo(b.id);
+}
+
+/// In-place sort by [compareEpisodesByWatchOrder]. See that function for the
+/// ordering rationale.
+void sortEpisodesByWatchOrder(List<MediaItem> episodes) => episodes.sort(compareEpisodesByWatchOrder);
+
 /// Find the season index matching an explicit navigation target or on-deck
 /// episode. With neither, fall back to the first season that still has
 /// unwatched episodes (so a partially-watched show removed from Continue
@@ -194,11 +227,20 @@ Future<void> _collectPlayable(
   MediaItem? fallback,
 }) async {
   final leaves = await client.fetchPlayableDescendants(parentId);
+  // Collect into a local list and order it before handing back: the backend
+  // returns episodes in raw container order (Plex /grandchildren puts S00
+  // first), and order-capped callers ("next N unwatched" download, sync-rule
+  // deficit) slice the front — so without this they'd grab Specials ahead of
+  // regular episodes (#1414). Sort the per-call slice, not the shared `out`
+  // accumulator, so multi-container callers don't interleave across shows.
+  final collected = <MediaItem>[];
   for (final ep in leaves) {
     if (ep.kind != MediaKind.episode) continue;
-    if (unwatchedOnly && ep.isWatched && !ep.hasActiveProgress) continue;
+    if (unwatchedOnly && !ep.isUnwatchedOrInProgress) continue;
-    out.add(_withFallbackLibrary(ep, fallback));
+    collected.add(_withFallbackLibrary(ep, fallback));
   }
+  sortEpisodesByWatchOrder(collected);
+  out.addAll(collected);
 }
 
 MediaItem _withFallbackLibrary(MediaItem item, MediaItem? fallback) {

lib/media/media_item.dart

@@ -387,6 +387,12 @@ sealed class MediaItem with _$MediaItem {
     return viewOffsetMs! > 0 && viewOffsetMs! < durationMs!;
   }
 
+  /// Whether this item still counts toward an "unwatched only" selection:
+  /// not fully watched, or watched-but-resumable (has active progress). The
+  /// shared predicate behind every `unwatchedOnly` filter (downloads, sync
+  /// rules, the unwatched-episode lookups in episode_collection.dart).
+  bool get isUnwatchedOrInProgress => !isWatched || hasActiveProgress;
+
   /// Whether this container (show/season) has some but not all leaves watched.
   bool get isPartiallyWatched =>
       viewedLeafCount != null && leafCount != null && viewedLeafCount! > 0 && viewedLeafCount! < leafCount!;

lib/providers/download_provider.dart

@@ -921,7 +921,7 @@ class DownloadProvider extends ChangeNotifier with DisposableChangeNotifierMixin
     int count = 0;
 
     Future<void> queueItem(MediaItem item) async {
-      if (unwatchedOnly && item.isWatched && !item.hasActiveProgress) return;
+      if (unwatchedOnly && !item.isUnwatchedOrInProgress) return;
       final queued = await _queueSingleDownload(item, client, relatedContext: relatedContext);
       if (queued) count++;
     }

lib/providers/offline_watch_provider.dart

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 import '../media/ids.dart';
 
 import '../i18n/strings.g.dart';
+import '../media/episode_collection.dart';
 import '../media/media_item.dart';
 import '../media/media_item_types.dart';
 import '../mixins/disposable_change_notifier_mixin.dart';
@@ -85,21 +86,13 @@ class OfflineWatchProvider extends ChangeNotifier with DisposableChangeNotifierM
     return metadata?.viewOffsetMs;
   }
 
-  /// Get sorted episodes for a show (by season, then episode number).
+  /// Get sorted episodes for a show: regular seasons first, Specials last,
+  /// then season then episode — the shared [sortEpisodesByWatchOrder] order,
+  /// so the offline watch order matches what "download next N" selects (#1414).
   List<MediaItem> _getSortedEpisodes(String showId) {
     final episodes = _downloadProvider.getDownloadedEpisodesForShow(showId);
     if (episodes.isEmpty) return episodes;
-
+    sortEpisodesByWatchOrder(episodes);
-    // Sort Season 0 (Specials) to the end so regular seasons play first
-    episodes.sort((a, b) {
-      final aIsSpecial = (a.parentIndex ?? 0) == 0;
-      final bIsSpecial = (b.parentIndex ?? 0) == 0;
-      if (aIsSpecial != bIsSpecial) return aIsSpecial ? 1 : -1;
-      final seasonCompare = (a.parentIndex ?? 0).compareTo(b.parentIndex ?? 0);
-      if (seasonCompare != 0) return seasonCompare;
-      return (a.index ?? 0).compareTo(b.index ?? 0);
-    });
-
     return episodes;
   }
 

lib/screens/video_player/parts/episode_queue.dart

@@ -119,20 +119,11 @@ extension _VideoPlayerEpisodeQueueMethods on VideoPlayerScreenState {
 
       if (episodes.isEmpty) return;
 
-      // Sort by aired date, falling back to season/episode number
+      // Regular seasons first, Specials last, then season/episode — the shared
-      final sorted = List<MediaItem>.from(episodes)
+      // watch order, so offline next/prev matches what "download next N" selects
-        ..sort((a, b) {
+      // and the offline continue-watching list use (#1414). Copy first so the
-          final aDate = a.originallyAvailableAt ?? '';
+      // provider's cached list isn't reordered.
-          final bDate = b.originallyAvailableAt ?? '';
+      final sorted = List<MediaItem>.from(episodes)..sort(compareEpisodesByWatchOrder);
-          if (aDate.isEmpty && bDate.isEmpty) {
-            final seasonCmp = (a.parentIndex ?? 0).compareTo(b.parentIndex ?? 0);
-            if (seasonCmp != 0) return seasonCmp;
-            return (a.index ?? 0).compareTo(b.index ?? 0);
-          }
-          if (aDate.isEmpty) return 1;
-          if (bDate.isEmpty) return -1;
-          return aDate.compareTo(bDate);
-        });
 
       final currentIdx = sorted.indexWhere((ep) => ep.id == _currentMetadata.id);
 

lib/screens/video_player_screen.dart

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import '../media/media_server_user_profile.dart';
 import '../media/media_item.dart';
 import '../media/media_item_types.dart';
 import '../media/media_server_client.dart';
+import '../media/episode_collection.dart';
 import '../media/live_tv_support.dart';
 import '../models/livetv_channel.dart';
 import '../services/live_seek_accumulator.dart';

lib/services/jellyfin_client.dart

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import 'package:http/http.dart' as http;
 import 'package:package_info_plus/package_info_plus.dart';
 
 import '../connection/connection.dart';
+import '../media/episode_collection.dart';
 import '../media/library_filter_result.dart';
 import '../media/library_first_character.dart';
 import '../media/library_query.dart';

lib/services/jellyfin_client/parts/browse.dart

@@ -915,7 +915,13 @@ mixin _JellyfinBrowseMethods on MediaServerCacheMixin {
     return _pagedMediaItems(response.data, offset: offset, requestedSize: pageSize);
   }
 
-  /// All episodes of a series in air order, optimised for queue-building.
+  /// All episodes of a series in the app's watch order — regular seasons
+  /// first, Specials (season 0) last — so the client-side next/previous queue
+  /// matches what downloads and offline playback use (#1414). The server sort
+  /// ([_episodeOrderQueryParameters]) keeps paging stable (and lists Specials
+  /// first); [sortEpisodesByWatchOrder] then normalizes the assembled list to
+  /// the shared convention, leaving a single definition of "episode order".
+  ///
   /// Uses [_queueFields] (only `UserData`) instead of the browse field
   /// set so the response stays small even for shows with thousands of
   /// episodes.
@@ -954,6 +960,9 @@ mixin _JellyfinBrowseMethods on MediaServerCacheMixin {
       startIndex += page.length;
     }
 
+    // Server lists Specials first (ParentIndexNumber asc); reorder to the
+    // shared watch order so online next/prev matches offline + downloads.
+    sortEpisodesByWatchOrder(all);
     return all;
   }
 

lib/services/sync_rule_executor.dart

@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ class SyncRuleExecutor {
       switch (item.kind) {
         case MediaKind.movie:
         case MediaKind.episode:
-          if (unwatchedOnly && item.isWatched && !item.hasActiveProgress) break;
+          if (unwatchedOnly && !item.isUnwatchedOrInProgress) break;
           out.add(item);
         case MediaKind.show:
           await collectEpisodesForShow(client, item.id, unwatchedOnly: unwatchedOnly, out: out, fallback: item);

pubspec.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: plezy
 description: "A beautiful Plex and Jellyfin client for Flutter"
 publish_to: "none"
-version: 2.7.1+116
+version: 2.7.2+118
 
 environment:
   sdk: ">=3.12.0 <4.0.0"

test/utils/episode_collection_test.dart

@@ -191,6 +191,49 @@ void main() {
     );
   });
 
+  test('sortEpisodesByWatchOrder puts regular seasons first and Specials last', () {
+    final s0e1 = _episode('s0e1', parentIndex: 0, index: 1);
+    final s0e2 = _episode('s0e2', parentIndex: 0, index: 2);
+    final s1e1 = _episode('s1e1', parentIndex: 1, index: 1);
+    final s1e2 = _episode('s1e2', parentIndex: 1, index: 2);
+    final s2e1 = _episode('s2e1', parentIndex: 2, index: 1);
+
+    // Raw /grandchildren order would lead with the Specials folder.
+    final episodes = [s0e1, s0e2, s1e1, s1e2, s2e1];
+    sortEpisodesByWatchOrder(episodes);
+
+    // A "next 2 unwatched" cut now takes S01E01/S01E02, not the Specials.
+    expect(episodes.map((e) => e.id), ['s1e1', 's1e2', 's2e1', 's0e1', 's0e2']);
+  });
+
+  test('compareEpisodesByWatchOrder breaks index ties on id for deterministic cuts', () {
+    final a = _episode('a', parentIndex: 1, index: 1);
+    final b = _episode('b', parentIndex: 1, index: 1);
+
+    expect(compareEpisodesByWatchOrder(a, b), lessThan(0));
+    expect(compareEpisodesByWatchOrder(b, a), greaterThan(0));
+    expect(compareEpisodesByWatchOrder(a, a), 0);
+  });
+
+  test('isSpecialSeasonNumber treats season 0 and missing numbers as Specials', () {
+    expect(isSpecialSeasonNumber(0), isTrue);
+    expect(isSpecialSeasonNumber(null), isTrue);
+    expect(isSpecialSeasonNumber(1), isFalse);
+    expect(isSpecialSeasonNumber(2), isFalse);
+  });
+
+  test('isUnwatchedOrInProgress keeps unwatched and resumable episodes', () {
+    // Unwatched.
+    expect(_episode('a', viewCount: 0).isUnwatchedOrInProgress, isTrue);
+    // Watched with no resume point — counts as done.
+    expect(_episode('b', viewCount: 1).isUnwatchedOrInProgress, isFalse);
+    // Watched but still resumable (re-watching) — counts as to-watch.
+    expect(
+      _episode('c', viewCount: 1, viewOffsetMs: 500, durationMs: 1000).isUnwatchedOrInProgress,
+      isTrue,
+    );
+  });
+
   test('fetchFirstEpisodeForSeason requests only the first children page', () async {
     final episode = _episode('episode-1');
     final client = _RecordingClient(