foo_queuecontents - View and edit queue Options

[kerpondile]

foo_queuecontents enables the user to edit and view queue contents through an ui element. Both the Default User Interface (DUI) and Columns User Interface (CUI/uie) are supported. As a legacy option, queue contents can also be viewed and edited by a special queue playlist, which is updated automatically with queue contents.

Newest version: 0.5.1 / 2012-03-11

For more information, please see the Wiki page.

Links:
Homepage: http://sites.google.com/site/salskisite/foo_queuecontents
Download the latest version: Official component repository

Source code: github (Please see the license files)


Please add any comments, I appreciate them!


Sami Salonen

This post has been edited by kerpondile: Mar 11 2012, 10:21

[kerpondile]

I believe that the queue is not saved by design (It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature! ). The queue itself was discussed in different (long and boring) topic, and AFAIR core developer(s) stated there that the queue should remain plain and simple. I think that is the reason you had to do 'tricks' in your code responsible for changing queue items' order - because the queue is not intended to support such operations.


In other words, if you improve your component more and more, what will be the difference between using it, and using simple playlist with 'Remove After Playing' plugin (I remember that such thing existed somewhere)? You can already quickly send tracks to another playlist (eg. named 'Party' or 'Queue') using context-menu command.

I don't want to sound discouraging here, as I believe that great number of users don't agree with core developers and were looking for component such as yours.

Good luck

Yes, I understand your point and agree on some point. I believe users should be able to see and edit the queue and I think the only 'clean' way to do it (within the standard UI) is the playlist. I wanted to make this component a panel but I'm not that interested on foo_ui_columns etc. As far I know, it's not possible to create panels with current SDK.

I am very aware that kerpondile surely put much effort in the development of this component. Also i am not interested to start a long and boring discussion about queues functionality.

But:

I hope i am allowed to mention that this component and all its praising is absurd. As mixcherry already said: All you can do with this component is possible without it - not in the sense of a workaround but in identical way if you use foo_utils. What is the long requested and needed functionality some people are talking about? Maybe you don't know foo_utils? Ok, now you know it! All the requests i read in this thread so far are realizable. Furthermore you don't have any restriction as you use a real playlist. You are not limited to 64 tracks and you also can choose playbackorder for your playlist. And if you like played track to be removed you can use foo_removeplayed

How far will the request concerning this new component go? mixcherry already bets that people will request to avoid flushback queue on starting another track manually. I bet that someone will request to start tracks inside of queue playlist manually or to avoid removal of played tracks. Such requests doesn't only mean ignorance of already existing funcionality but also confusion about the queue itself.

This component would only makes sense if and only if it wouldn't show the queue in a playlist but in a panel outside of the playlist view. So the queue would be recognizeable as queue.

I actually did not know about foo_utils. It seems to work very well. In an ideal situation my component would be a UI panel which could be placed where ever the user wants. Unfortunately this is not yet possible and the playlist seemed like the only way to it. However, after seeing how well foo_utils performs the same task, I'm wondering if my component is worth developing more.

I agree it would be great if the queue would be a panel. Because I personally don't use the default UI, I'd prefer a Columns UI panel.

Own panel would give users well-proven Winamp-like queue functionality - a feature foobar2000 should have had right from the start IMO.

I'm personally not interested in Columns UI and I think there's already some plugins to do this in Columns UI.


I never really had the intention to add 'queue save' and other extra features because it's not very wise using the current SDK. SDK has quite crude api for queue (maybe intentionally?) and therefore making the job not feasible/rewarding. This plugin works in its basic job and adding new features on top of foobar queue is not wise. I'd have to take totally different approach to this (as some of you have suggested) problem if I'd like to bring more features.

I personally am going to change to foo_utils + remove played combination because it gives me more control and achieves basically the same thing (more cleanly at code level). When foobar SDK will support the standard panels I'm willing to take a look at the situation again.