I made some extensive tests on the "folder drop causes crash" problem. Actually, I couldn't reach a definite conclusion. As you said, size of the folder doesn't matter .
I managed to obtain about twenty crashes playing around with (several) single folders containing just one album (about 10 mp3s, nothing else in the folder apart from a hidden windows .db file).

If I create a query, move the branches around, in the root, etc. then nuke the database, open foobar again and move a branch, I think I had a crash all the times. However, I had many other crashes I can't explain...

If you're not able to reproduce any crash, it is possible for you to post a sort of debug version of the plugin or make me able in some other ways to give you a more detailed log of the crashes? Let me know how I can help.

Yeah! It works PERFECTLY now! No Unicode probs anymore!
Heaps of thanks for the awesome work!

I'm working on adding this functionality but I cannot do it without a designator for the query with the current method of populating queries. What I am thinking would be compromise that would allow meta queries for tags that might have different values by designating the tag in the format differently, using {tag} or #tag# or @tag@. I'm looking for suggestions for the designator. Any preferences?

My vote goes to ...... #tag#!

I don't know if it is easy or not, but maybe with a tag designator you may also overcome a limitation of the albumlist syntax, where you cannot use the expression 'tag' in a formula (es. $if(%genre%, genre, 'No genre')] doesn't work). Maybe something like #tag# will work?

BTW, # is all right. { is not easy to find on an Italian keyboard...

I don't know if it will help with that, but I just uploaded the new version that supports meta tag queries with the #tag# format.

Let me know how it works.

It works great!

Thanks again

I love you

Seriously, it works great. I'm using this i.e.


Thanks you very much for your work.

I just uploaded a new version that deals with one of my pet peeves... now when you do a search, it will keep expanding branches as you find the items you want, but when you are done searching it will restore the tree to the previous state, and only the branches necessary to see the final search result will remain expanded.

it will also turn the background red when a match cannot be found to a search item and restore it when you close the search box...

What about the crashes? How can we give you more detailed informations about the problem?

BTW, I made another bitmap with GANT icons with 16 colors (looks horrible, it is just for a try) and still the colors are not displayed properly. So the problem is not in the color depth... I will upload the new bitmap in the upload section in case you want to test it.

If you get a crash, see if you can whittle it down to a certain situation that is causing the problem and get the crash to repeat... let me know what situations you are seeing crashes in...

I just uploaded a new version that fixes a couple problems related to the movement of the window. Previously if you moved the foobar window with the search box activated in playlist tree the search box would not get moved with it...

I also added a new feature that I am still working on... I added an option under the Components->Playlist Tree->Explorer menu to launch a explorer window have it dock next to the playlist tree. I still dont know how to move it along with the window but I'm working on that... This is a nice feature if you are building a playlist manually... I added explorer as a global hotkey which makes it easier to browse my collection... I also added a config menu option to specifiy the default directory to start at...

I may add the option to the right click menu in the tree to open the folder that a file is in...

Hi, I was thinking about another feature that may help to build playlists manually (but I don't know how difficult it is...).
Could you make it possible that a dynamic folders can be set to point a specific playlist file (.fpl, .m3u)?
The Query, in this case, may appear as something like: $file(d:\Music \Playlists\playlist.fpl).

With this feature, you could send a playlist to the main window, edit it as you like, saving it to a playlist file and then, if you refresh the query, you can still have the modified playlist in your dynamic folder.

It would be necessary that the folder could point to standard playlist files (.fpl, m3u) because it is not possible to save .col files from the main window.

I really like this idea. If it's possible then it would be great.

I'll put my best people on it.

->bug report:

When using extended playlist generator format, MISSING value doesn't seems to be supported. i.e. Query=rating MISSING doesn't return any value. Using same syntax in the EPG works and return hundreds of songs.

->feature/suggestion request (I'm always asking things, please slap me if I'm a PITA ):

1) Add for queries in extended playlist generator format the possibility of regenerate it (not refreshing) via right-click menu. Like the component>playlist tree>refresh all queries but on the right-click menu and it'll regenerate all queries for the subtrees where this has been right-clicked. It's very useful if you've several queries (for ex. random 'new tracks', 'rock tracks', 'low-tempo tracks' etc...) as subfolders aof a static folder in order to generate a mixed playlist. i.e.

+Mixed
---+Random 10 New tracks (extended playlist generator format)
---+Random 10 Rock tracks (extended playlist generator format)
---+Random 10 Low-tempo tracks (extended playlist generator format)
----[...]

If you can right-click on 'Mixed' (static folder) and regenerate all queries you can have a random playlist for this multiple values in just one click!

2) I guess that this is an overkill, but here it goes... Possibility to add another query in extended playlist generator format, just after the first one and run it after it. i.e. Creating a '7 random tracks from 50 most played songs'

step 1:
New Query> Label: '7 random Most played songs':
Query=play_counter GREATER 0 [EGC format]
Display=$if2(%album artist%,%artist%) - %album% - %title%
Max=50
Max criteria=$num(%play_counter%,4) |x| Reverse (I know that custom sort doesn't work in playlist tree, but when it'll work in the future ).

This will create (as I said when custom sort will work) the most 50 played tracks dynamic folder.

step 2:
If I could enter right after that query this one (searching current results) in the same edit window:
Query=play_counter GREATER 0 [EGC format]
Display=$if2(%album artist%,%artist%) - %album% - %title%
Max=7
Max criteria=$rand()


Someone gets the idea? Appliying it with request number 1) you can make a very complex smart playlist with a click! Yum! Right now you can do it, but it requires a lot of steps.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks again for all your work, this is one of the best fb2k components I've ever seen.

Here's what I did... from the readme...

$drop()
If you use the $drop() command in a dynamic folder everytime you refresh that query it will act as if you dropped that file or directory on that node. Good for creating dynamic folders that get their content from an external m3u file or from directory.

Usage:
$drop(C:\music\B\Bob Dylan)
$drop(C:\music\_Playlists\Bob Dylan.m3u)

The only is that if you add files and stuff to the node inside of playlist tree those items will be lost unless you save it yourself... (i.e. playlist tree will only read from the $drop location, never write to it)

I'm all for overkill...

First, have you tried the custom sort lately? I'm not sure if its working or not... I was seeing an issue where it wouldnt work the first refresh, but after that it would...

Second... I hear what you are saying about the second suggestion... but I think I have an even better solution...

what if i were to introduce a function say $node() that grabbed all the contents of another node in the tree? Then you could build the first query as its own thing and then create a second query that grabs the contents of that node and randomly gets only 7 of the items.

So you're queries would be:

step 1:
New Query> Label: '50 Highest':
Query=play_counter GREATER 0 [EGC format]
Display=$if2(%album artist%,%artist%) - %album% - %title%
Max=50
Max criteria=$num(%play_counter%,4) |x| Reverse

step 2:
New Query> Label: "cwbowron is the greatest programmer in the world"
Query=$node(50 Highest)
Max=7
Max criteria=$rand()

I write a post, go and have a snack, when I came back the feature is ready and cwbowron is actually working on the next one. Amazing!!!!



If not the greatest, the quickest.

It's great, works with .m3u and .fpl!!!! However I think there is a small bug in the display format...

No matter what I write in the display string in the dynamic folder window, I get the results according to the file display format in general preferences...

Yes, I hadnt thought about that... I just uploaded a new version that somewhat fixes this... in the latest version files will display according to the format string, but it wont break them down into subfolders and stuff like a normal query will... but you can specify the way it actually displays the file.... I'll look into this a bit more....

... and... <drum roll>...

I added recursive queries...

From the readme...

$node()
You can grab the contents of another query or folder in a query using the $node(label) command. If doesnt support any other functions but it can be used to build nested queries. (i.e. you can't say "$node(A) OR $node(B)" yet, but you can say "$node(A) artist HAS Dylan")

If you have parenthesis in the folder name its going to break.

Here's an example

Query1:
Label: Acoustic
Query: album HAS acoustic OR album HAS unplugged OR title HAS acoustic
[x] foo_playlist_gen format

Query2:
Label: Foo
Query: $node(Acoustic) artist HAS Dylan
[x] foo_playlist_gen format

Foo should give you all the Bob Dylan songs that are in the Acoustic node.

I have been trying to get the following code I used in my Album List to work with this plugin:



This code in the album list sorted my Albums by the criteria:
Letter of the alphabet, Artist, album

For example:

+a
+b
+c
[-]d
+dude
+dude2
[-]dude3
album1
album2
+e

I tried to use the same code in this plugin, but it didn't work. Could somebody give me a hint what I have to change to get similar behaviour ?


EDIT: It DOES work, I somehow mixed up some of the terms used in the plugin, nevermind.

I use following query: "%_directoryname%" IS Misc OR %__replaygain_album_gain% IS MISSING OR singlefile IS yes

Could it be that if several conditions connected with "or" are positive the file gets displayed more than once in the playlist tree (same number as positive conditions)? With this query I get almost every file displayed twice.

Also when dragging a node/query into the playlists panel I get a crash. The redrawing/stealing focus problem I described earlier isn't resolved for me either.

Otherwise this plugin is getting better and better with an amazing development speed.

Regards,
The Link

edit: I'm getting every title displayed twice now. So it is not only the query I described above and my guess must be wrong, too.

edit2: Files with embedded cue sheet seem to be handeled correctly (besides the incorrect total filesize)

Ok, I fixed it... Now it will use the display format you specify in the query edit box, unless you specify %default% in which case it will use the same format that it would if you had dropped it from explorer.

Any chance the files are in your database twice? maybe you've moved them around and both locations are still in the database?

No. Albumlist panel also shows them only once.

You've become my God Thanks, and how we say in my mother tongue '¡Muchas gracias!'. It's working great, I can make a smart playlist calling other nodes in just one click!

Oh, and you've also added the refresh option, this is amazing. I refresh and 'voila' a new playlist is ready.

BTW, sort do work, I didn't really get how this worked..I thought that this means the way it display in the tree not the way it sorts the query.

The only thing I miss, but this is just pure PITA, it's the ability to set a custom sorting format (like foo_custom_sort plugin) calling a custom format if we send a tree/folder to a new playlist. This is not important at all since I just have to sort the playlist with the Custom Sort plugin

Dude, you've make me a happy man Mil gracias.

Edit: MISSING value in extended playlist generator format query still doesn't work

MISSING should work now... I had been compiling against the foo_playlistgen included in the SDK, but I downloaded the latest (as far as I could tell) version of foo_playlistgen_ex and compiled against that and now it looks like MISSING works...

The way the sorting stuff works right now is that the criteria is only used for picking out the first x entries... the sorting is done according to the same criteria as sorting a normal folder... would it be better if I just sort according to the same criteria as picking out the first x entries?

I'm pretty sure the max number of entries and sorting criteria isnt saved as of now, but its on my list of things to do soon...

Well, I think so. The extended playlist generator scheme seems very logical to me.
If you want to pick your "100 Top rated" or your "100 Most Played", it seems pretty obvious to me that you want to put your top rated or most played on top... It is not very handy to sort all your dynamic folder according to just one general rule...

BTW, I think that there is something broken in your latest version. If I tried to add some dynamic folders with a $drop function but I got some weird results... The dynamic folder disappeared, tree was messed up, etc.

I just uploaded a version that should fix this...

I also fixed it so the queries should be sorted according to the criteria in the max criteria , if its there.

I sorted my problem with titles appearing twice out: It was for some part my fault and to another part foo_playlisttree's fault. I got Database entries "I:\Audio\Artist\Album" and "I:\Audio\\Artist\Album" where the second doesn't really exist. I think this entry was created either when I entered "I:\Audio\" in the "explorer directory" field or when I created a query "$drop(I:\Audio)". "I:\Audio" is also my Database directory.

Regards,
The Link

Thank you very much for adding this. One question: when I use $drop with an m3u (or fpl) file I would like it to display the tracks in the order they appear in the m3u file. This is what happens if I actually drop the m3u from Windows Explorer. But with $drop they are sorted according to the query format field. Is there any way to achieve this? I have compilation m3us with the tracks in the order I want to listen to them, not based on anything in the tags such as track number, artist or title.

I'd love to see the "limit to X" options of foo_playlistgen_ex in this one. That way I could easily make playlists like "Random hour" or "Random 128 megs of files".

I just uploaded a new version that does this.

From the readme.txt:

Thanks. I like this a lot. One thing doesn't seem to be quite as I expected. If I put %title% in the format box and %default% in the sort box I would expect to see the tracks from the m3u in the order they appear in the m3u file, but only the titles listed. This is almost the case but it seems to swap the first track with one from somewhere in the middle of the playlist.

%default% goes into the format box... it doesnt do anything in the sort box... queries in which the format is %default% no sorting is done...

That won't help me if I want default sort order but only the title displayed then, because %default% in the format box includes the artist in the track display.

But never mind, because I've just found that putting %title% in the format box and leaving the sort box empty now sorts in the order of the m3u file, which is a change from how it worked before but is exactly what I wanted . So I don't need to use %default% anyway now.

Thanks for all your hard work on this component.
phwip.

Done.

What I've done is added radio buttons that allow you to select tracks/minutes/megs for the maximum...

it would have been done sooner but i was issues with releasing handles that i hadn't actually created and that was giving me issues...

Hi,

I have to say I'm very happy with this plugin as it seems I can do whatever I'd have liked to do with a media library. Thank you very much, cwbowron....
I just want to discuss some little details...

Sorting works perfectly now. However, is it intuitive enough for new users?

I think there are three main ways in which users want to sort their files.
1. Most common way is to sort according to display format. Users want to see A on top and Z at the bottom.
2. Second way is custom sort: whatever display you may have, you want to sort by rating, play_conter, ecc.
3. Third is no sorting, which is very useful when you drop playlists. Not very common, though.

1. I think default sorting (i.e. when you leave the sorting field empty) should be "sort according to display format". It's the most common and expected way.
2. Custom sort is easy. You just have to insert a string in the sorting field.
3. If you want to drop a playlist and you want no sorting, I think the most logical way is to insert a tag like %no sorting% in the sort field.
(however, we could also have 1. %display% 2. <custom string> 3. empty)

At the moment, if you leave the sort field empty there is no sorting. If you want to sort by display, you have to copy your display string (often very long) in the sort field. It's not a big deal, but I don't know if it's the best option.

What I find a rather confusing is to insert the %default% in the format field to have a default sorting. I'd rather use %default% in format field for default format and %default% in sort field for %default% (no) sorting.

I want to make it clear, I'm very happy with the plugin. I'm just discussing little details.

EDIT: This is another option to make the whole thing more clear.

Sorting: None (o) by Display (o) Custom (o) ----------------------------------

(i.e. three radio buttons plus a field box)

I just uploaded a new version that implements this...

What is the device path, and explorer path?

In my oppinon, you should change the "%size%" formatting to display "MB", and "GB" instead of "megs" and "gigs". I just can't stand all the megs and gigs in the playlist tree. You could add another keyword for that.

Device=your mp3 player/usb etc... [external HDD]
Explorer=Your music folder, useful if you create playlist manually.

Or I could add another keyword to implement the way you would like to see it...

which is what i just did...

Yeah, that would be fine. I would prefer one of the others to be deafult and make %size% as %size_coll% or someting like that, but that what you written looks good anyway.

Just wanted to say that I solved my problems regarding playlisttree taking focus when starting fb2k and the redrawing glitch. I just removed the component, started foobar to overwrite the playlist tree configs, then readded foo_playlisttree and now the problem seems to be gone.

One thing that is not resolved for me is the crashing when dropping items from the playlisttree panel into the playlists panel. This is an important feature imho and it works perfectly with the albumlist panel.

Regards,
The Link

If you can, see if you can figure out if it is a particular file or folder that is causing the problem. I don't have issues with this and I'm thinking maybe its something in the filename or path that is the culprit... if you can help me pinpoint it it will be easier to fix...

Or you could be happy that I gave you the option to display it how you want and be done with it.

Hi. I've just started using this plugin, it's very nice. especially dynamic query function really rocks!

I would like to make a request about double click action.

usually I use manual query refresh mode because it takes loads of time to start up fb2k if using auto refresh with some query folders.
Since it doesn't remember songs loaded last time in query folders between sessions, to send them to the playlist view, I have to refresh those folders from context menu every time before sending.
So I would like to be able to do that with single action. Adding something like "send to playlist after refreshing" to double click actions would be very handy for me.

Hope this makes sense...

Sure. See "Yeah, that would be fine." and "but that what you written looks good anyway." :-)