Export m3u playlist from filters?

[eobet]

I just got my first DAP and it doesn't recognize any tags (beyond genre) or ratings, and in MusicBee I have almost no playlists I just play directly from filters based on occasion, moods & ratings.

Is there any way to export traditional m3u playlists from such a filter?

If there is, I could just take those m3u playlists and replace the path in them to have them work on my DAP.

[Mayibongwe]

Is there any way to export traditional m3u playlists from such a filter?

In the preferences > device configuration settings ... where one chooses what music is synced, I see there are both filters and playlists options.
Is the very first filters-drop-down list not what you want?

[eobet]

Thank you for pointing out that option to me! I didn't realize MusicBee recognized my DAP.

However, I'm confused by two things:

1. Why can I seemingly only "synchronize" a single filter, whereas playlists I can choose more than one?
2. Does that, in fact, create a playlist for me?

I don't know, seems like a good intended, but possibly under-developed feature. Is there documentation anywhere which maybe explains it more?

[tjinc]

Hi eobet,

1. You should be able to select any number of filters: When you click on the drop down list you should see a checkbox to the left of each filter - you can check any number of these.
2. No, these are filters, not playlists. It will copy the music files but there is no playlist to copy,

I disagree with your final comment and would suggest that you should be using auto-playlists and not filters here.


Note that filters are but simple auto-playlists: They use the same file format and structure. You can copy your Library Filter files (.xautopf) to your playlist folder while MusicBee is closed. When you restart you will magically have playlists identical to your filters.
To determine file locations see karbock's excellent MusicBee File Paths post in the Tips and Tricks topic.

[eobet]

Thank you for the tip about auto-playlists!

Seems they're essentially the same as filters, only they can be auto-exported to .m3u so I now set up that instead and have essentially achieved parity between my DAP and MusicBee which is fantastic.

👍

[cronin2]

Hi eobet,

1. You should be able to select any number of filters: When you click on the drop down list you should see a checkbox to the left of each filter - you can check any number of these.
2. No, these are filters, not playlists. It will copy the music files but there is no playlist to copy,

I disagree with your final comment and would suggest that you should be using auto-playlists and not filters here.


Note that filters are but simple auto-playlists: They use the same file format and structure. You can copy your Library Filter files (.xautopf) to your playlist folder while MusicBee is closed. When you restart you will magically have playlists identical to your filters.
To determine file locations see karbock's excellent MusicBee File Paths post in the Tips and Tricks topic.

What are the key differences between filters and auto-playlists in MusicBee, and how can users effectively utilize both features to organize their music library?

[Mayibongwe]

Note that filters are but simple auto-playlists: They use the same file format and structure.

What are the key differences between filters and auto-playlists in MusicBee, and how can users effectively utilize both features to organize their music library?

I didn't realise how difficult this was to explain up until I started typing.
Key difference can include but is not limited to that AutoPlaylists can be a subset of filters, while the opposite is not true.

An example of effective use can be:
1. I want to create a list of Top 10 played music (one ranked by vocals and the other by instrumental).
2. So I would create two library filters of rule "has vocals" and  "has no vocals".
3. Then just one library AutoPlaylist of most played "music" (where "music" is determined by the active filter).
4. Point 2 can also be incorporated in the autoPlaylist rules in 3, but assume I needed to do more widespread-action with these 2 distinct music types than just creating autoPlaylists.

[hiccup]

Key difference can include but is not limited to that AutoPlaylists can be a subset of filters, while the opposite is not true.

+1 for making the effort to answer this in an understandable manner.

Are you sure about the phrase "AutoPlaylists can be a subset of filters"?
I thought that auto-playlists were oblivious of any active filtering. But maybe they can be made to respect a filter?

[phred]

Are you sure about the phrase "AutoPlaylists can be a subset of filters"?
I thought that auto-playlists were oblivious of any active filtering. But maybe they can be made to respect a filter?

When setting up an auto-playlist, the first thing one does is select the source from three options:
1- library
2- playlist
3- folders

If the user chooses door number one, there is a selectable list showing all the filters, each with a checkbox so you can choose one or multiple filters. In addition to the user-created filters, the indox, podcasts, autiobooks, and video nodes appear and are selectable.

EDIT: Typos

[hiccup]

When setting up an auto-playlist, the first thing one does is select the source from three options:
1- library
2- playlist
3- folders
If the users chooses door number one, there is a selectable list showing all the filters, each with a checkbox so you can choose one or multiple filters. In addition to the user-created filters, the indox, podcasts, autiobooks, and video nodes appear.

Ah yes, you are correct, thanks for explaining phred. (and I've learned something today)
(and sorry Mayibongwe for me expressing some doubt ;-)

[Mayibongwe]

(and sorry Mayibongwe for me expressing some doubt ;-)

No, you actually have a point there.
I made my testament without having tested first and filters are also not something I use.
The above steps were how I imagined it should work, but reading phred's post, my point #3 is incorrect as autoplaylists are not auto-updated to respect the active filter.

I thought that auto-playlists were oblivious of any active filtering. But maybe they can be made to respect a filter?

You thought correct indeed. I would +1 your suggestion in the wishlist board, but I also don't feel that strong about it to raise it up for review on that side of the forum.

[hiccup]

You thought correct indeed. I would +1 your suggestion in the wishlist board, but I also don't feel that strong about it to raise it up for review on that side of the forum.

It was not so much a suggestion, but simply a question if there was a way to do that.
It's not some feature that I would like to have.

[tjinc]

I'm not totally convinced that cronin2 is going to feel 100% enlightened regards their question, so at risk of further confusing the issue (and of further talking playlists in the Portable Devices board), here's my take on the question asked:

Filters apply only to the Music node and reside in that node as a subset of 'Music':



Filters are relatively basic methods of restricting what is displayed by the use of one or more rules. They are ideally suited to splitting your library into subsets in order to make browsing easier and/or setting different views for different sections of your library. The example above shows two filters - one for Classical music and one for everything else, This allows for the Classical music section to be set to display Composer, Conductor as opposed to, or in addition to, Album Artist etc. Maybe you have a collection of stand-up comedy or poetry or political rants you would like to browse separately.
Navigation between them is easily done by selecting the required filter in the Navigator panel (as shown), or by assigning each to its own tab.

Auto-playlists are similar in that they are configured by a set of rules but these are much more powerful tools having several additional configuration options. They reside in the Playlists node and can use any node (or filter) as a source - as has been discussed above. Generally used to make selections of tracks to play as an auto-updating playlist (as opposed to a static playlist), their uses are myriad, pretty much limited only by your imagination. As I have a very limited imagination, here are all of my thoughts:

• Genre playlist: 1 hour of 'Ska-Jazz' selected by most recently added tracks.
• Mood playlist: 20 'sad' tracks selected at random.
• Best Of playlist: 10 tracks by Artist X selected by highest rated.
• Cover version playlist: 25 tracks, tagged as 'covers', rated> 3 star, selected at random.
• Collate several playlists into a single one: Playlist is any of Playlist1, Playlist2, Playlist3.

Can also be used as tools when tidying, re-tagging or sorting your library (but I guess filters could also do these):

• Find specific filetypes: Ext is .mp3.
• Find tracks with no lyrics: Lyrics? has no value.
• Find low quality tracks: Bitrate is less than 256.

+ + + + +

Of course the more attention you pay to tagging your collection, the more powerful auto-playlists become.

I hope this may have been of some help. Note that this is only an idea of what these can be used for, and others may have differing opinions.
(And then there are Playlist Mixers but that is a story for another time - this has already become much longer than anticipated.)