Author Topic: Music Bee Windows Taskbar  (Read 6865 times)

oneiromancer

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Good day. I'm new to Music Bee (it's great so far), but I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a plug-in that would minimize Music Bee into a small taskbar. Thus far, I've been minimizing it to the mini player and hoping that it doesn't get covered by other windows. However, the mini bar is still rather large (compared to the taskbar that Windows Media Player used to minimize to), it leaves the normal minimized window taking up space on the taskbar and it often disappears unexpectedly. This is a picture of what Windows Media Player on Windows Vista would minimize to (and what I miss): http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/snookiewantacookie/WMPtaskbar_zpsde81ebfc.png

If anyone has any suggestions as to a plug-in or configuration I could use to replicate this, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.

phred

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Welcome.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like you're asking for simply the player controls to be minimized to the systray.  If so, I'm not aware of any plugin that can do this.  If this is important to you, I would suggest you put it on the wishlist.  No guarantees that Steven will do it, but at least being in the Wishlist, he'll see it and consider it.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

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oneiromancer

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I guess that is a more clear way of putting it, heh. Sounds good though, I will try that. Thanks! I just find that to be the most economical use of space while also keeping all the crucial control options accessible.

EvilPeppard

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Your screenshot is Windows 7, but on my Windows 8.1 machine, if I hover over the MusicBee application on my Windows Taskbar, a window pops up with all the MB controls. This gives you full control of MB, even if the miniplayer (or regular player) gets covered. It also takes up less space on the Taskbar than the controls shown in your screenshot.

Hope that helps.

phred

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Your screenshot is Windows 7, but on my Windows 8.1 machine, if I hover over the MusicBee application on my Windows Taskbar, a window pops up with all the MB controls. This gives you full control of MB, even if the miniplayer (or regular player) gets covered. It also takes up less space on the Taskbar than the controls shown in your screenshot.

Hope that helps.

Oops - I'm on W7 and forgot completely about this.  Yes, just over the MB app in the taskbar and the controls pop up.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

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Posting screenshots is here
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MTOakey

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Your screenshot is Windows 7, but on my Windows 8.1 machine, if I hover over the MusicBee application on my Windows Taskbar, a window pops up with all the MB controls.

I don't see his screenshot, but I have seen that little popup and LOVED it, worked up until last week in Win11 - but not now.
Any chance it is a setting I may have unchecked ??

phred

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Preferences > Now Playing > playback > show popup > untick "only when MusicBee is inactive. You can click "customize" to configure the popup.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

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The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

MTOakey

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Thanks for such a quick reply.
I went ahead and tried that, don't ever remember clicking that OR unclicking it.... but either way it only shows something like a Title bar above where the popup used to be... (see attached)



Steven

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i think that is different to the one phred is referring to. The taskbar hover popup is enabled by default and in your case its not showing. It might be a windows 11 bug. Try unticking "show playing track details in taskbar popup window" in Preferences/ Layout(2)

MTOakey

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BINGO !!!
We have a winner, I did that, rebooted MB, then re-checked that "show playing track details in taskbar popup" ... and, VoilĂ !

Thank You so much for for your reply, and quick at that !!!

MTOakey

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i think that is different to the one phred is referring to.....

On another note, and not to rehash and old issue - but - I have satisfactorily worked around the "Folder Icon/Album Icon/Song Icon" that I have had to deal with for years, actually since my first use of MB.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MusicBee. I have tried many other, and NONE do everything that MB does, nor as nicely as MB does. I wish I could PAY you for this !!!

MY issue, as it probably is ONLY MY issue, I don't "collect" ALBUMS. I collect songs... so I don't organize the songs by ALBUM, but by TYPE (I think that would be the best way to describe it).
So, I have 1 folder titled "Music", inside that I have 18 or so folders, each titled with the "Type" of contents. (MB wants to treat these as "ALBUMS")
Inside each of these folders are thousands of songs - EACH fully tagged with their own individual ART. (MB shows this properly, and Beautifully)
BUT, in the Left Sidebar, I have chosen list by "Grouping", which I have found out from everyone here, is designed for ALBUMS - or more correctly the alpha-numerically first SONGS in a folder.
It has taken a small bit of playing around on my part to get all this figured out and working "correctly for ME"...
I created a 7-second audio file.mp3 and titled it "0A Placeholder", and tagged it with the same for "Album Artist" and "Album Name", but for the "Artist name" I placed a 'space' in front of it's name, which is of the folder it resides in... " Oldies", " Swing", " Christmas" etc.
So now, no matter how many times I add NEW songs to the folders, in that MB sidebar - the folders retain the Picture I desire, and every individual song retains its.
I really think a very small and EASY "Settings" upgrade that could/may negate this need of MINE, is in the MB Edit Prefs/Sorting-Grouping/Grouping section: "specify how files are Grouped to an Album" where you can choose 'fields to define an Album' DOES NOT ALLOW "Artist" to be first... this seems like an EASY fix/correction to be made. Probably a BETTER choice would to ADD a radio button choice of "Don't bother worrying about Grouping" (of course better wording could be used, like, "files are not organised in any Album folder")
Or, maybe instead/in addition a separate setting that says/does something like 'Use each Album folders OWN Art when present (folder.jpg, folder.png? not .ico -to little resolution)"

With the absolute power and capability and options that are already built into MB, this seems to me to be a very small ask.

I really Love this App, and only wish to try to make it better for everyone's benefit. Pics below show what I am discussing...










Would love a reply :-)

Zak

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MusicBee. I have tried many other, and NONE do everything that MB does, nor as nicely as MB does. I wish I could PAY you for this !!!
Although optional, you absolutely can donate:

Donate with Paypal

8)

And it should go without saying, but anyone who uses MusicBee on a regular basis should also contribute to thank Steven for over a decade (!) of amazing support.
Bee excellent to each other...

MTOakey

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MusicBee. I have tried many other, and NONE do everything that MB does, nor as nicely as MB does. I wish I could PAY you for this !!!
Although optional, you absolutely can donate:

Donate with Paypal

8)

And it should go without saying, but anyone who uses MusicBee on a regular basis should also contribute to thank Steven for over a decade (!) of amazing support.

Thanks !!!
I wasn't aware of that Donate option... and I Agree wholeheartedly - EVERYONE who uses MusicBee for any amount of time longer than 30 days or so SHOULD give something !!!
Music Bee is a MOST Incredible Music application, and one of the only upgrades I can think of is to be able to stream OUTSIDE the house to my phone. I use SUBSONIC for that right now.

 :)

.

Steven

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i think this issue is actually a windows 11 bug and happens to me randomly as well, including other apps. Its only been happening recently