Author Topic: "Unlock views" for filters and playlists  (Read 16121 times)

redwing

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Sorry for the confusions. What I meant was:

(1) Default column set for library nodes and the one for playlists are different, but now they're mixed. If you switch to another view with a non-default view library node, it takes default column set for playlists instead of the one for library nodes.

(2) Clicking on the node doesn't restore the originally saved specific view as switching views constantly updates the view setting of the node.

Last Edit: November 21, 2014, 05:58:07 AM by redwing

redwing

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Another issue is about custom views. Should they be handled in the same manner as the three views? What if custom views are independent of the three views?

Say, you created "Custom A" view in Track Details view and set "A" node to that custom view. Then you could switch, with the node, to any views, but selecting Track Details view will bring "Custom A" view. And hopefully clicking the node would do the same.

Steven

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For auto-playlists and filters its always been the case they maintain their own set of fields for each view, and same for static playlists if enabled, so for changing the view, including custom views is much more superficial and only changes the basic layout (track details, album & tracks, artwork).
I guess thats a bit confusing and leads to inconsistenty so i will have a look at that - and probably when the view is changed for an auto-playlists/filter, reset the fields when a new view is selected but there are quite a few things to think about with this and might require a recent change i made for updating custom views from playlists to be undone.

@redwing, i dont understand your very last post - perhaps its answered now
Last Edit: November 22, 2014, 11:07:11 AM by Steven

Bee-liever

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I'll just push my suggestion forward again  :)

If you could set a view as the "Default" view for playlist/filters, you could then look at these, in different views, without MB changing the "Default" view for all other playlists/filters. Re-opening them, they would reset to the saved "Default" view.
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redwing

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I've been always using "default" view for all filters/playlists and this is almost first time for me trying other view settings. Now I understand each filter, just like an auto-playlist, remembers its own column set for each view if one of the three views (instead of "default " view) is selected. This works great and I don't see the need for creating any custom views. I'm going to test for a while.

BTW how to reset the column set to the default for a filter? If I switch to default view and switch back, then it still remembers its own column set.

Steven

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http://musicbee.niblseed.com/V2_5/MusicBee_Exe_Patched.zip

i have made one bug-fix, in the case when switching views in a playlist or filter, the custom fields were not being loaded. Thats corrected now.
So the behavior for auto-playlists, filters and static playlists with custom fields enabled is:
- the track details, album and tracks and artwork layout have their own fields unique to the playlist/filter (initialised to the current fields at the time the playlist is created)
- any changes to fields for those views only affect that playlist/ filter
- custom views always use the fields from the custom view and any changes to fields affects that custom view
- i realise thats not consistent but having unique fields to a playlist/ filter has been that way since day one and i cant change it now

redwing

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If Artwork view is selected for view setting, the same settings are applied to all filters including displayed fields, group by, sort by setting. Can you make each filter to remember its own setting in artwork view as well?

Steven

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that would require a substantial change so probably not

psychoadept

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I haven't tested extensively, but I approve of the "default view" going away.  I think this change will make things a lot more consistent and predictable.
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redwing

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Here are some suggestions to make it more consistent and predictable.

1. For filters/playlists, current view setting options are misleading since now switching views constantly updates the initially saved view setting. Change it to "default"  and "custom", plus the list of custom views created by the user.

2. When a new filter is created, its column set is inherited from the default view of library node instead of from default view of playlists. Likewise, when you change its view setting to custom, its column set shouldn't change and then you can start editing it to your liking. Currently, if you change the view setting to any of the three non-default views, it gets column set from default-view playlists instead of default-view library nodes. Because of that, you can't make any changes to initial column set with any library nodes, and that has to be done by editing column set of either defaut-view static playlists or auto-DJ node.

3. As you admitted, artwork view is the only exception to this unique-view-settings-per-node handling. Hence, disable "Copy current view settings to" command under panel layout button when artwork view is selected. That custom view doesn't do anything and is simply misleading.

psychoadept

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1. For filters/playlists, current view setting options are misleading since now switching views constantly updates the initially saved view setting. Change it to "default"  and "custom", plus the list of custom views created by the user.

Maybe this could even be removed from settings entirely?  Just start with the current main library view and have a note somewhere in the settings about which view is being used/what happens if you change it.


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2. When a new filter is created, its column set is inherited from the default view of library node instead of from default view of playlists. Likewise, when you change its view setting to custom, its column set shouldn't change and then you can start editing it to your liking.

I agree, if you change a view to have its own unique settings, there shouldn't be any changes applied until you start making them.


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Currently, if you change the view setting to any of the three non-default views, it gets column set from default-view playlists instead of default-view library nodes. Because of that, you can't make any changes to initial column set with any library nodes, and that has to be done by editing column set of either defaut-view static playlists or auto-DJ node.

Yes, initial views should come from the main library, maybe even only from the unfiltered main library.  That's a little tough, because I can see it would be hard for MB to figure out what the initial configuration should be when one of those is chosen.


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3. As you admitted, artwork view is the only exception to this unique-view-settings-per-node handling. Hence, disable "Copy current view settings to" command under panel layout button when artwork view is selected. That custom view doesn't do anything and is simply misleading.

This makes sense.  It seems like sort/group by settings are retained in the custom view, but if that's all then maybe each filter/playlists could save its own settings for that, rather than bothering with custom views.


- any changes to fields for those views only affect that playlist/ filter
- custom views always use the fields from the custom view and any changes to fields affects that custom view
- i realise thats not consistent but having unique fields to a playlist/ filter has been that way since day one and i cant change it now

I don't think this is too confusing.  I would expect that if I have a "generic" view enabled that it wouldn't necessarily apply changes to another view, but that if it's a specific, saved view it would retain changes everywhere.  It might help if there were some note of explanation about it, though. 

(I'll try to update the wiki soon.  These changes might catch a few people off guard, but I think it's a huge improvement overall. Thank you!)
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redwing

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@psychoadept:

Default view and user-created custom views are all useful. You can have some filters to share the same column set even in different views (default view), and some to retain its own unique column set (custom), and some to share the same column set in a specific view (user-created custom views). What I meant in #3 is only confined to artwork view-based custom views because they don't do anything.

Steven

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@redwing, you should be able to copy the Artwork layout to a custom view and customise the fields.
What i meant was for playlists/ filters the normal artwork view doesnt save custom fields to the playlist/ filter like the normal Track Details and Album & Tracks views ie. when a playlist is set to Artwork layout, if you change the fields then its changed for the Artwork layout everywhere.

redwing

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Are there any differences in view settings (like displayed fields, group by, sort by setting) between default-view artwork view and any artwork view-based custom views? I don't think there's any (once you change them in any artwork view, they look all the same in any artwork-view nodes), and that's why I'm saying artwork view-based custom views don't do anything.

Steven

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A custom artwork view should be uniquely configurable as set in the Artwork Layout dialog, and any fields can be uniquely set there.