Author Topic: Changes for version 3.1  (Read 35577 times)

Steven

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I think v3.0 is in good enough state now to move the focus onto v3.1 after i do the next update release for v3.0 probably later this week.

Version 3.0 was focused on changes to the GUI that endeavour1934 proposed. For myself i am still very pleased with the changes but i accept there are some things that still need improving (particularily playlist management which i have already made changes in v3.1).
However i do know there has been a few negative reactions. I guess thats to be expected from any significant change made. Personally i think its mostly from people who expect things to work a certain way and have trouble adjusting - perhaps the one thing which is most obvious is not realising that you can click the panel headers to get the context menu. So any comments you have about short-comings or suggested improvements to the GUI will be considered for v3.1

There are too many items on the wishlist so it might be useful for people to comment on high-level things (without going into the solution) that can be improved or added. These are a few random things that come to mind:
- simplify the settings
at minimum i would look to by default have a reduced set of options available and an Advanced button to show all the options.
- cloud storage
i have asked about this in the past and never got much interest
- ability to export layout settings

I dont have as much spare time these days to look at this. I am still willing to put in effort but not to make wholesale changes again like with v3.0 or do things that require significant change for what i see as little benefit.

Iasc

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For my own personal use music bee does pretty much everything i need it to do. The work done on it for this version has been exceptional and an all round major improvement. The only issues for me at this stage are the ugly and annoying mini lyrics window, would be great if it could be integrated into musicbee so synchronised lyrics could downloaded without it being necessary and to have more control over having fanart and thumbnails organised into to the relevant folders instead of lumped in to one folder.
For the suggested improvements i personally have no use for cloud storage but for new users and people with more basic needs i think simplifying the settings would be helpful, it took me a while to get used to musicbee when i initially used it and the settings have more than doubled since then.
Last Edit: October 02, 2016, 12:00:47 PM by iasc

Ronin47

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phred

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These are a few random things that come to mind:
- simplify the settings
at minimum i would look to by default have a reduced set of options available and an Advanced button to show all the options.
- ability to export layout settings
These are the things that I think will help new users the most. Seasoned users, for the most part, already know their way around MB. But a frequent question on the forum is "how do I get my MB to look like this one." Therefore the ability to export the layout would be great. And the 'beginner' vs 'advanced' settings option should also help reduce confusion and mistakes by new users.

Personally I'm quite happy with the GUI and the operation of v3. Steven has already stated that the few changes that are important to me will be incorporated into 3.1, so again, I'm happy.
Last Edit: October 02, 2016, 05:19:59 PM by phred
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boroda

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There are the only two things that I think will help new users the most. Seasoned users, for the most part, already know their way around MB. But a frequent question on the forum is "how do I get my MB to look like this one." Therefore the ability to export the layout would be great. And the 'beginner' vs 'advanced' settings option should also help reduce confusion and mistakes by new users.
+1

psychoadept

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I agree that MusicBee is in better shape than ever.  I wasn't super invested in the GUI changes at first, but after using 3.0 for a while I have been won over.

The one major thing that I can think of for improvement at this point would be better artwork management.  This would include:
*ability to see all artwork attached to a file in the main panel, or at the very least the number of images (for instance, a small number overlay that could be displayed on the artwork shown)
*easier access to and use of artwork sizes, both dimensions and storage space
*some better tool for editing multiple artworks than the current tag editor panel
*ability to know and control whether you're overwriting existing artwork when you save new ones outside of the tag editor
*ability to quickly see if all tracks from the same album have the same artwork (not just similar images, but actually the same)
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redwing

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For 3.1 I'd like you to focus more on minor details than on adding big new features since 3.0 was a huge change that still needs to be ironed out lots of place.

For instance, why can't Now Playing tab show playing tracks list in the sidebar when a TM view is displayed?

http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=19544.0

Also, why not add "Configure panel" command directly to expanded panel's context menu like v2.5 instead of only allowing access from artwork view configuration panel?

What's bugging me most time from using 3.0 is mostly these small details, not the lack of features.

alec.tron

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My wishlist in order of personal preference/importance:
1) improved playlist management (I was already hugely impressed when I learned that re-located files apply to all instances among all playlists of the same. Well done!).
2) simplify the settings
3) settings.ini - de-couple "library" settings from "player" settings for easier backup/re-loading
4) one small finicky bit I struggle with still that somewhat ties into #2 above - I use 2 main layouts of columns/set-displayed-fields [one simplistic one for every day listening use, and one with a LOT of fields shown to clean up/tag data] - in MusicBee's tracks view I do not have a good way to switch/save/apply column view settings globally (the concept of when you need to copy the main view into a custom one so it's populated into new ones as mentioned by psychoadept on forum & twiki still eludes me...)
5) itunes.xml export as a means to export playlists from MB to Serato/Traktor/Rekordbox

As always, I only recently switched to MB, so excuses if I overlooked something that does exist.
Cheers & thanks a ton for one of the best media players!
c.
Last Edit: October 03, 2016, 04:39:13 AM by alec.tron

redwing

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Regarding this:

- simplify the settings
at minimum i would look to by default have a reduced set of options available and an Advanced button to show all the options.

also consider adding quick settings for panel layout:  

Though it's great having an almost boundless customizability, it's a little cumbersome having to open panel layout editor and then open panel settings again to adjust small settings every time. How about adding a drop-down menu to "Configure Layout" button (like v2.5 with a small triangle icon next to it) and show some quick settings people use most often? It could show tabs bar settings, column browser layout, AZ bar, show/hide left/right main panel, player control location, etc. Also it could display show/hide headbar setting and panel settings for the selected tab.

Steven

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Though it's great having an almost boundless customizability, it's a little cumbersome having to open panel layout editor and then open panel settings again to adjust small settings every time. How about adding a drop-down menu to "Configure Layout" button (like v2.5 with a small triangle icon next to it) and show some quick settings people use most often? It could show tabs bar settings, column browser layout, AZ bar, show/hide left/right main panel, player control location, etc. Also it could display show/hide headbar setting and panel settings for the selected tab.
Thats a good idea. i think i would add a new button for that because the panel layout button can be customised in a skin so the icon used wont necessarily suit having an arrow appended to the side. If anyone has a good icon to use for that then please PM me or post the suggestion here (I prefer not to use the usual settings wheel icon because thats already used for when toolbar buttons are consolidated (although i guess i could change that icon)

Bee-liever

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Though it's great having an almost boundless customizability, it's a little cumbersome having to open panel layout editor and then open panel settings again to adjust small settings every time. How about adding a drop-down menu to "Configure Layout" button (like v2.5 with a small triangle icon next to it) and show some quick settings people use most often? It could show tabs bar settings, column browser layout, AZ bar, show/hide left/right main panel, player control location, etc. Also it could display show/hide headbar setting and panel settings for the selected tab.
Thats a good idea. i think i would add a new button for that because the panel layout button can be customised in a skin so the icon used wont necessarily suit having an arrow appended to the side. If anyone has a good icon to use for that then please PM me or post the suggestion here (I prefer not to use the usual settings wheel icon because thats already used for when toolbar buttons are consolidated (although i guess i could change that icon)
you already get a tooltip (Configure Layout) when you hover over the layout button, maybe an appended arrow could made visible when hovering over the button?

as to other ideas for 3.1, I would echo others thoughts here on:
  • simplifying settings
  • ability to view all artwork in artwork view
  • export layouts

although I use cloud storage, I'm undecided on it's integration into MB
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redwing

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i think i would add a new button for that because the panel layout button can be customised in a skin so the icon used wont necessarily suit having an arrow appended to the side.

Maybe without additional icon first drop-down menu item could be "Arrange Panels" that opens up the panel configuration pane.

Alumni

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Speaking of simplifying the preferences screen, the sync screen could do with a makeover. As of now it gets the job done, but it's not as user friendly or intuitive as it could be.

See this example from iTunes;
https://cdn.igeeksblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Check-Sync-Music-in-iTunes.jpg

PS: How about a new default icon for MusicBee? The current one looks outdated next to other modern app icons, especially on Windows 10.
Last Edit: October 04, 2016, 02:08:30 PM by Alumni

Sofocl

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PS: How about a new default icon for MusicBee? The current one looks outdated next to other modern app icons, especially on Windows 10.
+1
Sorry for my bad English.

Leodj

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Please try to fix accurate data from Internet on albums and artist pictures could be from Wikipedia, Discogs and Lastfm.. sometimes the artist info doesnt match