MusicBee Remote (Remote Control for Android)

[mynameismiles]

This plugin works for me and is awesome and incredibly useful! ....except the 'hostname' feature. I can connect to the pc with plugin (win8x64) no problem with the IP, but like many routers, mine regularly reassigns local addresses. Specifying my computer name (checked with 'ipconfig /all') never gets a connection. Not sure if I am missing something obvious that everyone else is reading differently, if I have a problem specific to my network setup (the only non-default configuration here is homegroups off), or if there is a bug in this feature, or what... Anyway, that is my issue. I love this plugin (& musicbee!) so let me know if there is a log or report or any info I can contribute towards helping development.

[kelsos]

Hello mynameismiles,
the hostname used there must be one recognized and assigned by your router to your computer. The place you should check is your router's configuration. The hostname reported in 'ipconfig /all' is the self assigned name of the computer, in some cases that may differ from what is assigned on your network.

Generally it requires some kind of local dns service that would resolve the the host name to your assigned IP address.

On the coming weeks I plan on releasing a new version of the plugin, this one has a settings auto detection feature (for wifi only) that would detect the ip/port where a plugin is running on your local network even if it does not exactly solve your problem it would make the settings change easier.

[mynameismiles]

Cool, looking forward to the new version! I did figure out how to get the router to stick the relevant PC with a static IP, so that method is working fine now. Any kind of auto-configuration will be a cool feature though. Thanks for the reply.

[Maleko12]

So... how can one compile the repository to the plugin.

[kelsos]

It needd to be opened with Visual Studio 2012. Afterwards you need to get the dependencies with NuGet (It has ServiceStack.Text.dll for JSON serialization and deserialization) after it gets the ServiceStack dependency you just have to build.  If you right click on the solution in the solution explorer it should say something like Enable NuGet package restore. Note that the ServiceStack.Text.dll must be deployed along the mb_remote.dll

[Maleko12]

...I'll just wait until the plugin is updated on here. I didn't change my major from Computer Science for nothing

[kelsos]

I will get out a builds of both the plugin and the application in the next 48 hours though I have to search a little bit on how the alpha/beta testing works on Google Play (I was reading something about Google+ groups or Communities so I have to figure out that part.  Also note that the latest plugin build is incompatible with the old android application.

By the way I am not sure if I mentioned it, but I added the ability to change the number of tracks that it will send you on the now playing list and I have set it to 5000 by default but that can change through the settings.

[Maleko12]

Nice! Can't wait! Perfect way to end my birthday weekend!

[kelsos]

Hi there is a test version of the plugin available on http://kelsos.net/musicbeeremote/download/ and instructions on how to get the test version of the application.

Remember that this version of the remote/plugin is incompatible with the previous version, so the old plugin won't work with the new application and the new application will not work with the old plugin.

Google Play has added support for alpha and beta testing, though it needed me to either add a Google+ Community or Create a Google Group,
in order to get users for the testing. I chose the group and I created one, on the group welcome message there is a link to follow to opt-in for the testing. Afterwards the test version should be available to you through Google Play. The test version is 0.9.1.

Keep in mind that in the new plugin the settings panel should be under Tools/MusicBee Remote. There is also a known issue, if you change the port you have to restart MusicBee in order to activate the new settings, it will be resolved in the following days.

Also now the connection settings of the application are under Settings (either menu button on older devices or overflow menu - settings) on the Manage Connections entry.

I will create a more detailed help in the following day however in the meanwhile feel free to ask.

[maximinium]

Hi Kelsos, Im not able to opt in for the beta testing. Google returns a 404 (not found) on multiple browsers. Im not a registered developer at google.

I'd love to help on this project, the app is quite bare still, but what functionality is available is awesome! Thanks for continuing the development of this app.

Cheers,

maximinium

--Edit, it seems I was a bit hasty. For all encountering the same problem, you have to be approved in the google group before you are able to follow the link.

[kelsos]

Yes the approval is required, I check my mails regularly to check for new requests, the other choice for getting people the ability is through Google+ communities though I have no idea how they work, I wonder if it would be better than using a google group.

[maximinium]

I have found some issues allready, do you want me to post issues here or in the google group?

--edit
Plugin looks amazing btw! really promising

[kelsos]

Wherever it is easier I check both.

---- update ----
I modified the group join permissions so it should not require approval to join.

---- update 2: 2013-07-30 ----
I am on the process of fixing the issues discovered my maximinium, the plan is to upload a new test version including the fixes in the next 12 hours for anyone who is interested.

I hope to get a new release (stable) as soon as any major functionality breaking issues are fixed. Thanks to whoever is helping with the testing. Your help and your feedback is really appreciated.

On the development plans, after this update I will focus on the implementation of widgets and playlist support.

[geokon]

Hello Kelsos.Thank you the plugin.
Problems I have encounter so far are:
1)The search feature works, but when I find the song "play now" would not start music playback.
2)The ratings doesn't seem to work.
 Can't change them and I can only see the ratings in those songs that have full star ratings.Half star song ratings are blank.
Again thanks for all your efforts.

[EnduringGuerila]

I'm using MB Remote v0.9.2  and plugin v0.9.928

I noticed a that in the notification bar, the play/pause buttons are reversed. Pressing play pauses it and pressing pause resumes it. Not a big deal but feels counter intuitive.
I personally like the ongoing notification but there should be an option to turn it off so it never shows. Or it goes away after the music has been paused for "x" time.
Maybe add an option to not show the icon when the notification bar is closed.

The Last.FM icon/button works but doesn't indicate if it is on or off.

I do not see ratings anywhere other than the Last.FM heart. The heart works fine but I'd like it to show a reddish or pinkish color when the song is "loved."
OK I found the ratings but there is unused space on my device. Maybe later you can make the interface customizable via the settings menu. Like how big the album cover is and if ratings are always visible, etc.

If I do not limit my Now Playing to a small section of my library, when I view the Now Playing list, it does not show the tracks I am listening to, only the very top of my library. I understand you limited how
many tracks would be loaded to the list but it needs to jump to where you are in the list.

Album covers aren't working for me 100%. My main example is that my  Crystal Castles II (Deluxe 2 CD)  album is not showing its cover at all. The app always loads the image that was from an album before it. Even if I restart the Remote app, it reloads the album cover from something else. I'm guessing it's an issue with the plugin, not the app..

If you search for an artist, clicking on the artist could automatically take you to the album list for that artist..
When you "search," before you type anything into the search field, you should be able to view the entire library. Maybe the app can cashe the library so it only needs to add new music instead of having to reload?