Config music database import?

svb · 2007-12-11, 22:04

Hi, I have a problem with My Music database. Many of my songs are listed as "unknown - unknown" at place of their names. Strange thing is that there are also albums with half of songs correctly named and sencond half "unknown - unknown".
I have all my music sorted into folder structure "/genre/artist/year - albumname/tracknr - songname.mp3" so all that I need is to tell MP to read the file names when building its database, but I can't find any such settings in configuration :-( Which way MP get song names? From ID3 tags? I don't use ID3 tags, so this might be the problem...

My second problem is with playback. When I browse My Music, I can click to play the song under the cursor. But I cannot select more than one song for playback - when I click second song, it stops playing the first one and jumps to the beginning of the second song. I have tried to change the option "When adding files to playlist" from "enqueue next" to "add to the end" and back, but with no effect... So is it possible to add several songs to the queue, or MP can remember just one song at a time?

hwahrmann · 2007-12-11, 22:59

So if everything is sorted fine in the folder structure, just use it.
there's no need to create a database then, which reads tags. and because you don't have tagged them, it lists them as unknown.
You need to stay with the Shares View.

I don't understand your problem:
1. Clicking on a song starts it
2. if you want to add songs to the playlist, use the context menu (right click / Info on Remote) and select Add to Playlist / Add all to Playlist

svb · 2007-12-12, 21:34

Thanks for reply. It seems that I already have "Shares" view turned on. It works well on the folder structure (displays names of folders), but it doesn't work for files in these folders - MP displays "unknow - unknown" at place of file name. Sometimes there is also a song name preceded by "unknown" (like "unknown - 08 Nothing Else Matters") Is there any configuration for "Shares" view? Maybe I have messed up something when I was trying to fix it up...

My problem is probably that I don't undestand the playlists completely. I supposed that "playlist" is the list of songs that MP plays. However, when I click a song and it starts to play, and then I can add songs to the playlist, but the first song I clicked still plays. So it seems that there are two playlists, one that you can choose songs for (by the context menu), and the other that plays just the clicked song.
So if I am getting it right that there are two playlists, I think it will be OK for me, when I get used to this concept. However, what would be really good is to have some single-click shortcut for "add to playlist". I have no "info" button on my remote (it is iMon), so using playlists is nearly impossible for me - I have to search for mouse everytime I want to add a new song.
Is there any such shortcut? Or can it be configured someway?

Thanks.

hwahrmann · 2007-12-13, 09:23

1. You need to turn off: Use ID3 Tag / Autoadd file to Music database (listed in Configuration -> Music)
it looks like that's turned on and we try to rea the tags from the file

2. Re: Plalist.
there are 2 sorts of playlist. A temp one, which is used when you selct a file to play
Then you have the Msic Playlist, whhere files are added with the action "Add to Playlist".
From there, you can save the playlist, reorder the songs etc.

3. Sure you can assign the "Info" = "F9" (Context menu) to any button on your remote.
Remotes are configured in Configuration -> Remotes
Don't know the iMon, but it should bepossible to map F9 to some key on your remote

svb · 2007-12-13, 13:37

Thanks for reply, I will try it as soon as I get home to my HTPC. Just one more question to 3 - is there any shortcut key for "add to playlist" directly, without the need to open context menu and select an option from it? Or is it possible to change the function of left-clicking to "add to playlist" and move "play in temporary playlist" to the context menu?

hwahrmann · 2007-12-13, 22:54

oh yes, almost forgot about that.
pressing "Y" on a song or flder ads it to the playlist.
you can map that to the remote.
Keyboard shortcuts can be found in Config -> General

svb · 2007-12-16, 10:24

Thanks for all the help. I have configured my remote according to your recommendations and playlists work like a charm now.
However I am still having trouble with the "unknown-unknown" effect. I have unchecked the field "Load ID3 tags from file if it's not in music database (slow)", but nothing changed. Is it possible that this checkbox have no effect because all my music already IS in the database (with "unknown" as a description)? But I can't find a way to delete it from the database or turn the database off at all. Maybe I did something wrong...

hwahrmann · 2007-12-16, 19:36

well, you always can delete the music database and start from scratch

svb · 2007-12-19, 21:58

I have deleted the file MusicDatabase in database folder in Program Files\MediaPortal and it seems to work well now. Thank you very much for your help.

2007-12-11, 22:04	#1 (permalink)
svb Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Config music database import? Hi, I have a problem with My Music database. Many of my songs are listed as "unknown - unknown" at place of their names. Strange thing is that there are also albums with half of songs correctly named and sencond half "unknown - unknown". I have all my music sorted into folder structure "/genre/artist/year - albumname/tracknr - songname.mp3" so all that I need is to tell MP to read the file names when building its database, but I can't find any such settings in configuration :-( Which way MP get song names? From ID3 tags? I don't use ID3 tags, so this might be the problem... My second problem is with playback. When I browse My Music, I can click to play the song under the cursor. But I cannot select more than one song for playback - when I click second song, it stops playing the first one and jumps to the beginning of the second song. I have tried to change the option "When adding files to playlist" from "enqueue next" to "add to the end" and back, but with no effect... So is it possible to add several songs to the queue, or MP can remember just one song at a time?

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2007-12-11, 22:59	#2 (permalink)
hwahrmann Portal Developer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 1,502 Thanks: 3 Thanked 89 Times in 55 Posts Country:	So if everything is sorted fine in the folder structure, just use it. there's no need to create a database then, which reads tags. and because you don't have tagged them, it lists them as unknown. You need to stay with the Shares View. I don't understand your problem: 1. Clicking on a song starts it 2. if you want to add songs to the playlist, use the context menu (right click / Info on Remote) and select Add to Playlist / Add all to Playlist

2007-12-12, 21:34	#3 (permalink)
svb Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for reply. It seems that I already have "Shares" view turned on. It works well on the folder structure (displays names of folders), but it doesn't work for files in these folders - MP displays "unknow - unknown" at place of file name. Sometimes there is also a song name preceded by "unknown" (like "unknown - 08 Nothing Else Matters") Is there any configuration for "Shares" view? Maybe I have messed up something when I was trying to fix it up... My problem is probably that I don't undestand the playlists completely. I supposed that "playlist" is the list of songs that MP plays. However, when I click a song and it starts to play, and then I can add songs to the playlist, but the first song I clicked still plays. So it seems that there are two playlists, one that you can choose songs for (by the context menu), and the other that plays just the clicked song. So if I am getting it right that there are two playlists, I think it will be OK for me, when I get used to this concept. However, what would be really good is to have some single-click shortcut for "add to playlist". I have no "info" button on my remote (it is iMon), so using playlists is nearly impossible for me - I have to search for mouse everytime I want to add a new song. Is there any such shortcut? Or can it be configured someway? Thanks.

2007-12-13, 09:23	#4 (permalink)
hwahrmann Portal Developer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 1,502 Thanks: 3 Thanked 89 Times in 55 Posts Country:	1. You need to turn off: Use ID3 Tag / Autoadd file to Music database (listed in Configuration -> Music) it looks like that's turned on and we try to rea the tags from the file 2. Re: Plalist. there are 2 sorts of playlist. A temp one, which is used when you selct a file to play Then you have the Msic Playlist, whhere files are added with the action "Add to Playlist". From there, you can save the playlist, reorder the songs etc. 3. Sure you can assign the "Info" = "F9" (Context menu) to any button on your remote. Remotes are configured in Configuration -> Remotes Don't know the iMon, but it should bepossible to map F9 to some key on your remote

2007-12-13, 13:37	#5 (permalink)
svb Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for reply, I will try it as soon as I get home to my HTPC. Just one more question to 3 - is there any shortcut key for "add to playlist" directly, without the need to open context menu and select an option from it? Or is it possible to change the function of left-clicking to "add to playlist" and move "play in temporary playlist" to the context menu?

2007-12-13, 22:54	#6 (permalink)
hwahrmann Portal Developer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 1,502 Thanks: 3 Thanked 89 Times in 55 Posts Country:	oh yes, almost forgot about that. pressing "Y" on a song or flder ads it to the playlist. you can map that to the remote. Keyboard shortcuts can be found in Config -> General

2007-12-16, 10:24	#7 (permalink)
svb Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for all the help. I have configured my remote according to your recommendations and playlists work like a charm now. However I am still having trouble with the "unknown-unknown" effect. I have unchecked the field "Load ID3 tags from file if it's not in music database (slow)", but nothing changed. Is it possible that this checkbox have no effect because all my music already IS in the database (with "unknown" as a description)? But I can't find a way to delete it from the database or turn the database off at all. Maybe I did something wrong...

2007-12-16, 19:36	#8 (permalink)
hwahrmann Portal Developer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 1,502 Thanks: 3 Thanked 89 Times in 55 Posts Country:	well, you always can delete the music database and start from scratch

2007-12-19, 21:58	#9 (permalink)
svb Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 12 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have deleted the file MusicDatabase in database folder in Program Files\MediaPortal and it seems to work well now. Thank you very much for your help.