XXHighEnd Model 0.9t-0 (Rework of Library Functions)

[PeterSt]

With this version so many things changed, that it's virtually impossible to test it all.
Also, quite a few things still have to be done to finish it all (see list at the bottom).

• For the below assume that the Chk checkbox (see picture at the botton) is NOT checked, unless otherwise noted. In other words, mentioned (new) functionalities do not work with that checkbox checked !
  
  
• The most important change is the virtually inifit numbers of Album and Track data in the Library Area;
  
  Per this version this won't consume "the more memory the more data" anymore, and the speed of obtaining all surpasses imagination.
  All this was tested with some 5,000 Albums and the implied number of Tracks in there (say 50,000).
  
  
• A result from the before is that Albums or Tracks (whatever was selected in the Library Area) will reload at a next startup without notice.
  
  
• Active Search - as was available before when the Library Area had the focus (like with clicking on it) - has been eliminated;
  Instead, this now can be done by typing in the Search field right next to the Search button.
  Only when you have a really more old processor, searching like this in Track data should be avoided; It will be to slow. But look for yourself.
  
  
• Search is now default in Album (path) text. This is visualized (and ordered for) by means of an "A" in the small time field next to the larger search text field (the A is there by default now). Only when a T is entered in that field, search will be performed in Tracks, as well as everything else that implies search in tracks (like asking for "duration larger than", etc.).
  
  
• In all, WAV as well as FLAC as well as MP3 is supported now.
  
  The screen shot below shows the salmon color (2x) for FLAC, the bright pink (3x) for MP3 and normal white (1x) for WAV.
  
  
• The supporting text at each Album, contains the file type like (WAV) (FLAC) (MP3) (see below screen shot).
  
  Since it is this text where active search is performed upon, typing e.g. (WAV) in the search field presents WAV files only (IOW the other files will disappear).
  
  
• Per Album aksed for (like Loading it in the Playlist Area) the tracks are sorted.
  
  This was not so before, and with systems that did not contain standard "Windows sort order" (like with UDF formatted disks) the sequence would be dependend on the sequence of storing there (the UDF disk).
  
  
• What about the Search button ?
  
  Active Search (by means of typing in the text field right next to the Search button) if different from pressing that Search button;
  First advise is : at pressing the Search Button, take care that nothing is entered in the text field for searching. Why ?
  The search will be the fastest, and right after it's finished you can start with Active Search. But :
  
  Try to understand that whatever the result is after pressing the Search button, this result is kind of fixed until a next press of the Search button;
  The possibly more complex thing to understand is that this is related to the next startup of XXHighEnd, where the last contents of the Library Area will be presented as how it was at the last shutdown (Off). Thus, the Search button limits the result (with whatever was entered for search critera at using it) until it is used again. Or in other words : when you are after search patterns in Album/Track data anyway, better find them by means of Active Search, which is instantly (and looking for the same at pressing Search is not).
  
  
• At Active Search (which is typing in the textfield for that), the result will be more and more limited accordingly;
  
  Important : Often you will be doing this when a particulair item (e.g. Album) is visual in the Library Area. It is just were you are, and what made you think "now let's look for ...". Now, when you backout the typed charachters, don't do that too fast. You wil notice when this is done with some ease, you will end up at the Item (e.g. Album) where you left off. When you type too fast, the list will show the first Item of the list, instead of the one were you were at starting the typing.
  
  
• Physical Copy is now possible with a physical Album (or Track) as the base (before only Galeries could serve this).
  
  
  
• The slider at the right bottom corner now allows for realtime adjusting the picture sizes.
  
  Also note that the picture size is not important anymore for therespnse times, nor memory useage.
  
  
• Rightclick at an Album picture in the Library Area now has an option "Show/Load tracks".
  
  Clicking that will open Explorer, and from there you can chose individual tracks for the Album clicked.
  Note : when Tracks show in the Library Area this feature might workout wrongly (it just wasn't tested).
  
  
• Rightclick at an Album picture in the Library Area now shows a "Play Each" option.
  
  As you will notice only the first two options in there currently are implemented, and they allow respectively to play each Tracknumber of all before selected Albums (like all 3rd tracks), or each nth Track starting at the first selected Album (like play each 35fth track that's found in there).
  The latter implies a kind of random playback, while the first allows for examining a bunch of (new) Albums.
  
  
• The Playlist Area now allows for Rightclick on (selected) Tracks;
  
  Important : look at the second screen shot at the bottom. This should show the options for Delete Tracks and Add to Galery;
  When it shows Copy / Paste and such stuff, it means that you rightclicked the (a) track concerned so that you entered (copy/paste) text mode. Just play with it a little and you'll feel how to click.
  
  Even more important : When you depend on selected tracks on either deleting Tracks or adding them to a Galery, you will notice for sure that this interferes with the current playback (if playback is going on). On this matter, note that the next track playing will be the next one selected (although this is awkwardish for a longer time anyway).
  Anyway, this is meant of deleting tracks from a before made "Load tracks into the Playlist Area" which was a tad too rough, or otherwise allows for storing a just playing Track in a Galery; the first you would be doing when Playback not commenced anyway (well, gernerally) and the second would be more important than Playback continuing without interruption.
  Also note that the latter would work with Unattended Playback, the currently playing Track being at the top, and you wanting to store that in a Galery after just auditioning it, bringing up XXHighEnd just to sore it ...
  
  
• A very general feauture, and hard to explain, is the now very easy comparing at selecting Albums for "do I have it or not";
  
  All it takes it the startup of XXHighEnd twice, and the one showing Albums (by picture) of those Albums you examine to be there on another drive, the second instance of XXHighEnd ready to let you Active Search what you see in the first instance, immediately showing (by Album picture) whether it's already there on the other drive.
  Too hard to explain, but you will get the grasp at really trying a thing like this ("do I have it there already ?").
  
  
• Just for your information : when you physically copy Albums, keep on using the Checkboxes (the Chk checkbox);
  Loading data in this mode will be as slow as before, but the Selection by means of checkboxes is so much more convenient ...
  
  
• Priorities for Vista/Engine#3 now have a default which is logical for that situation.
  
  

Issues :

• The Grp checkbox will not work anymore, or anyway this was not tested at all.
  Probably it will disappear in a next version.
  
  
• There are so many things to tell about the useage of the View settings (with TextUnder as default), that they hardly can be told anymore;
  The ToolTips describe briefly (and too brief) what's going on, and currently it is more a matter of finding out your own.
  The most imortant "issue" is the knowlegde about when Active Search indeed shows the results immediately and when not. TextUnder for sure is okay though.
  
  
• Currently, Duration Search will not workout properly (at all) for FLAC and MP3.
  
  
• Sorting when mixed source directories (indirectly implied by Galeries) are at order, is not explicitly there. Currently it may work out, or it may just not.
  
  
• Currently it is not exactly known why, but at creating a Galery from a large amount of base data (say well over 1,000 albums) an Out of Memory error can be the result (this already was so at the before versions).
  Solution : split the commands to add to the Galery (like 500 + 500 Albums).
  
  
• When (several) spaces are entered in the test field for Searchm en arror will occur (invalid characters for path or similar). This might happen easily with a touch screen and entering data;
  At a next startup the error will remain. Just try to get rid of the spaces in there.
  
  
• Getting data into a genaral "All Music" Library, does not explicitly anticipate on getting the data from more than one drive(letter);
  This was not tested, and most probably it won't work, or it won't work in all cases to be found.
  Note this is related to actually needing more than one "MusicRoot" (Settings Area).
  
  
• There's no explicit anticipation on Cue files yet.
  
  
• You can have a "general" coverart picture at a higher level (even the root of the disk);
  When an attempt is made to delete this by means of righclick on it and choose "Delete image from disk", an error is the result.
  
  
• When large amounts of data (say over 10,000 Tracks) are copied to a Galery, it will be obvious that the progress bar stops progressing after a few cm;
  This is normal, though unwanted, and will be changed in a next version.
  
  

A last notice :
Many things in this version are virtually "impossible". This is all about the speed and the, say, intuivity of things. You wouldn't be able to copy them with normal Windows behaviour. It is exactly this why it took rather long to create it, and it will also be the reason why you will find quite a few things not working as intended. On that matter, please take into account that it might take a while to solve them all.
Anyway, please mention - whatever it is you find - as much as possible in its own topic.



Thanks,
Peter