View Issue Details
| ID | Project | Category | View Status | Date Submitted | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0001633 | MMW v4 | Properties/Auto-Tools | public | 2004-11-26 05:43 | 2008-07-15 17:56 |
| Reporter | rusty | Assigned To | |||
| Priority | urgent | Severity | feature | Reproducibility | always |
| Status | resolved | Resolution | fixed | ||
| Fixed in Version | 3.0 | ||||
| Summary | 0001633: Album Art: Cannot be configured to be saved to tags on a Global basis | ||||
| Description | MediaMonkey allows users to configure how to save properties when they are edited (e.g. to the DB or to tags), but doesn't provide equivalent global functionality for Album Art (e.g. Links vs Tags). This results in a UI that is a bit confusing, and requires too much manual intervention. It also means that if the user loses the database, that there's no backup of key data within the Track tags, even though this is what most users expect MM to do. For example: if I have an Album stored as e.g.: ...\U2\The Unforgettable Fire\ and there are 2 Album Art images within the directory If I exchange the order of the 2 images, then MM indicates in the status bar that it is tagging the files in the Album, but in actuality the Album Art is _not_ written to the tags! A suggested means of dealing with this appears on the FTP server at /UI Mockups/Album_art.pdf in item (5). | ||||
| Tags | No tags attached. | ||||
| Fixed in build | 1022 | ||||
| related to | 0002744 | feedback | rusty | Store links to album art in files to tags |
| related to | 0004786 | closed | jiri | Regression: No way to save Album Art to Common Folder in MM3 |
| has duplicate | 0002557 | closed | rusty | Album Art: Cannot be scanned from a shared folder |
| has duplicate | 0001607 | resolved | jiri | No way to easily tell if Album Art is in tag or not OR to change location between tag and link |
| related to | 0002753 | resolved | Ludek | Album Art Management for device synchronization |
| related to | 0003913 | closed | Ludek | MM saves Album Art to tag even when configured not to |
| related to | 0004281 | feedback | rusty | Common configuration framework for Album Art settings. |
| related to | 0006224 | resolved | rusty | Album Art: Add Album Art do not Remember last browsed folder |
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A couple of notes that will hopefully explain all: - Images can be either stored in tags or linked in external files (e.g. JPEGs), these two forms of storage can be combined even for single track, so for example a small front cover can be stored in tag and large scanned leaflet can be linked as an external jpeg. - For this reason user can configure for each image being added where to store it (tag or link), or can configure one of these locations and check that he doesn't want to be asked again - in which case all subsequently added images are stored in the specified location. - If user choose to store in tag, images are always stored there. However if images are linked from a file, they always stay linked from a file even if user changes order of the images in properties dialog - in such case the order is only updated in DB (which I think is absolutely correct and expected behaviour). |
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I see your point that some users might want the flexibility of storing art to different locations (though I think that this adds unnecessary complexity for the vast majority of users who would simply prefer to define the location to which art should be saved). Regardless, there should at least be a global settings for: Album Art: When saving to track folders, save as: <Artist>-<Album>.jpg [>>] When saving to shared folder, save as: C:/.../My Music/Album Art/<Artist>-<Album>.jpg [Browse] [>>] Note: In cases of multiple album art files, a numeric identifier is added e.g. <Artist>-<Album>x.jpg Another advantage of this is that Album Art that has been linked can subsequently be 'retrieved'. e.g. if the user scans files that were previously managed by MediaMonkey, Album Art that is saved to a shared folder can be retrieved when it matches the mask. |
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The summary is: The default paths shown in 'Add Album Art' dialog (shown on tagging by Auto-tag from Amazon) will be by default based on masks specified in Option dialog. The configuration will look like: Album Art: When saving to track folders, save as: folder [>>] When saving to common folder, save as: C:/.../My Music/Album Art/<Artist>-<Album> [Browse] [>>] Note that: - .jpg extension was removed, because sometimes AA is supplied as PNG or GIF - track folder default is 'folder' - to be consistent with Windows. - common folder default value is configured by MM on first startup - based on My Music folder location. As for retrieval of AA on scanning, I'm not sure it would work well for the global folder (masks can change, etc.) Assigning to Rusty for a review, if you agree, please assign to Ludek. |
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I've rethought this: The main reason why we need to save Art location on a global basis is so that it is possible to: -view which files don't adhere to this policy -easily modify the files that don't adhere to this policy -retrieve Album Art metadata that has been painstakingly collected, even in the event of a db failure This implies the following changes: a) Album Art Config Option: Preferred Location: Save image to tag (if possible), Save image to album folder, Save image to common folder^ __folder.jpg, C:/.../My Music/Album Art/<Artist>-<Album>.jpg__^ [Browse] [>>] [ ] Prompt for manual selection of storage location Note: I suggest including .jpg so that the user understands that its a file and not a folder (even though the .jpg extension will be ignored. b) Retrieval of AA on scanning using the default configs. (it's true that some album art may not be imported due to changed masks etc. but at least a user will know that art that they organized via MediaMonkey will be imported (if it was saved to a consistent location). c) The unsynchronized tracks folder should highlight some sort of Album Art icon whenever Album Art does not match the selected default. This makes it easy for users to find tracks that have art stored in the 'wrong' location. By the same token, there should be a 'Synchronize Album Art' tool (just like 'Synchronize Tags' that alows the user to globally adjust the location of Album Art to match the user's preference. |
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a) Sounds good, we just have to decide in which Options dialog sheet this configuration will appear. Also, let's leave .jpg in configuration, but MM must then properly handle the correct extension. b) I agree, that MM should do this properly for AA stored in album folder (e.g. by looking for 'folder.jpg', or some other image - always - automatically). However, I see it very problematic to support looking up AA in the global folder. It will always work only partially due to variaous reasons (configuration of the mask, renaming of artists, albums, etc.) Actually, I think that this Global AA folder feature isn't too good and shouldn't be used much (for these reasons - problematic look up of AA when DB link is lost, etc.) c) Since there are various requirements users can have in this area (moving to and from tags, resizing, changing format, etc. - as already discussed many times in forum) I'd rather keep it as a task for scripts. With the new scripting repository it should be easy for user to look up a good script for any purpose. |
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I think that we're on the right track here, but that this feature is closely intertwined with several other features and thus a few more changes are required. Specifically, it is closely related to all of the following and therefore terminology and design must be aligned (note that most strings in this proposal are strings that already exist): 1) Existing dialogs to add album art. 2) 2733 Adding/transforming album art for devices -- bug to be respecced accordingly 3) 2099 Adding/transforming album art for disc burns -- bug to be respecced accordingly The last proposal is ok, however, it's incomplete in the sense that it doesn't specify what should be done in the event that the preferred location (a tag) cannot be used. The following addresses this: Library > Tags and Playlists --Album Art--------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Image location: _____(A)______________^ : __________________ [browse] [>>] | |Secondary location: ______(B)_____________^ : __________________ [browse] [>>] | |[x] Confirm desired options on addition of Album Art | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: (A): Save image to tag (if possible), Save image to album folder, Save image to common folder (B): None, Save image to album folder, Save image to common folder HOWEVER, I think that we can simplify this further by eliminating the option for a common folder: --Album Art------------------------------------------------------------- | Image location: _________(A)________________^ | | Image filename: __folder.jpg________________ [>>] | | [x] Confirm desired options on addition of Album Art | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Notes: (A): Save image to tag (if possible) otherwise save to album folder, Save image to album folder, In terms of existing dialogs: The current dialogs for adding album art appear below with changes indicated: When adding via Auto-Tag from Amazon: Title Bar: Add Album Art Image location: (o) Save image to tag (if possible) ( ) Save image to album folder ___________________________ [( ) Save image to common folder ___________________________ [...] Delete this entry] [ ] In the future, do not ask me ------------------------------------------------------- When adding art from a file or pasting an image: Title Bar: Add Album Art Image Type ________________^ Description ________________ ________________ ________________ Image location: (o) Save image to tag (if possible) ( ) Link to image file ----> 'Save image to album folder' (this would save a copy of the image to the preferred folder location ____________________________ --it would work exactly like auto-tag from amazon) [ ] Apply to all tracks on the Album [ ] In the future, do not ask me ---------------------------------------------------------- When adding art from the properties dialog: Title Bar: Add Album Art Image Type ________________^ Description ________________ ________________ ________________ Image location: (o) Save image to tag (if possible) ( ) Link to image file ----> 'Save image to album folder' (this would save a copy of the image to the preferred folder location ____________________________ --it would work exactly like auto-tag from amazon) ------------------------------------------------------------ As far as item c) mentioned in the last comment--the need to show the user whether art is stored in the desired fashion and/or triggering moves/renames in album art, i think that this functionality should be included in the product and in fact it is pretty much identical to the functionality being specced in bug 0002753. |
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Assigning to Ludek. I'm for the simplified configuration, i.e.: --Album Art------------------------------------------------------------- | Image location: _________(A)________________^ | | Image filename: __folder.jpg________________ [>>] | | [x] Confirm desired options on addition of Album Art | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ because we should abandon the option 'Save image to common folder'. Note that 'Image filename' field accepts masks like <Artist> or <Album> or <Album Artist>. The rest (just some small modifications) should be implemented as suggested. |
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1. I usually have AA image files placed in the album folder before I link them to tracks. So I would appreciate a feature like 'Automatically link AA images which appear in album folder' - has been already mentioned by Jiri. 2. I agree that storing of AA image files to a common folder is quite useless. 3. The suggestion sounds reasonable, but only in case that by 'Save image to album folder' you mean moving the image to album folder instead of just copying, because an useless duplicates would appeared. i.e. Only renaming in my case (when images are already placed in the album folder) 4. What you mean by 'folder.jpg'? I think that <album>.jpg is a good default mask, isn't it? |
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Mainly the item 3. has been just discussed with Jiri over IM. Conclusion: In case of adding art from the Properties dialog the 'Link to image file' option should remain and 'Save image to album folder' should by add. The 'Link to image file' remains because: 1. In case of adding an JPG file that is already present in album folder it would appear twice in one location. 2. By moving/renaming the JPG file could be lost an existing links. 3. A users could ask why the option 'Link to image file' is missed if they want only to link the image as they used to be doing. |
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Re-opening this issue due to a users requests at this links: http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15964 and http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5613&highlight=album+art+folder+tag The users would like an options to save AA to tag and to album folder at once. i.e. We could add to the options page (Library|Tags and Playlists) a new option so that these 3 options would be available: Image Location: ^ -- Save image to tag (if possible) otherwise save to album folder -- Save image to album folder -- Save image to tag (if possible) and to album folder And on addition of AA we could change radio buttons to a checkboxes: Image location: (o) Save image to tag (if possible) ( ) Save image to album folder ---> [x] Save image to tag (if possible) [ ] Save image to album folder Assigning to Rusty for a reiew. |
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I haven't tested the entire implementation yet, but your suggestion makes sense exactly as described. |
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It has been done in build 1022. |
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test note: this isn't fully implemented for CD burning. |
