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[maliceme]

Is there a way to ensure that linked tracks stay linked when they are selected for a Smart List? Assuming both songs meet the Smart List criteria. For examples, assuming Pink Floyd's Brain Damage and Eclipse are linked, and both tagged as Style=ProgRock. When a ProgRock Smart List selects Brain Damage, it'd be great for Eclipse to be selected  as well (and played directly after Brain Damage).

[blgentry]

I just tried this and it works in my library.  I did a simple smartlist to include one artist that I know has linked tracks (Van Halen), then I did a shuffle on the smartlist (as one of the modification rules).  All linked tracks showed up correctly, with the linked tracks in the correct order.  The whole list was shuffled, but the linked tracks were still grouped sequentially.

If you don't see this happening, please post the import/export of your smartlist and perhaps a screen shot or two showing what is or is not happening.

Brian.

[maliceme]

I'll try it with a simple smart list. Is there a way to confirm that two tracks are linked? Before I send in an example, I want to make sure it's not a PEBKAC error.

[blgentry]

I'll try it with a simple smart list. Is there a way to confirm that two tracks are linked?

I have a utility view that shows me all linked tracks (and the rest of the tracks on any album with any linked tracks inside it).  In that view I have two columns side by side:  File Key, and Link .

Link is just a regular column.  Any track that links to another track will have something in the Link column.  File Key is an expression column with this simple expression:

Code: [Select]

filekey()
The value in a Link field will be the File Key of the track it links to.  So, for example, for The Cure song, "The Final Sound" the Link column says "1312".  If I look one track down the listing for that album, I see "A Forest".  In the File Key column for "A Forest", I see 1312.  So "The Final Sound" links to "A Forest" .

A picture will explain this better.  See attached image.

Brian.

[maliceme]

Brian, Thanks this screenshot is very helpful. I've attached a few screenshots showing (1) the linking of tracks in a particular Pink Floyd album. Note that Any Colour You Like is linked to  Brain Damage. (2) The smart list definition. (3) The smart list in action. Note that ACYL is in the list, but it is not followed by Brain Damage.

[blgentry]

Well, your last two modifiers are why the linked tracks don't show up.  The "remove duplicates of artist" and album are ensuring that you only get ONE song per artist.  The smartlist flows from top to bottom.

At the top it finds all of your prog rock songs and filters them to NOT 1 and 2 stars.  At that point and files that match also pull in their linked tracks.  But then, when it gets down to the modifiers, the "only one song per artist" strips out all but one song, so the linked tracks are gone.

I've tried a few experiments and thought about it and I can't come up with a way to both limit to one track and allow links.  It would be nice if the "expand" modifier would expand to include linked tracks!  But it doesn't work that way (currently).

There might be some clever way I'm missing.  Hopefully someone else will look at this and come up with a good idea.

Brian.

[maliceme]

Yep, that explains it. Thanks for the help. BTW, that's an awesome skin on your MC.

[blgentry]

Yep, that explains it. Thanks for the help. BTW, that's an awesome skin on your MC.

Glad to help.  I've been using that skin for a while now and I still really like it.  It's Black and Blue Too HC (with scroll bars).

Brian.