INTERACT FORUM

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Duplicating Smartlists  (Read 996 times)

Snarglefarg

  • Regular Member
  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 119
  • [your quote here]
Duplicating Smartlists
« on: April 30, 2003, 05:36:28 am »

I would like the ability to duplicate a Smartlist. I'm finding that it would be easier to copy a list that is close to what I want and then edit its parameters rather than start from scratch.

This could easily be added by including "Duplicate" in the menu when right-clicking on a Smartlist item. I'll leave it up to you if you want to keep the duplicate list name or if you'd prefer to append "Copy of" to the list as Windows does when copying a file that exists in the same location as the original.
Logged

lise

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 946
Re: Duplicating Smartlists
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2003, 06:34:59 am »

Hey Sikes,

Why don't you just open the smartlist, copy the search string, then paste it into a new smartlist?  
Logged
A wise man once said don't count your years, but make your years count. Or was it beers?

Snarglefarg

  • Regular Member
  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 119
  • [your quote here]
Re: Duplicating Smartlists
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2003, 07:26:00 am »

I did end up doing that, but it wasn't quite as intuitive as I had hoped.  Also, a lot more steps are required, plus you can't copy the string until you enter "typing" mode.

Currently:
1. Select Playlist to copy
2. Right click parameters
3. Select "Edit (by typing)"
4. Highlight entire line
5. Copy using "Control-C"
6. Right-click "Auto Smartlists"
7. Select "Add Smartlist"
8. Rename the Smartlist in the left pane
9. Click Parameter Window
10. Paste using "Control-V"
11. Click away from panel to engage the parameters
12. Click the parameter to change in the right pane

Proposed:
1. Right click the Smartlist to duplicate
2. Select "Duplicate" from the resulting menu
3. Rename the Smartlist in the left pane
4. Click the parameter to change in the right pane

My proposed method has only 4 steps compared to 12. And the last thing the world needs is yet another 12 step program. ;)

There may be ways of doing this in less than 12 steps, but I highly doubt that anybody can get down to 4 steps in the current version.

The reason I want this command is to create several lists that are based on the ones already present.  So in addition to the "Task" items, I'm adding "Completed Task" items.  These flip only one or two parameters of the current "Tasks" so that I can display those items that already have audio analysis or that are already rated.

My proposed method would be much faster at accomplishing this.
Logged

lise

  • MC Beta Team
  • Citizen of the Universe
  • *****
  • Posts: 946
Re: Duplicating Smartlists
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2003, 07:35:34 am »

I just did it in 4 steps.

Open the smartlist
Highlight the rules, Ctrl + C
Create New Smartlist
Paste rules

Ok, so naming the new smartlist is a 5th step, but presumably you would want to rename the smartlist anyway to reflect the new rules.

I wouldn't count editing the rules as steps, because you would have to do that anyway, as the point is to change the existing smartlist.

I can see how an option to duplicate or copy would make all of this more obvious though (even though it wouldn't save that many steps, if any).

Logged
A wise man once said don't count your years, but make your years count. Or was it beers?

Snarglefarg

  • Regular Member
  • World Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 119
  • [your quote here]
Re: Duplicating Smartlists
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2003, 09:01:05 am »

Well that's cool.  I thought you had to edit your parameters for typing before you could copy them.  That does indeed cut down the number of steps required and I stand corrected. (Though I'd be down to 3 steps without renaming the list).

I'm curious.  Are you opposed to a "duplicate" command or do you think that it would simplify things in the eyes of an "average" user.

Incidentally, I don't feel that beta testers of an unreleased product providing feedback, bug reports and feature suggestions in an online forum are necessarily representative of the general population of "average" users.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up