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[marko]

[Edit by JimH -- No comments or questions please.  Keep the list clean.  Start a new thread if necessary.]


A very common reaction to some helpful replies throughout the forum here is "WOW, I've used MC for years and never knew it could do that" or words to that effect.

It's bothered me for a bit. This morning, I thought we could try getting some of the more useful, lesser known shortcuts listed in one place.

I think the important thing is that suggestions must be for things that are present from the moment MC is installed. No complicated expressions or other tweaking, just, what's there from the get-go.

I'll start with my most used....

• Ctrl+G to collapse all tree items
• Middle click an item in the tree to have it open in a new tab
• Middle click a tab to close it
• Middle click the "Close" button to restart MC (and server if it's running)
• 'inline' editing of tags for a selection of multiple files in the list... Hold down the left mouse button and right click
• The search field in MC's options
• I've never liked that the field manager is buried in the Library and Folder options. Quickest way to get at it? Right click a field name in the tag window and choose "customise this field"
• You can drag (also called lasso) a selection in the list using the right mouse button.
• In the (modern) tag window, when editing 'large edit' tags, such as Notes, or Description, Ctrl+Enter commits your changes. Imagine you have a bunch of text on the clipboard to go into one of these fields... Open it for editing, then, hold down the ctrl button, press V to paste followed by Enter to save.
• Customise what is shown in the Player Display window (Standard view, top-center)...
  Right click in there and choose "Customise Display". The little "Wizard" icon in the top left corner of each entry field will show a menu. The "Insert variable" menu has some very useful (and not so useful) things to choose from. You can change what is shown when something is playing, and/or when the player is stopped.

Anything else? Remember, out of the box stuff only....

User jack wallstreet has been aggregating the tips found in this thread into a handy pdf file. The latest version of his file (April 22nd 2025) is attached below.

[MusicBringer]

The search field in MC's options.
This one is invaluable 👍🏼

[marko]

If you select a file in a list, you can 'slow - double - click' on a field and you will be able to edit the field contents. This is "inline editing". You can, of course, also press F2, but, F2 activates the last field clicked on in the list, which may not be the one you want, meaning you then have to TAB or Shift+TAB to get where you want to be.
When you want to do this with a selection of files, the slow double click route is closed, because, you'll lose your selection, so, you're left with F2. However, if you put the cursor directly on the field you wish to edit for the selection, hold down the left button, and with that held down, right click once and you're straight into edit mode for the selection. It's quick and easy

[HPBEME]

If I spent more time thinking about it I could come up with many more great things MC does, but off the top of my head here are more items. 

• Change default Playing Now default horizontal upper/lower split to vertical side-by-side split. Open Playing Now tab menu and select "Vertical Split" (IMO, the single greatest improvement to MC's standard view ever)
• Middle click blank area on tab bar to cycle through display styles options: list, thumbnail, tiles (works in all views, not just Playing Now)
• DSP window can be set to "always on top". Click "Manage plug-ins" button below the DSP category list on left side and select it from the menu.
• To horizontally scroll a detailed list, hold down shift key while rolling mouse wheel
• Right-click list column header and select "Freeze Column" from the menu to prevent it from going off screen while horizontally scrolling. Repeat to freeze multiple columns if desired.
• Right-click column header menu to autosize column width. This is the same setting in Options/Tree & View/List, but when done from the list view itself, it only autosizes the column temporarily. If the checkbox is activated in Options, the columns will continually revert to the autosized width. I've seen many posts by users frustrated with columns constantly reverting after they had customized the width (to stop that behavior, deactivate the checkbox in the options dialog).
• Right-click column header menu to save custom column order/widths. A seemingly infinite number of unique presets can be created with layouts dedicated for Playing Now, Audio, Images,Video, etc.  Column presets are IMO one of the most powerful easy-to-use aspects of MC.
• Instead of using shift-click to select multiple list items, ensure cursor is over blank space and then left click drag to select as many rows as desired (note: left click directly on text selects that row only, which can then be dragged to a different list position).
• Scroll mouse wheel over volume bar to increase/decrease volume. Scrolling over Player Bar text also increases/decreases volume (careful: scrolling over progress bar will ff/rew track)
• MC hotkey list.  Yes, there is a JRiver webpage that already lists them, but having direct access within the program itself (via a permanent note) would be far more convenient

[markf2748]

[I'm not sure if this strictly qualifies as "out of the box", but I think it should be included.  Easily missed, it requires no code-level programming, and it provides very useful, convenient shortcuts of the user's choice - lots of bang for the buck.]

Custom Toolbars can be added at top or bottom left of the window.  RMB to the right of the "Help" menu or in bottom border brings up the self-explanatory Customize Toolbar... popup.  For the Options "Dim icons" and "No text labels" a mouseover brings out the color and a tooltip.  Alternatively, the included options enable Full color and Text Labels.  A "Clock" can be added as well.
Note:  Many of the icons displayed in the attachments are custom art.  Also, some different buttons of "related types" share icons - that's a design limitation of MC, pointed out years ago but never addressed.

FYI, I prefer "Dim icons" and "No text labels".  The last 6 buttons shown in the right panel are by far my personal favorites and most heavily used.  I add a Clock at bottom left.

2/11/2025 Edited to be a more concise general description, with my personal preferences collected separately at the end.

[markf2748]

• "MC top left menus > View > Load / Save View > Save > (set name)" quickly saves the current set of View Tabs with a unique (or old) name.  Then when things get All Fouled Up, or you just want a change, "View > Load / Save View > (set name)" quickly restores all View Tabs in the selected set!
  
  When adjusting View Tabs, "View > Load / Save View" is a fast, easy alternative to a full "File > Library > Back Up Library...".  It's also useful to invoke it before a library backup from time to time (usually a Save, but a Load if needed).
  
  One shortcoming:  Save works silently, without any success/failure feedback.  A brief completion popup or flash, and a blocking message on failure, would instill confidence.  Nevertheless, it typically works as expected with at least 90% success rate .
• Keyboard <Spacebar> toggles play/resume <--> pause playback.  If it does not work, or if you are editing a text entry, first LMB click an empty area in the Player Bar to change focus. 
  

2/10/2025 Edited for clarity.
2/11/2025 Edited first item to be a more concise general description.

[Awesome Donkey]

Here's one that's recently come up in this thread. If the Library Server isn't able to access the internet in the Information dialog it should also display the local IP address of the device Media Center is running on so a user could use that instead of the Access Key. In fact, it should probably always display both the Access Key and the local IP address so the user could use either one of them.

[marko]

Here's one that's recently come up in this thread. If the Library Server isn't able to access the internet in the Information dialog it should also display the local IP address of the device Media Center is running on so a user could use that instead of the Access Key. In fact, it should probably always display both the Access Key and the local IP address so the user could use either one of them.

If it doesn't, this doesn't belong in this thread. Here the goal is to bring together all those little shortcuts that are introduced over the years that become second nature to those that use them, but are subsequently wasted on those that come after, because the info is buried deep in the forum somewhere, and unless you've a fair idea what to search for, you're not going to.

[EnglishTiger]

As long as a TrackInfo Plugin is not in use then double clicking in the Display Panel in Standard or Cover View will switch MC into Display View and when in Display View double clicking on the Display Panel  will take you back to Previous View.

[marko]

[Need] a neat list of simple, out-of-the-box things that can make life easier, but only if you know about them.

Here's another tip...

Anywhere within the program that you can enter a search rule, if you want to filter based on playlists, rather than the cumbersome "PlaylistID" generated by ticking the playlists from a dropdown list, simply use "p"
Example: p="4 Star" will include all tracks from a playlist named 4 Star. -p="4 Star" would exclude all tracks from a playlist named 4 Star.

[JimH]

Split Browser Discussion

Please keep a clean list here.  No comments or discussion.  Thanks.

[jack wallstreet]

Attached is categorized and commonly formatted listing of the helpful tips and tricks posted to this thread.  If people add to the tips and tricks on this thread, I'll periodically add them to this listing.

[marko]

That's brilliant. Thanks for this.

Notes:
Consider adding the url for this thread to the file header.
The options search bar thing is duplicated.

In the editing section, defining a selection with the left mouse button has to enabled in options. Type lasso in the options search to see. By default, MC uses drag with right mouse button to create a selection. Right mouse button still works with the left button setting enabled. Right mouse button way does not require a blank area to start. Right click and drag from anywhere in the list.

Left click and drag a file to a new position in the list only works in the Playing Now list, or a static playlist (not smartlist) list.

Typos:
Quick Switch to Cover View (and Back
should be:
Quick Switch to Display View (and Back)

(Does not work is TrackInfo Plugin is in use.)
should be:
(Does not work if TrackInfo Plugin is in use.)
---------------------------------------------------------------
I added the 'right mouse button to lasso' plus a shortcut to the library field manager to my list in the first post.

-marko

[EnglishTiger]

Another quick way of changing from View A to View B and then back to View A

If you are in Standard View and want to Switch to Mini-View the quickest way of doing it is to use the Ctrl+2, or Cmd+2 on a Mac, button combination however once in Mini-View using the same button combination will return you back to Standard View

[jack wallstreet]

Here is the current updated pdf listing (as of 2.22.25).   Thanks Marko for suggestions/fixes.  This is up to and including English Tiger's Ctrl+2.

[markf2748]

Searching tip:
While viewing any list, keyboard shortcut <F3> opens the In Place Find Toolbar to search the list.  The initial <F3> is equivalent to Edit > Quick Search or <Ctrl>+Q.   Each additional <F3> runs "Find Next" on the Quick Search hits.

[Works in Windows, I cannot test on other platforms.]

Suggestion:
In the PDF summary, and possibly in the opening post as well, include a link to the Wiki page for Hot Keys:
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Keyboard_Hot-keys
This thread should point out keyboard shortcuts that are not currently on the Hot Keys page, and the less obvious or undocumented aspects of listed Hot Keys that people may find useful.  In this regard, the net result may be updates to the Hot Keys page .

Typo:
(Allows recovery is the view gets messed up, or)
should be
(Allows recovery if the view gets messed up, or)

[marko]

Here is the current updated pdf listing (as of 2.22.25).   Thanks Marko for suggestions/fixes.  This is up to and including English Tiger's Ctrl+2.

I have no idea how the legs of this thread will develop, but, if you're along for the ride, would you mind if I attach the current latest of your PDF to my opening post, with credits?

There's nothing worse than trawling through a thread looking for the gems. You're aggregation is surely appreciated, surely helpful, and absolutely saves me a job, which is eternally appreciated.


-marko

[jack wallstreet]

Please do.

[jack wallstreet]

Another update of the pdf list.  I'll wait awhile before updating again.

[marko]

Please do.

Attached now.

Amendment Notes:
Regarding this tip:

Another quick way of changing from View A to View B and then back to View A

If you are in Standard View and want to Switch to Mini-View the quickest way of doing it is to use the Ctrl+2, or Cmd+2 on a Mac, button combination however once in Mini-View using the same button combination will return you back to Standard View

Under the View menu, there are five states: Standard, Mini, Display, Theater and Cover. Each has a numbered Ctrl (or Cmd) shortcut.
After using any of these to change the view, repeating the same shortcut will return to the previous view state.

Other
• Restart MC (and server if it's running)
o Middle click the "Close" button [Unclear where the close button is.]

It's the "red X" close program button in the top right (on Windows and Linux)
After recent Mac changes, I'm not sure if this one works on Mac. Could someone confirm? Thanks.

-marko

[markf2748]

From the PDF:
Last Updated 02.22.2025 R2
MC Tips and Tricks
(from MC Forum)
Searching
• Ctrl-Q brings up the quick search toolbar (at bottom of list) [Couldn’t get F3 to work in windows]

@jack wallstreet:
I find <F3> directly brings up the Quick Search Toolbar for recent MC installs on Win 10 Home, Win 10 Pro, and Win 11 Pro.  Tested in Standard View with multiple audio views.  So I am puzzled why it does not work for you in windows.  Does some other program steal <F3>, is your Resource.xml file non-standard, hardware signal error or remapping for <F3> on your keyboard?

Appears to me <F3> should always work.  If there is no previous Quick Search, then <F3> still opens the search bar, but with no search entry, as expected.  Here is all the documentation I know of:

Two entries in (MC install dir)/Data/Default Resources/Resource.xml:
    <Entry Key="Ctrl;Q" Command="21008" Param="0" TranslateFlags="3" />
    <Entry Key="F3" Command="21008" Param="1" />

along with documentation:
TranslateFlags: flags that determine when and how an accelerator is translated (binary or'd together)
    1: don't translate in edits, comboboxes, and other data entry controls
    2: don't translate in fullscreen mode or theater view
    . . .

MCC Wiki:
21008   MCC_QUICK_SEARCH    Param: bool bRepeatLastSearch

[jack wallstreet]

Appears to me <F3> should always work.

Well on my computer it doesn't.  But based on your comments, I tested and found out I had a bad F3 key.   Ha!  I'll fix the note on next update.  Thanks.

[marko]

added another to the first post list:

In the (modern) tag window, when editing 'large edit' tags, such as Notes, or Description, Ctrl+Enter commits your changes. Imagine you have a bunch of text on the clipboard to go into one of these fields... Open it for editing, then, hold down the ctrl button, press V to paste followed by Enter to save.

[EnglishTiger]

To get MC to stop playing after the end of the current track use a middle-click on the Player Bar Stop Button

[jack wallstreet]

Here is the latest .pdf update of tips and tricks to reflect all the items to date (3/11/25)

[HPBEME]

Some more:
1. In standard view, double-click Player Bar track text area to switch to mini-view (the wide ribbon player); double-click mini-view text area switches back to standard view. NOTE: this is the exact same behavior as CTRL+2, but accomplished without need of a keyboard
2. Clicking Player Bar thumbnail scrolls the Playing Now queue to the middle of the list. Useful to quickly get back to the playing item when you've scrolled way down a list. NOTE: if thumbnail is not visible, right click in Player Bar text area to show context menu options to turn on
3. Remove tab close button to reduce tab width by deactivating Show Tab Close Buttons checkbox located in Options>Tree&View>Advanced
3. Middle click tabs to close them. Middle clicking locked tabs brings up a dialog to confirm whether you really want to close it
5. View>Skin>Skin Effects: Opens dialog to adjust skin brightness/contrast, swap primary color assignments, or show skin in grayscale only. Fantastic way to instantly freshen up a skin for a whole new look.
6. Keyboard:
       - Home key scrolls list to the top and selects first item
       - End key scrolls list to the bottom and selects last item
       - CTRL+A selects all items in a list
       - CTRL+D opens DSP window
       - ESC closes active dialog window (e.g., DSP, Options, etc.)
       - ESC exits Display View, Cover View, etc., and returns to previous window - typically Std view, or if Theater View was active, returns to section from where you entered Display View

Correction for Jack's PDF in this Section:
Quick Switch to Display View (and Back)
Double clicking in the Display Panel in Standard or Cover View will switch MC into Display View and when in Display View. Double clicking on the Display Panel will take you back to Previous View. (Does not work if TrackInfo Plugin is in use.)

This does work with TrackInfo Plug-ins, as long as Chrome, and not Edge, is selected as MC's internal Browser engine (Options> Tree & View> Web Browser>Engine)

[markf2748]

From the PDF Last Updated 03.11.2025:
Other
     • Restart MC (and server if it's running)
          o Middle click the "Close" button (the “X” in the top right corner)
-------------------------
Add:

• • For a LMB click, closer to the top center of the window, use the Relaunch Media Center custom toolbar button (shown in Reply #4).

(It's my personal preference for ease and speed particularly for multiple restarts while troubleshooting or testing.)

[zybex]

ALT+F4 to enable the new Tidal features for streaming, after the acquisition.

[marko]

ALT+F4 to enable the new Tidal features for streaming, after the acquisition.

Didn't work for me, caused MC to crash, as in, disappear from the desktop

Getting back on-topic...
Customise what is shown in the Player Display window (Standard view, top-center)...
Right click in there and choose "Customise Display"

The little "Wizard" icon in the top left corner of each entry field will show a menu. The "Insert variable" menu has some very useful (and not so useful) things to choose from. You can change what is shown when something is playing, and/or when the player is stopped.

[jack wallstreet]

Attached is the updated tips and tricks PDF based on this topic.  Updated as of 4/22/25.

[markf2748]

Attached is the updated tips and tricks PDF based on this topic.  Updated as of 4/22/25.

Thanks for this - looks great!

One comment/correction for:

Customize the Player Display Window (where the song title and other stuff are shown in the top center of
display)
• Right click in that display area and there are alignment and various display options
• Choose “Customize Display” to further control the display windows
o The drop-down carets (chevron) give options as to what can be used. Some very useful,
some not. Customized text can also be added.

Some skins use a drop-down caret (chevron) here, others use a solid down arrow, still others use a "magnifying glass" search-style icon.  The button is always the same as what appears in the Player Bar's Search Bar left corner, since both use the same <PLAYERAR> "SearchMenuButton" bitmap, as called out in the skin.

To avoid confusion, consider changing the description to something more general, like:  "The Play and Stopped Modes text specification boxes include dropdown menus which give options ..."

[Moe]

In theater view, when drilled down to a singular item, page up and page down will go to the next and previous item from the previous page.  For example, when viewing a singular episode of a season, pressing page down will take you to the next episode.  See this thread for details.

Amazon Echo/Alexa support with Jtalk