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[Quisp]

10. NEW: Added Access Control system -- replaces View and Playback filters. (still a work in progress)

What?

[skeeterfood]

10. NEW: Added Access Control system -- replaces View and Playback filters. (still a work in progress)

This is kinda neat (View->Access Control...), but Custom rules seem to be ignored and thrown away?

-John

Just ignore anything this message may have said before, I think I'm going insane

[LisaRCT]

10. NEW: Added Access Control system -- replaces View and Playback filters. (still a work in progress)

This will reduce my need for having multiple libraries.

[Quisp]

How do I change the different available Access Filters? What if I want to create another one other than the two that are provided. Also, where are the values R, NC17, etc coming from?

I can see where I edit the filter, I just don't see where I can add...

[Edit] : From what little I can figure out on my own. One observation about the Access control is that if I have set access to exclude files of a certain type and then tag files I have access to with the type I'm excluded from, I can still see them.

[bmunroe]

Not sure I understand the access control yet.  I do miss view filters.  I have a series of view filter playlists that I often use.  For example, one of my view filter playlists shows only files on my local drives.

BUG: In the access control dialogue box, the cursor disappears when I start typing my password.  It does not always come back until I close the dialogue box (using tab to move around).

Brian

Media Center Registered 10.0.35 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium III 160 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 261 MB, Free - 70 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1276 / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: 4.71 (0002) , ASPI for Win32         DLL, Copyright © 1989-2002 Adaptec, Inc. / Aspi32.sys: 4.71 (0002)

Ripping /   Drive D:   Copy mode:Normal   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  No burners found.
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[Zarius]

I too will miss the view filters - and the playback filters (I haven't installed 10.0.35 yet, but I assume they're not there) as I used both of these for things other than just access/ratings control...

I have the playback filter set to skip songs that aretagged as: incomplete, hiccups, swearing, audio books & rating 1.  I use this filter the majority of the time, unless I specifically want to play a file that matches that criteria... note however that I -do- want to see these files in my library... just don't want to generally play them by accident (ie if they're in a smartlist, etc).

I also use the view filter to filter out foreign language albums if I have friends over that aren't interested in them... that way they can more easily browse my library... and for filtering out all english language songs if I feel like working with the foreign language files... that way I can still use all my smartlist's, etc without them being cluttered by files I don't need to see (without having to set up a whole new set of smartlists just for foreign language songs).

I'm sure others use these for heaps of other things too... I think these are great options to have along with the access filter, as all three filters can be used to achieve different things. (unless all this functionality can be squeezed into the access filter... but I don't think this would work, and if it did it would probably be more complicated).

Anyway... look forward to installing 10.0.35 (when I finish downloading it) and checking it out... the builds are coming out faster than I can download, but that's not a bad thing :)  (well, my download speed is... but hey... :) )

[Matt]

Think of Access Control as new and improved View Filters.  They both hide things, but access control allows password protection.

Remember that it's still a work in progress.

The playback filter was removed because we don't want too many filtering levels.  It slows the program down and can cause confusion.  Perhaps Access Control could allow a choice between "Hide these files" and "Show, but don't allow playback".

[Quisp]

Hi Matt,

I like Access Control, the concept any way. I realize that it is a work in progress and looks good so far, but before I spend more time looking for a feature that doen't exist, could you just let me know whether there is currently a way to create a custom filter that is available between sessions? Also, it seems like there is a list field being used, but I don't see the list values as being available in the Access tag pull-down in the AW. Am I missing something basic?

Thanks!

[Doof]

If you click on the Advanced button, then it becomes a standard Search box. From here you can specify any search string you want (the same way you do with a Smartlist) and the Access Control will filter the results of that out.

So you can set up multiple playlists of things you want to hide, and using Access Control, you can specify which ones you are currently filtering out. I believe before it was an all or nothing thing.

And the default field it's filtering by is called Access Rating and you can find it under Extended in the File Info AW.

[gpvillamil]

The feature is great, and merging the various functions from view filters etc is a good idea. However, the name "Access Control" sounds a bit scary to non-computery types - why not call the whole thing "filtering" or "select some files"?

Or following the pattern set by "Hairstyle" we could just call it "Gumbo"

[Matt]

If you click on the Advanced button, then it becomes a standard Search box. From here you can specify any search string you want (the same way you do with a Smartlist) and the Access Control will filter the results of that out.

This isn't ideal, but when we put the search bar in front of a new user we get blank stares.  If anybody has any wizbang ideas, we'd love to hear them.  (disclaimer: a giant wizard dialog isn't too wizbang)

Or following the pattern set by "Hairstyle" we could just call it "Gumbo"

Be careful what you wish for.

[Doof]

This isn't ideal, but when we put the search bar in front of a new user we get blank stares.  If anybody has any wizbang ideas, we'd love to hear them.  (disclaimer: a giant wizard dialog isn't too wizbang)

Would you consider iTunes' Search/Smartlist wizard to be a "giant wizard dialog"?

Because, personally... I think it's rather brilliant.

[Matt]

Would you consider iTunes' Search/Smartlist wizard to be a "giant wizard dialog"?

Because, personally... I think it's rather brilliant.

It's not too different than what MC already has.  Add rule, add rule, add limit etc.  Is it just the presentation?

[Doof]

That's exactly it. While it can't do anything that MC's wizard can't (in fact MC can do more), it does make it really easy to see how your search is building as you build it.

And because it uses additional space, it makes it possible for more descriptive labels for some of the various options.

So yeah... it's all about presentation.

[Quisp]

Would you consider iTunes' Search/Smartlist wizard to be a "giant wizard dialog"?

Because, personally... I think it's rather brilliant.

I agree, this is by far the best interface I've ever ever scene for this type of function, and the beauty of it is it is as big or small as the end user needs and even extremely complex searches can be created and edited by just about anyone with little or no experience, even MBAs and soccor moms. What more can you ask for in an interface?

Thanks Matt and Doof for answering my question, but I'm not sure I was clear in my questions:

1. How do I create a differently named filter, in other words, there are two there now, I want a third, possible?

2. The defaults include ratings which I realize are coming from the Access Rating field, if I click on this field in the current interface, there are clearly some values, off the top of my head, R, NR-17, etc. However, if I go to a file to apply an Access Rating  in the AW, those values are not part of the pull-down, in otherwords, I have no way of knowing what my options are and there do appear to be options.

Hope my questions are clearer...

I think the way this is working the words  "Access Control" make a lot of sense, however, I do agree with others that the regular view filters should be brought back, view filters and access control are different in meaning though they function more or less the same. They both are filters, but one requires a password to apply/de-apply. Maybe the Access Control part of this could be an option of the view filter feature of yore.

In otherwords there could be a checkbox like Enforce Access Control and then a button for defining the password.

[bmunroe]

If you click on the Advanced button, then it becomes a standard Search box. From here you can specify any search string you want (the same way you do with a Smartlist) and the Access Control will filter the results of that out.

So you can set up multiple playlists of things you want to hide, and using Access Control, you can specify which ones you are currently filtering out. I believe before it was an all or nothing thing.

Ok.  It is now making a little more sense.  I still am a 'newbie' at the search box, at least for the more advanced stuff.

Question: Is there any way to tell that you have 'access control' active?

BUG: In the access control dialogue box, the cursor disappears when I start typing my password.  It does not always come back until I close the dialogue box (using tab to move around).

BUG: When I type in a search in the "prevent access to..." advanced search box,  without using a rule, etc. that search is the only I can see in my library.  Exactly as if I had typed in the search box under "media library"

BUG (IMHO): Access control active, return to access control and the previous access control rule is gone and replaced by the default access rating filter.

[Quisp]

BUG (IMHO): Access control active, return to access control and the previous access control rule is gone and replaced by the default access rating filter.

This pretty much answers one of my questions. The search criteria aren't being saved and there appears to be no way to ADD a new filter definition.

[gpvillamil]

I'd have to agree that the iTunes interface is really good. Granted, their underlying rules system is limited, but the wizard is really, really excellent.

Look at the Winamp5 system as well for inspiration. (In the Library, Add View). That has both a "command line" interface and a "wizard" interface. The advanced interface in Winamp has a handy and detailed reminder of the search syntax right under the query builder.

I personally find the current Smartlist construction interface almost unusable, it is easier to start from scratch than to edit an existing smartlist. The issues contributing to this are:

1) Add Rule... always adds to the end, so you can't easily insert a rule at the beginning. You have to use Edit by Typing to insert at the beginning, try inserting a Playlist!!!!
2) The view refreshes everytime you add a rule or make a change, which is very slow if you are using nested smartlists
3) The display is different from what you get when you "Edit by typing" ie the square brackets go away, playlist names shown as text vs numbers, etc.
4) Can't see the entire search spec/smartlist at once - you have to select, edit by typing, then scroll using arrow keys
5) Using dialogs to edit some types of rule is awkward - for example, tryi to make a rule to select all versions of the song "Ring of Fire" - if you use the dialog, you have to scroll through a giant list of songs, then edit by typing to put in all the appropriate wild cards at the beginning and end of the string.
6) The "edit by typing" syntax is confusing and different from other scripting/programming language eg. [BPM]=<=150 instead of [BPM]<=150

The ideal solution would be:
1) ONE representation of the search spec/smartlist ie show square brackets, wildcards ALL the time, or never. No changing when you edit by typing
2) Some way of seeing the entire smartlist at once
3) Insert Rule to insert a rule at the current selection, not at the end
4) Ideally, a command line and a wizard interface
5) A translation at the bottom of the screen explaining what the smartlist does in plain english - similar to the Outlook mail rules filter

Fixing search/smartlists would be a compelling upgrade for me.

[dragyn]

BUG: When I type in a search in the "prevent access to..." advanced search box,  without using a rule, etc. that search is the only I can see in my library.  Exactly as if I had typed in the search box under "media library"

The wording and display is a little backwards. I'm sure they will take care of it. I was about to post something on this but I see you already did.