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[Matt]

We're playing with the idea of being able to add a pane to a view with common searches you might want to do with nice word descriptions.

For example:

Audio

• Newest Album
• Music From This Year
• Music Acquired This Month
• Music Rated 4 or 5
• Most Listened To Genre
• Most Listened To Artist
• Most Listened To Album
• Most Listened To Songs
• Least Listened To Genre
• Least Listened To Artist
• Least Listened To Album
• Least Listened To Songs
• Most Common Genre
• Most Common Artist
• Most Common Album
• Lossless Songs

Images

• Newest Album
• Images From This Year
• Images From This Month
• Images From Newest Camera
• Images Rated 4 or 5
• Most Viewed Images
• Least Viewed Images

etc.

Of course, this can be done with smartlists and view schemes that link to the smartlists already, but it's quite involved to setup.

Would you use it?  If so, what things belong in the list of common searches?

Thanks for any feedback.

[marko]

I think I like this idea. I can't say if I'd use it or not until I see it in action.

the choices you've listed seem pretty comprehensive, and I'll need more time to fully consider any missing choices. I'd also be expecting the list of 'common searches' to be editable. We should be able to remove those we won't use, and add any we feel might be missing, or edit existing ones that might need a little tweaking.

re. searches such as images from this month, images from this year etc. etc.....

These stock smartlists in current versions are misleading. audio imported today, for example, really means "audio imported in the past 24 hours" which means it often lists audio imported yesterday.

I've got an 'images imported this year' view scheme on the go here already, but, come the New Year, I'll need to edit it so that it pulls pics from 2007, not 2006.
If you can find a way to make these searches do what they say on the tin, there's more chance I'll use them. I'm guessing the only way to do that is to get the date from the system, and then base the smartlist around that, and I'm not sure if that's possible or not.

-marko.

[Marra]

What about a quicker way to search for more titles from the current artist or album - this would be useful for playback and/or tagging purposes.
Option - More from this artist
Option - More from this album
Not linked to number of plays.

[Matt]

What about a quicker way to search for more titles from the current artist or album - this would be useful for playback and/or tagging purposes.
Option - More from this artist
Option - More from this album
Not linked to number of plays.

You can right-click any track and pick "Locate > Artist" etc. to see all files from that artist, album, etc.

[Marra]

Well from a long time user I have never used right click locate. I always thought this was external to MC  The word "Locate" is really a "Search".  Thanks for this tip but should it be incorporated in search dropdown options - it appears to list  all artists etc - there isn't option to easily select current artist.

[jgreen]

Sweet Jesus!

[jgreen]

BTW, I agree with Marra.  The locate function needs to be easier and fuzzier in its searches.  Users are "exploring" when they use this, rather than "searching", which in MC is sublimely comprehesive.  Locate shold be closer to hand--this is an area where "options" really do clutter up the experience..

[slipknot]

I may use some of the following:

# Most Listened To Artist
# Most Listened To Album
# Most Listened To Songs

You mention a "pane", would this take up space in the existing pane area, reducing the space we have for our existing pane setup?

[dcwebman]

I think examples like you gave would be better as Stock Smartlists. That way the user can easily modify, delete, or use them as examples for other ones. Some audio smartlists that I pulled off here when I first started using MC that I use all the time are:
1. Imported in last 24 hours
2. Imported in last 7 days
3. Imported in last month

Very useful, especially if you have the "Clear 'Recently Imported' playlist on exit" checked.

[slipknot]

This has got me thinking...

Is there a way to get my playlists and smartlists loaded into a pane?

If I did this, I could set this pane first and then the rest of the pane would let me filter down more and more.

[Matt]

This has got me thinking...

Is there a way to get my playlists and smartlists loaded into a pane?

If I did this, I could set this pane first and then the rest of the pane would let me filter down more and more.

Yes.  Put them in a group.  Then edit the view scheme and pick "Playlist" for an item type.

[slipknot]

Thanks Matt.  I learn something new about MC every day.  And it works very nicely.

I also learned about "right click locate - Artist, Album... in this thread too. 

I guess I should spend some time looking around the menus to see what I've been missing.

[datdude]

Yes. Put them in a group. Then edit the view scheme and pick "Playlist" for an item type.

How would this new common search pane add value other than making it a bit easier to setup then the above solution (but wouldn't be as customizable)?

This isn't exactly related but definitely should be at least understood (feel free to make this a separate thread):

The current standard search box works like an overall filter that is not compatible with browsing 'sessions', since it resets all browsing selections made anytime a search item is added or removed.

It would be really great if each view had its own personal search box that allows for saved searches which the users can set (just like the current navigation system).  It should be compatible with browsing sessions such that if the user drills into several different tile levels or into multiple panes, adding or removing a search term in the middle of browsing, does not reset what the user just browsed into.

This is a huge agitation in browsing right now!  Don't get me wrong, MC is by far the most powerful browsing media app out there, but because of that power it is even more frustrating when you make multiple browsing selections and then at the end you realize you want to tweak something, but have to start over because the current search box resets everything you just did.  I don't know what I am looking for until I get there (I think most users are like that).  My mind doesn't think 5 steps ahead and currently MC forces you to do that.

[park]

I like your idea Datdude. It could be like Thunderbird, where you have a main search box in it's current position, and then a smaller one within the current view somewhere. Perhaps in the view header toolbar.

I'd like to see the view header toolbar taken more advantage of. The "Locate" as a menu drop down would be a start. The different list styles (as icons), rather than being in a menu, would also be a big plus.

I think that the "Common searches" pane is an excellent idea though. Most people would have no idea how to make such smartlists themselves, so showing these choices on the main interface would be considered quite a powerful "feature" for beginners.

Since it would be a "special" pane, I would make it's display in Tile view different. These titles would probably feel really squeezed into the same "square" tile shape. Maybe use the Rectangular tile shape of old.

[hit_ny]

the choices you've listed seem pretty comprehensive, and I'll need more time to fully consider any missing choices. I'd also be expecting the list of 'common searches' to be editable. We should be able to remove those we won't use, and add any we feel might be missing, or edit existing ones that might need a little tweaking.

Common for who ?

When i read the topic i thought, it was going to remember say the last few expressions typed in there and present them a la auto-complete.

But there is a subtle play going on here...

I like that it not interrupt me when i'm typing and know what i want to type,

But if i could not remember then the pull down would be quicker to click on.

[marko]

Common for who ?

Matt said it first, that's why I put it in quotes, and made the observations that I did.

When i read the topic i thought, it was going to remember say the last few expressions typed in there and present them a la auto-complete.

But there is a subtle play going on here...

I like that it not interrupt me when i'm typing and know what i want to type,

But if i could not remember then the pull down would be quicker to click on.

I kind of hoped that too, though the word 'pane' in the title stopped me from getting over excited, and then, after reading, I got the impression of something akin to explorer's "Common Tasks" pane, and my heart sank, just a bit
Matt and Co. have pleasantly surprised more than they've disappointed in the past, which is why I gave a guarded, 'let's see it first' response.

[4BYE]

Hello,

I would like to use "latest added albums" for sure...
A lot of the list I wouldn't use; others I might.

What about a quicker way to search for more titles from the current artist or album - this would be useful for playback and/or tagging purposes.
Option - More from this artist
Option - More from this album

Like this idea too!


Regards,


Theo

[hit_ny]

There is one aspect of this feature that appeals to me..

..to make a super-fast library search ie quickest way to key the search in.

AFAIK there is no way to save a search string (in Favorites say) and have it load up a Genre/Artist/Album viewscheme...and then be able to modify it in the search bar.

So if it were possible to do this. One could then
- save a non-existant search string, eg. ar=<an artist that's not in the library>

which would return nothing (quite quickly), and then key the search in.

This would be faster than ctrl+F which loads up the whole library...and only then allows a search to be keyed in.

What i do for now is a Locate->Artist or Album and then key in my search.(Only works when there is something already in PN).

[johnnyboy]

I think this is a great idea.
Alot of things in MC I think could do with being automated and included easily like this.
It has so much power and so many features, if you know how to do it it's great but I think an automated tool to carry out a bunch fo complex tasks for the average user would help greatly.

This is a prime example as I think is something like my question from the other day - replacing an album with a new rip of it.
I was given a great way of doing it that would definitely work, but a simple menu item of "Replace album" that asked for the old album and the new files would automate the process, make it something any user could do and just really bring this option right to the surface as an easy task. According to the help page I was pointed to in MC, it's a common thing to do.

MC's great, additions like this to make it easier for the common user are even greater

[bennyd]

I use "Last 100 Imported" alot, that would be useful.

[AoXoMoXoA]

Seems like most of what this idea proposes, can be done with the present setup using view schemes and smartlists.
I'd think there are much more fruitful features that could be worked on instead, for instance;
I'd much prefer better searching as per datdadude's post.

Since it was mentioned, Right-Click and "Locate Artist" / "Locate Album", can you Please add "Locate ALBUM Artist" ??
I find I often need this function, and presently it requires I use "Locate Artist", then edit the search from Artist to Album Artist, often needing to edit the Artist name as well.

[jgreen]

The more I think about it, the more I love this idea, the "common searches" pane.  Most of the criticism seems to reference the tree and smartlists already available, but I think that's beside the point.  Now that panes are mobile (thank you jriver!), refined searches no longer require preset views or obscure expressions.  Obviously, there'll be plenty of discussion as to what is or isn't a "common search", but I think this capability only enhances the toolset.  After all, you don't have to show the pane if you don't want to.

BTW, looks like the feature-enhancement floodgates have opened up for MC 12, just as they did around this point in the development of 11.1.  Good one, guys!

[park]

I like the idea of ebing able to edit the indivdual "common searches". So for example, in the images viewscheme for the "Newest album", I can tell MC to use my custom "Photo Album" tag to mean "album" rather than the standard album tag.

I rarely go near smartlists, because there's so many of them, and navigating them is still exclusively tree based. Seems like too much hassle. Having smartlists built into panes would gradually blur the distinction between them and normal album based browsing though. Maybe one day I could even delete them altogether.

[datdude]

If this were to be added, one welcome behaviour would be the sorting controlled at the smartlist/playlist level and not the view scheme like it is now!