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[MusicHawk]

This was discussed when the ability was added to customize and save a view design, but searching I don't find it has ever been solved -- has it?

The problem is that a customized view saved for a playlist can't be loaded for a fixed list (such as Audio or Artist or whatever), and a customized view saved for a fixed list can't be loaded for a playlist. This forces the design and maintenance of two separate view structures even when the desire is for them to be identical. It's really annoying with my music library, and now even more of a pain for my photo library.

After first using MC's default location for custom views, I now store all my custom view designs in the same custom folder, same place as my library and media files (on separate drive M:\music) so I can easily back up the whole thing, copy it to my laptop, etc. But the location of the .jvi view files doesn't matter -- MC just refuses to intermix the two types.

Even though both playlist and fixed list view designs -- .jvi files -- are sitting together in the same folder, they are apparently of two internal types, or separately tracked by MC, because neither can be seen by the other.

I guess there's a technical reason, but it certainly is a huge pain considering how much time goes into designing and polishing a complex view right down to precisely sizing columns).

I've searched the Registry and MC's program folders and files and library folders and etc but can't find where this is all bolted together, or how the various .jvi files are treated differently.

Has anyone found a way to override this limitation?

[marko]

I just made a little test for you.

The choices presented to you in the "Load a view" dialogue depend upon the media types listed, and also the "view info type" (is it a playlist or a library view)

For example, as you have observed, a view saved from a playlist or smartlist won't be offered for loading in a library view, and vice-versa. Also, if you have audio files listed in your view, you will only be presented with choices that include audio files (or something like that). It all gets very complicated, very quickly

So, in my little test, I saved library views that listed only audio, video, image and data, then finally, saved one that listed all four.

Each view name began with the word "Library".

I then made copies of each of the five .jvi files, changing the "Library" in the filename, to "List".

Next, I opened the .jvi files with UltraEdit. UltraEdit is an advanced text editor, Notepad++ is a freeware example. When I tried using Windows Notepad, it was presenting the text as one huge block, even with wrap turned on, whereas UltraEdit displays each entry on a single line.

All the way down at the end of the file, there is an entry like so: <Item Name="View Info Type">2</Item>
"2" represents a library view
"3" represents a playlist view

When I changed the two's in my copied "List" files to three's they showed up as 'load a view' choices for playlists and smartlists of matching media types.
At the top of each file, there is a line that goes like so: <Item Name="Media Types">1</Item>
"1" = Audio only
"2" = Image only
"4" = Video Only
"8" = Data Only
"15" = All four of the above

Perhaps that's enough to get you rolling?
If it all goes horribly pear-shaped, don't blame me, OK?
I tested loading a hacked view both ways and nothing appeared to break. Predictably, when loading a view that was originally a playlist view into a library view, there are no categories applied, but that's to be expected as there are no panes in playlist views.

Good luck

-marko.

[MusicHawk]

Thank you for decoding the .jvi. Diving back in, I just edited a copy of my main library .jvi, changing View Info Type from 2 to 3. As you say this allows it to be seen as a playlist view design, so I loaded it and am testing. But so far, it seems to work perfectly.

Of course, if either the library or playlist version of the view gets further tweaked, I'll have to do the hack again, hardly user-friendly.

The next question, for Matt, presumably: Why does MC use View Info Type to limit the scope of a given .jvi? Given the aggravation expressed by various users in earlier threads, what's the non-obvious downside?

If there's a reasonable reason for the "average" user to encounter this restriction, could there be an easier way to let an advanced user get around it? Maybe control View Info Type in the view customization form? Maybe allow a use-for-both value?