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[glynor]

I got this message via PM, but I'm going to answer it here.  If anyone else has time to write up more comprehensive tutorial-like stuff, here would be a good place.

Hi Glynor,

Sorry to PM you but i`v searched WIKI and this forum but cant find the answer. Is there a help file that explains how to customize views in the DNLA Servers Dialog.I am trying to view my artists & Albums by letter on my PS3 media server.

Also is there any way to customize a view on epsisode number in the tag for TV shows?
Any help most appreciated.

Regards
Steve

First off, I don't know what you mean by the second part.  "Customize a view on episode number in the tag" doesn't make any sense to me.  Explain more what you are trying to accomplish.

The other part I can help with though.  To do this, go to Options -> Media Network -> Advanced -> Customize Views for...

The dialog that appears works basically just like the Options -> Theater View configuration tool, but simplified a bit because you don't have to worry about the different roller types.  Otherwise it is the same.  You can either customize the views that are there, or build your own from scratch.

I'll explain how to build a view from scratch that works like this:

* Shows audio files and is under Audio in the "tree".
* Shows the following categories: Genre, Artist Letters (grouped in pairs, like A-B, C-D, etc), Artist Name, and then Album last.
* Displays "All" as a choice
* Filters out Audiobooks and Podcasts, so that the view is just "music".

Steps:

1. Select Audio under Items to Show on the left hand side of the dialog, click the Add button, and choose Library Item.
2. This creates a new item underneath Audio called "New Library Item".  Select it (if it isn't already) and look to the right-side of the dialog.
3. Give it an appropriate name, like "Genres" for example.
4. Next to the Show Categories In this Order pane, click the Add button.  In the dialog that appears, choose Genre and then click OK.  That adds a regular Genre category to the view.
5. Click the Add button again.  This time pick Artist and then down below check the Grouping box, and then make the Grouping Size "2".  Then click OK.  This adds a "A-B, C-D, E-F, etc" Artists view to the view.
6. Click the Add button again.  Pick Artist again, but this time de-select the Grouping box, and then click OK.  This will then add another tier, after the first Artist tier, showing the actual artist names.
7. Lastly, click the Add button one more time.  Pick Album this time, and click OK.
8. Now, in the Show Categories pane, you should see the following list: Genre, Artist, Artist, Album.  Good so far.
9. Click the Options drop-down combobox, and enable Display All as a choice.  This option is handy for views where you use grouping as described above.
10. Click the Set Rules for File Display button.  This opens a dialog very similar (if not identical) to the Smartlist Filtering dialog.  Here you're going to create a search to filter what shows up in the view.  Note, these filters are added to whatever filters are present in a particular view's "parent views" (they "inherit" their parent's filters).  So, you don't need to filter out Video and Images from this view, because the top-level Audio view already does that (you can check these by selecting the main Audio view on the left and then hitting its Set rules for file display button).
11. So, we don't need to worry about excluding videos and pictures and data files here, just Podcasts and Audiobooks.  This is easy.  Under Rules, select the combobox on the left-hand side, and pick Media Sub Type.
12. Then, the middle box turns into "is".  Change this to "is not".
13. Lastly, open the right-hand combobox and pick Audiobook and Podcast from the list.  There, now when you click OK, it will filter out any file that is either a Podcast or an Audiobook based on the [Media Sub Type] tag.
14. I'm not going to explain this in detail, but you can also define your sorting in this dialog.  Under Modify Results, you can add a Sort modifier, and define any crazy sorting scheme you want.  You can also do all sorts of fancy things with expressions, and use the Import/Export button to import things from other views or from helpful folks online.  Anyhow, click OK when you are satisfied, and then if you're done messing with the views, OK to the Customize Views dialog.
15. Done!  You'll now have a view like described above underneath Audio in the hierarchy when you browse your library with any DLNA device you connect, with Gizmo on an android device (or WebGizmo elsewhere), and with any app that uses MC's Web API.

[glynor]

By the way (and this is for everyone)...

If you are going to ask a question like this, it is always best to post a thread on the main MC board first and ask, rather than send anyone a PM.  If I'm going to take the time to respond to something, you have to assume that someone else (at some point in the future) might be searching for the very same answer.  Assuming that they do actually search the forum, at least there is a chance that then they'll find the thread and get the answer and then we won't have to explain the same stuff twice.  In other words, if there is any chance that one other person out there might be wondering the same thing, I'd rather answer a thread than something private, and I'm sure most of the other experienced users would too.

Plus, you might get your answer quicker.  I check into Interact most days, but sometimes I'm busier and I don't have time to do stuff like this.  Sometimes I read a PM or a thread late at night and I don't remember to come back and answer it later when I'm not half-asleep or three-beers-in or something.  But, there are lots of other helpful people here that might jump in and answer before I get to it (or whomever you are PMing).

If you've done this, and you didn't get an answer yet, or even if you think I just might have some special insight into your problem based on things you've read from me in the past... It is fine to PM me.  Just send me something that says "Hey, I'd love your help with this problem over here, if you have a minute" and paste in a link to your thread.  That's fine.  I'll probably take a look, and if I can help (and I have time) I'll try to help.  But, you might get other helpful responses in the meantime, and it could benefit other users to boot.

Oh, and by the way, if you DID send me a PM and didn't get a response for a week or so.... Poke me again (and post a thread like described above if you didn't already).  I probably "marked it as read" intending to come back later and then forgot it existed.  I don't check my PMs every time I come to Interact though, so make sure to give it a while (if you bug me every couple hours, I'm going to hit "ignore").