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[dafloydman]

Hi all jriver gurus.
the following may be longer than i would like but i'll try to be as clear as i am .
I have just started to use smartlists and i love there power.

my general system for listening to my collection shuffling through my collection based on grouping numbers ( which i use instead of ratings , anything "rated " less than 3 is not included ) i used to do this via a massive
playlist however i have been enlightened and now use a smartlist which includes anything of a 3 or greater rating and anything with a play count of zero ( i reset all of the play counts first ) this means that no matter whether i am listening via gizmo ( remotely ) or locally i eventually come to the end of my list and repeat the process again and all the while new material i aquire and' rate " dynamically finds it way into my list as well.
Now heres my problem , Sometimes i want to put together a specific  mix or maybe listen to one or more  albums but if i do this using the above system it will be removed from my general listening smartlist and this
is where i need help . Is there another way of doing this using smartlists and not regular playlists and without using different user accounts , help would be great . JRiver is a mind blowingly excellent product .  

[Arindelle]

Maybe you should be using a view based on a smartlist rather than just a smartlist ?  Not sure I'm following you with the resetting the playcounts... could you go to edit and export your smartlist config and copy here ?

[dafloydman]

Hi arindelle .
Here is the file
[Media Type]=[Audio]
 [Filename (path)]="\\QNAP\Protected Media\_Music"
[Grouping]=[3],[4],[5]
 [Number Plays]=0
 ~sort=Random ~n=150

Gotta find out what a view based smartlist is

[Arindelle]

Code: [Select]

[Media Type]=[Audio] [Rating]=>=3 [erase]=[0] [Filename (path)]="Z:\Music" [Last Played]=>1w ~sort=Random ~n=150
try importing this into a new smartlist after creating a new field (see screenshot) with these changes :

replace Rating with Grouping (if nonnumerical field you might have to enter =3,4,5)

replace Z:\Music with your path name

replace erase with created field name

explanation of new field (I called this erase^^) This basically will always be 0 because it take the Number Plays-Number Plays. So you will never reset your playcount. consequently, make as many mix lists and listen to whatever it will always recalculate to 0.

If I followed you, you want to listen to everything before it resets/recycles -- can't see how to really accomplish in my collection (90K tracks) this other than estimating the time it would take to complete the cycle. So lets say you have 1,000 tracks @4 minutes each about 65 hours of playing time or so ... I just put 1 week for the complete cycle -- change Last played to what you want in the wizard see second screen shot

[dafloydman]

Hi Arindelle

Thanks alot for this , it seems to have done the trick. the parameters give me 12000 tracks which i estimated will take about 24 weeks of listening. so that is what i entered.
am i right in assuming that if i complete the cycle sooner that the list will  eventually empty ? ( which is what i want )

[Arindelle]

Yes, it should -- depending on how many new tracks you import within 24 weeks 

However if you were to go past the 24th week, the list would repopulate.   Wouldn't it be easier to just have a list of things that you haven't heard for a month or two?

Regardless I wouldn't touch "number plays", you might need it for another smartlist. And if you want you can import this to a view and filter it by genre if you want too, the list will be "reduced" as before.

Vivaldi to Sex Pistols might be a bit jarring of a transition - but hey you must have your reasons !

There might be a more elegant solution btw, but glad this worked out for you

[dafloydman]

Ok so would i then be best to set the last played for longer just to guarantee i listen to the entire filtered list ?
As far as having a list of things i haven't listened to , it does work but i really want my shuffled list to not exclude stuff that i
selectively play at certain times ie stuff that is new to my collection or just stuff that i go through another phase on
 , The whole random thing just gives me a great variety of the better stuff in my collection . its funny
you mention Sex pistols , yes it does sometimes go from jazz to the sex pistols , makes them both sound great and yeah that
i found surprising.

Also you mentioned importing a smartlist to a view couldn't find any info on how to do that .
oh and Thanks for your help

[dafloydman]

just an update Arindelle
I have just noticed that when i play one of my artists ( not via this smartlist )
the songs played are in fact disappearing from my smartlist .
i should mention that i removed the 150 limit from the parameters .

[Arindelle]

just an update Arindelle
I have just noticed that when i play one of my artists ( not via this smartlist )
the songs played are in fact disappearing from my smartlist .
i should mention that i removed the 150 limit from the parameters .

Ah  .. I think I know why but I didn't think it would be a problem - I must have misunderstood what you wanted. Why would anyone want this is another question! 

Anyway ... a challenge ok

The new field you created will always reset to 0, no matter how many times you have played it. However, the music you listened to since the list creation is now < the 24 weeks (by one day), so will not be included .. I did this intentionally thinking you only want to include things you haven't yet listened to. This will require a more complicated expression and/or maybe adding an additional field.

SO, please confirm,  FLOYD'SLIST=Tracks >= "RATING" of 3 (field grouping for you) AND has never been played on FLOYD'SLIST AND (if possible^^) no filter on LAST PLAYED (which means it would be included in the list indefinitely until the track was played in this particular playlist -- SHUFFLED and File Path are not an issue. IS this really what you want? Unless you never add any new tracks I doubt this list will ever get emptied in your lifetime!!

I'm really busy today so might not get around to it -- in the mean time could you export your expression again just to be sure. And check if the "new" field that I asked you to create is at zero for tracks you have recently played.

(Hey Mr. C, might be in over my head here. I think another JRiver fan who just discovered smartlist power is running amok )

[dafloydman]

it'll get emptied its only 12000 odd songs at a greater grouping than 3 and this list is basically a radio station that i use at work all day and at home when i can't be
bothered selecting a particular artist or simply want loosely defined variety. but when i do feel like a particular artist/ album i want to play it without having it removed
from the list you've been helping me with. i have used this system for years but i used to use playlists instead maybe i kind of knew it would be beyond me , having said
that your input while above my head may well lead me to getting a handle on this .
This Media Center must be one of the most underated softwares on the market .Anyway here is the code
fyi the empty grouping ensures that new stuff that hasnt been "rated " yet automatically ends up in my list as well .


[Media Type]=[Audio] [Grouping]=[],[3],[4],[5] [erase]=[0] [Filename (path)]="\\QNAP\Protected Media\_Music" [Last Played]=>24w ~sort=Random

[gappie]

i dont think you can do that (but who knows). MC does not register from where a file is played or in what context, whole album or some playlist. A smartlist as you made first ofcourse is much more handy but the problem stays (that you bypassed by erasing play count). im not how the erase field from arindelle helps here. adding something that is always 0 for all the files does not add anything.

the only thing i can think of, but does not answer your question, is to make two smartlists (stations ) one with all the files rated 0, 3, 4, 5 , played randomly, and one that has last played added to it.

i do something similar for random albums.

 
gab

[dafloydman]

SO, please confirm,  FLOYD'SLIST=Tracks >= "RATING" of 3 (field grouping for you) AND has never been played on FLOYD'SLIST AND (if possible^^) no filter on LAST PLAYED (which means it would be included in the list indefinitely until the track was played in this particular playlist -- SHUFFLED and File Path are not an issue. IS this really what you want?

Yes arindelle this sounds exactly right and is proving to be a really hard
thing to do . it is doing my head in

[dafloydman]

Hey Gappie thanks for your reply . I hope this isn't the case .
It seems to me from what Arindelle has said that if i can make a kind of  play count field unique to
the one smartlist it'll work , certainly hope that there is a way . 

[MrC]

The problem you're having is that you want to use a field (Number Plays or Last Played) to mean two different things, and that won't work.  Further exacerbating the problem is that these play stats fields track playback irrespective of how playback was initiated.

You can certainly add new fields for the purpose of maintaining play stats, but you'll have to manually update these since there is no automated mechanism (this is a nice use case for event-driven expression evaluation, which don't exist).

[dafloydman]

Thanks Mr C . Is there another way of achieving the same result . ie having my playlists shuffle through a large (12500 songs) predefined collection without repeating until finished
while remaining unaffected by files played outside of this smartlist . 
Arindelle said a few promising things which i'll quote

The new field you created will always reset to 0, no matter how many times you have played it. However, the music you listened to since the list creation is now < the 24 weeks (by one day), so will not be included .. I did this intentionally thinking you only want to include things you haven't yet listened to. This will require a more complicated expression and/or maybe adding an additional field.

SO, please confirm,  FLOYD'SLIST=Tracks >= "RATING" of 3 (field grouping for you) AND has never been played on FLOYD'SLIST AND (if possible^^) no filter on LAST PLAYED (which means it would be included in the list indefinitely until the track was played in this particular playlist -- SHUFFLED and File Path are not an issue. IS this really what you want? Unless you never add any new tracks I doubt this list will ever get emptied in your lifetime!!

He also asked for your help ,

It doesn't have to be via playcount i just used that because it was the only thing i could think of.

cheers
Floyd

[Arindelle]

did you change the name of this post ? couldn't find it anywhere  

euh anyways still working on this one  - the real question is why  

He also asked for your help

With reason he is a.k.a.  "EXPRESSION GOD" !!

Hey Mr C !! Now I might have gone off the deep end already. And I haven't been drinking enough, that's for sure!

But, I think I found a way by combining two lists through a View and adding another new field like watched/not watched for TV shows  - gets pretty baroque though.

The idea being that one field (now erase =>that was for me btw to get rid of it later^^) will reset the counter to 0 allowing the OP to listen "outside" of the list, without tracks being removed. UNTIL a track is played which toggles a true/false "watched" field; which will in turn "reduce" the list. so if "watched" is false AND erase is 0 it will be included. If "watched" is true (euh maybe its better to call it "listenedto"   ); then I have to figure out the expression to add 1 to the "erase"  field which will remove the track from the list.

Now if anyone understands that, let me know.

Have to test this tomorrow night, its late here -- have not given up yet!  euh but if Mr. C says it can't be done, its looking pretty grim, daFloyd

[dafloydman]

RE Mr c ,  Yeah I gathered as much.
Really looking forward to this , I'm glad  jriver has avid  users as helpful as you have been.
I've been getting to the point of setting up a new dedicated  library , Which fingers crossed i may not
have to .
Thanks Bro
Floyd
 

[MrC]

Then I have to figure out the expression to add 1 to the "erase"  field which will remove the track from the list.

And herein lies the problem.  There's no way to automatically update field values.  The only thing you have to indicate a file has been played are the automatically updated stat fields:

   - Last Played
   - Number Plays

You'd need another automatically updated field which is updated when a file is played, but only under certain criteria:

    IF file is done playing AND playing from some list is TRUE
       THEN update stat field

Two required elements are missing: 1. a expression-running trigger when the file is done playing, and 2. a field assignment expression to be run when (1) is triggered.

[dafloydman]

This sounds like bad news