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[~OHM~]

in all versions of MC I have used 18,19,20 in my playlists when the track was done playing it would go to the bottom of the list and the next song would start and so on. I was sure i achieved this by clicking the header-last played, but 20.0.99 I can no longer get this to work as it did be4 the update. Any ideas what I may be missing?

[Dawgincontrol]

I noticed this today also.  Give it back please.

[Matt]

I'm not clear what you're describing.

Could you try explaining again?  Pretend I'm a toddler.

Thanks.

[~OHM~]

Sure, when playing from a playlist lets say 400 tracks. You start at the top of the list and once that song has played it goes to the bottom of the playlist. (provided each track has been played before). so to get this to work i discovered by adding last played as a column and then left clicking on that column twice to align the dates.  I think that is how i got it to work.

But now it no longer works unless you click on the last played column after each track or several tracks have played. It was nice for huge playlists, as all u had to do was open that playlist and start at the top without fear of hearing something you just heard the last time you used that play list...

[Matt]

I'm trying to follow along, but I'm having problems.

I create a playlist named "Last Played".  I show the "Last Played" column.  I sort by it and start playing the first track.  It plays like expected.

I leave and come back and the view is still sorted by "Last Played".

Where is the problem?

[~OHM~]

are the tracks that have played gone to the botton of said playlist so when u shut down MC and come back to that playlist u can start at the top  (play list name is optional)

[glynor]

I don't understand either.

Manual Playlists (as opposed to Smartlists) are ordered lists.  They always open up in sequential order (the numbers shown in the Seq column).

If you want to re-sort them, you have to do it manually. You can do this by sorting them by whatever means you want, but if you want the sort order to "stick" you need to apply the new sequence order by clicking the Update Order button in the playlist header (or other equivalent methods).

[~OHM~]

Sure, when playing from a playlist lets say 400 tracks. You start at the top of the list and once that song has played it goes to the bottom of the playlist. (provided each track has been played before). so to get this to work i discovered by adding last played as a column and then left clicking on that column twice to align the dates.  I think that is how i got it to work.

But now it no longer works unless you click on the last played column after each track or several tracks have played. It was nice for huge playlists, as all u had to do was open that playlist and start at the top without fear of hearing something you just heard the last time you used that play list...

Reverted back to 20.0.96 and all is back to normal behaviour. Sorry you guys don't get it...as i don't need tv features I guess this version is as far as i go.

[Matt]

Reverted back to 20.0.96 and all is back to normal behaviour. Sorry you guys don't get it...as i don't need tv features I guess this version is as far as i go.

You need to describe the problem you're seeing in more detail because we just haven't been able to understand or reproduce it.

[glynor]

Yeah. We're not saying it can't be fixed, we don't understand.  Some screenshots might help.

[Dawgincontrol]

is that it used to be if you were in a playlist and you would resequence (double click) the order by "Last Played" with the earliest date on top, the song/file would automatically go to the bottom of the list upon it completing its playback. 

It would do this because it updated the date to the present and the next song/file in the list would then be the top song in the list.  I think the list of songs just stays there now, though the date does update.  I do this myself to listen to songs I haven't played in a while. 

[glynor]

is that it used to be if you were in a playlist and you would resequence (double click) the order by "Last Played" with the earliest date on top, the song/file would automatically go to the bottom of the list upon it completing its playback.

But, this is not correct. Playlists are ordered lists.  I explained this above, and it has not changed in the entire time I've been using MC. I just tested with 20.0.93 and 20.0.100 and I couldn't find any difference in behavior. I'm not sure it doesn't exist, but I don't know what to look for.

First off... There's a thing about terminology here I think.  Are you guys talking about the Playing Now list, or an actual Playlist?

When you play a playlist in MC, it doesn't ever "play the playlist".  It sends the current contents of the Playlist to Playing Now, and then it plays the Playing Now list.  MC always plays the Playing Now list.  If you change the Playlist order after you start playback of that list, it has no effect (and never has) on the order in which songs will play, because they've already been added to Playing Now.  The only way to update Playing Now is to start the list over again (or to switch to Playing Now and re-order the tracks there).

So, where are you sorting on the [Last Played] column?  In the Playlist, or in the Playing Now list?  Can you answer that?  I'm trying to check for differences in behavior, but I can't figure this part of what you're all talking about out, so it's hard to even check.

[Dawgincontrol]

I just had time to try it out again and it is working as I use it.  Go in any Playlist (not "Playing Now), and resequence the playlist by "Last Played" by clicking the "Last Played" column header.  This will give you a listing with the file/song with the earliest date at the top and the rest in sequence by date played last (any song/file never played will be at the bottom of the list).

Now double click the top file and the playlist will now play in this order.  After the song plays it goes to the bottom of the list and the next song will go to the top of the list.

It does not work this way in "Playing Now" and I don't remember if it ever did.

With all that said, it is working correctly now on my computer.  Maybe it is working on the op's now also.  Maybe I was wrong and this was not what he was describing.

[glynor]

After the song plays it goes to the bottom of the list and the next song will go to the top of the list.

This only happens if you then re-sort the Playlist.

[Dawgincontrol]

No, it happens automatically if you sort the playlist it by "Last Played" before you play it each time.  You don't have to touch it again until next time. 

You're not updating the playlist order, just sorting by column.

[glynor]

No, it happens automatically if you sort the playlist it by "Last Played" before you play it each time.  You don't have to touch it again until next time.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm glad it is working for you, but I suspect you misunderstand something fundamental about the way MC's Playing Now lists work.

Files in ordered Playlists do not move unless you do something to move them.  You can drag them up and down to re-order them, or sort them using one of the column headers.  Sorts using column headers are only temporary until you leave the view or refresh it.

If you sort a Playlist using a column header, and then play it (by double-clicking one of the files or whatever), the contents of the Playlist as they're displayed on screen at that exact moment are sent to the Playing Now list. But the Playlist itself retains its original order unless you update the sequence by clicking the Update Order button.  Here's an example:

* I created an ordered Playlist called "Test.  It contains 20 files that haven't been played in a while, but they're sorted randomly.
* I open a split view in MC so you can see the contents of Playing Now, which is initially blank.
* I sort the Playlist, so that the least-most-recently-played track is on top, and then play it.
* Playing Now is filled with the list of files as they looked when I played them (with the least-most-recently-played tracks on top)
* I skip ahead in the track so it completes playback.
* The track that just finished playing doesn't move anywhere in either list (the Playing Now list, or the Test Playlist).  Playback advances to the next track in the Playing Now list. The two match because I haven't refreshed the Playlist's view or resorted it.
* The track that already played won't ever play again because playback is "past" that one in the Playing Now list.
* If I re-sort the Playlist, then the played track moves to the bottom of the list, but I have to do this manually, and this change has no impact on the Playing Now list.
* If I refresh the Playlist's view, then it goes back to its original ordered (shuffled) state.

That's how it works, and that's how it has always worked. Watch:

MC20 - Playlist Order Example

[glynor]

I also made this demo to show how sorting works within the Playing Now list itself:

MC20 - Playing Now Order Example

[glynor]

Ahhh... I see a difference that might explain my confusion here a bit. If you have Options > Tree & View > Sorting > Save changes on list header clicks enabled, Playlists behave a bit differently.

It is still exactly as I described above, and show in the demo video, except this part:

* If I refresh the Playlist's view, then it goes back to its original ordered (shuffled) state.

With that setting turned on, when you leave and re-open the Playlist (or refresh the view) the "last used sorting" of the playlist is remembered.

The files still don't "jump" or "move" to the end of the list if you sit there with the Playlist open, unless you re-sort it by clicking on the Playlist Header again.  But, it does remember this order when you re-open the Playlist or refresh the view. The Sequence order is still preserved as it was originally in the Sequence column, though, so this is just a sorting of the view, and you can get the original Playlist order back again by clicking on the Sequence column header again.

So, the descriptions here are still a bit confusing, but that makes it make a tad-bit more sense. I always keep that option disabled because I prefer to sort my Views explicitly, and have "on the fly" sorting changes remain temporary.

The core of all of the above remains exactly the same though. Playing Now isn't connected to the Playlist, except for that instant you first play it (and any subsequent times you "re-start" it), and the files don't move themselves to the bottom of the list as they play. And, as of build 100 at least, I could detect no differences in behavior from the way it works for as long as I can remember.

[~OHM~]

is that it used to be if you were in a playlist and you would resequence (double click) the order by "Last Played" with the earliest date on top, the song/file would automatically go to the bottom of the list upon it completing its playback. 

It would do this because it updated the date to the present and the next song/file in the list would then be the top song in the list.  I think the list of songs just stays there now, though the date does update.  I do this myself to listen to songs I haven't played in a while. 

No, it happens automatically if you sort the playlist it by "Last Played" before you play it each time.  You don't have to touch it again until next time. 

You're not updating the playlist order, just sorting by column.

This is what I'm talking about...In MY original posts, I never mentioned anything about Playing Now, I was speaking of Playlists...I also do not use split views, I do how ever use tabbed views.

[glynor]

The files do not, and have not ever, "moved themselves" within a Playlist.

If you have the Save changes on list header clicks option I mentioned above enabled, then playlist sort order will be preserved when you close and re-open (or refresh) the Playlist's view.  If it is disabled, then the Playlist will always revert to [Seq] order.

If that option is enabled, you can get the files to "move" to the bottom of the list (using your example) by simply closing and re-opening the view.  Perhaps you changed your settings so that MC doesn't automatically jump to Playing Now when you start playback?  Or perhaps you disabled the Save changes on list header clicks option?

[Dawgincontrol]

I think where the confusion may lie is that I'm not saying it is a permanent change to the playlist.  It is not.  The playlist retains its order by sequential number.  It's a one time play through of the songs by "Last Played" and has nothing to do with the "Playing Now" view in standard mode.

For a one time play of songs in a playlist, sorted by "Last Played", the songs will move to the bottom of the list when the date in "Last Played" updates if you leave it on the playlist's view of songs.  I use it on large playlists to listen to music that I may not have heard in a while.

It is the only view I know where the songs at the top of the list do move.  JRiver reorders the sort after each song plays because the date changes and reorders the last played song.  It's a sort view only and does not really change the playlist order, just what you see.  You do not have to manually resort after each song, it is automatic.

It is working again now, but I thought, like the op, it may have disappeared before 20.100 for one update.  I could be wrong though I'll never admit it.  

[Dawgincontrol]

My view does not automatically jump to Playing Now.  I have to select that view if I want it.  In this situation I don't go to "Playing Now"; I view the playlist listing after I sort it by "Last Played". 

[glynor]

Yeah, with that Save changes on list header clicks option enabled, they might "re-sort" themselves when the Playlist view refreshes itself. I couldn't get it to do it, but I didn't try very hard or wait very long.

Generally, views don't refresh or resort until you "do something" to cause it. But they will eventually refresh, and with this option enabled, it would re-apply the sort and then the files would move to the bottom of the visible list.

Matt and I were just both very confused about the terminology used here, and I wasn't sure if you guys were referring to Playing Now or not (I know no one mentioned it, but it seemed interrelated, and people don't always use the right terminology).  Either way, I didn't test with 20.0.99, but with 20.0.100 I couldn't detect any differences between the way it acts now and the way it has "always" worked.

[Dawgincontrol]

I have attached 2 screenshots to be more clear in the behavior.

Screenshot2 shows the playlist sorted by "Last Played" and "Rockin" Robin" playing (you can see the next file to play is "Up The Ladder To The Roof"). 

Screenshot 3 shows "Up The Ladder To The Roof" playing and now listed as the top file.  The change is instantaneous on the completion of "Rockin' Robin".  It is not waiting on a refresh.  This will continue; as each song plays it will be replaced at the top of the list by the next.

The order will be retained even if you leave the playlist unless you resort by another category in that particular playlist.  As you can see, the sequential order of the playlist (the far left column) does not change.  You can resort and play by any column.

I think it's a great feature for large playlists and I would hate to ever lose this functionality.

Hope this helps.  I should have uploaded the screenshot earlier.  But, like I said it is working.   

[Dawgincontrol]

File was too large for both in one post.

[Hendrik]

Just to be clear, its working just fine with 20.0.100, and there is nothing we need to do?
Sounds good!

[Dawgincontrol]

Yes Hendrik, it is working fine.  No need to do anything unless the original op is still having problems.

[~OHM~]

Yes Hendrik, it is working fine.  No need to do anything unless the original op is still having problems.

I can't confirm it's working for me as I reverted back to .96 but even b4 that in my paniced state i cleared the date last played tags...stupid me....

So Dawgincontrol, did u change anything to get it working in .100 or did it just start working for you?

and thanks for your input on this!

[Dawgincontrol]

No it worked with the new update.  I didn't change anything.

You may be able to get your last played dates back with a restore if you have it set up to write the info to the tags..

From the WIKI:

To restore a backup of a library, go to File > Library > Restore Library and browse to the library you want to restore (it will be a .zip file). You may have to restart the program.
The automatic Library backup .zip files are stored at a location set in Tools > Options > File Location > Program Files > Library Backups. Manually created backups are stored at the location you chose in File > Library Back Up Library. See Backup Library.

Good luck!

[glynor]

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Library_Backup

[~OHM~]

Yup I know how to restore backups....just not willing to wait days to rebuild thumbnails...thanks tho. the dates will restore as they get played, I'm in no hurry, got no place to be...lol

[Dawgincontrol]

Save the thumbnail in the tags and it's pretty quick.