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More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 25 for Windows => Topic started by: timmbanks on May 08, 2019, 06:38:54 pm

Title: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: timmbanks on May 08, 2019, 06:38:54 pm
I am trying to create a smartlist with many rules. Once I get to the bottom of the window, I can no longer view additional rules. Am I limited to only the amount of rules that I can view on my screen since there is no scroll bar?
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: swiv3d on May 08, 2019, 06:45:20 pm
What sort of smartlist are you trying to create? Perhaps, if we had some idea of what you are trying to achieve we could help. For example, you can create a smartlist called starter (or anything you want), then create another smartlist which has as it's first rule Playlists is any of  Smartlists/starter and then add a series of rules to that and call it starter2, then you can create another smartlist with it's first rule Playlists is any of  Smartlists/starter2 and add more rules call it final.  Calling playlist final will then create an output from starter, which is then filtered by starter2, and then further filtered by final.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: RoderickGI on May 08, 2019, 07:06:07 pm
I agree.

I can fit 34 rules on my High-resolution Workstation, 16 on my HTPC, and I estimate 14 on a 1080p screen. If you need even 14, you are probably doing something wrong, or there might be a better way to build the Smartlist.

If you really need more rules, write them in the rule "Import / Export" dialogue box, then import them.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: phleeb on May 09, 2019, 10:31:12 am
I am curious to know what some of your 34 rules are.  I'm always looking to make different smartlists so if you don't mind, could you provide some of those rules?
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: swiv3d on May 09, 2019, 02:06:32 pm
I think RoderickGI was just saying you could fit that number onto the dialogue box - I can't imagine why anyone would use more than 5 or 6 rules personally.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: RoderickGI on May 09, 2019, 05:49:58 pm
Correct. I just kept clicking Add until I ran out of space. Purely as a test. Most of my Smartlists are only three rules or so.

If you need help with Smartlists Phleeb, start a thread. I'm sure someone will try to help.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: timmbanks on May 13, 2019, 06:13:15 pm
I am a new JRiver user. Only here because iTunes eliminated the iTunes DJ option after V10.7. I have 32,000 files in 369 Genre>sub-Genres. Since I am constantly adding music (aiff files from purchased CD's), I need the playlist to include new files within my guidelines. I am trying to replicate an iTunes Smart Playlist. My iTunes Smart Playlist has around 50 rules. It is our "poolside" playlist.  I do not want to hear all songs by a certain artist, nor all songs in a certain genre>subgenre. It appears that JRiver 25 allows me to continue adding rules, it just doesn't give me the ability to scroll down to see my rules. Why can I add rules, but not view them?  Did the programmers forget to add a scroll bar to view all rules?  Not all of my Smartlists require lots of rules, but why should there be a limit to how many rules I can have?

Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: Moe on May 13, 2019, 06:23:00 pm
Smartlists can contain other smartlists.

You could break your rules up into smaller chunks and then combine them into one master smartlist
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: swiv3d on May 13, 2019, 07:03:24 pm
If you need 50 rules to arrive at your desired point, I would suggest that you haven't mastered smartlists!"
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: timmbanks on May 13, 2019, 08:17:38 pm
swiv3d, I was hoping someone could assist me with smartlists. I am looking for help in creating a smartlist of 4 & 5 star songs, less than 6:30, excluding these genres: vocal, easy listening, holiday, new age, celtic, smooth jazz, pop jazz, jazz-bop, jazz piano, fusion, classical, books, spoken word, neo-soul, quiet storm, sports, broadway, religious, as well as artists: Barbra Striesand, Garth Brooks, Sade, Bobby Hutcherson, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Maynard Ferguson, Milt Jackson, Art Tatum, and others, in addition to specific songs by desired artist. Why do you want to limit the number of rules that some users desire?
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: DJLegba on May 13, 2019, 08:22:56 pm
swiv3d, I was hoping someone could assist me with smartlists, not just inform me that I haven't mastered them. I am looking for help in creating a smartlist of 4 & 5 star songs, less than 6:30, excluding these genres: vocal, easy listening, holiday, new age, celtic, smooth jazz, pop jazz, jazz-bop, jazz piano, fusion, classical, books, spoken word, neo-soul, quiet storm, sports, broadway, religious, as well as artists: Barbra Striesand, Garth Brooks, Sade, Bobby Hutcherson, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Maynard Ferguson, Milt Jackson, Art Tatum, and others, in addition to specific songs by desired artist. Why do you want to limit the number of rules that some users desire?

I see perhaps 5 rules there. For example, all those genre exclusions can be done with one rule.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: timmbanks on May 13, 2019, 08:27:38 pm
ah, DJLegba, what you are saying is that I can list all of my genres in one rule; genre>does not contain>multiple genres? what separator do I use between the genres?
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: RoderickGI on May 13, 2019, 08:34:31 pm
I also see five rules, with the last perhaps requiring a Custom field to identify specific songs that must be excluded or included.

Example:
-[Genre]=Rap,Indie,Ska,jjj,Other

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Search_Language#Negation_and_All

Note that the above will exclude all Genres with the word "Rap" in them. i.e. Rap, Rabid Rap, Modern Rap, Black Rap, etc.

If you want to exclude just "Rap" and keep the others, then you would use:
-[Genre]=[Rap]

If you wanted to exclude just Genres that begin with Rap, then:
-[Genre]=[Rap"
or
-[Genre]=[Rap

It is all in the Wiki section linked to above.
EDIT: Actually, just take careful note when using the [ and " modifiers that you are forming an AND search, rather than a OR search. Tricky. Without modifiers MC forms an OR search. I'm not sure of the solution when you want to use modifiers in an OR search. Something for you to research in the Wiki perhaps.


PS: No-one is limiting the number of rules users desire. I explained above how you can add as many rules as you want. Sure, the dialogue probably should have a scroll bar when needed. But the fact is, if someone needs 50 rules, there is probably a far, far better way to achieve the result they desire, with many fewer rules. Not only is knowing how to use the Search and Expression Languages required, but using Custom fields and appropriate tagging can simplify many solutions.

If you really need more rules, write them in the rule "Import / Export" dialogue box, then import them.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: DJLegba on May 13, 2019, 08:48:08 pm
ah, DJLegba, what you are saying is that I can list all of my genres in one rule; genre>does not contain>multiple genres? what separator do I use between the genres?

; is the separator, but you don't really need to know that. When you add a rule and select Genre, then "is not any", when you click the down arrow in the next box you get a list of all your genres, and you just check the boxes you don't want.
Title: Re: Multiple Rules in Smartlists
Post by: RoderickGI on May 13, 2019, 09:00:17 pm
; is the separator, but you don't really need to know that. When you add a rule and select Genre, then "is not any", when you click the down arrow in the next box you get a list of all your genres, and you just check the boxes you don't want.

A simple comma, actually, in a Search Language expression. The "Edit Search" function shows a semi-colon when you use the "Set rules for file display" function, but if you click the "Import/Export" button you will see that the generated expression uses a comma. It is also documented in the Wiki.

But you are right about not needing to know when using the "Set rules for file display" dialogue.