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[mrwul]

I want to have a listing of specific fields, like artist(s), composer, album-name,
but.. I doNOT want to have the album name mentioned as many times as there
are tracks within that album, i.e. I want them mentioned only once.

Could anybody out there give me a hint how to do this?
Have searched the website, but cud not find a solution.

Is this is not possible/available, maybe it's an idea  to add such a kind of option?

regards

[rocketsauce]

I do NOT want to have the album name mentioned as many times as there are tracks within that album, i.e. I want them mentioned only once.

Not sure it's clear what you're asking. Where exactly is it that you want the album title to show only once?

Rob

[mrwul]

The only way I know of is export playlist, but -again- maybe there is another option or way to export the library to various formats...
Let's take the export playlist - output HTML (or whatever) - you will notice
that Albumname is mentioned many times over and over, once per track.
Try it out. You'll see the same CD-title mentioned many times.

So:
a) I wud like to be able to select fields that should be in the output
b) Albumtitle, year, artists, are fields that usually donot change (only tracknames change)
So if I am not interested in track-names, why should the fixed data be reported x-times.

I am sorry, but I cannot explain it clearer.

[sraymond]

The only way I know of is export playlist, but -again- maybe there is another option or way to export the library to various formats...
Let's take the export playlist - output HTML (or whatever) - you will notice
that Albumname is mentioned many times over and over, once per track.
Try it out. You'll see the same CD-title mentioned many times.

So:
a) I wud like to be able to select fields that should be in the output
b) Albumtitle, year, artists, are fields that usually donot change (only tracknames change)
So if I am not interested in track-names, why should the fixed data be reported x-times.

I am sorry, but I cannot explain it clearer.

Wullfra,

I think I understand what you're after.  You might take a look at the excellent plugin MCXMLExport (by scott_r.) here:  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=5;action=display;threadid=16966

This will let you export any or all fields into an XML document that conforms to the MPL "language" - and it lets you perform (client-side or "server"-side) an XSLT transformation and open the result.

Then you might take a look at my XAlbum here:  http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=5;action=display;threadid=16293.  Please read the whole post, because the latest download may be down from the top.  There should be enough explanation in the thread to figure out how it will work in conjucntion with MCXMLExport.  But hopefully this weekend, I'll write a decent "explanation" guide and package the right configuration file to work with MCXMLExport as a "one-click" (well, maybe two or three!) tool.

I'm also willing to write any custom XSLT for those who give me an HTML that shows the presentation they're looking for.  Two levels of grouping is easy enough.  You'd get bonus points for using CSS, but it's certainly not necessary.  If you're can't speak HTML (and you don't have Dreamweaver or FrontPage of some other HTML editor), let me know.

Now, if you're looking for just the data, with no presentation, you can probably forget most of what I wrote above... but I don't see how you can suppress redundant data without the right presentation.

Scott-

[mrwul]

Scott,
Many thanks for the your suggestions.
When looking at: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~scottray/mcxml/mcxmlexport4.jpg
it really looks nice.

I can't judge the output though, as I have not been able to install mcxmlexport-beta4.msi
 
a. I need some kind of .net framework (?)
b. the output, as far as I can see, is in .XML (MC9 exports to .XML as well)

I once tried to export the MC-library (to such kind of file/File-Library-Export to XML), but when opening the
file using IE6, I only get the source-code, like:
<Field Name="Artist">Ashkenazy, Vladimir</Field>
<Field Name="Album">Frederic Chopin - Waltzes & Nocturnes</Field>
<Field Name="Name">Nocturne in B Major, Op.32 No.1</Field>

For me, as an end-user, XML is 'a new world'.. sorry.
Just before writing this message I checked the Internet on this XML, but apart from that is stands for Extensible Markup Language, I almost immediately got into 'tech developer world'...

Do I need a kind of plug-in for my IE6 (SP1) ?

Thank you again.
Marcel.

[scott_r]

Hey there,

Firstly, to run MC XML Export you need the Microsoft .net framework. Visit this page to find out how to get it:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/technologyinfo/howtoget/default.aspx

Once you've got that installed, you can install MC XML Export. Once that's installed you can output your database to an XML document containing only the fields you want.

Now that you've got an XML file with the data in it, you can use sraymond's XAlbum to "transform" that XML data that looks all ugly and useless into something that's beatiful and useful - A web page that groups all your albums by artist in a nice graphical way.

EVEN BETTER: You can use MC XML Export to apply the transformation itself! Install the plugin, install XAlbum and then under the "Apply XSL Transformation" textbox enter in the full path to the "AlbumGroup.xsl" that came with XAlbum. Enter the name of an html file you want it to output to and hey presto, it's all done in one hit.

For all you people thinking that this is far too much work, you're right. sraymond and I are working together to make it as simple as possible. Keep listening out for more progress.

Have fun,

Scott.

[mrwul]

Thanks.
I went over to the MS-site and downloaded all recent patches/updates, whatever. Still no .net framework was installed.
(Controlpanel/software-does not show anything like Framework or whatever,
how is it listed anyhow?)

I went over to the Dutch MS-site to seek for any alternatives. It said I needed to download: "Microsoft .NET Framework Redistributable"(21mb) and there was
this link to the Microsoft.com-site.
I was transferred back to:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/technologyinfo/redist/default.aspx
from there I clicked on 'General Users' - and was transferred back to
Windows-updates.
However, Windows Updates cannot find anything on my pc that still needed
to be updated.

What now  ???It has taken me already a lot of time...

[sraymond]

Wullfra,

I see the redistributable available for download on the page http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=262D25E3-F589-4842-8157-034D1E7CF3A3&displaylang=en.  The link to the download itself should be http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/a/c/aac39226-8825-44ce-90e3-bf8203e74006/dotnetfx.exe.

The "General User" is supposed to use WIndows Update - but as for some reason that's not working for you, you wanted the "IT Pros".

Good luck.

Scott-

[steje]

hey... just wanted to see if I understood what you were looking for. are you saying that you would want only let's say the first listed track of a given album to show the actual album name in the album field column? if so, I agree. it would help to be able to visually differentiate between albums if just one song from that album shows the CD title and the rest were blank. but I guess that is why you have the other navigation windows for. still it would be nice to reduce the info in the main song list window to make it easier to look at and pick things out. "Only show album name for first sorted album track" or something...

BTW, what windows OS are you using? I have been to Windows update for both Win2000 and XP and in the regular (non-critical) update list the .NET framework is always there. maybe it is installed already and just doesn't show up in add/remove progs?

-steje

[mrwul]

Scott,  
I have downloaded the .net framework and installed it.

MC XML-exports shows up under Plug-ins and it works. Can't change the default output name though.

Anyway, I exported specific data to export.xml.
When I double-click the file I still get the source-code. Pls give me some hints as to how to proceed on this...

Thanks a lot!

rgds/Marcel

[sraymond]

Scott,  
I have downloaded the .net framework and installed it.

MC XML-exports shows up under Plug-ins and it works. Can't change the default output name though.

Anyway, I exported specific data to export.xml.
When I double-click the file I still get the source-code. Pls give me some hints as to how to proceed on this...

Thanks a lot!

rgds/Marcel

Marcel,

Please see one of my previous posts in this thread (seven up from this one maybe)...  You need some XSLT to convert the MPL (i.e. what you called the "source code" - but it's really just an XML document) into some nice HTML.  XAlbum does this for a group by artist and I wrote a similar XSLT for an album group by genre.  If you get XAlbum working OK, I'll make the XSLT for group by genre available ASAP.

As you don't know much about XML technologies, you might find it a bit hard to understand what all I'm talking about.  I will try to write a primer tonight that gives a good explanation.

Scott-

[mrwul]

Hello Scott, "not knowing much of XML" is put very mildly
XAlbum05 - regret I can't get it working.
After I copied the file export.xml into the XAlbum05-directory I started "XAlbum.htm"
I keyed in export.xml and clicked on Transform, nothing at all happened.
Tried this a few times.

I got back to MC and into your MC XML Export plug-in. I noticed XSL Transformation Option.
In the box I entered f:\temp\export.xml
Save output as "Test"

This resulted in an error:
See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.Xml.Xsl.XsltCompileException: file:///f:/temp/export.xml(2,2) :
 ---> System.Xml.Xsl.XsltException: Missing mandatory attribute 'version'.
   at System.Xml.Xsl.ContainerAction.CompileSingleTemplate(Compiler compiler)
   at System.Xml.Xsl.ContainerAction.CompileDocument(Compiler compiler, Boolean inInclude)
   at System.Xml.Xsl.RootAction.Compile(Compiler compiler)
   at System.Xml.Xsl.Compiler.CreateRootAction()
   at System.Xml.Xsl.Compiler.Compile(NavigatorInput input, XmlResolver xmlResolver, Evidence evidence)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.Xml.Xsl.Compiler.Compile(NavigatorInput input, XmlResolver xmlResolver, Evidence evidence)
   at System.Xml.Xsl.XslTransform.Compile(XPathNavigator stylesheet, XmlResolver resolver, Evidence evidence)
   at System.Xml.Xsl.XslTransform.Load(String url, XmlResolver resolver)
   at System.Xml.Xsl.XslTransform.Load(String url)
   at ctlXAlbumLib.ctlXAlbum.cmdExport_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
    Assembly Version: 1.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 1.1.4322.573
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/microsoft.net/framework/v1.1.4322/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
ctlXAlbumLib
    Assembly Version: 0.2.0.0
    Win32 Version: 0.2.0.0
    CodeBase: file:///F:/MC%20XML%20Export/ctlXAlbumLib.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
    Assembly Version: 1.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 1.1.4322.573
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/assembly/gac/system.windows.forms/1.0.5000.0__b77a5c561934e089/system.windows.forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System
    Assembly Version: 1.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 1.1.4322.573
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/assembly/gac/system/1.0.5000.0__b77a5c561934e089/system.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
    Assembly Version: 1.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 1.1.4322.573
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/assembly/gac/system.drawing/1.0.5000.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/system.drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
    Assembly Version: 7.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 7.10.3052.4
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/assembly/gac/microsoft.visualbasic/7.0.5000.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/microsoft.visualbasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
    Assembly Version: 1.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 1.1.4322.573
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/assembly/gac/system.xml/1.0.5000.0__b77a5c561934e089/system.xml.dll
----------------------------------------
Accessibility
    Assembly Version: 1.0.5000.0
    Win32 Version: 1.1.4322.573
    CodeBase: file:///c:/windows/assembly/gac/accessibility/1.0.5000.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/accessibility.dll
----------------------------------------
Interop.MediaJukebox
    Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 1.0.0.0
    CodeBase: file:///F:/MC%20XML%20Export/Interop.MediaJukebox.DLL
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just in time (JIT) debugging, the config file for this
application or machine (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
    <system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the machine
rather than being handled by this dialog.

Anyway, pls understand that timebeing I will stop trying. Pls don't get me
wrong: I very much like to have it working, but I need to have a few guidelines as how to proceed, ie which steps shd be taken.

I do hope you will manage to get out a short description.

By the way, if I click on the [...]  button, right from the 'Apply XSL Transformation' box a window shows up, rightfully so.

However, there is this very strange thing..
actually the window shown is ONLY abt 1/3-1/4 of the actual window that shd
be shown. i.e. on my monitor (21") the window is around 29cm wide and 20cm
high, BUT (!) what is shown is the right top corner of 17w x 12h. The rest of the
window is transparent, i.e. you look at MC XML Export which obviously is in the
background.

Good luck.

brgds?marcel

[sraymond]

The plugin is the work of scott_r (no relation!).  I did XAlbum.  Quick question:  what browser are you using and how large is your exported MPL?

I think the pluign error was a result of not using an MPL...  is it even XML?  Can you post the first twenty lines or so of the export?

Scott-

[mrwul]

Oops!! Am really sorry..


The 'Export.xml'-file is 1,5mb and it starts like this:


 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16" standalone="yes" ?>
- <MPL Version="2.0">
- <Item>
  <Field Name="Album">Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist">Alexeev, Dmitri</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist - Album (Year)">Alexeev, Dmitri - Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1 (1993)</Field>
  </Item>
- <Item>
  <Field Name="Album">Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist">Alexeev, Dmitri</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist - Album (Year)">Alexeev, Dmitri - Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1 (1993)</Field>
  </Item>
- <Item>
  <Field Name="Album">Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist">Alexeev, Dmitri</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist - Album (Year)">Alexeev, Dmitri - Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1 (1993)</Field>
  </Item>
- <Item>
  <Field Name="Album">Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist">Alexeev, Dmitri</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist - Album (Year)">Alexeev, Dmitri - Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1 (1993)</Field>
  </Item>
- <Item>
  <Field Name="Album">Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist">Alexeev, Dmitri</Field>
  <Field Name="Artist - Album (Year)">Alexeev, Dmitri - Preludes Op.23, Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op.3 CD 1 (1993)</Field>
  </Item>


//etc//


I am using IE 6.0 with all the latest updates/patches, etc. i.e. Microsoft
update can't find anything that shd be updated.

Basically I think MC XML Export is doing what it is supposed to do, but I cannot handle that file...
When opening it in IE it looks as above.

tks

[sraymond]

OK...  I've understood the problem.  You don't have all the needed fields in the MPL for XAlbum to work.

Basically I think MC XML Export is doing what it is supposed to do, but I cannot handle that file...
When opening it in IE it looks as above.

Well, IE sees the XML file *without* a stylesheet (XSLT) assigned, and it uses its own built-in stylesheet (not quite XSLT, but close) to present it in the way you see.  Notice that IE doesn't show you a text document (which is what the XML document is).  It shows you colors, expandable/collapsable hierarchies, indentations, etc.

OK...  so here's what you need for XAlbum to work.  Make sure MCXMLExport exports all the following fields:

Code: [Select]

 <FieldsToExport>
    <Field>Album</Field>
    <Field>Artist</Field>
    <Field>Bitrate</Field>
    <Field>Date</Field>
    <Field>Duration</Field>
    <Field>File Size</Field>
    <Field>File Type</Field>
    <Field>Filename</Field>
    <Field>Genre</Field>
    <Field>Image File</Field>
    <Field>Rating</Field>
    <Field>Track #</Field>
  </FieldsToExport>
If you export.xml file has these elements, XAlbum.htm should work just fine - just make sure that you have the right XML and XSLT in the input boxes.

You can have MCXMLExport apply a transformation (which is what I think you were trying to do) *or* you can embed the XSL processing-instruction (which tells the browser what transformation to apply when rendering the XML).

Let me know...

Scott-

[mrwul]

Scott,
first pls don't get me wrong...  
I do appreciate all your work in trying to explain this XML-stuff to me, but I do feel sorry having to say I have to give up now. How much I wud like to get it working, it is too technical for me as a simple end-user. Your plug-in looks great and I am sure it includes a lot of 'potential'. I think maybe you should try to make an extra option to export it to .html, or ";" separate text files. I hope you will ..

I will surely closely follow the development of your plug-in!

Many thanks you for your patience sofar...

Best regards,
Marcel.

[sraymond]

Marcel,

Check back when I write a primer on XML and MC then...  and don't forget:  the MCXMLExport plugin is written by scott_r, not me.  And it *does* export to HTML (which is one of the points behind the plugin.)

But I'm not explaining the process very well...  I'll do better in the future, I promise.

Scott-

[scott_r]

Thanks Marcel for your patience and valuable feedback.
I first made MCXMLExport as a tool for people who needed a more powerful XML exporter. These people were XML-proficient, and so the plugin was designed around their needs.
Now that more people are wanting to use XAlbum and the like, I'm trying to make MCXMLExport easier to use for everyone.
Eventually Scott Raymond's XAlbum will be packaged with MC XML Export with preset configurations, so transformations will be as simple as one (or two or three) clicks.
I'm also working on some online documentation, but sadly I have little time to devote to the project.
Keep listening out for more info, and keep an eye on the "Third Party Plugins" thread on Interact.
Also, thanks Scott Raymond for always trying to explain things.

We'll get there,

Scott.