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[smokingdog]

In Theater View under "Audio" I have added a "Files" item.

I have defined that item with 2 qualifiers as:

File Path ->  \\WDMYCLOUD\Audio\ (this is the NAS where all my audio files are stored)
Library Field -> File Type (I have a lot of different file types, flac, ape, dsd, wv, ogg etc. I sometimes want to select)

I have also "set rules for file display" to:

Track # (a-z)

The files are stored in a simple directory structure on the NAS:

Audio
     MP3
     Lossless
          Classical
          Compilations
          Jazz
          Pop
               Artist
                    Album
                         Track1
                         Track2
                         Track3
                         ---
                         ---

In Theater View everything displays as expected. The top level menu is simply, Classical, Compilations, Jazz, Pop and I can easily drill down to find the album I want.

However with Gizmo I do not get this Category, Artist, Album, Track hierarchy.

Instead of the expected Files -> Classical, Compilations, Jazz, Pop

I get  Files -> flac, dsd, ape, wv, ogg

Is there some setting in JR I need to make so that Gizmo follows the Theater View display?

[MrC]

Gizmo is configured separately from Theater View.

Tools > Options > Media Network > Advanced > Customize views for Gizmo & WebGizmo...

[smokingdog]

Ok, tried that but still the same problem.

I am in Windows 8.1, so I have tried mapping \\WDMYCLOUD\Audio to Z:\ and then setting JR path to Z:\ (in Customise views for Gizmo & Webgizmo as suggested) but still the same problem.

It is a large library and it is now being recompiled. Will that make a difference? Do I need to wait for it to finish? 

[MrC]

Restart your MC - changes to Gizmo/WebGizmo usually require this.

By "recompiled", do you mean "imported"?

[smokingdog]

Yes, I meant imported. From experience this will take a long time, maybe till tomorrow morning depending on audio analysis (160k plus files)  so I think it is better just to let it run to completion before restarting?

In the meantime I have started another instance of MC on another laptop and connected that to the library of the original PC (the run running an import now).

Now I seem to have multiple problems:

1) There is nothing at all now in Theater View on the new Lap Top (it is pointing to the NAS where the library data is stored). I just get a message "There are no items to display"

2) It is the same problem with Gizmo on the smartphone despite customising display in the right place. I just get unassigned file types and no File, Artist, Album, Track hierachy.

3) I tried loading a local "main" library on the new laptop and that seems to work as expected with Gizmo with a File, Artist, Album, Track hierachy.

Are there some unexpected network effects?

[MrC]

This isn't a network issue.

You can disable analysis while importing - that is probably the best thing to do with a large library.  Do the analysis later, at your convenience.

I'm getting a little lost in all the details here - there are too many changes at one time and too many variables.

Get your files imported first.

If you don't see your Gizmo customizations, then you need to both restart MC (including Media Server, if it is still running after quit), and quit the Gizmo app and then try again.  WebGizmo should show the same results in your browswer, so you can test with that too.

[smokingdog]

Ok thanks, Finally got it working with your help  . Thanks a lot. 

One outstanding related problem (another aspect of aligning Gizmo customisations with Theater customisations) In Theater View I number tracks with:

Options -> Theater View -> Customize file info panel ->  Template (Audio) -> Manage -> Edit Template ->

PadNumber([Track #],2). [Name]

Is there a way of doing a similar thing to customise the Gizmo view to get track numbers?

[MrC]

No, I don't thinks so.  Gizmo and WebGizmo drive the appearance of file names.

[smokingdog]

Ahh. I was hoping there was a way. But just to confirm in case others are trying to do something similar.

Is there no way of numbering tracks in Gizmo other than incorporating the track number into the filename or track name?

[MrC]

To order by track #, so long as the Track # field is correct, tracks will be ordered correctly.

There is currently no way other than to change the Name to include Track #.  See also:

   http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=77572.msg526639#msg526639

[smokingdog]

Ok MrC, I can see you raised the feature request well over a year ago on 24th January 2013.

I have hunted around on the forums but I cannot find it. Can you point me to it? I will add my request to it or raise a new feature request. I guess it doesn't have a high priority. It seems like a small thing and for sure I have ensured the track ordering is correct but it is still awkward in lot's of scenarios not to have a simple identifier at a track level. Small UI inconsistencies like this all add up.

I was also surprised to find that similar (though not the same) customisations for Gizmo and Theater View are in such different places. Would never have occurred to me. Spent a lot of time on that. Do you know if there are outstanding feature requests to collect together customisation interfaces where that might be more intuitive?

 

[MrC]

I'm not sure what you want me to point you too.  You can bump the thread at the link above if you want, adding your interest in having the ability to see the Track #.

The various customizations locations are, if I recall correctly, due to a) having been developed at different stages of MC's life, and b) because different areas require different types of customizations.  For example, Theater View is entirely a Categories type view, and it only supports a couple of levels of depths, so the Standard View customization dialog and method doesn't well.   It also has features not available in Gizmo/WebGizmo, so their customization is different too.  And DLNA also has different requirements and needs.

JRiver has expressed interest in simplifying all these customization areas - but they've mentioned it is a large project.  I'd guess a higher priority would be that customizations of Theater View can happen directly from within Theater View.

[smokingdog]

Oh, I'm not a heavy user of the forums. I just came here out of the quiet desperation of the silent audiophile majority after weeks of frustration and domestic turmoil. I saw a lot of threads with "Feature Request" in the header and just assumed there was some kind of semi-formal process to prioritise functionality. I will bump your old thread as you suggest.

But understood. The more you get into it. The more you realise what a raft of usability issues there are. Especially use cases with a social or domestic dimension. The reason why something as trivial as Track # is important to me is that no other member of the family understands why there is no obvious way to request their favorite Track #. None of these things seems very important against SQ when you are the only user but in a domestic situation they really start to loom large.


Anyway, thanks again for your help.

[JimH]

If I understand correctly, you've added this view to Theater View:

Audio
     MP3
     Lossless
          Classical
          Compilations
          Jazz
          Pop
               Artist
                    Album
                         Track1
                         Track2
                         Track3

Why use the file system at all in this case?  You could use the existing Audio view and get this:

Audio
           Artist
                    Album
                         Track1
                         Track2
                         Track3

Or the existing Album view and get this:

Audio
                    Album
                         Track1
                         Track2
                         Track3

[MrC]

JimH,

The issue the OP is facing is shown in the WebGizmo screenshot.  You can't see the Track # values for the tracks.  Some users remember they like track 9, but don't know the title.   I Shot the Sheriff?  Waiting in Vain?

In WebGizmo (I don't know about Gizmo), once at the Album level, you can now no longer see the Artist either.

The OP is asking for the ability to include additional metadata (like Track #, and perhaps even Artist) as part of the per-track display string.  This capability, via expression, was given to DLNA, since some renderers won't show certain metadata like Track #.