ClockList - a different kind of music playlist generator

Dave, this error pops up when trying to generate a playlist:
Code: 
See the end of this message for details on invoking 
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection.
Parameter name: index
   at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowArgumentOutOfRangeException()
   at System.Collections.Generic.List`1.get_Item(Int32 index)
   at ClockList.frmClockList.GetFileInfo()
   at ClockList.frmClockList.btnFiles_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)

Some files have incomplete tag eg. empty artist or titles. Maybe it's the problem.
 
Hi Dmitry,

I bet ClockList is failing because of a blank artist entry. Hmmmmm - this is a very good bug, which may take some clear thinking for me to fix!

I'll have to put some rules in place to skip the "Time since last artist play" if the artist is missing, as well as not trying to include that song in scans.

I have a business meeting this evening, so I won't have a chance to address this problem for a day or two.

Thanks for catching this one -
  Dave
 
Playlist Generator Pro ignores artist no-repeat for tracks without artist specified. Maybe you should apply this approach in your app :)
 
I was thinking the same thing Dmitry! We think alike :)

I'll get that wired up tonight (west coast US time). I hope to have a build completed within five hours of this message.

That build will have the "ignore artist time restrictions" in it.

I think I'll also add logging (at the Info level) to alert the user that an unexpected situation was encountered. That way if it's running in unattended mode, the user can find them later.

For interactive mode, I'll put something like (MISSING) in the playlist grid after the playlist is built.

I was also thinking that if the TITLE is missing from the MP3 tagging, I'd just use the file name.

What do you think about the TITLE solution? Think I should strip off the file extension?

  Thanks!
  Dave
 
For track no-repeat PlGenPro uses file name with full path. It seems to do the job.

Missing tracks is another problem. The first versions of PlGenPro just given up and took random track... Now it produces an error message and doesn't add anything (moves on to the next category). Also it floods the log with ERR messages, so maybe it's not an ideal solution.
 
Great info Dmitry - I'll definitely take your information into consideration as I'm working on my solutions.

I did get some traction on a fix for the missing/corrupted artist/title scenario a few hours ago. I did as you suggested, using the full path and file name as the title, if the title is missing from the MP3 tags.

However, I'm not satisfied with the amount of testing I've done to release a new beta. It will probably be during the weekend when a new build is released.

I'm also putting in an alert when zero tracks available - either because none were found, or none pass the time filters. ClockList will just give an error ("Playlist may be corrupt!") and plows ahead. In interactive mode the user gets a single messagebox per tag type that fails; there is always a single log entry for each tag for the available songs after time filter.

Thanks again for the suggestions and encouragement -
  David
 
hi please Dave , Dimitry or a volenteer gentlman can u please reupload the setup i get error not found tanks a .rar file can be good wanna also test :) thanks mate.or please email me the setup on radium98@hotmail.com
 
Okay - new build! Hopefully this is a pretty stable beta - I'm eager for more bug reports! The Setup now uses InstallShield for the installation, and configuration files are persisted in the ProgramData directory. I've also squished bugs in the artist look ups and time to last play.

Uninstall any previous builds before installing this build!
The new build is here: (Link removed - see later link)

Please let me know of the bugs you find!
 
New Build - (be sure to uninstall any previous builds before installing this build)
-- LINK REMOVED - NEWER VERSION AVAILABLE --
  • Added link to Help menu - takes you to the online documentation
  • Fixed value display bug in tag editor
  • Fixed usability bugs in the main form (accelerators, tab order, app coloring)
  • Added registration key import button in About box - trying to decide if it's worth registrations :)
Looking for more bugs -

  David
 
New build now available -
- Now uses presets for named playlist configurations
- Greatly enhanced logging to aid in fine-tuning playlist configuration
- Numerous bugs squished
- Will read tags anywhere in comments field; this may require additional work to avoid partial matches

Considering releasing this as "nag-ware" - it would have full functionality, but the unregistered version would have an annoying splash screen - I'm interested in suggestions...

As always, uninstall any previous versions before installing this version.
Unzip file to empty directory. Run SETUP.EXE to install.
Tested on Windows 7, x64.

-- LINK REMOVED - Newer Version Available --
 
I thing Nag-ware for a first version is a good option. WinRar still uses this approach :)
 
djsoft said:
I thing Nag-ware for a first version is a good option. WinRar still uses this approach :)
Click to expand...

I'll make it happen! Should be a pretty simple addition and will make unattended usage available.

  David
 
This is a fully functional edition of ClockList. It is now "nag-ware". At start-up, a splash screen will be displayed. If you have a registration key, you can dismiss the splash screen immediately. Without a registration key, you have to wait 10 seconds before you can close the splash screen.

There is no splash screen in the "unattended" (command line) mode - only in interactive mode.

Updates:
  • Refactored the code in numerous locations
  • Added ability to load playlists from FILE menu
  • Added more logging - NOTE! Info level logging can generate a 600K log each day if run each half-hour
  • Moved all preferences, templates, logs to a per-user location.
  • Added splash screen
  • Added more info in the About... box
  • Added more tool-tips
  • Updated installer with more data
Before installing, uninstall any previous versions.

-- LINK REMOVED - Newer Version Available --

Note that I haven't updated the documentation to match the updated version yet - I hope to update the docs this weekend.
  David
 
I found a bug in the "Artist Last Played" check, but haven't found a cure yet!

The symptom: The artist's last play date/time reflects a song from the artist, but not necessarily the most recently played.

I'm tracking it down - it's not an obvious error, unfortunately.

  David
 
Found the bug! ClockList was scanning the artists AFTER the song list had been trimmed for song playback limits - now the artist scan occurs against ALL songs. Fixed!

Testing underway. If all goes well tonight, I'll get an updated beta released on 5/24 (Pacific, US).

  Dave
 
Updated beta now available.

  • Removed the "number of songs to build" text box - ClockList is really time driven, so it will use "minutes" as the decider for playlist size. If the playlist exceeds the size of the tag clock, ClockList will loop the pattern until the "minutes" are satisfied
  • Two challenging bugs squished - one of these resulted in a seemly random exception, and the other resulted in the potential of an artist being played too often

I'm going to be on vacation for a couple of weeks, but this release looks pretty solid on my system.

Be sure to uninstall any previous version before installing this edition:

http://RadioDAVE.US/pics/CL_Beta_24May2013.zip
 
I've actually lost track of the features and bugs changed in this release. I have added much better tag parsing (spaces, commas, periods, colon, tabs), easier duration selection, additional logging information, and numerous bug fixes.

Latest build: http://RadioDAVE.US/pics/CL0628BETA.zip
Be sure to uninstall any previous versions prior to install.

Anyone good with UI? My UI is pretty lame - and I'd like to make ClockList easier to use, and perhaps better looking. Suggestions???

Dave
 
RadioDave said:
I've actually lost track of the features and bugs changed in this release. I have added much better tag parsing (spaces, commas, periods, colon, tabs), easier duration selection, additional logging information, and numerous bug fixes.

Latest build: http://RadioDAVE.US/pics/CL0628BETA.zip
Be sure to uninstall any previous versions prior to install.

Anyone good with UI? My UI is pretty lame - and I'd like to make ClockList easier to use, and perhaps better looking. Suggestions???

Dave
Click to expand...
Maybe something as PGPro. PGPro is more intuitive.
 
I've updated the interface with additional information and updated the online help. In addition, I've added help buttons to the various sections of the interface that link directly to the online help for that area of the application.

Hopefully this makes the operation easier.

Updated build: http://RadioDAVE.US/pics/CL29JUN2013BETA.zip
Be sure to uninstall any previous versions prior to installation.
 
The new UI is self-descriptive, I think it will make it easier for new users to get started. By the way, color scheme reminds me old DOS programs :)
 
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