How about linking this instead with the Podcast Browser plugin that Dave wrote?

That could be the correct way to go...though we may need to do some
instrumentation outside the plugin. Specifically, we need to know if/when the
Podcast genre has been added to the DB.

oh yeah. I missed that.  I never noticed the Podcast genre.  I found them in
playlists, which is a bit easier to trap.

I suppose either (genre or playlist) is a reasaonable way to expose podcasts as
long as we can detect the addition (during a scan) and the ongoing existence of
them.

Patrick, do you have any thoughts on how we would combine the two (local
iTunes-based podcasts and remote browsable podcast directories) in the UI? Seems
like the former would make sense as part of the Browse Podcasts menu item you
suggest, but would the latter as well? If so, would there be a second level of
the hierarchy:

Browse Podcasts > iTunes Podcasts > [Podcast names]
                > Podcast Directory > [Top level of directory]

Remember that whatever we choose will apply to both the player and web interfaces.

it should be possible during iTunes scan to trap any podcast genre or podcast
playlist.  Maybe making them into a new custom url at that point would work, or
simply adding them to the 'plugin_podcast_feeds' prefs

Is this an easy fix for 6.1? Otherwise bump it.

It could be easy, depending on what we decide to do. We may also have a
strategic reason for adding this, albeit within the constraints of existing
deadlines.

hmm...I stil can't find a genre named "podcast".  I have two that I loaded into
iTunes 4.9, and the XML shows "Family" and "Public Radio" for the genres.  The
only place they seem to be grouped is in the Playlist: Podcast.

Have I missed something?

in response to Vidur about combining the podcast plug-in and browsing my download podcasts, i would 
like to suggest that we split these experiences...one is about my content and other is about internet based 
content.  The plug-in belongs in Internet Radio and the "Browse my Podcast" belong with access to my 
content.

I'm beginning to see what you mean.  Itunes actually downloads and saves episodes, whereas the 
browser is meant to store the links for downloading on demand.

As such, its is not easy to merge the two, and probably is better of being separate.  However, the genre 
isn't fixed.  The only link the the Podcasts playlist, which is always available to the users via browse 
playlists.  It might be possible for the itunes plugin to create a link on the home page to directly browse 
that playlist.

Created attachment 603 [details]
Here is a sample

This creates a link on the home page to jump directly into browsing the iTunes
Podcasts playlist, if one is found. the edit playlist form still shows, but I'm
sure a bit of tweaking can get rid of that.

Created attachment 606 [details]
update playlist id on scans

made the link adder into a function, so that it can be called on initPlugin,
and on doneScanning.

kdf, care to check in that last patch? Let's get it out there and get some
testing. Thanks!

will do

committed at change 3697

Cc:ing Dean as an FYI that this went in today. Check it out and let us know what
you think.

Input regarding nightly:
* itunes podcast is not available on the display's main menu
* when you view the web list, everything is listed in one long list without any apparent order instead of 
first presenting show names on the first level (our in our language: Album name).

New request:
* sort podcasts for each broadcaster (Album) by the date of each broadcast
 (with the date visible)...most recent on top.

That will require a lot more manipulation.  More than will make it in time for
6.1. iTunes only presents these as a playlist, so the server would have to do
all the work.

adding the following to iTunes::setPodcasts() will add a player menu option:

	Slim::Buttons::Home::addMenuOption('ITUNES_PODCASTS', {
			'useMode'  => 'browsedb',
			'hierarchy' => 'playlist,playlistTrack',
			'level' => 1,
			'findCriteria' => {'playlist' => @$podcast[0]->id()},
		}) if @$podcast[0];

We should add it to Browse Music, no?

then its this:

Slim::Buttons::Home::addSubMenu('BROWSE_MUSIC','ITUNES_PODCASTS', {
			'useMode'  => 'browsedb',
			'hierarchy' => 'playlist,playlistTrack',
			'level' => 1,
			'findCriteria' => {'playlist' => @$podcast[0]->id()},
		}) if @$podcast[0];

Having both would be consistent with the other browse lists, since some users
may want to move iTunes Podcasts to the top level, instead of just within Browse
Music.

Sorting appears to be 'in the order listed in the playlist', as it is for any
playlist.  I'm not sure exactly how to go about doing any mroe complex parsing
and/or sorting. At least, not with existing server code.

Checked in your patches with change 3748.

remarking as enhancement, as far as organisation

I think this will need some sort of mechanism that allows Browse By Album, with
a find such that an album's tracks exist within a given playlist.  

Dan, is there any way to do this with what we have?  Is there a more appropriate
target for this, or a different solution for what Patrick wishes to see (comment
18)?

Created attachment 837 [details]
Add podcasts from iTunes to a "Podcasts" genre

Creating a whole new method for hierarchy and browsing might not be feasible. 
So, I have another idea to get us closer to this request.  On loading iTunes,
parse the itunes podcasts playlist, adding a genre for each track: "podcasts". 
This way, itunes (and any other podcasts) can be viewed as a genre.  The
"browse podcasts" link could, instead, point to this genre instead of the
playlist.  Thus, you would gain the benefit of the multilevel browsing that is
already in place.

Try out what's in tonight's nightly and let me know what you think.