Bugzilla – Bug 2953
Enable a Windows-type "Browse" function to assign location of Music Folder
Last modified: 2008-12-15 13:07:27 UTC
When listing the location of the Music Folder on the Web Interface, under Server Settings, it would be very convenient to have a windows style of browse facility that lists possible all locations and then allows you to click on the correct one. This could save problems for the user trying to find the correct style for specifying the pathway.
Since this is an enhancement request, it's going to need to be moved to 6.5.
As much as I would love to do it, and know it is the correct way to do it - it's currently impossible using a web browser as our UI.
Created attachment 1897 [details] A FolderChooser plugin A while back I started a plugin to select the music folder through the web interface. This plugin (trunk only) doesn't actually do anything yet except letting you browse the folders (the folder settings isn't saved). Is this similar to what you envisioned?
It is also possible to use the multipart form input normally used for uploading files. It would, however, require the root of the music folder to have an actual file that can be selected from which we'd extract the path info.
The no. 1 reason we can't use the usual file selector (even if it allowed for folder selection) is that the server doesn't see the same as the client. One of the most FAQ is "why doesn's slimserver see my network drive mounted as Z:?". Because the server does not see mounted drives. I planned to add some more "intelligent" error messages, eg. telling a Windows user that the server can't see mounts, that he'd have to use a UNC path instead. Or telling the NAS user connecting from a Windows PC that there's a world without drive letters etc.
This sounds like what I was suggesting. I am one of those people who don't get under the hood of my computer very often. So when I have to type in the path to my music folder I always forget the format (is it forward slashes or back slashes? are there any dots etc.?) I always have problems remembering the Windows format for the path to my music folder, especially since my Music Folder is on an external hard drive. What I really would like would be able to just browse for the music folder using the folder names and hard drive names that I know, and then just click on the folder and have the software figure out for me what the format is of the path to get to that folder. Many thanks for looking at this. I'm sure that I am not the only person who would like this. Rod Tucker
OK, I see the problem. Perhaps the error message could give a few hints (e.g. show an example of the format of a Windows path for an external drive)
(In reply to comment #7) > OK, I see the problem. Perhaps the error message could give a few hints (e.g. > show an example of the format of a Windows path for an external drive) Yeah, that's what I meant by "intelligent" error messages. Doesn't need a lot of artificial intelligence to implement :-)
Created attachment 2052 [details] AutoComplete for file/folder entry fields This patch adds a AutoComplete style dropdown list to text input fields for file/folder selection, eg. audiodir. Will display a list of matching files/folders to select from.
Created attachment 2053 [details] Screenshot of the AutoComplete style drop down list
Change 12296 adds the above mentioned "AutoComplete" support for file or folder preferences to the trunk.
Trunk now features a file/folder selector. http://yourserver:9000/settings/server/fileselector.html has a demo. It's only used in the wizard to come, but can be applied to any path settings field in the settings. Feedback is very much welcome.
The file/folder selector is now available from the wizard and the regular settings pages.
The new browse for a folder function is great - just what I was looking for. One minor problem: The little "dial" on the selected folder stopped turning about 2 minutes before my folder had been completely scanned. A more significant problem: I like to use "Browse Music Folder" to find my music. This has become very slow (at least one-half-second delay on each key stroke and an annoying "loading music folder" message keeps flashing up. Whats's worse, the scroll speed does not increase if you hold down the scroll button. This is a real show-stopper if you have many hundreds of albums like I do!
Please open new bug reports for new issues. What you're reporting is completely unrelated to the original issue. Thanks!
This bug appears to have been fixed in the latest release! If you are still experiencing this problem, feel free to reopen the bug with your new comments and we'll have another look. Make sure to include the version number of the software you are seeing the error with.