Bugzilla – Bug 8878
Party Mode
Last modified: 2010-02-25 10:54:24 UTC
An enhancement suggested in this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=47592 The OP and numerous replies all pointed to a similar problem: there is not a simple jukebox or "Party" mode that allows the unitiated to perform simple functions without risking eliminating the playlist by accidentally hitting the "Play" button. I don't think I can improve on the OP's statement of the problem and proposed solution: "I run into this problem. The squeezebox controller is the ultimate party toy- but nobody knows how to use it, and therefore ends up not working the way you'd expect. The ultimate goal: To have people pass around the controller at a party, and have them add to the playlist. The ultimate problem: People figure out how to use it, but accidentally click Play instead of Add, and erase the night's playlist. On more than one occasion I'd have to track down the controller to change it off repeating one song. The solution: Easy to use party mode that only allows adding 1 track at a time, and no instant play option, and requires a password to go into settings to change sync options and player options (And volume options)." One additional item for consideration: instead of making the Play button inoperable, have it become the "Play Next" option, as opposed to having people press and hold the "+" key (I've seen people have issues with this when using my SB3 remote).
You have a friend on the development team, I've wanted this myself for a while :) https://bugs-archive.lyrion.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6448#c2 assigning to myself, hope to look at this for 7.3
Is this really just a Controller request? It seems that the Classic/Transporter IR interfaces and even the Web UI (think N800) could benefit from this, too. I could see a lot of items for this: - change what Play does - no deleting entire playlist - no powering a player off - no pause - minimum & maximum volumes - no Sleep - no changing Shuffle mode A general party mode plugin could use addDispatch to wrap appropriate CLI commands and reinterpret or block as needed.
Hi, Please consider a solution that doesn't disable the "Play" funtionality entirely but just warns the user that he or she is about to "replace the entire playlist of xx songs, proceede? (Yes/No)". Sometimes this is exactly what you want if for instance someone has added a bunch of stupid songs to the playlist just to annoy the rest of the party :-). Or just use the functionality for a while until the wife gets the hang of it. You can find more about my suggestion in this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=47592 /Letten
While I like Jesper's suggestion, I like it as the default setting. The whole point of this special Party mode is to have ultimate control of the playlist in the owner's hands. It SHOULD be difficult to erase the playlist. If you want your guests to be able to erase it, don't enable Party Mode. Having a warning pop up when you hit "Play" is something I'd find useful in everyday use, hence the suggestion to consider Jesper's idea as the default. Half the time I hit play in the middle of the playlist, I don't mean to do so. I personally wouldn't find it annoying to have to hit the "Play" button twice if I really wanted to remove the current playlist.
Functions I would like to see in party mode: - block all settings, internet radio, etc: just allow browsing and "add". - configurable option "Don't allow track to be added if it appears in the last XX entries of the playlist" (Default 50, say) - configurable option "Don't allow track from artist to be added if artist appears in the last XX entries of the playlist" (Default 10, say) -configurable option “Play behaves like Add” - configurable option “Always Add at the bottom of the playlist” - configurable options to block skip, volume controls, pause, brightness etc. These restriction should apply to webinterface, Remote and Controller Option to switch between normal and party-mode from remote, web interface and controller.
Here's another vote for having a "Party Mode" that also affects the player UI/IR Remote as well as at least the default web interface and new Squeeze Play. Do we need a clone of this pointing back here specifically for the other modules?
As stated by someone else, I would also like this functionality (or a version of it) to be available from the regular IR remote - i.e. not just Controller.
I don't know if a "Party Mode" is entirely necessary. I have changed my Default.map to make the play button on single press while browsing the tree simply add the song to the playlist next (play_2 instead of play_0) I then just hit the fwd button and voila -- the desired effect. Track is playing and my playlist is saved. The only way to "kill the playlist" (as my friends and I love to say) would be to hit the + key while on the "Now Playing" screen. A simple check box would be nice to choose the default behavior instead of editing the default.map. There is a problem with this though. Joe PartyGoer may endlessly press play and add a bunch of the same song to the playlist. What I think would be nice would be to have the ability to insert the track into playlist next AND play it with one play button press. I am NOT a programmer, but I've been fiddling around trying to find an easy solution. Not having much luck http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=52595 [code] } elsif ($addorinsert == 2) { $string = 'INSERT_TO_PLAYLIST'; $command = "inserttracks","jump_fwd"; ///how can we include "jump_fwd" in the same $command as "inserttracks"? [/code] This is one of my non-working attempts at changing the behavior of play_2. This logic would achieve what I believe we are after. It would add the song to the playlist next and then jump to it(the same as if the fwd button were pressed) Maybe this behavior could be defined somewhere as "play_3" Then a simple check box in the UI to determine default behavior. I'm done ranting. Ben, am I way off base in my thinking or is it not this simple? Thanks
(In reply to comment #8) I guess I should state that I am only speaking about IR remote functionality. I have no knowledge of the Jive/SC and the ideas I put forth would certainly have nothing to do with it. Thanks
DIsclaimer: this is a feature request and isn't here for people to come in saying that the feature isn't needed. FIle a feature removal request if you don't want a certain feature. The PARTY Mode ideally would not be about a particular interface to the server, but would be a mode affecting all interfaces. When i have people over I just want to put the player into party mode and let guests use either the controller, IR remote or web interface.
We're now in the process of debating the details of this internally. One question that comes up is: what should be the behavior of the 'play' button? Some say that 'play' should stop the current track and begin playing the selected song (followed by the rest of the playlist, still intact), but others are in favor of a straightforward remapping of 'play' to 'add-after-the-current-track' or 'add-to-the-end-of-the-playlist.' Comments? Other ideas?
My preference would be that if *party* mode is enabled nothing should stop the current track in favour of another. Any actions should only add to the current playlist, whether it be the next track, or the last track. Seems to make sense that Play would *insert* the track into the playlist as the next song, and Add would add it to the end of the playlist (as previously discussed). If you wanted to play a track immediately, you simply hit Play and then Skip. I guess this would mean Play is the same as Add+Hold in *party* mode which is not a big deal is it?
I personally like the option for play to insert after the current song, and plus will insert at the end of the playlist (someone can always hit play then next if they really hate the current song). However, how difficult would it be to have a "party mode" tab in squeezecenter that will have drop down boxes for the behavior of those two buttons so people can set it up the way they want? I think that generally this is one of those features that we all agree we need, but the specifics like this can be quite divisive from one person to the next.
I'd prefer: [play] or [add] = 'add-to-the-end-of-the-playlist.' hold [play] or hold [add] = 'add-after-the-current-track' Maybe one should disable the skip forward/backward buttons and only skip fw/bw when the corresponding button is hold (pressed longer). I don't think that I want to explain the difference between add and play again and again. People will just guess what's the right button. Some will go for the play button and some will go for the add button. Also, no song should be added more than once (into the playlist ahead). Someone might press play repeatedly if his/her song will not play instantly (they're all iPod users..). Of course, the possibility to fully configure this would be the best solution. :) Thanks for considering this feature!
I think the core of this feature is to allow multiple people to influence a playlist without allowing one b***head take it over or do really annoying things. People are assumed to have little to no understanding of different remote button behaviors. People are assumed to not care about interrupting a song that several other people were really liking. So my core suggestions: * make it hard to stop or truncate the current song or to delete the entire playlist or other people's selections. It should require going to a submenu or perhaps even require entering a password. There should be some kind of distinction between being a playlist supervisor and being a participant. I really like the idea of a password. There's always that one idiot.... * don't make people learn the difference between + and play. Adding a song in party mode is neither "play next" nor "play last" but rather "play after all the other play next's that were entered already." Basically, any button you touch either navigates to selections, does "play when it's my turn" or does nothing. * allow only 1 song to be added at a time, not a whole album or other playlist. * Suppress duplicates.
I tend to agree that in a *Party* mode there would be no need for anyone to have their song played before someone else, and hence no need for a 'Play Now' option. Having said that, I would be quite happy to support the idea of having a user-defined option for whether pressing Play would play next (add after current track), or add to the end of the playlist. I wouldn't go so far as to allow NO duplicates, but I would like it to not accept a track if it was included in the last 10 tracks played, for example. Perhaps this number could be user-defined too?
I think most of the suggestions so far are way too complex either in use or in administration. Furthermore some of them really only makes sense if your guest are drunken, stupid or both. Do you really want to let those people use Your Duet, or even invite them in the first place? Please consider my suggestion for a really simple solution: Keep all the normal functionality of the "add" and "play" buttons, that we (the daily users) know and can explain to the guest if necessary. The only thing that a "party mode" needs to do when pressing "play" is to display a question for the user "Replace current playlist of xx songs" Yes or No ("No" is default). The user would then have to use the scrollwheel to toggle between yes and no and press centerbutton to select answer. This way users are warned but You/they still have the option to go foreward if thats what they really want. Call it partymode, warning or request for confirmation, but keep it as an option in the settings menu.
For those supporting this idea "no need for anyone to have their song played before someone else, and hence no need for a 'Play Now' option." please consider this scenario: Everybody's on the dancefloor having a great time because ABBA's "Dancing Queen" is playing. Now the next (boring) song in the playlist starts and they shout for moore ABBA. Then I would really like to be able to put som more ABBA on top of the list. In some scenarois described in this forum this would then not be possible at all or You would have to go back into setting, password, clear playlist, find ABBA, add.... by the time youre ready most people have left the dancefloor i guess :-)
Jesper, I understand what you're trying to achieve but from a usability standpoint I believe approach would add more confusion (more questions = more confusion). I think the ideas above are more suitable. Having said that, I think you're abolutely right in your "ABBA scenario" (I vote that's what we call it now), however I think the ability to "play next" - either through a long press or some other approach - would meet this need just as well.
In reply to Jesper, One of the reasons for party mode isn't just because people might be drunk - But because we don't trust the judgement of the people using the player. A prompt "Do you want to clear the playlist" leaves the fate of our night's playlist in the hands of somebody who really just wants to listen to his artist. He'll have no problem clearing the playlist for HIS choice. So this covers accidental "play-nows" that might clear the playlist- or people who really want their song now on purpose. We need to guard against both.
When I'm thinking of "party mode" no guest should be able to change settings. All I want is my guests to browse artists, albums, songs, genres etc pick a song and have no other means to change playlists or what so ever. If the song picked should be netered at the bottom of the list or played next isn't that inmportant I think. I'm the admin (god on my duet;-)and only I should be able to wipe playlists etc. I even would like to see a partymode skin with just the settings I'd choose to be in it.
Fred wrote: ...He'll have no problem clearing the playlist for HIS choice. ok, but all the suggestions protecting the playlist will not protect it against someone adding 50 stupid songs anyway (either at once or one by one). But they do make it difficult removing the 50 songs again (where's the admin with the password). I'm not interested in "Fort Knox", I'm happy with the way I (and my guests) can work with the playlist during the evening: adding songs top or bottom, even wipe the list if everybody agrees it's time to put on some Dance music. With normal, sane, people, the only real problem is the accidental wiping of the playlist using the "play" button.
"With normal, sane, people, the only real problem is the accidental wiping of the playlist using the "play" button." Agreed. The Abba scenario is a good point. I'll revise my opinion to saying that 'Add' and 'Play' both add a song to the end, but maybe a long press of play will add it next. You needn't advertise this feature to the guests! Songs probably should be able to be deleted one by one, but never the entire playlist. It does leave open the possibility of someone removing other people's songs, but also gives the 'admin' an option to delete stupid stuff. Maybe the ability to delete can be a user-defined option?
For most folks, hitting the play button to add a song to the play list next seems pretty logical. The FF button can still work such that if you don't like the song you can move on to the next. The plus button can add the song to the end of the playlist, and that should work fine, too. As long as the playlist isn't completely undone by the drunks or blockheads (both of which appear at my parties from time to time), any of the aforementioned suggestions can work...but I think the one outlined here (and elsewhere) is probably the most logical for the typical slightly inebriated party-goer.
Basic support for Party Mode (and now a subset of Party Mode called Playlist Mode) has been added to SqueezeCenter 7.3. When 7.3 is released in the fairly near future, Party Mode will be present but still considered beta. see this forum thread for more information: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=55385 and the wiki page for description of the modes and their behavior: http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/PlaylistModePartyMode Since the feature is not in final form, I'm leaving this open and re-targetting for 7.3.1
(In reply to comment #23) > The Abba scenario is a good point. I'll revise my opinion to saying that 'Add' > and 'Play' both add a song to the end, but maybe a long press of play will add > it next. You needn't advertise this feature to the guests! Yes, this is what I'd expect for a party mode. PLAY and ADD would function identically. > Songs probably should be able to be deleted one by one, but never the entire > playlist. It does leave open the possibility of someone removing other people's > songs, but also gives the 'admin' an option to delete stupid stuff. Maybe the > ability to delete can be a user-defined option? I could easily see either options for the party mode ("Permit playlists deletions") or else the existence of a 'Party Mode' and a 'Strict Party Mode', where the latter completely locks the system down.
Other suggestions for Party Mode: Permit playing music only from the local library. Don't allow playing of Internet Radio or Music Services, either of which will wipe out the playlist. Also, don't permit playing Random Mix, Favorites, or Playlists. Browsing should be confined to Albums, Artists, Years, Genres and New Music. Don't allow a track to be entered if it's already in the playlist. It's too easy for someone new to the system to accidentally queue up the same song multiple times. And as a party host, you generally don't want people playing the same song over again.
Changing target to next release
I'm assuming this feature is not currently compatible with Dynamic Playlists? I primarily listen to my music using a random playlist that filters out low-rated songs. I had Party Mode enabled, but when I tried to add a song next by hitting the "Play" button, the playlist was erased and the song I chose began.
I believe there is a clear consensus from the community on what needs to be done/fixed with what's currently implemented. 1) never dynamically invoke playlist mode (turn on only via settings) 2) have a user-configurable setting on whether the play button should work as 'add' or 'add next'. retarget for 7.3.3, assign to Dean for comment.
I'm fine with your suggestions, Ben.
Since there's now a planned 7.3.3 release, bugs which won't make the cut-off are being moved to the next target out. If you feel that this bug needs to be addressed more (or less) urgently than the 7.4 release, please cc chris@slimdevices.com and leave a comment in the bug to that effect so we can review it. Thanks.
Moving to the product SqueezePlay because this bug appears to apply to any player based on that application code. Feel free to move it back if it's specific to the single original product.
Reset priority before triage.
this is an administrative shuffle on priority fields to help make better judgment on the top end of the priority list. P4->P5, P3->P4, and P2->P3.
== Auto-comment from SVN commit #28473 to the slim repo by bklaas == == https://svn.slimdevices.com/slim?view=revision&revision=28473 == Bug: 13896 Bug: 13689 Bug: 8878 Description: playlist/party mode, a feature that was never fully baked/completed, is in direct conflict with some of the touch-to-play behavior introduced in 7.4. I'm dealing with this issue by removing the Settings->Advanced->Beta Features->Playlist Mode item and explicitly ignoring whatever client pref is set for playlistMode and always returning 'off'. This effectively kills the partial fix for bug 8878, but I believe if we can concentrate on what is laid out in 13689 we may have a better solution. Voters of bug 8878, I feel your pain. If I had a party I wouldn't hand the controller to anyone for fear of killing the music/destroying the playlist. It stinks, and I will do my best to continue to raise this issue for a better and more full solution.
Ben, your hoped-for solution won't make it into 7.4.x, apparently. :)