beginner layout help

[dviola]

Hi all,

I've read through the layout documentation a few times and had a look at some contributed layout files in the hope of coming up with a layout like what I've attached below. I have to confess that the documentation is rather opaque to me. Are there other sources I could look to to get a handle on layouts, or, failing that, could someone offer a suggestion on how to construct such a layout. Of course, if what I've sketched up isn't possible for some reason, just let me know.



Thanks,
Dave

[Satoshi]

Yeah, it's doable. I'd do it for you but I have absolutely no time to do it :(

[dviola]

Well, that's one question down :D. Thanks for the info. I'm taking another stab at what I *think* should be the basic structure, and I'll post that once I confirm it doesn't work the way I think it should (given my very, very limited understanding of how layouts work).

[VastOne]

Your request is somewhat similar to the ones I have done, all with the name vastone in them.

Take a look at those and swap and switch and you may come up with it...

Let me look at your progress and I will help any way I can...

VastOne

[dviola]

Yeah, I've browsed through the past forum topics here and noticed several of yours, but I haven't had a look at all of the underlying layout script yet. Will do that tomorrow to see if my answer becomes apparent, then report back.

[dviola]

I tried using your GQLC layouts from github, but all three of them give me nothing but a search bar. Any idea why that might be?

[VastOne]

That is strange... What version of GMB are you running?  The latest from squentin github? 

This page shows you how to set that up ... http://gmusicbrowser.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=guide:git

There have been times when starting a new layout for the first time that I have had to adjust the position of everything, meaning grabbing the sides of the panels and putting them into place.

But your issues sound different...

[dviola]

I was using 1.02. Upgraded to 1.17 and that seems to have fixed the problem.

[dviola]

Here's where I'm at:

Code Select Expand

[dv]
Type=G+

#Menu bar
MBmenu = MainMenuItem LayoutItem PSortItem PFilterItem QueueItem
HBmenu = _MBmenu

#Player buttons and TimeBar
HBButtons = Prev Stop Play Next ExtraButtons -VolumeIcon -Pref -OpenBrowser(toggle)
HBTime = Time _TimeSlider
HBplaytime      = HBButtons 25_HBTime

#Cover and Playlists
HPplaylist      = _Cover SongTree(group=1)

#Filter panes, SongList, Searchbar
HPfp1 = FilterPane1(nb=2,hidebb=1,page=artist) FilterPane2(nb=3,hidebb=1,page=album)
HPfp0 = FilterPane0(nb=1,hidebb=1,page=genre) HPfp1
HPfpmain        = HPfp0 SongList
HBsearch = _SimpleSearch -FilterLock -PlayFilter -Refresh -ResetFilter
VBbottom        = _HPfpmain HBsearch

#Playlist and Filter pane panels
VPmain          = HPplaylist VBbottom

#All containers
VBmain          = HBmenu HBplaytime _VPmain


Outstanding issues/questions:

1. tweak SongTree display so that the info above each group is Artist  - Album [Year]  -  Codec
2. add alternate line shading to filter panes (like in SongTree and SongList widgets)
3. Does the Cover widget only display art for the file that is playing? I'm coming from foobar2000 where the album art display can follow the cursor (i.e., one could click on a track in the SongList widget and the corresponding artwork would show up).
4. When I restart the program: (1) the SongList panel extends all the way to the left, covering up the Genre/Artist/Album filter panes and (2) my entire library is in the SongTree instead of just the tracks that I had dragged and dropped there beforehand. I had TabbedLists in place of SongTree initially, and that playlist persists through restarting the program. I suspect I'm not understanding the distinction between a playlist and SongTree.

Anyways, thanks for the help so far. If anyone has insight into the above, it'd be much appreciated.

[dviola]

Also, is it possible to customize the filter pane to display the albumartist rather than artist?

[aboettger]

I think that this is not possible.

[Quentin Sculo]

try this (note that I change the name of the layout to dv2, settings that are user-modifiable are only applied when you use a layout for the first time) :

Code Select Expand


[dv2]
Type=G+

#Menu bar
MBmenu = MainMenuItem LayoutItem PSortItem PFilterItem QueueItem
HBmenu = _MBmenu

#Player buttons and TimeBar
HBButtons = Prev Stop Play Next ExtraButtons -VolumeIcon -Pref -OpenBrowser(toggle)
HBTime = Time _TimeSlider
HBplaytime      = HBButtons 25_HBTime

#Cover and Playlists
HBplaylist      = Cover(group=1) _PlayList(songtree=1,group=1,grouping=album|artist_album_year)

#Filter panes, SongList, Searchbar
HPfp1 = FilterPane1(nb=2,hidebb=1,pages=album_artist,rules_hint=1,hidetabs=0) FilterPane2(nb=3,hidebb=1,pages=album,rules_hint=1,hidetabs=0)
HPfp0 = FilterPane0(nb=1,hidebb=1,pages=genre,rules_hint=1,hidetabs=0) HPfp1
HPfpmain        = HPfp0 _SongList
HBsearch = _SimpleSearch -FilterLock -PlayFilter -Refresh -ResetFilter
VBbottom        = _HPfpmain HBsearch

#Playlist and Filter pane panels
VPmain          = HBplaylist VBbottom

#All containers
VBmain          = HBmenu HBplaytime _VPmain


{Group artist_album_year}
title= _"Artist - Album [Year]"
head=title:h
vcollapse=head
title: text( markup='<b><big>'.pesc($artist).' - '.pesc($album). \
if($year,' <small>['.pesc($year).']</small>'). '</big></b>')

1. tweak SongTree display so that the info above each group is Artist  - Album [Year]  -  Codec

Showing the Codec is not possible currently, the layout above use the "artist_album_year" "group skin" defined after it.

2. add alternate line shading to filter panes (like in SongTree and SongList widgets)

rules_hint=1 (option was broken for some time before 1.1.7)

3. Does the Cover widget only display art for the file that is playing? I'm coming from foobar2000 where the album art display can follow the cursor (i.e., one could click on a track in the SongList widget and the corresponding artwork would show up).

Cover widget follow the current song by default, the group= option can be used to make it follow the selection of a SongTree/SongList/...

4. When I restart the program: (1) the SongList panel extends all the way to the left, covering up the Genre/Artist/Album filter panes

I changed the expand option ( "_" ) and used a HB rather than a HP

4. (2) my entire library is in the SongTree instead of just the tracks that I had dragged and dropped there beforehand. I had TabbedLists in place of SongTree initially, and that playlist persists through restarting the program. I suspect I'm not understanding the distinction between a playlist and SongTree.

Yes it's a bit confusing, SongList and SongTree are 2 mostly equivalent widgets, except for some small differences and the big difference that SongTree can group songs, use "group skins" and custom columns.
TabbedLists use by default SongLists but can use SongTrees with the songtree=1 option.
There is a few other widgets that are in reality either a SongList or SongTree, in the layout above I used a PlayList which is equivalent to using the mode=playlist option with SongTree or SongList.

Also, is it possible to customize the filter pane to display the albumartist rather than artist?

possible by using the field album_artist which is Album artist or Artist (there is also the album_artist_raw field).