Artist & AlbumArtist - multi values and JSON

[d6jg]

Why would I know? I did not design the API, but if you look at the API docs (http:// SERVER:9000/Default/html/docs/cli-api.html) you will see that the "albums" command supports "a" and "aa" in "tags" - allowing to show one or all.

Sorry. I wasn't intending to say that you would or should know. Please consider that as a rhetorical question.

That display is from LMS. As it uses a comma-separated string I cannot effectively split. (And, contrary to what Michael said, they are "<comma><space>" separated) As stated, if an artist has a comma ( "Earth, Wind, and Fire") it will break. If LMS used an array of strings then this wouild be a non-issue.

That is what is really surprising. If "a" and "aa" exists at AlbumArtist level why doesn't a similar option exist at Artist level? (Again a rhetorical question).

As you say if it was an array you could display as I or anyone wished plus each component artist could have its own hyperlink.

Similar to EW&F if I look at CSN&Y in my library its OK in Default

Default.
Second track multi tagged at Artist level - all hyperlinks work.



Material
As you say the multi tagging including a comma breaks the link



Is this a bug? I guess it wasn't when Default ruled but now that Material is the de-facto default skin for everyone who knows of it then yes I think it probably is.

[d6jg]

@craig

Just wondering if you changed

["albums",0,25000,"sort:new","wantMetadata:1","tags :ajlsyKSE","menu:1"]

to

["albums",0,25000,"sort:new","wantMetadata:1","tags :aajlsyKSE","menu:1"]

Would it break links in New Music for multi value AlbumArtists completely or just where there is a comma in one of the values?

[cpd73]

@craig

Just wondering if you changed

["albums",0,25000,"sort:new","wantMetadata:1","tags :ajlsyKSE","menu:1"]

to

["albums",0,25000,"sort:new","wantMetadata:1","tags :aajlsyKSE","menu:1"]

Would it break links in New Music for multi value AlbumArtists completely or just where there is a comma in one of the values?

Yes, it would. The code there is not expecting multiple album-artists. I'm considering removing these links, and adding them to the context menu instead. That way this will be avaiable on touch screen devices too.

[d6jg]

Yes, it would. The code there is not expecting multiple album-artists. I'm considering removing these links, and adding them to the context menu instead. That way this will be avaiable on touch screen devices too.

The links are already there on the context menu - aren't they?

Interestingly the broken by comma CSN&Y, Neil Young links are available from the context menu

[cpd73]

The links are already there on the context menu - aren't they?

No, I dont mean the list shown by "More" but the Material menu that has "More" - as in the menu that is shown when you click on an albums "..." button.

Interestingly the broken by comma CSN&Y, Neil Young links are available from the context menu

That is because (assuming you mean the list shown after clicking "More") that this list comes from LMS and it already has the items as individual items.

[d6jg]

No, I dont mean the list shown by "More" but the Material menu that has "More" - as in the menu that is shown when you click on an albums "..." button.

That would be an improvement as its one less click - as long it worked exactly in the same way as "More" i.e. links to all album-artists

That is because (assuming you mean the list shown after clicking "More") that this list comes from LMS and it already has the items as individual items.

I did mean that.
Would you do the same here - Links direct from Context menu? If so wouldn't the comma / multi value issue continue to cause problems.

In this general area there is something else that is not clear to the uneducated.
If your queue contains a track from an Online Music Service there is obviously no "link" to the artist direct from the queue nor from More although the artist name is displayed.
In the past you have said that you think the Queue would be cluttered if artwork from Online sources carried the streaming service logo. I'm wondering whether the inclusion of the logo (optional?) would make it clearer to the more casual user why there is no link.

[mherger]

(And, contrary to what Michael said, they are "<comma><space>" separated) As stated, if an artist has a comma ( "Earth, Wind, and Fire") it will break. If LMS used an array of strings then this wouild be a non-issue.

I don't know what's different here compared to your environment: I changed the tags in your code to use "aaSS" in addition to what there was before. And here's the first snippet I got when browsing new music (that's a manipulated album, of course :-)):

{
    "params": [
        "ac:de:48:00:11:22",
        [
            "albums",
            "0",
            25000,
            "wantMetadata:1",
            "sort:new",
            "tags:aajlsyKSSE",
            "menu:1",
            "library_id:0"
        ]
    ],
    "method": "slim.request",
    "result": {
        "albums_loop": [
            {
                "album": "Collaborations",
                "artist_id": 1168,
                "year": 2005,
                "artist_ids": "1168,1179,1296",
                "artists": "Sinéad O'Connor,Peter Gabriel,Earth, Wind & Fire",
                "id": 659,
                "artwork_track_id": "b2b0f51d",
                "artist": "Sinéad O'Connor"
            },

That's using Material master branch from a few hours ago, plus my little modification. There is no space around the delimiter. The regex posted earlier would split that correctly (as seen in the screenshot below).

There's no magic going on in the default skin and the on device menus etc. It's using this exact regex with above data, they're all using the same code. And it has worked just fine for many years. And the three artists are rendered as individual links:



Maybe our data is different? Eg. did you tag a file with multiple album artists using a separator as defined in Settings/My Music? In my case I use the semi-colon. Above album would have an album artist of "Sinéad O'Connor; Peter Gabriel; Earth, Wind & Fire". LMS would split this on the semicolon at scan time. Concatenate again in the albums query if given the "aa" tag, then split again on the comma without the spaces.

Edit: FWIW - I double checked JS would handle the regex identically:

> "Sinéad O'Connor,Peter Gabriel,Earth, Wind & Fire".split(/(?<!\s),(?!\s)/)
[ "Sinéad O'Connor", 'Peter Gabriel', 'Earth, Wind & Fire' ]

[d6jg]

I don't know what's different here compared to your environment: I changed the tags in your code to use "aaSS" in addition to what there was before. And here's the first snippet I got when browsing new music (that's a manipulated album, of course :-)):

{
    "params": [
        "ac:de:48:00:11:22",
        [
            "albums",
            "0",
            25000,
            "wantMetadata:1",
            "sort:new",
            "tags:aajlsyKSSE",
            "menu:1",
            "library_id:0"
        ]
    ],
    "method": "slim.request",
    "result": {
        "albums_loop": [
            {
                "album": "Collaborations",
                "artist_id": 1168,
                "year": 2005,
                "artist_ids": "1168,1179,1296",
                "artists": "Sinéad O'Connor,Peter Gabriel,Earth, Wind & Fire",
                "id": 659,
                "artwork_track_id": "b2b0f51d",
                "artist": "Sinéad O'Connor"
            },

That's using Material master branch from a few hours ago, plus my little modification. There is no space around the delimiter. The regex posted earlier would split that correctly (as seen in the screenshot below).

There's no magic going on in the default skin and the on device menus etc. It's using this exact regex with above data, they're all using the same code. And it has worked just fine for many years. And the three artists are rendered as individual links:



Maybe our data is different? Eg. did you tag a file with multiple album artists using a separator as defined in Settings/My Music? In my case I use the semi-colon. Above album would have an album artist of "Sinéad O'Connor; Peter Gabriel; Earth, Wind & Fire". LMS would split this on the semicolon at scan time. Concatenate again in the albums query if given the "aa" tag, then split again on the comma without the spaces.

Edit: FWIW - I double checked JS would handle the regex identically:

> "Sinéad O'Connor,Peter Gabriel,Earth, Wind & Fire".split(/(?<!\s),(?!\s)/)
[ "Sinéad O'Connor", 'Peter Gabriel', 'Earth, Wind & Fire' ]

It isn't broken in new Music - its broken (in Material) in the Queue

Craig - Earth, Wind, & Fire (two commas)
Michael - Earth, Wind & Fire

[cpd73]

I don't know what's different here compared to your environment: I changed the tags in your code to use "aaSS" in addition to what there was before. And here's the first snippet I got when browsing new music (that's a manipulated album, of course :-)):

That's using Material master branch from a few hours ago, plus my little modification. There is no space around the delimiter. The regex posted earlier would split that correctly (as seen in the screenshot below).

That is for the "albums" API call. The queue and now-playing use "status" - and this response has the space. As I said earlier, even the default web UI has broken links (I assume) because of this. i.e. artist a="a, b" artist b="c", default use shows (separate) underscores for "a" and "b", and none for "c" - in its now-playing.

[d6jg]