MinimServer Forum

RAP
(Recently Added Program) for Windows

Why?
A recurring feature request for MinimServer has been the introduction of a ‘Recently added’ option.
Whilst this is on the development roadmap, a short term solution might be useful.

Solution
RAP will allow you to browse your music library by the date an album was created. You can choose to browse by periods of days, weeks, months, quarters and years as well as by specific date ranges.
RAP achieves this by reading your music library audio files.*1 The associated file creation dates together with RAP configuration data determines the periods to be browsed which are written to a file.
This file is read by MinimServer to create virtual tags and these are used in the MinimServer property ‘indexTags’.
RAP can also create playlist files covering the same browse periods.

*1) Do not worry, as the audio files are only scanned. Audio files are not amended.

Compatibility
It has been tested as follows:

• Windows 7 32 bit
• Window 10 pro 64 bit
• Internal drives
• Synology NAS (nb – if password protected, external folders must first be accessed manually before executing the code)
• Music directory containing 350 albums, 4000+ tracks
• Audio formats wav, flac, aiff, dsf, mp3
• MinimServer 0.8.x
  

Disclaimer
Needless to say, I accept no responsibility for any harm that may befall your hardware etc. etc. should you wish to try this software.

The source is readily available and open to scrutiny.


Still interested?
A small (7.5mb) zipped distribution file is available via the link at the bottom of this post. It contains several folders. They contain the program, a user guide, example configuration files and an executable batch file.
There are no other requirements.

Once unzipped, to any folder, and after amending the configuration files as appropriate, the program can be run.

At the risk of being tedious, I should point out that the feature I think that you want to use is contained in the Lumin app, which creates its own database. I use it with Minim all the time. Tedious perhaps because you have to remember to update it when you add a CD, but it has advantages not least speed.

Donuk empty downtown York

Ouch! but you are not alone in your assessment, judging by the lack of interest.

Clearly, there is more than a hint of 're-inventing the wheel' with this program. It does nothing unique.
Undoubtedly, there are many control points, music servers, music renderers and audio file taggers that do similar features better.
Dedicated music enthusiasts will have tagged their audio files accordingly.

But, for the remaining small percentage of music listeners who do not have access to the relevant software/app, nor the inclination to tag their music library retrospectively, this program might have been useful.
At least, as a proof of concept that the feature is of benefit and without the risk of altering audio files.

Perhaps the opening post did not clearly describe the features provided. So, I'll attempt to remove the wheat from the chaff.

1) the default feature is to generate a Creation Date tag for each audio file in a Music library, with a value obtained from the audio files' creation date. This is a 'virtual' tag only recognised by MinimServer and any control point app that communicates with MinimServer.

2) optionally, a date range feature can be enabled. This date range can be absolute or dynamic and there can be multiple ranges. Again, this uses each audio files' creation date and compares it against the date range(s). Any match will generate a Period Detail tag with a label value. This is also a 'virtual' tag.
If this tag was used as an Index tag you could have a selection list similar to the following:-


3) optionally, similar to 2) except that a playlist(s) is/are created to contain details of each matched audio file. The playlist is a regular .m3u playlist.

Hi Alan
I was not intending to belittle your efforts at all - I don't fully understand them if I am honest.
I just pointed a way for less capable folk to achieve something similar.....

Donuk

No offence taken, more a sobering realisation that it appears to be a solution looking for an issue.

Over a thousand views but very few comments.

I cannot help but wonder just what people thought of the application.
So, would you take a little time and be so kind as to provide some feedback, such as ...

A good idea but

• the wrong platform
• looks too complicated
• no user friendly interface
• do not trust unknown programs
• links do not work
• do not understand what it does
• no need of it
  

Perhaps you have something similar as part of your workflow of adding new albums.

Perhaps you use other applications (foobar) to achieve something similar.

Perhaps you use the Lumin control app that provides something similar.

Etc. Etc.

Basically, I'm just curious.


Anyway, I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Xmas and a healthy New Year that should deliver a shot in the arm for all of us to get out and about again.

I use Lumïn app ...

Many years ago I started adding a custom tag as I ripped or downloaded albums. This tag contains the date I added the album to my library. I then have this as an index in MinimServer.

I also created another custom tag which is either blank or contains the value Recent. This is also an index in MinimServer. I tend to leave albums in Recent until I have listened to them a few times and feel I know them. Sone stay for a couple of weeks others much longer. I review items with this tag when adding new music and set to blank as appropriate.

So I can do most of what I want in terms of recently added.

I like your idea of last month, last 6 months etc. I will have a go at installing RAP
Let you know how it goes

Merry Christmas

OK now installed and working.

Looks good - thank you very much.

My setup is a 64bit Windows PC with the music files stored on a QNAP TS-559 Pro II and on a Melco. I was running the script on the PC against files on the QNAP.

Although I have the tag "Added" which I create when I rip albums, it shows each month separately in Kazoo/Linn and you have to drill down to each month, your tags show better the Last weeks/months.

Also although Lumin can show by date, it is the album date rather than the dated added. So for newly released albums it tends to be the same, when you add an old album it is not.

So I will keep on using it as it allows me a different and useful view into my library in addition to what I can get from my custom field when using Kazoo and Linn and also to Lumin.

I found your instructions very straightforward. The only place where I had to look up MinimServer help was for setting tagUpdate in MinimWatch, I also missed the names of the tags being created first time (DATE_CREATED and PERIOD_DETAIL to be added to indexTags/itemTags)

I just started it running against my 22K files - took just over 20 minutes to execute and worked first time.

Thanks for this Christmas present.

Peter

(24-12-2020 18:52)Alandbush Wrote: [ -> ]Over a thousand views but very few comments.

I cannot help but wonder just what people thought of the application.
So, would you take a little time and be so kind as to provide some feedback, such as ...

A good idea but

• the wrong platform
• looks too complicated
• no user friendly interface
• do not trust unknown programs
• links do not work
• do not understand what it does
• no need of it
  

Perhaps you have something similar as part of your workflow of adding new albums.

Perhaps you use other applications (foobar) to achieve something similar.

Perhaps you use the Lumin control app that provides something similar.

Etc. Etc.

Basically, I'm just curious.


Anyway, I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Xmas and a healthy New Year that should deliver a shot in the arm for all of us to get out and about again.

1) I use Lumin app, so I know which are the latest entered

2) I store all my music in a mysql database, and I have developped a whole web site in PHP to access it. I can access the latest entered album through this interface.