Basic instructions - Basic syntax

[mbussolo]

Dear All,

I have been using MinimServer for a few years and I am very satisfied, so a big thank you to Simon. I have MinimServer on a QNAP NAS (TS-469 4 bay) and running MiminWatch on a Windows 10 PC, using Linn Kinsky, or Kazoo as control points and a Linn DS network player.

I have basically used MinimServer as it comes out of the box for all of these years, because my music library was not that complex (about 3,000 albums). But now it has grown in complexity and I would like to have more ways of exploring it.

I have updated recently to MinimServer2 and I am happy to pay the full license.

I have spent some hours reading the instructions (user guide) Simon has on the site, and they are accurate and detailed but not for a layman. I have difficulties in absorbing many abstract concepts that are probably obvious for the majority. I would appreciate many more examples of how to change properties and then what one should expect as a result.

I have four specific questions: 1) is there a more basic set of instructions, syntax really for dummies?
2) I have just tried to change something which should be simple, but have not succeeded. I would like to have the names of the composers in my control point shown as surname first, first name second. In other words I would like to see in the control point (Kinsky) when I select composer: Vivaldi Antonio, but now I see Antonio Vivaldi.

My current properties are as follows:
indexTags ---> Artist, Date, Genre, All Artists, Composer, #AudioFormat: MP3orFLAC
tagOptions ---> Album.sortTags={Album, Artist}

I tried, following the suggestions in the user guide, to modify the tagOptions as follows:
tagOptions ---> Album.sortTags={Album, Artist}, ComposerSort.reverseName.index.display

but I got a syntax error.

3) I have also a hard time understanding some other basics, such as how does one use the property itemTags; I kind of understand that indexTags is a list of Tag names that is used by the server to sort the audio files and present them in a given order in the control point, but I have no idea of what itemTags does.

4) and finally, how does one inspect (see, read, discover) all of the tags (and specifically the names of these tags) that are available in the audio files and that can be used in minimserver to sort and explore one's own library of audio files?

Any help would be really appreciated.

Maurizio