Feature request: clear cache on next restart

[NickP]

(01-10-2013 16:57)simoncn Wrote:  

(01-10-2013 12:32)NickP Wrote:  Fair enough, tho' I'd've hoped that making <No> the default button wld have meant that hitting <Enter> would accept it, with the timeout handling where the user didn't notice.
N

I understand that, but my point was about the visual clutter that this would create.

Ah, yes, I see now - I thought you were meaning the irritation of always (except one time in 100, which means you'd be on autopilot & miss it) having to press a button.

(01-10-2013 16:57)simoncn Wrote:  I've had a couple of ideas:

1) Use right-click, shift+click or ctrl+click on the tray icon Restart menu item. This doesn't work because of issues with Java's tray icon support.

2) Use right-click on the contentDir property field to show a context menu with the option to clear the cache for that content directory. At present, this is my preferred solution.

Excellent! [I've just read the next bit through & fear it comes across as condescending... it's MEANT to be complimentary, & I struggle to put what I mean, so I've left it as is...] I'm sure that when you say you've got ideas, then something good'll come out the other end. And yes, right-click's a good 'un - it's a very Windows thing: "If you're not sure, put the pointer on it and <RightClick>."

N

[simoncn]

(01-10-2013 18:43)NickP Wrote:  Excellent! [I've just read the next bit through & fear it comes across as condescending... it's MEANT to be complimentary, & I struggle to put what I mean, so I've left it as is...] I'm sure that when you say you've got ideas, then something good'll come out the other end. And yes, right-click's a good 'un - it's a very Windows thing: "If you're not sure, put the pointer on it and <RightClick>."

N

I hope Mac users are OK with it as well. It's a very unusual case, so hopefully this won't be an issue.

No problem with the "condescending" bit. In some cases, the implementation of a feature can be fairly simple, but working out a suitable way to expose it in the UI can be much more difficult. In such cases, I find that it can take a few days (or longer) for the right solution to present itself. I would have preferred shift-click on the Restart menu selection (to pop up a submenu to choose whether or not to clear the cache), but Java isn't cooperating with this approach.

[NickP]

(01-10-2013 20:14)simoncn Wrote:  

(01-10-2013 18:43)NickP Wrote:  Excellent! [I've just read the next bit through & fear it comes across as condescending... it's MEANT to be complimentary, & I struggle to put what I mean, so I've left it as is...] I'm sure that when you say you've got ideas, then something good'll come out the other end. And yes, right-click's a good 'un - it's a very Windows thing: "If you're not sure, put the pointer on it and <RightClick>."

N

I hope Mac users are OK with it as well. It's a very unusual case, so hopefully this won't be an issue.

No problem with the "condescending" bit. In some cases, the implementation of a feature can be fairly simple, but working out a suitable way to expose it in the UI can be much more difficult. In such cases, I find that it can take a few days (or longer) for the right solution to present itself. I would have preferred shift-click on the Restart menu selection (to pop up a submenu to choose whether or not to clear the cache), but Java isn't cooperating with this approach.

Part of my job is to start with a blank sheet of paper (the scariest content there is...) and turn that into an RDBMS-based piece of software that helps people run their organisation. I'm VERY familiar with the process of beating my brains out against the problem, leaving it alone for a period, and then finding the solution just sitting there when I next look - or even, it leaping out at me when not really thinking about anything.

N

[haggis999]

I have just discovered the need to clear the cache after guessing that it would be the solution to MinimServer's apparent inability to recognise updated tags. That led me to this thread.

A more obvious and user-friendly method of clearing the cache than making an entry in the writeAllTags property would certainly get my vote.

BTW, I have tried using 'xxx' and 'MinimServerAllTags.txt' as values for writeAllTags without any files of those names being created during a restart of MinimServer. I then created a blank text file called MinimServerAllTags.txt in the G:\David\My Documents\MS Word\ folder and set writeAllTags to 'G:\David\My Documents\MS Word\MinimServerAllTags.txt'. This also failed to update my specified file. How exactly are you intended to exploit the writeAllTags option?

David

[simoncn]

(05-10-2013 23:46)haggis999 Wrote:  I have just discovered the need to clear the cache after guessing that it would be the solution to MinimServer's apparent inability to recognise updated tags. That led me to this thread.

A more obvious and user-friendly method of clearing the cache than making an entry in the writeAllTags property would certainly get my vote.

BTW, I have tried using 'xxx' and 'MinimServerAllTags.txt' as values for writeAllTags without any files of those names being created during a restart of MinimServer. I then created a blank text file called MinimServerAllTags.txt in the G:\David\My Documents\MS Word\ folder and set writeAllTags to 'G:\David\My Documents\MS Word\MinimServerAllTags.txt'. This also failed to update my specified file. How exactly are you intended to exploit the writeAllTags option?

David

If you specify the filename as a relative name, the file is written to the MinimServer "data" folder. On Windows, this folder is

C:\Users\<your-user-name>\AppData\Roaming\MinimServer\data

Alternatively, you can specify the filename as an absolute name including a full path.

[haggis999]

(06-10-2013 00:31)simoncn Wrote:  If you specify the filename as a relative name, the file is written to the MinimServer "data" folder. On Windows, this folder is

C:\Users\<your-user-name>\AppData\Roaming\MinimServer\data

Alternatively, you can specify the filename as an absolute name including a full path.

As stated in my previous post, I tried both of the methods you mention. However, no file was created or updated during multiple restarts of MinimServer last night. There was still a setting in writeAllTags when I closed down my PC but a fresh start of Windows and MinimServer this morning also made no difference. Note that this instance of MinimServer is handling the music files on my NAS - at least, it claims to be MinimServer (it was actually created by MinimWatch).

I tried the same things on a separate instance of MinimServer that deals with music files on my PC and this time it worked, though only if the specified writeAllTags file was already in existence, i.e. MinimServer would not create the file.

This topic would benefit from a more detailed explanation in the User's Guide.

David

[simoncn]

(06-10-2013 10:43)haggis999 Wrote:  As stated in my previous post, I tried both of the methods you mention. However, no file was created or updated during multiple restarts of MinimServer last night. There was still a setting in writeAllTags when I closed down my PC but a fresh start of Windows and MinimServer this morning also made no difference. Note that this instance of MinimServer is handling the music files on my NAS - at least, it claims to be MinimServer (it was actually created by MinimWatch).

I tried the same things on a separate instance of MinimServer that deals with music files on my PC and this time it worked, though only if the specified writeAllTags file was already in existence, i.e. MinimServer would not create the file.

This topic would benefit from a more detailed explanation in the User's Guide.

David

There is a bug with using a relative filename on Windows or Mac. I will fix this in the next release. Thanks for letting me know about this.

I have no problems when using an absolute filename on Windows. Please try specifying an absolute filename in the C:\Users\<your-user-name>\AppData\Roaming\MinimServer\data folder. By doing this, I was able to use MinimServer to create a new file for the writeAllTags output, as expected. It might be that the folder you used for your previous test had a permissions problem with creating new files.

I will add more detailed information to the User guide section that describes this property.

[haggis999]

(06-10-2013 13:06)simoncn Wrote:  There is a bug with using a relative filename on Windows or Mac. I will fix this in the next release. Thanks for letting me know about this.

I have no problems when using an absolute filename on Windows. Please try specifying an absolute filename in the C:\Users\<your-user-name>\AppData\Roaming\MinimServer\data folder. By doing this, I was able to use MinimServer to create a new file for the writeAllTags output, as expected. It might be that the folder you used for your previous test had a permissions problem with creating new files.

I will add more detailed information to the User guide section that describes this property.

My previous comment that my local installation of MinimServer could not create a tags file from scratch was incorrect, though it does indeed require a path to be specified (which does not have to be C:\Users\David.. etc).

My MinimWatch version of MinimServer still fails to save any tag information, whatever path I choose. Have you tested this flavour of MinimServer operation? Is it perhaps trying to save the tags file on the NAS, where there may well be some issue with permissions?

David

[simoncn]

(06-10-2013 14:39)haggis999 Wrote:  My MinimWatch version of MinimServer still fails to save any tag information, whatever path I choose. Have you tested this flavour of MinimServer operation? Is it perhaps trying to save the tags file on the NAS, where there may well be some issue with permissions?

David

Which NAS are you using? Can you give an example of the paths you have tried?

[haggis999]

(06-10-2013 14:43)simoncn Wrote:  Which NAS are you using? Can you give an example of the paths you have tried?

It's a Synology DS412+ NAS. The last setting I tried for writeAllTags was as follows,

C:\Users\David\AppData\Roaming\MinimServer\Data\AllMyNASTags

David