can't get "Auto-Change Directory" to work

[ephemere]

I'm a new rockbox user, so I'm sure this is just user error, but for the life of me I can't figure it out, and I have searched the forums.

I have "Shuffle" and "Repeat" set to "Off" and "Auto-Change Directory" set to "On".  I also have "Recursively Insert Directories" set to "On".  My files are organized in a deep directory structure, with individual albums at the leaves.

Starting with an empty playlist, I use the file browser to navigate to a directory for an individual album and start it playing.  (The fastest way to do this seems to be to hold the select button to pull up the context menu, select "Playlist", and then "Insert".  Is there a one-button approach?)  At the end of the album, the player stops, and the playlist is empty.  It does not move on to the next album folder as I expected.

What am I doing wrong?

I am using an 80G iPod Video, if that's relevant.

[Assimalyst]

To get 'Auto Change Directiory' to work you need to generate a directory list. Go to plugins and run 'Random Folder Advanced Config' then select 'Generate Folder List'.

As for the selecting an album, you do not need to select the directory and select playlist -> insert (although this works). Another way is to open that folder and select the track to play (short select on music file). Rockbox will then create a playlist of all files in that directory.

With 'Auto Change Directiory' on, when it reaches the end of that playlist it will automatically select another folder at random and play that.

Hope this helps & welcome to the wonders of Rockbox

[nls]

Well, you only need to generate the list if you have it set to "random", what you are doing wrong is that when you insert track in the playlist rockbox thinks that you have made a playlist and did not play a directory. To do what you want, just go to the directory and press select on the first file, simple as that.

[ephemere]

Thank you, everyone!  It's all working for me now.  Man, this firmware blows away Apple's.  My iPod has been sitting on a shelf for months just waiting for the 80GB port.

[hvacr]

I am having problems with this on the 40 gig 4g ipod. I cannot get it to auto change directories at all. It will play all songs in a folder, but not change to the next, just takes me back to the main directory.

[GodEater]

Are you using the Database ?

[hvacr]

Yes I am.

[GodEater]

I don't believe it's possible to make Auto-Change directory work with database generated playlists in a sensible way - particularly not if your iPod is still loaded with music from iTunes - since tracks from the same album are extremely likely to be scattered across multiple directories on the disk, thanks to iTunes obfuscation of both the filenames, and the directories it puts them in.

This means that a playlist you compile from a given album is ALREADY changing directories multiple times while it's playing - so Auto-Change directory has no meaning in that context.

[hvacr]

So is the best thing for me to do is start over, get rid of the files on the mp3, and not use mediamonkey to sync the songs. I would then just drag the songs from windows explorer into the ipod.

[GodEater]

That's probably the quickest option.

The alternative is to code some sort of Database friendly version of the same feature

[hvacr]

Since I am coder ignorant, the other way sounds best.   Thanks

[hvacr]

Got home, deleted the itunes database, dragged my music over to the ipod in windows. I now have my shuffle albums back. Thanks.