random folder navigation

[yegods]

not sure if this belongs here, or in the user interface forum, but i'm sure it'll be moved if it's inappropriate here.

my question is... given that the random folder navigation is part of the Rockbox software, why do we have to use a "plugin" to initialize it?  in fact, i had to go into the code, just to find out why the feature wasn't working as advertized..  i didn't see the description of how to create the "folder_advance_list.dat" in the manual.  also, why is the format of the .dat file not human readable/editable?  is this an unfinished feature?

[bluebrother]

my question is... given that the random folder navigation is part of the Rockbox software, why do we have to use a "plugin" to initialize it?

because of code size. We want the core to be small, and a feature used that rarely isn't needed to be part of the core.

i didn't see the description of how to create the "folder_advance_list.dat" in the manual.

Then this is an issue in the manual and should get added

also, why is the format of the .dat file not human readable/editable?

Binary formats are usually smaller, easier to parse and quicker. It's not unfinished.

[yegods]

Binary formats are usually smaller, easier to parse and quicker. It's not unfinished.

then i know a nifty addition someone (maybe me) can add to that plugin... the ability to export and import the file for hand editing.  anyone interested?

[bluebrother]

then i know a nifty addition someone (maybe me) can add to that plugin... the ability to export and import the file for hand editing.  anyone interested?

Most developers hang around on irc instead of the forums, so you most likely won't get much dev-response here. But I think it's a reasonable idea, and if someone / you post a patch to the tracker there shouldn't be much objections to accepting it -- as it's a plugin it doesn't add to the core size

[Mikerman]

because of code size. We want the core to be small, and a feature used that rarely isn't needed to be part of the core.

I think that this feature may be used more than might be thought--I use it continually, basically as a shuffle for albums, which is how I listen to music.
(And, of course, the original inquiry suggests that the feature may not be known by some and so might be used more if it were more widely known.)  Just my humble thoughts.

[yegods]

i created the new functions for the plugin.  here is the patch post:

http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/7708

[Llorean]

Why exactly did you "need" it to be human editable?

[yegods]

trying to edit a list with ~1500 directories is an exercise in frustration on the ipod (or probably any of the players).  i wanted to edit the list to remove unwanted directories, especially those that contain no music, or that contain music i don't want randomly chosen.  there are many reasons to want to edit the file, which is why the "edit" feature is there in the plugin.  it's just not very easy when the number of directories grows to a large size.

[PaulJam]

i wanted to edit the list to remove unwanted directories, especially those that contain no music, or that contain music i don't want randomly chosen.

Hi,
for this purpose there is an easier way to achieve this: create a textfile "folder_advance_dir.txt" inside the .rockbox folder and put the folders you want to be included or excluded in this file. This feature isn't yet documented in the manual. You can find some information here:
http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=11946.0
http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/task/7074

[yegods]

yes, i know about that feature.  i did look at the code before making my patch.  the main problem with that feature is the 10 directory limitation on removed folders.

i can agree that it also is a useful feature, but i think the be able to edit directly the list of directories is also useful.