allow sub-directories in playlist folder

[Frankenpod]

At the moment, the playlist catalogue just includes all playlists it finds in the top-level of the 'playlists' directory.  I was thinking it would be useful if it would look further down the directory tree from that folder, when finding playlists (just looking one subdirectory level down would be very useful).  Because that would make it easier to organise playlists when you have hundreds of them.  When displayed in the playlist catalogue the path could be pre-fixed to the playlist name (in case of duplicate names).

Doing this would also mean, when looking at playlists through the 'files' option rather than the playlists catalogue, to locate specific playlists more easily, without having to scroll through a huge list.

So one could have a folder for playlists themed by 'mood', another by 'artists' another by 'era', and so on.  I'm thinking more of playlists created on the computer and transferred.  At the moment I tell media monkey script to prefix words (like 'mood' or 'era'...) to the playlist name, but it would be better if one could use a subdirectory.

Playlists created on the device itself could just go into the top level directory, or a particular sub-directory ('UserCreated' or something)

Was looking at the code myself, but not sure i'm up to the job.

[tgmondalf]

I just noticed that it wouldn't allow subfolders for playlists today as I have a TON of playlists for various things under different groupings like Genre>SubGenres etc. It really would be nice if we could group them somehow. Currently, I've opted for a naming scheme such as Genre-Sugenre.m3u for now but it's very messy looking since it ends up with such a LONG list without the ability to create subfolders etc.

[bluebrother]

Same as https://forums.rockbox.org/index.php/topic,53593.msg247245/topicseen.html

No need to repeat the problem again in this thread (which is the same thing but only a year older), it won't change a thing (it might annoy people, but as long as nobody is willing to work on it nothing won't change.)

[Frankenpod]

Heh, forgot that I'd made the same request/suggestion a couple of years ago.
There is one difference with accessing playlists via the file browser, which is that if you select one it doesn't take you into the playlist (as with the catalog view), it just immediately starts playing from the first entry.
Still feel that ideally I'd like a kind of composite catalogue/browser, but I guess it needs somebody who wants that who is also capable of writing it!

[bluebrother]

There is one difference with accessing playlists via the file browser, which is that if you select one it doesn't take you into the playlist (as with the catalog view), it just immediately starts playing from the first entry.

Hmm, wasn't aware of that difference. Maybe having a setting if selecting a playlist from the file browser should show or play it would be useful? Never was much of a fan of that playlist catalogue thing anyway

[Frankenpod]

There is one difference with accessing playlists via the file browser, which is that if you select one it doesn't take you into the playlist (as with the catalog view), it just immediately starts playing from the first entry.

Hmm, wasn't aware of that difference. Maybe having a setting if selecting a playlist from the file browser should show or play it would be useful? Never was much of a fan of that playlist catalogue thing anyway

It's not a particularly important issue, but I think such an option would be useful.  With that, there wouldn't be a need for a playlist catalogue, really, as accessing them through the file-browser could achieve the same result, with slightly more scope for organising them.  The next step would be to allow nesting and chaining of such playlists, I guess.