xml databases and Mac OSX

[RogerS]

The user interface to iTunes on an iPod Touch isn't really that great for classical music. Font sizes also present a challenge. I'd love to have a user interface similar to Delicious Library....


And Delicious Library exports to XML.

And the iTunes has a library.xml file with details on the audio filenames....so it should be possible to make some 'glue' that links one with t'other I would have thought....but what? How? Any ideas?

Now I realise that iTunes does have some album artwork capability and I need to explore that a bit more but I also have a lot of stuff that I have recorded off air and so no artwork.

 

[dm65]

Is there an import option in Delicious Library ?

You could try importing the itunes xml into whatever spreadhseet program you use on that funny mac jobby to see if it can be modified to suit

Or you could even try manually modifying the xml code but software is available that can handle the format - I use Notepad++ for things like this

I doubt you'll find anything to glue the two bits of software and therefore playlists, track info etc, but it may be possible to do this manually as above

Denis

 

[RogerS]

Interesting ideas, thanks. Yes DL does have an import option but expects a text file and Numbers didn't make much sense of the iTunes xml library file.

 

[dm65]

Just checked the DL website and found this on the homepage

Know what you own.
Track the value of items. View your physical and iTunes collections side by side.
Archive your life.

And a bit more digging found this

View your iTunes collection as a bookshelf, list, or in charts using the icons at the left of the toolbar.

Implies that no effort is required

Regards

Denis

 

[RogerS]

Thanks Denis...will dig a little deeper.

EDIT: A little tick box in DL's preferences et voila my iTunes library appears on the bookshelf.... Any CDs I've put in iTunes and have the artwork for appear ...not sure whether playlists happen but that's for another day.

Only one wee problem....DL doesn't run on an iPod Touch but at least the concept is there.

Thanks Denis fir the research.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Ok, this lot is now unnecessary!

XML is just marked-up text. But that's like saying Bach is black dots on a page - true but doesn't get you far.

It looks a bit like HTML, but the difference is that the tags are user-defined, and the syntax is much stricter. You need a schema (a key in effect) to the the field names and types, etc., at both ends, so that you know how to translate the fields correctly.

The images will be in a "[cdata]" block within the XML. That's a binary field, and unless you know the formats at either end, it could be quite hard to determine what's being output and what you need to do with it.

If you can find the schemas for both bits of software, it might be doable via Excel, as suggested, for example, otherwise it will be pretty hard work. Perl would also probably do it quite well, but you'd have to code it yourself.

E.

 

[JakeS]

schemas

My compsci lecturers insisted the plural was "schemata"!

In case anyone has a similar problem in the future, transforming XML documents into other formats (which may or may not be XML) is basically exactly what XSL-T is for. Which is still a bit of work to create that 'glue', but anything's nicer than perl. ;-)

 

[DrPhill]

Wow...... I came here because you chap's know about woodwork (a refreshing change from my job in IT). Now you are all tallking about XML transforms and scripting languages.

Still, coding your own software is an extreme form of DIY. And cheap (can be free).

Maybe I need to start a 'Java' corner somewhere round here .

Phill

 

[Eric The Viking]

schemas

My compsci lecturers insisted the plural was "schemata"!

In case anyone has a similar problem in the future, transforming XML documents into other formats (which may or may not be XML) is basically exactly what XSL-T is for. Which is still a bit of work to create that 'glue', but anything's nicer than perl. ;-)

Eee made Oi grin! My business degree dissertation is probably the only one the school ever had with a perl script in the appendix (circa 1996)! I used to enjoy perl as it was so much fun when it worked, but I rarely used it commercially.

As a technical author I'd say your lecturers were being a bit, er, pompous. We have a lot of anglicised words from Latin or Greek roots, and usually our plural follows the simple English rule of adding a trailing s. So Forum and Forums (rather than Forae, I think), and so on. Wrong in the original language, right in English.

I didn't go into transforms, as (a) I haven't done much, and (b) everything I've read was about converting XML into other formats like HTML, which is handy but only if you want to do that. For a one-off it doesn't seem worth it.

But hey, life's too short for much of that!

E.

 

[RogerS]

So this looks like a 'record' of an entry in the iTunes library...

<key>1802</key>
<dict>
<key>Track ID</key><integer>1802</integer>
<key>Name</key><string>001 - 07.35PM-09.30PM</string>
<key>Artist</key><string>Unknown</string>
<key>Composer</key><string>Beethoven 7th</string>
<key>Album</key><string>BBC Prom</string>
<key>Genre</key><string>iRecordMusic</string>
<key>Kind</key><string>MPEG audio file</string>
<key>Size</key><integer>137382700</integer>
<key>Total Time</key><integer>6869028</integer>
<key>Track Number</key><integer>1</integer>
<key>Year</key><integer>2007</integer>
<key>Date Modified</key><date>2007-07-24T20:38:05Z</date>
<key>Date Added</key><date>2007-07-24T20:38:01Z</date>
<key>Bit Rate</key><integer>160</integer>
<key>Sample Rate</key><integer>44100</integer>
<key>Comments</key><string>Recorded with iRecordMusic</string>
<key>Persistent ID</key><string>2E30263E4CB6DCF3</string>
<key>Track Type</key><string>File</string>
<key>File Type</key><integer>1297106739</integer>
<key>Location</key><string>file://localhost/Users/Roger/Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Music/Unknown/BBC%20Prom/01%20001%20-%2007.35PM-09.30PM.mp3</string>
<key>File Folder Count</key><integer>4</integer>
<key>Library Folder Count</key><integer>1</integer>
</dict>

The key bit is location. If I copy that URL and stick it in a browser, for example, then it will play.

So what I need is a front-end that has, say, composer, name of work etc that is searchable or browsable and that can have a field that contains 'location'....at a guess. What program would I use for something like that?

 

[dm65]

Methinks you might want to check out http://www.whited00r.com/

Other than that, and given that you want to change the front end of your ipod (as I understand your requirements), I suspect you won't be doing this without writing your own firmware

Be careful not to 'brick' your ipod tho - I don't have anything like this so can't vouch for it personally (almost a disclaimer there )

 

[RogerS]

Methinks you might want to check out http://www.whited00r.com/

Other than that, and given that you want to change the front end of your ipod (as I understand your requirements), I suspect you won't be doing this without writing your own firmware

Be careful not to 'brick' your ipod tho - I don't have anything like this so can't vouch for it personally (almost a disclaimer there )

Ooh..that's scary! No, I was thinking more about an App rather than anything more drastic!

 

[dm65]

Ooh..that's scary! No, I was thinking more about an App rather than anything more drastic!

Isn't there an app available for download or are the ipods locked ?

 

[RogerS]

Ooh..that's scary! No, I was thinking more about an App rather than anything more drastic!

Isn't there an app available for download or are the ipods locked ?

Lots of apps available. Just getting one that does what I want it to.

 

[dm65]

In which case, and as DL3 seems to have been pulled from the app store apprantly due to Amazon throwing its weight around, you can still download DL2

Have you tried it or is it no good ?

 

[RogerS]

It doesn't run on the iPod Touch unfortunately. It's where the image in the OP comes from.

 

[dm65]

It doesn't run on the iPod Touch unfortunately. It's where the image in the OP comes from.

Perhaps not, but, from the DL website -
Publish to the web in one click.
Mac users are automatically configured &mdash just press the 'Publish' button on the lower right, and DL2 will build a website for you and put it up on your .Mac account
A special version optimized for the iPhone or iPod touch is also published automaticaly when the main web pages are published, as well as a binary version for other Delicious Library 2 users to view

Perhaps the software itself doesn't work directly on the ipod, but can you use it to create the custom interface you want ??

If that's no good, it seems you're looking at creating your own app :?