iTunes Cover Flow Edition

987poiuytrewq · Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

This is a script for controlling cover flow in iTunes 7.x

Latest version allows you to:

Browse and switch into coverflow (and set shortcuts to this)
Quickly switch to artists beginning with a particular letter
Quickly view and play tracks on currently playing album
Browse by [b]album artist[/b] on the phone
See ratings when browsing on phone

New version v1.1:

Moved from http://www.salling.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5814&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
This was getting a bit messy so, in future, I will update this package of files rather than individual files.

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

This script is amazing...I STRONGLY urge anyone using itunes on xp to try it out ([i]especially[/i] if you have your pc hooked up to any TV displays!)

Thanks again 987poiuytrewq :D

pepe6859 · Newbie Joined: 10 Mar 2008 Posts: 10

What about VISTA users?

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

I just meant windows....although tbh i have no idea if it would work on vista...don't see why not though...

you could always try it out, or wait to find out directly from 987poiuytrewq :D

987poiuytrewq · Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

It should work fine in Vista, I don't see why not.

987poiuytrewq · Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

I'm thinking of making an update to this script, suggestions for features, dislikes, bugs??

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

Wow...very exciting. As the number one fan of this script you know I love it just as it is :)

However if I were to chose some possible idealisitc improvements I would say:

1) Perhaps have Itunes launch in cover flow full screen by default? If number 2 is possible one wouldn't really need the conventional view for playback ever!

2) Somehow integrate "browse by artist" with the Cover flow fullscreen view. At the moment if I have cover flow fullscreen on my TV and then use "browse by artist" to pick a particular album I leave Cover flow Fullscreen and the associted playlist, and go to "my clicker playlist" with no cover flow fullscreen.

If it were somehow possible to use "browse by artist" to select any album from the current fullscreen playlist and just have the cover flow display jump to the album cover selected without leaving fullscreen mode that would be ridiculously cool.

I know that we can currently input the desired first letter of the artist, but that doesn't work if, like me you have your music sorted by another category like 'year'.

Just my 2-cents worth in the quest for perfection on this massively under-rated script! This script is really the only way that PC users can keep up with (and in many ways surpass) the prettiness and functionality of FrontRow on Macs. Thanks so much again 987poiuytrewq!

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

Oh...and also a small bug to report...don;t know if it's just me but:

Sometimes, when selecting cover flow full screen (or selecting a new playlist to be viewed in cover flow fullscreen), coverflow fullscreen is not in fact activated.

The command is definitely recieved by the PC (I know because the mouse movement you programmed for me does occur, but the fullscreen view is not activated)

This seems to happen if the PC has a few different processes running - in general if the stability of the execution of this function could be improved that would be awesome as well :)

Thanks!

987poiuytrewq · Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

I noticed this bug as well, i think it is something to do with iTunes' erratic behaviour on high CPU cycles, but to be honest I don't really know why it happens.

I thought I already fixed the switching to a "Clicker Playlist" when launching from browse by artist. Could you try deleting everything iTunes CFE related and reinstalling v1.1 ?

I could get iTunes to switch into coverflow automatically on launching the script on your phone, but this would mean that it would refresh (ie exit and reenter coverflow) if you had to restart the script eg. wandered out of range. To do it just add the line
[code:1]theTerminal.ExecuteScript("22ef0018-7bea-11dc-8314-0800200c9a66"); [/code:1]
On the very first line of iTunes CFE.js

I don't think it would be possible to jump to albums from a certain year in coverflow, since it just jumps to the name of the song if you press keystrokes. If you find a way of doing it with keystrokes though, let me know and it can be automated.

Also, if anyone has any idea how to create graphics from jscript, could they please point me in the right direction of some resources?

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

[quote]I thought I already fixed the switching to a "Clicker Playlist" when launching from browse by artist. Could you try deleting everything iTunes CFE related and reinstalling v1.1 ? [/quote]

Oops...guess I hadn't updated to the latest version. This issue has indeed been addressed :) I also love the "number 1" show all tracks from current album function - super cool :)

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Couple of bugs / irregularities I noticed when updating to 1.1 :

1) The "browse playlists" function will only work if I keep the old "itunes select playlist" folder that you previously provided in "my clicker scripts" folder. If i delete that folder, CFE does not seem to be accessing the new "Itunes CFE select playlist" script included in 1.1 (ie nothing happens when i select "browse playlists)

It does seem to be working fine if i keep your previously customized "itunes select playlist" in the "my clicker scripts" folder.

2) Whilst I do get the itunes logo displayed on my phone if the playing track has no artwork, I don't see it when nothing is playing.
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Anyway that said....

Perhaps the "browse by artist" could still be tweaked a little:

It works fantastically when one is in the default "music" view but...

If I am in my Soul Playlist (smart playlist "genre IS soul") and then use browse by artist to select a track CFE will not react accordingly. The song will play but the full screen display will remain where it was.

Any chance this could be changed?

Given that every song is part of the default "Music" view, I can understand that it may be impossible to have CFE switch straight to the relevant smart playlist for the new selected song.

But, for me, a fantastic workaround would be to have "browse by artist" only show the artists from the currently viewed playlist.

Thanks so much!

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

One other thing that has long frustrated me about Itunes ands clicker (long before your wonderful CFE) is the inability to quit itunes remotely.

Don't know if there is some inherent restrction in itunes that makes this impossible, but it would be a major improvement :)

Thanks!

mrodseth · Newbie Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

How can u make this script work with pda with touch screens? I haw hp hx4700 and I can’t browse albums in full screen cowerflow mode, only change songs, because I don’t have the numeric buttons I think. How do you apply these functions to the touch screen?

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

Was mighty relieved to see that this script works fine with Itunes 8.

If you ever do any more work on this script it would be great if we could add the ability to remotely start the new "genius" feature.

Thanks again :D

987poiuytrewq · Newbie Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

I'm not going to do any more work on this script as I've stopped using salling clicker. I'm glad it works with iTunes 8, even if it is much worse than 7 in my opinion. If you fancy doing some more work on this, you pretty much just need to know some basic programming and read Apple's guide to the COM interface: http://developer.apple.com/sdk/itunescomsdk.html

kiboy6 · Senior Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 96

Thanks a lot for getting back to me 987poiuytrewq :)

Unfortunately I don't think I have even a basic enough grasp of the programming involved to get to grips with that SDK.

Any way you could point me in the right direction as to what kind addition / modification to your script could launch the "genius" function and switch to that playlist?

I'm more than happy to get my hands dirty but don't really know where to start yet! :)

Out of curiosity, what are you using instead of SC on your pc now?