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Topic: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP (Read 313836 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #300 –
Hello Tim.
I’ve used the plugin on many machines in the past and it always worked as it should.
Now, I’ve started using it on a new desktop pc (win 10), and the “restore media at startup feature” is not working. If I’m playing a song and I close wmp, then open it, the playlist name changes to playlist 3, but the song that was playing doesn’t show up there.
I have k-lite codec pack installed, and i set wmp as default for all audio formats.
I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the plugin to no success. Other features (like name on the taskbar, find as you type...) are working normally.
Any ideas or suggestions?

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #301 –
Hi, are you using the latest version of Windows Media Player Plus, version 2.10?

In WMP, please go to Tools - Options - Privacy (press Ctrl+M if you don't see the Tools menu). Is the Playlists item near the bottom ticked? If it isn't, tick it and click OK. Does that fix the issue?

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #302 –
Thank you so much! Ticking the playlists option fixed it :D
I also second the request to turn party shuffle off. Mainly because i like to keep my WMP library empty, but that causes an error (party shuffle playlist cannot be created...) to pop up every time i run WMP.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #303 –
Do you mean that you're applying some specific tricks to keep your library empty? If so, which ones?

Could you also provide the full text of that error message, so I can take a look? Note that you can press Ctrl+C while the error dialog is in focus to copy its contents.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #304 –
I go to File -> Manage libraries -> Music, and make sure the locations included don't have any music files (by default, Users\%USERNAME%\Music is included, and i don't keep any files there, so no problem with that).
I also go to Options, then under Player i untick the option "Add local media files to library when played".
This keeps my library empty.
Now i went to the device that was showing the error (it's a new laptop) and opened WMP (first time in over a week). I found 2 songs in my library. Turns out i hadn't unticked that option, so i must've played the 2 songs and that's why they were added to the library. I deleted them from the library, deleted the party shuffle playlist, and basically reset everything. Now when i open wmp, i don't get that error anymore (that said something like party shuffle playlist cannot be created). Instead, an empty party shuffle playlist gets created. I have no clue how this happened! If i ever manage to reproduce the error, i'll post back here.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #305 –
Have a weird problem after upgrading to win10: after installing wmpp 2.10 and playing a file on wmp, then closing wmp, the plugin disappears. I need to reinstall wmpp after every use of wmp

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #306 –
When the plug-in doesn't appear then that probably means that you're running the 64-bit version of WMP's executable file (wmplayer.exe), because the plug-in only supports the 32-bit version.

You should be able to resolve this by making sure that you're running C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe (and *not* wmplayer.exe in C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player, which is 64-bit).

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #307 –
Im running the 32bit version. An observation after some fiddling around: i had a shortcut to close media player via the closeProcess system command. That's equivalent to going in task manager and force closing wmp
Turns out in win10 if that happens all Plugins are uninstalled

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #308 –
Sorry to pester you, but is there a way I can make Hotkeys only work when Windows Media Player is in focus. I wanted to use space bar to Play/Pause, but now it'll do it even if I'm just trying to listen to something whilst I'm in another program. Thanks for your time. (Made account to write this.)

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #309 –
Then I assume that you added the space bar as a global (system-wide) hotkey in the plug-in's settings? That's indeed not such a good idea :) Instead of adding it on the Global Hotkeys tab in settings, go to the Local Hotkeys tab and tick the checkbox there to use the space bar to play/pause while WMP is in focus.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #310 –
I have installed the enhanced version of WMP - however what I would like to do is to run wmp from a VB6 program,  thereby playing a song, then at the end of the song, I want to automatically close wmp and return to the VB6 program.    At present I am running wmp as the default player as below

Retval = ShellExecute(hwnd, "open", PlayFile, "", "", SW_SHOWNORMAL)

This  plays the song but does not close wmp.   I guess what I need to know is - how to run wmp using the app's exe file , playing the song and then closing wmp down - what are the switches that I need to use in order to do this ?    Indeed is this possible, I can see how to close after the song by a manual intervention, but I may as well just click to close wmp at the end anyway !

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #311 –
The Windows Media Player Plus! plug-in doesn't provide that functionality, sorry.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #312 –
Announcement: the first beta version of Windows Media Player Plus! 3.0 is now available for download here.

This is an early beta that is still a bit rough around the edges and that doesn't even contain all changes yet that are planned for the final 3.0 release. Also, as this is a beta version, it's possible that it still contains some bugs. Please let me know if you encounter any problems, so I can fix them for the final release. Thanks!

Changes:

  • New: Windows Media Player Plus! Taskbar Miniplayer, which is an improved version of the taskbar-integrated Miniplayer that was included in Windows Media Player but has been removed since Windows 7. Compared to the original version, the new Miniplayer contains these fixes and enhancements:
    • Better compatibility with Windows 10 and with Windows Media Player's Now Playing mode. Note: the Miniplayer doesn't support Windows 11's newly designed taskbar because Microsoft has dropped support for taskbar toolbars. However, third-party tools like ExplorerPatcher (free and open source) and StartAllBack (shareware) can bring back the Windows 10 taskbar on Windows 11, allowing you to use the Miniplayer there as well.
    • New settings that can be turned on or off: Only show the Miniplayer while Windows Media Player is minimized and Hide Windows Media Player's regular taskbar button while minimized to the Miniplayer. The Miniplayer's toast popup can also be enabled/disabled, and the amount of time it should stay visible can be configured.
    • Just like in Windows Media Player itself, right-clicking on the Miniplayer's play/previous/next button shows a popup menu with more options, including the Stop after current and Close after current extensions added by Windows Media Player Plus!.
  • New: Jump to submenu when right-clicking on a song, to quickly jump to the song's album, artist, genre or release year in the media library.
  • New: Since Windows Media Player's built-in Find in library command only works for songs with an album title, Windows Media Player Plus! by default now replaces this command to make it work for all songs. This can still be disabled again in settings if desired.

Tag Editor Plus

  • The Tag Editor Plus code has been completely rewritten in a more modular way, which should make it easier to implement future enhancements, as well as add new features based on the same generic tag reading/writing engine.
  • New: buttons to quickly switch to the previous or next song in the underlying Windows Media Player song list, without having to close and reopen the tag editor.
  • New: Notes page for displaying info/warning/error messages about the current song(s). When there are warnings or errors, this is indicated by a corresponding icon in the page header. When the song file is currently in use, this page also shows a generic warning (for all tags, i.e. not just for pictures/lyrics/comments). Note that the tag editor only shows the Notes page when there are messages to be displayed.
  • Fixed: when simultaneously removing embedded metadata of two or more metadata types (pictures/lyrics/comments), it was possible that some of the removed metadata didn't get actually removed, or that removal failed with "The request is invalid in the current state" (C00D002B).
  • Fixed: removed pictures/lyrics/comments could still cause bogus errors when trying to apply the tag changes, for example "Tag Editor Plus can't continue because there are two or more comments with the same language".
  • Fixed: some message dialogs didn't correctly remember their size, especially on high DPI displays.
  • Fixed: in batch editing mode on high DPI displays, a part of the tags' check boxes was cut off.
  • Previously, the tag editor always hid the Pictures, Lyrics and Comments pages when embedded metadata wasn't supported. Now, when the WMP Tag Plus plug-in is not installed or is disabled, the tag editor still shows these pages but with an additional message explaining why embedded metadata isn't supported. Of course, this only occurs for formats supported by WMP Tag Plus. The tag editor will also show a warning when WMP Tag Plus is enabled, but the song's specific format is disabled in WMP Tag Plus.
  • Now showing a warning if Write media information changes in Windows Media Player's Library options is turned off, and offering you to turn it back on. Note that when choosing to turn the setting back on, Windows Media Player needs to restart for the change to take effect. This warning can be disabled by the user (although currently only by editing the registry, but the final release will allow to disable the warning through the settings dialog).

Settings

  • The user interface of the Context Menus page has been reworked.
  • Fixed: bogus "Please enter..." warning and subsequent "Cannot focus a disabled or invisible window" error message when a setting's text field was unavailable (disabled) and empty.
  • Fixed: non-responding user interface when using a laptop pointing stick or touchpad to scroll the credits on the About page.
  • Fixed: missing validation for the number of seconds to rewind when restoring media at Windows Media Player startup.
  • Fixed: memory leak when removing a global hotkey.
  • Fixed: on high DPI displays, the settings dialog appeared oversized when being opened from Windows Media Player's Options dialog.

Miscellaneous

  • The plug-in now adds a Plus! menu item to Windows Media Player's main menu (shown when right-clicking in an empty area in Windows Media Player or when pressing Ctrl+M).
  • Added General: Restart Windows Media Player as a possible global hotkey action.
  • Fixed: possible long delays when starting Party Shuffle, especially when an external application was connected to Windows Media Player, such as the Taskbar Miniplayer.
  • Fixed: Stop after current and Close after current weren't being cleared again when starting a different media item.
  • Additional fixed and improved appearance on high DPI displays (still work in progress).

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #313 –
Is there any way in WMP 12's now-playing window to change the columns displayed. Specifically, I'd like to replace the "Rating" column by a "Release Year" column

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #314 –
As far as I know, it's not possible to change the columns in Now Playing mode, sorry.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #315 –
Running Win10pro and WinMediaPlayer 12.0.19041.4170
It appears to be the 64 bit version.

With WMP 2.4 and 3.0 beta, the install isn't persistent: on the next run of WMP, the plugin isn't there.

Note that I have something installed in my system called "windows media player 64-bit plugin fix"  Why?  It installed itself somehow when I installed your plugin.  Is this part of your install bundle???

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #316 –
Windows Media Player Plus! only supports the 32-bit version of WMP. The installer will always run the 32-bit version. When you then launch WMP yourself you're most likely launching the 64-bit version. To fix this, make sure that you're launching the version in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player (the 64-bit version, on the other hand, is located in C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player).

Windows Media Player 64-bit Plug-in Fix was indeed installed together with older versions of my WMP plug-ins. This was a fix for 32-bit-only plug-ins inadvertently getting disabled when running the 64-bit version of WMP. This fix has since been incorporated into another component of my plug-ins, so the entry in Apps & features can be safely uninstalled.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #317 –
Thanks, Tim, for the quick response!

Yes, the 32-bit version behaves properly. But...

I went into the registry and pointed all the keys that refer to wmplayer to the 32 bit version.  There were maybe a dozen keys that wouldn't let me change them (presumably, some sort of security thing)...but when I double-click on an audio file, windows still runs the 64 bit version.

I then went to the default-applications system settings, and there is only one item shown for WMP -- and it points to the 64 bit version.

Do you have any idea how to resolve this double-click-on-the-mp3-file problem?

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #318 –
You could try right-clicking on an MP3 file and selecting Open with. Then first tick Always use this app to open .mp3 files. Then click on More apps, scroll down and click Look for another app on this PC, and select the 32-bit wmplayer.exe.

If that doesn't help, you could also try changing the file association manually with the FileTypesMan tool.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #319 –
Hi Tim,
Thanks again for your swift response and ideas.  Just for completeness:
Open with>More Apps>Look for another app>select 32-bit version ... unfortunately, windows gets confused and still uses the 64 bit version.
Use FileTypesMan ... it gives an access-denied error, guess this is locked down in the registry by MSFT.  Grrrr...will see if I can override there.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #320 –
Quote from: davoid on
Hi Tim,
Thanks again for your swift response and ideas.  Just for completeness:
Open with>More Apps>Look for another app>select 32-bit version ... unfortunately, windows gets confused and still uses the 64 bit version.
Use FileTypesMan ... it gives an access-denied error, guess this is locked down in the registry by MSFT.  Grrrr...will see if I can override there.
OK, so here's what not to do... , I went through the registry and changed every key in the registry pointing to WMP, directing it to the 32 bit version rather than 64...there were a dozen or so that could not be changed due to permissions.  Tried WMP and it was still running the 64 bit version.  Then went through the keys that were locked down, changed the permissions / ownership so I could change those keys as well.  All I did was succeed in breaking WMP altogether ("class not registered").  Obviously a typo in one of my registry changes.  As WMP is a "windows feature" and not an uninstallable application, I couldn't do an automated repair.  So I disabled the feature, then re-enabled it (which does an uninstall/reinstall). 

WMP works again, but back to square one--it still points to the 64 bit version.  

So I go to chatGPT and after about 5 versions of the question, it finally suggests a method that works:

    Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Media Player.
    Create a shortcut
    Cut the shortcut you created.
    Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\.
    Create a new folder named "Media Player" or any suitable name.
    Paste the shortcut into this new folder.
    Update file association:
        Right-click on any MP3 file.
        Select "Open with" > "Choose another app."
        Click on "always use this app to open .mp3 files."
        Scroll through list and Click on "More apps."
        Scroll down and select "Look for another app on this PC."
        Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Media Player.
        Select the shortcut you created (named wmplayer.exe).
        Click "OK" to set it as the default program.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #321 –
Good to hear that you were finally able to find a solution. For what it's still worth:

Quote from: davoid on
Use FileTypesMan ... it gives an access-denied error, guess this is locked down in the registry by MSFT.  Grrrr...will see if I can override there.
In FileTypesMan, you can select Help - Run As TrustedInstaller. Then you should be able to change the file association without an "access denied" error.

Re: Windows Media Player Plus! - Various enhancements for WMP

Reply #322 –
Ooooh, another good tip.  Thank you, Tim.
Problem has two good solutions, then.