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Topic: Album Art Downloader XUI (Read 2212075 times) previous topic - next topic
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Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #750
I have a similar error as well after upgrading. Vista x64
Code: [Select]
Album Art Downloader has encountered a fatal error, and has had to close.
If you wish to report this error, please include this information, which
has been written to the file: C:\Program Files (x86)\AlbumArtDownloader\errorlog.txt

App version: 0.26.0.0, running on Microsoft Windows NT 6.0.6001 Service Pack 1

System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
  at AlbumArtDownloader.Updates.CheckForUpdates(Boolean forceCheck)
  at AlbumArtDownloader.App.ProcessCommandArgs(String[] args)
  at AlbumArtDownloader.App.OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
  at System.Windows.Application.<.ctor>b__0(Object unused)
  at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter)
  at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate callback, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter, Delegate catchHandler)
  at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.InvokeImpl()
  at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(Object userData)
  at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode code, CleanupCode backoutCode, Object userData)
  at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
  at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.Invoke()
  at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.ProcessQueue()
  at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.WndProcHook(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, Boolean& handled)
  at MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.WndProc(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam, Boolean& handled)
  at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.DispatcherCallbackOperation(Object o)
  at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter)
  at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate callback, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter, Delegate catchHandler)
  at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.InvokeImpl(DispatcherPriority priority, TimeSpan timeout, Delegate method, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter)
  at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.SubclassWndProc(IntPtr hwnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wParam, IntPtr lParam)
  at MS.Win32.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessage(MSG& msg)
  at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.TranslateAndDispatchMessage(MSG& msg)
  at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(DispatcherFrame frame)
  at System.Windows.Application.RunInternal(Window window)
  at AlbumArtDownloader.App.AlbumArtDownloader.IPriorInstance.Run()
  at AlbumArtDownloader.InstanceMutex.RunAppAsServiceHost(IPriorInstance instance, String channelUri)
  at AlbumArtDownloader.App.Main(String[] args)
Surf's Up!
"Columnated Ruins Domino"

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #751
Damn, but that's irritating. Let me look into it, see if I can reproduce the problem. Until then, probably best if others hold off updating.

Sorry,

Alex

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #752
Also crashing here on Win7.

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #753
OK, I think it's a settings upgrading problem.

I think I've fixed it with this 0.26.1. Could you give it a go and let me know if it resolves the issue for you?

AlbumArtDownloaderXUI.exe (Installer. Recommended)
AlbumArtDownloaderXUI.zip (zip archive for those who don't like installers)

Thanks,

Alex

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #754
Works! Thank you.
audiophile // flac & wavpack, mostly // using too many audio players

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #755
Oh good! I've updated the link in the release announcement post, and hopefully this small hiccup can get swept under the carpet. :-)

Apologies for missing this in my own pre-release testing.

Alex

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #756
No, I'll blog this immediately, pointing with my fingers at this hiccup!
audiophile // flac & wavpack, mostly // using too many audio players

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #757
Hi Alex,

Yes indeed, it has been fixed. Thanks!
Surf's Up!
"Columnated Ruins Domino"

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #758
This release adds an online update checking feature. By default, it will check for updates automatically (maximum of once per day), checking for both new releases, and more importantly, updated scripts.
...
If you prefer, you can also look at the scripts list in your web browser and manually download whatever you want: Updates.xml.

Fan-tas-tic! Thank you. But, the infamous but:

1) Updates.xml shows hitparade.ch v0.1 script, no update notification, not included in the latest installer?
2) Updates.xml shows Metal Library v0.1 script, no update notification, not included in the latest installer?
3) Encyclopaedia Metallum script filename metal-archives.boo is maybe a bit misleading, all other scripts have "proper" identifiable filenames.

Maybe the updater should handle also new and obsolete scripts. If you implement these changes, there would be no need to manually check and download/delete..? And add an option to ignore updates for those who doesn't want to use all scripts (manually deleted scripts).. in fact, taking it further, make a disable (do not show these sources in the main window)/update "control panel" for scripts.. keep the script directory updated at all times (it should contain exactly the same scripts as listed in your online Updates.xml).. or something like that.. just try to eliminate the need to manually check/update/delete scripts.. it's PITA. Thanks.

Rate Your Music has been removed

Only from new installs.. maybe the installer should remove obsolete scripts when updating?! (or it could be handled by the updater/"control panel" like I visioned above) That would be great.

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #759
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, hitparade and Metal Library should have been part of the installer, but got missed out. They are in the zip file, or you can download them directly. I'll make sure they are bundled into the installer for the next version.

Metal-archives.boo was originally named after the url, but I agree it would be better if it had been named after the script name. Unfortunately it would be an absolute nightmare to change. An installer could force a rename, but not everyone would run the installer, and having two copies of the script with different names would cause problems. I think this one will just stay as it is now, sorry.

At the moment, only updates for scripts that you have installed will be shown. In the future, I may add a separate command to browse for available scripts. If that does go in, then a notification that new scripts are available could go in, which would notify only once per script that you had not seen before. The only problem I have with this is that the first time it is run after installation, unless you installed with all available scripts, you would get the notification of new scripts popping up. That could be a bit annoying if you'd deliberately chosen not to install them.

I'll have a think about how best to handle obsolete scripts. I don't much like the idea of automatically deleting them from the installer, although I can't put my finger on exactly why, though. Just the general principle that you wouldn't expect running an installer to delete files, I suppose, but I can't see that it's really any more harmful than automatically replacing them with newer versions.

Alex

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #760
An installer could force a rename, but not everyone would run the installer, and having two copies of the script with different names would cause problems.

This would not be a problem with my suggestion to keep the scripts directory updated at all times (i.e. synched from web). But then, with my suggested system, user wouldn't have to be concerned about script filenames.

In the future, I may add a separate command to browse for available scripts. If that does go in, then a notification that new scripts are available could go in, which would notify only once per script that you had not seen before. The only problem I have with this is that the first time it is run after installation, unless you installed with all available scripts, you would get the notification of new scripts popping up. That could be a bit annoying if you'd deliberately chosen not to install them.

I'll have a think about how best to handle obsolete scripts. I don't much like the idea of automatically deleting them from the installer, although I can't put my finger on exactly why, though. Just the general principle that you wouldn't expect running an installer to delete files, I suppose, but I can't see that it's really any more harmful than automatically replacing them with newer versions.

If AAD XUI would

- keep the scripts directory updated at all times (check from net)
- remove script selection from installer (install all.. I see no harm in that)
- implement a "control panel" (think about Mozilla Add-On dialog windows style) for disabling scripts that the user doesn't need when searching (the disabled scripts would still update.. I see no harm in that)
- an update notification (maybe "update yes/no dialog" which lists all changes) that there are new/updated/obsolete scripts (user can then disable new scripts, if they like, from the "scripts control panel")

you would improve the situation for you and the users. I don't see it as a bad move to "automate" the scripts control as long as you provide an option to disable scripts. What the users want? Scripts that are up-to-date and working automatically without any manual checking/downloading/deleting. And an option to disable scripts so that those are not shown in the main search window. Am I missing something?

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #761
Hmm... I can tell we are looking at this in different ways. I had assumed users would generally only have a couple of scripts that they used, and would want those kept up to date. Adding a new script would be a specific action to try and address some area their usual scripts were lacking (adding one of the Metal specialist scripts, for example, if they needed it).

From what you've said, it sounds more like you'd want to have every possible script installed, and install any new script whenever it was available. The exception would be to exclude a specifically unwanted script, rather than pick and choose the wanted ones.

Anyone else want to express an opinion? Do you just pick and use a small number of scripts, or do you like to have everything possible, then sift through all the results to choose the best each time?

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #762
Alex, Thanks very much for the update - I'm eager to use the new dimensions feature.  However, I can't run it, because I think I have a botched .NET 3.5 SP1 installation that is irreparable on my Vista install.  I've tried everything (MS hotfixes, etc, etc.).  Time for Windows 7 RC1.  Oddly, your previous version worked fine. 

I like as many sources and scripts as possible.  It really doesn't take too long to wait for the results, and if you have the results sorted by size or source, you pretty much know where your favorite sources (or size) will end up in the list of results.  As for removing scripts that no longer work, you could implement some sort of script status page in the options, which lists the installed script and their status as to whether they work or have become obsolete, in which case they would be safe to delete.  That way, your installer would not have to delete anything, and you could leave it up to the end user to leave it be.

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #763
From what you've said, it sounds more like you'd want to have every possible script installed, and install any new script whenever it was available. The exception would be to exclude a specifically unwanted script, rather than pick and choose the wanted ones.

I would not use "exclude" but "disable" word, did you mean exclude from the search? Anyways, how many new users really know which scripts they would like to use when installing AAD for the first time? If I say that none, IMHO I'm not far away from the truth. And isn't AAD's main feature to have many different cover sources to choose from? Old users who have disabled (in my system) some of the sources, would not see them in the search until they decide to enable those from the "source control panel", even if they update AAD and/or sources. Either way, from installer or from the running program, user would have to disable a source once. On the plus side (in my system), all of the scripts are there and up-to-date if one suddenly wants to use them. No manual checks (PITA task to compare which script files you have and don't have), no manual downloads, no manual deleting of files, no problems with deploying new sources, no problems deleting obsolete sources. Only change for the end user (new user) would be that they would have to disable sources after installing rather than not installing them.

And I wouldn't "offer" updates, I'd just notify the user that these sources are going to be changed (accept? yes/no.. no choosing of individual sources of what to change/update.. just updating a whole "set"), listing all new/updated/deleted (obsolete) sources. My idea is to have the sources always exactly as they are in your website where the situation is checked from. So, every user (who has loaded the latest update from your website) has the same set of source files, the only change is which ones (if any) the users have disabled (and those disabled are still updated.. or make AAD check for an update when a source is enabled again).

Sorry if I'm repeating myself here but I sensed that you didn't fully understand what I was after. (My life problem, I see that I'm the Mr. Clarity itself (almost) always but many many times people misunderstands me. )

Anyone else want to express an opinion? Do you just pick and use a small number of scripts, or do you like to have everything possible, then sift through all the results to choose the best each time?

That's interesting to know, I agree, but IMHO it doesn't matter in the case "status quo Vs. "my vision""  because both scenarios are possible in both. And using many sources is not a problem when using "group by: source" (and possibly "Sort by: size"). It's easy to go thru all results that way.. the best sources are usually always on top of the result list (if bigger cover size = good cover = good source).

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #764
Is it possible to save the album art in an mp3 tag? I need this for my mobile phone.

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #765
No.
audiophile // flac & wavpack, mostly // using too many audio players

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #766
I like Akkurat's vision - I like the idea of having several options to choose from (not only in this program's case) .

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #767
Anyone else want to express an opinion? Do you just pick and use a small number of scripts, or do you like to have everything possible, then sift through all the results to choose the best each time?

I only have a small number of scripts. As much as are needed to get at least a few results for each request, which isn't quite easy sometimes. Some scripts are not used by me, because their quality isn't that great after all.
I think it would be nice to have an update/install dialog for scripts. Auto-update would be fine with me and concerning installation of new scripts, it would be nice to define which scripts are installed and which not. It would be useful though to have new scripts installed always, so that you are forced to evaluate them.

Thanks for the program, by the way, it's one of the utilities that make your computer-life much easier.

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #768
hi all

i was just wondering how i can change the default save path for Album Art Downloader (i have the latest version)

i am looking to do this so i can have all my album art in one folder which has each of the files as artist - album

any help would be greatly appreciated

cheers

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #769
i was just wondering how i can change the default save path for Album Art Downloader
In the search window, click the Options link, then put the path in the "Save images to" box. You probably want something like C:\AlbumArtImages\%artist% - %album%.%extension%

If you use the file or foobar browser windows, then you should also update the path it uses to look for images, so it knows to find them there. To do this, in the file or foobar browser window, click the Options link, then put the path in the "Specify path to find images" box. As it's an absolute path (not relative to the folder the music is found in), just use the same path that you used for the search window.

Hope this helps!

Alex

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #770
i was just wondering how i can change the default save path for Album Art Downloader
In the search window, click the Options link, then put the path in the "Save images to" box. You probably want something like C:\AlbumArtImages\%artist% - %album%.%extension%

If you use the file or foobar browser windows, then you should also update the path it uses to look for images, so it knows to find them there. To do this, in the file or foobar browser window, click the Options link, then put the path in the "Specify path to find images" box. As it's an absolute path (not relative to the folder the music is found in), just use the same path that you used for the search window.

Hope this helps!

Alex


Hey

yeah that works well for putting them into the same folder, cheers, but what i'm looking for is how to get it to save that path so that i dont have to re-enter it every time
i'll do the file list thingo and then select the ones i want, search all and have 1 search window come up at a time, i change the path, double click on the image i want to save and it saves all well and good
so then i hit the X in the top right, it closes and the next search opens and the path has reverted back. Is there something i'm missing?

Thanks

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #771
Is there something i'm missing?
If you start a search from the file browser, then it automatically saves the image to the place the file browser was expecting to find the image file. So, if your path in the file browser is just "Folder.jpg", then it will automatically try to save the result as Folder.jpg in the folder the music was in.

You need to tell the file browser where the images are to be found, so that it knows whether they are missing or not, and where to save them if you start a search for a missing artwork from there.

To do this, in the file or foobar browser window, click the Options link, then put the path in the "Specify path to find images" box, as I mentioned in my first reply.

Alex

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #772
magical
thank you so much :D:D

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #773
@AlexVallat: What do you think about adding mp3 tag support? I know that JPG files are the best way to save album art. But my mobile device can only read embedded album art. There are several id3 libraries, so that it should be easy to implement this.

Album Art Downloader XUI

Reply #774
What do you think about adding mp3 tag support? [...]it should be easy to implement this.
It's not the actual embedding of image into the tag that's the problem, it's the choosing of which files to embed which images into. I refer you to my earlier answer on this subject, which still stands:

One of the major issues with embedding art is that it would have to know exactly which files to embed it into. This would be fairly easy if you have a simple scheme like having one folder per album, and saving the image into that folder. It could then just embed the image into every file in that folder.

The problem is, that isn't the only scheme in use, and I can't think of any good way of automatically determining which files to embed the artwork into that would be safe enough to ship. It could be catastrophically bad if AAD 'updated' a whole bunch of your files with new embedded art, irrevocably losing the art you already had for them.

AAD will remain a tool for downloading album art, and saving it as a file. The job of synchronising album art with embedded tags is a tag-management task, and should be handled by a separate tag-management tool. It's the same class of task as ensuring that all the tracks in an album have the same 'album' tag, and correct track number tag, or that the album tag matches the folder name, that sort of thing.

I expect there are already tools that do this - I don't use embedded album art myself, so I haven't tried one myself. A quick poke around the internet threw up mp3tag (instructions) and a dedicated ID3 Embed Pictures tool, either of which should do the job if your image files and album files are well organised.


If you want, you can track the official Feature Request for this functionality here: support images embedded in id3 tag. I honestly don't see it ever happening, though.