Lowlander and Martin have helped provide a useful, though messy, workaround:

By knowing that every parent gets it's tracks downloaded (wanted or not) I was able to change the nest structure to still be useful at both MMA and MMW.
This required having about ten playlists at root level (calling on other playlists at root level which seems really weird - but works - thanks Martin), instead of just one tidy root entry for 'Playlists designed for syncing AND for use with MMW'.

So, it is indeed possible to have a deep and complex nested structure as long as you realise that the 'blobs' in the MMA sync options dialog do not imply that those playlists are not populated. DEV: Some balloon tips regarding this would save a lot of heartache!

MMA is smart enough to not try to download twice, EG: If one branch is for '4 & 5 star tracks', then another for '5 star only' will not take any more space. But if there was a third playlist at that level for '3 & 4 & 5 star tracks' - even though unticked in MMA sync options - the 3 star tracks get downloaded regardless!! . . . . Sadly, they probably are not even accessible in MMA due to being 'unwanted' (unticked), even though they are taking up valuable device storage space.

Hope this helps any others out there trying to get an elegant MMA nested playlist structure to work. It does work, but do not flirt with including branches that are not ticked in the MMA sync options. I was doing this because I had a lovely tree working in MM Windows that I was attempting to sync to from MMA, expecting that I could untick the branches that were too big to fit on the device memory card. This unticking is ignored by MMA at the moment - the tracks are downloaded (attempted anyway) regardless.

Regards,
Jim Kelly, Australia

No responses?

Thanks,

Hello all,
Back again after not using MMA for some time, but very pleased to note that MMA seems to be much more stable now.

However I think I have been able to identify a seriously troubling bug in that the sync is bringing down way too many files (and thus filling my card).

The MMW auto-playlist syntax is correct as the files listed at each point in MMW's playlist tree are all as expected (as confirmed in the status line: files and size). Everything looks fine when selecting those same playlists from MMA. The blobs appear correctly as I back out - but then "Sync now" causes way too many files to download.

Have just "Sent logs": DCXVXDIMER "MMA ignores unticked auto-playlists, and downloads them regardless!"

SYSTEM just checked and are both the latest apparently:
MMW Lifetime Gold v4.1.12.1798, on w8.1 Pro 64 with current patches
MMA Pro v1.2.0.0605/1.1.0008(Pro), on Samsung phone: "NOTE-4" SM-N910G, 5.7" 1440x2560, v5.1.1 "Lollipop"
. . . using 'External' Samsung EVO mSDXC 128GB Card

How can I help you to identify and fix this problem?
Thanks,

EDIT:
I deleted the deeper unneeded playlists and it made no difference. It may be ignoring the deepest autoplaylists which just selects "Rating (5)" and "Sort (Random or Random album")? So I tried selecting that too at the device, synched, and the number was way too high. So FORGET that I mentioned ignoring unticked auto-playlists. It simply downloads a vastly bigger number of files than that implicated by the MMW status for the same playlists!!

Thanks,

This issue is now fixed in build 1.1.2.417 that will be available soon.

You can also try fix it by going to MMW settings of your Android device: Tools-> Options->Portable device sync -> <Your device> -> Configure -> Options tab -> Playlists

Here, please change Destination directory value from "\Playlist\" to "\Android\data\com.ventismedia.android.mediamonkey\files\Playlists\" (or "\Android\data\com.ventismedia.android.mediamonkeybeta\files\Playlists\" for BETA version)

This issue occurs only on external storages of Kitkat devices where playlists with no tracks are incorrectly stored and therefore deleted...

Environment: See signature - it is accurate.

Short description: All works for a few moments, immediately after syncing, whilst a "busy" symbol is turning in the top bar of the display (it is a part of a circle rotating). When that symbol vanishes, so do all of the nested Playlists. Only the un-nested Auto-PlayLists (APLs) that were at the root of MMW remain available to select.


Replicate: Easy here. I just made a series of very basic nested APLs. Synced, drilled into them whilst the symbol turning, started playing a track from the deepest nest. All fine until the symbol stops turning (track keeps playing). The APL name still shows, but no tracks. A yellow bar remains at the top right, where the first track had been.
As I retreat, all sign of the deeper level choices vanish so that I cannot return deeper. At each level upwards, only the APL name and yellow bar are displayed. Back at root, only the APLs that exist at root (those APLs that are not nested) are listed, and any root level APLs that have nested APLs pointing to them are missing too. I cannot return to the APLs that were working just prior, nor even see them (the tracks are still available via [Albums], etc).

Note: It is not using the APLs that causes them to vanish. As long as the symbol is turning I can traverse up and down the nested cascade of APLs perfectly. The BUG is something that happens at the point when the symbol stops turning.

You may have to sync many tracks to cause the symbol to rotate long enough to see it working as described.

LONG Descriptions:
An accurate log of the problem is reported in TICKET: #WQJ-984-63664
and in Forum Topic (Help needed (mma)): "Syncing MMW Gold and MMA Pro (nested AutoPlaylists)"

LOGS: A new LOG just sent: 0HBHLGGTGP, and several others as detailed in the TICKET and forum post
http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=80586&start=15

HELP:
I will not be able to help you to track this BUG beyond this week due to travel. I had hoped to take the music with me with these nested playlists working. How can I help?

Thank you.

I should add that my nested MM Gold Auto-Playlists work perfectly with MM Windows, and with Erlend Dahl's excellent Android app: "MM Remote", so something is amiss with MMA on the very same device.

Would love to see it overcome. Nested Auto-Playlists are excellent :-)

Thanks,

No help forthcoming from my Support Ticket #WQJ-984-63664 for several weeks now . . .
so . . . I reluctantly post here:

Decided to try:
* a complete uninstall of MMA and MMA-Pro
* Made a backup of the 32GB mSDHC card using w8.1
* Fitted a new Samsung mSDXC card (being the same make as the phone) and
* Formatted the card via Android's Settings > More > Storage > SD Card > . . .
* Put the card back into the w8.1 pc to restore the other programs (GPS etc) and non MM data
* Put the card back into the Android phone and reinstalled MMA then MMA-Pro . . .
* Moved both MM Apps to the "External storage" via Android's Settings > More > Application manager . . .

Once done, I connected to the w8.1 MM-GOLD 'server' via MMA's [UPnP] button

Then I followed Russell's preferred method of establishing a sync by WiFi
via Android's Options button > Options > WiFi Sync > GT-N7105 External Storage > Auto-sync server content > Playlists . . .

Chose just three deeply nested Playlists; and Synced.
All appeared to be fine, the tracks are on the device . . . and show under [Tracks], [Albums], [Composers], etc (including album art); and play fine.

BUT: MMA's [Playlists] button has no entries other than a single yellow bar in the top right-hand corner, below the magnifying glass icon
See the log BLNEHWBS2K sent immediately . . . no other interactions.

So, I find myself no better off for this effort - same bug that I have been reporting for ages now.
Please tell me how to get past this point.
Lowlander (and others) are happily using nested autoplaylists and I cannot get them to work.
What else can I send you to help resolve this issue?

Thank you,

Have you seen the LOGs that I sent?
Some are referred to in "View Ticket: #WQJ-984-63664"
During those times when I sent the LOGs the problem was happening consistently. It still happens.

I can further confirm that it happens after a simple delay. I can Sync (they return and can be browsed if I am quick). But if I wait at the tracks display of a deep APL, then simply wait, the Track names will simply vanish from the display after a few seconds to perhaps a minute or two. The APL name still shows, but no tracks. A yellow bar remains at the top right, where the first track had been
As I retreat, all sign of the deeper level choices have vanished so that I cannot return deeper. At each level upwards, only the APL name and yellow bar are displayed. Back at root, only the APLs that exist at root (IE those APLs that are not nested) are listed, and any root level APLs that had nested APLs pointing to them are missing too.

Another clue: The tracks remain present whilst a "busy" symbol is present in the top bar of the display. It is 3/4 of a circle rotating. When that vanishes, so do the tracks, and the behaviour described above is witnessed.

Another issue: Often large numbers of tracks are deleted for no apparent reason, and replaced with new ones. I have removed all sort parameters from the APLs but still it does this most times.

Surely this must be enough to replicate the problem or to shortlist the places in the code that could cause this behaviour?
Is there anything else that I can provide to help?

The duplicate tracks problem was not seen for a few days but it returned for one album yesterday, and is ok today . . .

Thanks,

I retried to replicate todaz without success.

Tried the latest version 415,
still seeing nested playlists come and go - mostly not present . . .

I have spoken too soon, it seems.

Soon after posting that it had come good at last I noticed that I had duplicates of everything I looked at in track view via MMA's "Playlists" button. If I played and rated one track the rating would not be present in the 2nd instance, etc.

So I decided to un-tick every playlist from the MMA device settings. I synced and it duly deleted every track. I restarted the Android device to freshen it up and selected one nested APL (using the Android options > Options method) . . . synced, it copied the tracks . . . but again the APL names do not show up in the MMA "Playlist" button.

Back to square one.

I have sent a LOG to help with diagnostics, an 'After' LOG!
HA2JRL9CEJ

Hopefully I have helped fix this issue?

After further fiddling it has begun to work exactly as suggested!

It would be a good idea to review the log still as I am certain that it was not working as discussed - very frustrating - there will be a bug that might be discovered in that log.

I have made many adjustments to the synced tracks today (mostly to filenames and album-art) on MMW but I don't thing that flushed out the problem. I certainly have not been adjusting or even using the APLs today.

However, several of the APL names have unusual characters like this ж to control the order that they should list in (that char comes after Z, as does Ω which I love as it looks like headphones). Anyway I just removed one ж and tried again and noticed that it was working at last. However one of the remaining APLs that became visible also used the odd character so I realised that it was not likely that that was the reason at all, and put it back the original way with ж. It still works properly - tolerating the odd characters!

Now that it works I can see that it needs more finesse in the finished product. It would be good to be able to have tabs for Album/Artist instead of just a list of tracks. No doubt these things are already in the enhancement list, or perhaps in beta. I look forward to seeing a new release soon.

Thanks,

Back home now, and carefully checked MMA and can confirm that the blobs are in place at level 1 and level 2, and all three APLs at the deepest (3rd) level are ticked. When I sync, then [Playlist] at MMA's home page, I caught a glimpse of the top level APL name once, then it vanished. None of the five APLs show (I'd only expect the deepest three).

I have sent LOG XS9KSBY93G
"Nested APLs do not show in MMA"

Thanks,