Hi,
[quote=Barry4679 post_id=486690 time=1631194815 user_id=28275]
This may sound horrible to you, but it may be better than you think (see this video clip). In there I demonstrate the following:
[/quote]
I further tested it and added note at https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=18272#c64543

Hi all,
thanks for feedback, adding this request as https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=18272 for evaluation

[quote=Barry4679 post_id=486690 time=1631194815 user_id=28275]
This may sound horrible to you, but it may be better than you think (see [url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ydqvge4xrdfnvo/navigation%20without%20Media%20Tree.mp4?dl=0]this video clip[/url]). In there I demonstrate the following...
[/quote]

Nice video Barry, thanks!

My .02:

I'm with the OP here.

I went to add some new music and got the notification. After backing up my db I ran the install to a new directory.

The first thing I did was click Artist and was surprised that it then listed every single artist in graphic format. I have a couple hundred thousand tracks so this was a massive list to page through just to find the artist I want. I don't know the cover art of every album by every artist so the graphic browsing isn't usable for me.

Then I changed this to list view, and it listed EVERY track in EVERY album by each artist. How is that usable? I know that's an option when clicking Entire Library but I was in Artist view.

Then I went to expand the Artist drop down thinking I missed it... and it wasn't there!

This might be great if you know what you want to look for, but most of the time I scan through the artist list and when something catches my eye I'll play it. Additionally, I'm not sure how it is for everyone else, but I'm always finding small discrepancies in my artist list. Dr Hook vs Dr. Hook vs Dr. Hook and His Medicine Show. Three listings for the same artist. I like cleaning these things up.

Thanks to the OP for asking this as it allowed me to find a solution quickly, and to the user doing the work finding it - I don't know if I ever would have. Personally, I think this should be turned on by default. There might be a lot us users thrown off by this change.

Also, the wikipedia links is a neat feature, but needs some work. I randomly clicked on The Jackson Sisters and it brought up Twisted Sister! :D

[quote=dominicclifton post_id=486609 time=1631099500 user_id=115469][
Also, why isn't it enabled by default now like it used to be?
[/quote]

Good question, especially considering the number of lost people who come here after becoming frustrated.

This is my guess as to the answer to your question.
There is a performance improvement, and a reduction of memory footprint, by MM5 not having to open and drill down into all the collections, and disk locations, to create all of the sub-nodes, which you may never visit.

And there is an advantage on offer; better utilisation of your screen real estate.
I have the Left hand (Media Tree) panel closed semi-permanently to increase the width of the Main panel to avoid having to horizontally scroll in the main panel.

This may sound horrible to you, but it may be better than you think (see [url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ydqvge4xrdfnvo/navigation%20without%20Media%20Tree.mp4?dl=0]this video clip[/url]). In there I demonstrate the following:
[list]the Media tree panel can easily be toggled between open|closed using the Tool Bar icon that looks like a left facing piano, so you can easily get to the Media Tree if you ever need it[/list]
[list]for the rest of this video I leave it closed, to demonstrate navigation without it[/list]
[list]click the breadcrumb icon, which opens a space saving dropdown menu[/list]
[list]navigate to a different Collection, and then open that Collection's AlbumArtist sub-node[/list]
[list]use MM5 Contextual Search to navigate directly to an Artist[/list]
[list]then go a different way; return to the dropdown menu to open the Folders node[/list]
[list]that node can be configured to contain its own Directory Tree for navigation, as I have, so I am still not missing the left hand panel[/list]
[list]navigate to the same Artist via Folders[/list]
[list]finally, I re-open the left hand panel, just to demonstrate that we were folder navigating without using the space wasting space in the left hand panel[/list]
[list]it can work exactly the same in a Collection's Location sub-node ... not included in the video[/list]

I think that is behind the default that they have chosen.

I 100% agree with your complaint that it should have been easier for you to find how to alter the default setting.

To that I would add that IMO it is self defeating for them not to have published some Migration Quickstart documentation.

MM5 is much better than it appears during first impression.

I'd just like to say, that after upgrading from 4.x to 5.x it took me about 30 minutes to find the setting that was hiding under the tripple dot menu at the top right of the media tree.

I tried:

* looking in the preferences under "Library / Collections & Views" - nothing. Clicking on the "Music" node and clicking "Edit" - nothing.
* looking in the preferences under "Layout" - nothing.
* right clicking "Artists" - nothing.
* right clicking "Music" - nothing.
* searching forums... *sigh*.
* reading the documentation listed and reading "Use the menu" button and going 'What? you mean right click'. Re-reading the documentation after right clicking on everything again and realising there is a small grey tripple-dot icon.

The discoverability of this very important feature, which is how I *always* navigate to my music is severely lacking.

To solve it, suggest adding or even moving the options on the tripple-dot menu into new settings page on "Tools / Options... / Layout / Media Tree". At least then we could all *EASILY* find the setting.

Also, why isn't it enabled by default now like it used to be?

Yes, you can enable Show all sub-nodes: https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/WebHelp:Library/5.0#Settings

Hi,
I've just installed MM5 (standard) after not having it on my PC for a while (4.x, I think).

After scanning for my music, I went into the library tree, and expected to see Artist > List of Artists as an expandable tree view (as I can see Years, Rating, etc) as I always used to see it in the past, but I just see Music, with no arrow (triangle, expand button, whatever) to expand. This is the same for Albums, Genres, Composers & Publishers. I CAN see the sub-nodes for Years, Rating, Classification, Location and Files to Edit.

Is this functionality that I can re-enable, or has it disappeared from MM entirely? I've been searching the forum for a while now & either I don't know the correct terminology or it just isn't there ... If it is a Gold feature (wasn't before), I see no indication of it.

Yes, I do know I can filter ... but that is multiple clicks for something that was just a single click away ...

Any help, please?
pmbellis