Support PDF

[Lady Fitzgerald]

My music library consists of some downloaded mp3s but, mostly, it's mp3s ripped from my CDs. The tracks are kept in separate folders named after the CD they were ripped from. Each folder has a unique disk number and also includes an image PDF of all of the CD jacket from the original CD (Media Monkey has no problem accessing and listing my music from that setup). I'm currently updating the tags in my mp3s to include the disk number to enable finding the original folder (not as big a project as one may think since I can do a mass edit on entire albums). Is there an easy way I can link to that PDF directly from each track listing in Media Monkey Monkey? I wouldn't expect Media Monkey to actually open the PDF (PDF files are already associated with Adobe Acrobat).

[Lowlander]

If the folder or filename has the unique disc number you can use Tools > Auto-Tag from Filename to tag for example a custom field with the disc number: http://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index.p ... lename/4.0

How do you want MediaMonkey to see the PDF files? I don't think any solution exists, but there is a always a chance that an addon already can see the PDF files.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Media Monkey already has a column for disc # so I've been updating the tags in my mp3s to populate that column. Unless a custom column could be made to link to the PDF, I don't see how it would help. I looked at the link you provided and my eyes glazed over. I'm not all that computer savvy. I'm more of a religious monkey trained to push this button, push that button, then pray like crazy that it works.

Media Monkey doesn't have to actually display the PDF (it probably can't, anyway, especially since most are three pages are more; we aren't talking about just album covers here). If all it will do is link to the PDF and let Adobe Acrobat open the PDF in its own window, I wil be a happy camper.

Btw, I'm running this on a notebook running Win7 64bit Home Premium.

[Lowlander]

No problem using Disc#, what is an example folder/filename you have?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Is this what you mean?

C:\Users\Jeannie\Music\CD Albums\0002 - Lisa Lynne Franco - Love & Peace - Liner Notes.pdf

[Lowlander]

Actually I need a sample filename of a music file.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Ok, I'm confused (doesn't take much). Why would you need an example of a music file? I'm wanting to open a PDF. Then again, I may be confused about what you mean by music file.

[Lowlander]

Because I'm trying to help with auto-tagging the disc#. As I said I don't know if any solution for the PDF file exists (however you can use right click on file, Find More from Same > Folder (Explorer) to get quick access to the PDF).

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm not worried about auto tagging the Disc #. I'm going through and cleaning up all the tags in all my mp3s anyway so it takes about one whopping second more to type in the Disc # while I have the File Properties editor opened for all the files in an album; Disc # is only one of the fields that need editing. Some of my mp3s need only the Disc # added but most have other things that need editing: sometimes file by file, sometimes in a mass edit of all the files in an album, more often both. Of course, none of it follows a pattern so I have to do it manually album by album.

I can already get to the PDF if I have the Media Tree opened to the folder all my mp3s are in. I right click on the folder the album is in, click on Open in Explorer, then click on the PDF but that is cumbersome. Also, once I have all my files cleaned up, I don't plan on using the Media Tree again (it's kinda junky looking and it eats up a lot of screen real estate) except when adding files and then it would be only to check to make sure the files showed up and all the tags are kosher (and add the Disc #).

What I was hoping for was a simpler way to get to the PDF, especially if I don't have the Media Tree already opened.

[rovingcowboy]

whats is in the pdf that you need it?

text?

other audio of interview?

movie in mpeg?

3 pages is huge, why not just make jpg's of all the covers, and anything like texts, export the interviews to wav's then convert them to mp3's put them in same folder for cd' add them on album track numbers like there are more tracks to the cd.
same with mpeg's export them convert them to smaller format place in cd folder, have monkey look for them in there he plays video's now.

you can then take all the cover art you have for the album add them in to the mp3 file by way of the albumart tab on the properties.
then you can use monkey's art viewer to see the album covers, what to change to see another image right click on album and pick the inside or back cover or the image you made of the text and read it.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Each PDF (one per ripped CD) is image only scans of everything from the CD case: the front and back cover, all pages from anything inside (many CDs come with booklets inside), even the CD itself (might help prove ownership of the CD if I'm ever accused of piracy since I'm eventually going to destroy the original CDs). I generally will have at least three pages in each PDF; more is fairly common. I occasionally access the PDFs for information about the tracks, the artists, the history of the music, etc. I used to keep the original CD 'jackets" in photo albums but they took up too much room, were clumsy to access, and it was too easy to drop one and have the "jackets" fly out.

The music management program I used to use (it has become abandonware) allowed me to manually create an extra track (I assigned "0" as the track number) that would link to the PDF (the program didn't have it's own player; it depended on Windows file associations to play selected tracks with an associated player, such as VLC). All it took was a simple click on the "0" track and the PDF would open in Acrobat; easy peasy. Sadly, that program has become abandonware (the author retired), wasn't nearly as versatile or easy to use as Media Monkey, and wouldn't run on Win7 (except maybe for 32 bit Pro or Ultimate in XP mode; I'm running Home Premium 64 bit) so it was time to retire it.

I'm looking for some way in Media Monkey to easily access each albums PDF (such as adding a "dummy" track I can click on to "play" the PDF).

[rovingcowboy]

so you want rusty or jiri or one of the other developers to add in to mm or one of the script authors to make mediamonkey see pdf files and open them with adobe reader.

simple request but i'm not sure how simple it would be to do?

add that request in to the wishlist thread. email rusty about it and ask in the developers forum room you will get your answer, anyplace you post it will get an answer but those are the proper places when you find your in need of an new feature.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Would it be possible to have MM support PDF files (please see http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67210)? I'm not asking for MM to be able to open and read them. All I'm looking for is the ability for MM to see a PDF in a folder containing music files and list it along with the music files. To open it, one could double click on the "track" and allow the reader associated with PDFs in windows to open the file.

I scanned the CD "jackets" of my CDs to a single PDF file (my ADF scanner does it automatically) when I ripped my CDs to mp3s and put it in the same folder as the mp3s, one folder per album. On the old program I was using to manage my music, I was able to manually add a "track" that was linked to the PDF. Opening the "track" opened the PDF in Adobe Acrobat. I've found I can add each page of the PDF, once converted to individual JPEGs, to the tags and get to them that way from MM but I can open only one page at a time and getting to each page is cumbersome and time consuming. Extracting the JPEGS from the PDF and adding them to the mp3 is also cumbersome and time consuming.

Also, adding the JPEGS to the mp3 increases the file's size. When one considers that each track in the album has to have the JPEGS added, the added size becomes significant, especially since some of those PDFs have as many as 22 pages (some of the booklets that come with CDs are small novels). I don't mind the increased file size on my computers too much--hard drive space is cheap--but if I'm burning those files to a CD to play in my truck, the increased file size limits the play time I can get on a CD (the time is already limited by the high bitrate I rip my CDs at--MM calls it insane). If MM could list the PDFs like a track and allow Windoze to open them in the associated reader, it would save me a lot of space and even more work.

Thanks.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well, I was hoping there already was a way to do what I want rather than ask for a mod (never even thought about that) but if that's what it will take...

I followed your suggestion and put in a request in the Wishlist thread.

Thanks.

[willyvds]

Maybe I misunderstand the initial request.... but why do you not add it as illustration?
You can attach as many pdf's to a track or album as you want.
Or is this not what you mean?
Regards, Willy