iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

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cmx
Posts: 367
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 11:56 am

Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by cmx »

-Sorry if you perceive the comments as "impatient", "attacking", and "blaming". Just laying out what is happening here and my straight opinion as a user as to the rollout strategy.
-I DO hold you "accountable" for the functionality of the COM services compatibility with MM.
-As a customer I see this as MY time, that I am spending "helping" YOU with your endeavor.
-I very much appreciate the offer of refund...that's good business and says more than all the posts in the world.

Last few times I've rebooted computer and "reset" iphone imonkey seems to be working OK. I have gotten a "no wi-fi available" message error a couple of times (iphone itself showed wifi connected) but upon restarting imonkey on the iphone it successfully connected. Using the "Smartlists" for testing and things seem to be working ok...as long as I don't close and reopen MM without manually ending imonkey.exe.

1. I run Eric Milles "Remote Speakers" as a MM output plugin. This functions as the wireless connection software with Airport Express. It mimics the wireless functionality available in iTunes. Possibly this could be causing problems for imonkey coms...not sure, but "Remote Speakers" has worked perfectly throughout. This not changeable.

2. I use AAC and MP3's.

3. Using small lists...50 or less "Smartlists" or just single albums to test things. This is an area I would really need to be robust to really use imonkey on a day to day basis. While waiting for MM to get compaible with G3 I loaded a subset of my library in iTunes and with iTunes and "Remote" I actually got up to about 30000 songs accessable- was great!... but as we all kniow itunes is terrible...lol.

4. Album Art is small.

5. I am using the latest MM "beta" 1189 RC-1 released 10/16/08 that enables iphone G3 functionality. I did not purchase imonkey until MM was fully compatible with iPhone v2.1 F/W.


I have some time to run the debug...but what specifically would you like me to do with it? Let me know what you want.
Melloware
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by Melloware »

OK just run the debug for a while and if you get any errors or lockups like you were reporting before send me the imonkey.log.

You can try to slowly increase your Now Playing size and Smartlist size to see where you hit a ceiling of performance. You are seeing the album covers OK? Are you able to rate songs in Landscape mode by clicking on the stars?

Can you just start iMonkey EXE. Run it on the Phone. Click Play Pause etc. Then close the iPhone app. Now close MM. You should not see the COM error...it should close gracefully. Does it?

As for the COM errors, I am working with MM developer "Peke". He is going to provide me an API hopefully soon which instead of iMonkey.exe it will be an in-process plugin running inside MM istelf so no more COM problems. Unfortunately that API did not exist when I started on iMonkey so I had no choice but to go the out-of-process route and have a COM object monitor MM externally. Next release should be the DLL variety if all goes well!

Don't hesitate to contact me with any problems...and if you run for a day or two with that DEBUG version OK then we will try again the non-debug version since that spits out a lot less data.
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cmx
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by cmx »

OK ran the debug...got an error on starting iMonkey on the phone..."disconnected from server"...restarted imonkey on phone and it then worked....

Here is log:
http://home.pacbell.net/cmx/iMonkey3.log

I started imonkey.exe debug...MM opened...
I then started iphone imonkey app...got the error described above...
restarted the iphone imonkey app...started the song in now playing ok...
selected different playlist played another...stopped, started...
then shut down iphone...
then shut down MM...

COM error occurred as usual and Taskmanager verifies imonkey.exe is still loaded.

Now of course I can't restart MM using imonkey.exe till I manually close it or reboot.
Melloware
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by Melloware »

OK we are making progress. It looks like your data and everything is transferring OK now. The error was due to this...

Socket Server Error: [192.168.1.101] Cannot create file "C:\Program Files\MediaMonkey 1189\iMonkey.log". The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process

Meaning mutliple threads were trying to write to the log file at the same time which causes a terminate error.

I think we are close....

1. Let's move now to this EXE which has the logging tuned way down..and we shouldn't get that error anymore now that we know the data and album covers are going to your phone OK.

http://melloware.lostlands.net/download ... server.zip

2. Change HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Melloware\iMonkey\TimerIntervalInMilliseconds to 975 from 500. 975 I have found to be the optimum value, while 500 might be too chatty.

3. The COM error now has me suspicious of either the BETA MM or that plugin. Because I just did the same test I asked you to do above 10 times in a row and every time both MM and iMonkey processes shut down normally. So this is very strange.
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cmx
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by cmx »

ok, set to value to 975

loaded imonkey.exe from link into MM production release 3.0.4.1185

Remote Speakers is NOT running or installed in this MM instance.

started imonkey.exe
started imonkey app on iphone(initially got "No server error..." tried again and it connected)
stopped started songs changed playlist etc...things played and stoopped ok and art is ok.

turned off iphone app(music continued playing in MM on computer)
closed MM

COM error occcured as usual....this is with 3041185 and no Remote speakers.....

here is log:
http://home.pacbell.net/cmx/iMonkey.log
Melloware
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by Melloware »

OK that is good. AT least we are apples to apples version wise now. The only other difference I could see..... which would be crazy is that you use Vista Home and I am using Vista Ultimate as Administrator.

Can you try running iMonkey.exe as Administrator or in Windows XP compatibility mode? You can right click on the Shortcut and go to Properties->Compatibility. I have seen some strangeness where Vista won't allow certain API calls if you are not the admin so maybe the API I use to monitor for that COM error and close gracefully is not allowed by your Vista permission level. i mean that is OUT THERE...but with Vista you never know.

I really doubt that is it but its worth a shot.

Other than that are you seeing album covers, playlists, and data as you expect? Is it just down to the COM Server warning?
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cmx
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by cmx »

Only one user on machine running as admin.

Ran using the rightclick "Run as Admin"...

Played songs...etc....

closed app
closed MM
got COM error as usual.....

yes Vista SUCKS...

created two new playlists in MM

666 songs no art...loaded instantly played fine using iMonkey...
500 songs with Art...loaded almost instantly..played fine....

PROBLEM
Now that I want to go back to MM1189 and use remote speakers...when I run the imonkey.exe in the 1189 folder...it is still loading the 1185 from another folder...wtf?

Jeez not making this stuff up....went in and manually started 1189 by itself...when I then tried the imonkey.exe in the same folder AGAIN it then started 1189 correctly.... see3ms to be working ok now....

For some reason this imonkey seems to be more robust now...fewer errors/locks...maybe the timing change was important....don't know...will continue stressing it...the COM issue is a pain.
Melloware
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by Melloware »

Its because whatever is listed in the REgistry is the version of MM I load. COM works all through the registry so once you ran the latest version again it must have updated the registry to the latest MM COM object.

We will have that COM issue quashed with the DLL release of iMonkey and the iPhone client won't have to change. It should just be a matter of copying iMonkey.DLL into the MM plugins folder...(or that is the goal). :0

I appreciate all your patience.
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cmx
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by cmx »

well...things haven't progressed well since last post. app seems to be locked up..."initializing please wait" will not go away on iphone...even resetting...

guess I need to wait till the COM issue is resolved before progressing...

hopefully the plugin can be developed quickly and then move on to practical usage design issues

thanks
Melloware
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by Melloware »

Hmmm but you just started getting that error since you switched to the new 3.0.6 beta?
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cmx
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by cmx »

Yes, possibly that is correct...lol...but the error WAS NOT presenting itself in this manner using 3.0.6 previously.....and I believe it worked for a few cycles with the 3.0.6 reset before it appeared.

Hence, my frustration....it could be COM issues, it could be related to playlists( I had not used them previously), it could be related to MM version, it could be some wierd Vista issue....

I do not have the knowledge or talent to make a determination....
nohitter151
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by nohitter151 »

Well I hope CMX's troubles haven't scared too many users away from iMonkey - I have to admit I was a little hesitant about buying it due to the problems CMX has been having but I went ahead and bought the app anyway. Here's what I found:

-After installing the app, entering in my settings, and downloading the needed files from the Melloware website, I had the app up and running in under 2 minutes.
-The app seems to connect flawlessly to MM. MediaMonkey responds to the remote instantaneously, and the iPhone takes about 1-2 seconds to update the art when a track is changed either by the iPhone itself or when you manually change tracks from MediaMonkey.
-I haven't had any COM issues. MediaMonkey starts and closes as normal.
-The only issue I've seen at all is that nested playlists can't be read by iMonkey. I've already told this to the app developer and he's assured me he'll do everything he can to access those playlists. I'm confident that if it's possible, he'll do it.

Overall, great app and I couldn't be happier with it. The promise that he'll continue to develop the app is almost as great as the app itself. BTW, I'm using the app with the latest beta version of MM with no problems.
MediaMonkey user since 2006
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hansi54
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by hansi54 »

nohitter151 wrote:Well I hope CMX's troubles haven't scared too many users away from iMonkey - I have to admit I was a little hesitant about buying it due to the problems CMX has been having but I went ahead and bought the app anyway. Here's what I found:
.....
Overall, great app and I couldn't be happier with it. The promise that he'll continue to develop the app is almost as great as the app itself. BTW, I'm using the app with the latest beta version of MM with no problems.
I totaly agree, what a cool App.

About this COM thing:
I just realized that after exiting MM, which was initially started via iMonkey, its not possible to start iMonkey again.
Because iMonkey is still running in the background.
Temp solution, Taskmanager, Kill iMonkey, start iMonkey again and enjoy :D

Greez
Hansi
Melloware
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by Melloware »

hansi54 wrote: I totaly agree, what a cool App.

About this COM thing:
I just realized that after exiting MM, which was initially started via iMonkey, its not possible to start iMonkey again.
Because iMonkey is still running in the background.
Temp solution, Taskmanager, Kill iMonkey, start iMonkey again and enjoy :D
Hmmm it shouldn't though. When I kill MM it kills my iMonkey.exe also. I see the COM error flash for like half a second and then it disappears because I close it. Maybe on different windows that "close COM error" code needs to be different. I tested it on Windows XP and Windows Vista and thought that was good enough.

Also I released a new EXE today with the following:

- Nested playlists now displaying properly
- Problem with embedded image in tag having no binary data
- Performance fix: Smartlists are cached on startup to speed up iMonkey. It will no longer query on every iPhone start
- If you want more than 100 Smartlists edit registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Melloware\iMonkey\SmartlistCountMax (at your own risk)
-If you want more than 500 Now playing songs edit the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Melloware\iMonkey\PlaylistCountMax (at your own risk)

http://melloware.lostlands.net/download ... server.zip
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hansi54
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Re: iMonkey - iPhone/iPod Touch Client for MediaMonkey

Post by hansi54 »

Hi Melloware

first impression with the new iMonkey.exe v1.1.0.84:

much, much quicker response after pressing a button on the iPhone (Trakinfos and Albumart)

The playlist improvements I can't test because:
- I only have a few
- It's time to go to bed

Thanks
Hansi
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