a couple of iTunes questions

steveohan

hi folks,

i'm a new mac user and have been playing around in iTunes for the last little while.

i have 2 questions

1) I want to be able to drag albums of mp3's (which are contained in folders) into iTunes. When i do this though, iTunes just catalogs the individual files in the big library list as opposed to keeping them in folders (visually). Am i making sense? Can i change this so when i drag a folder into my iTunes library, it remains a folder?

2) Changing column order. I can move all the different columns around (artist, time, album, etc), but i cant do that with the song name column! I'd like to have the Artist column before the Song Name column. Is this possible?

Thanks!
steve.

Ohenri

1 - have you tried to command-o 'add to library'?? Should that not deal with your need there?? I think.... I could be wrong though... But I see what you want to do.

2 - You could be correct there... I just tried as well. No dice... song was 1st by default and can apparently not move. Odd .

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steveohan

yeah i've tried the 'add to library' option, but that wont list the album in a folder. it will take all the individual files in the folder and display them individually...

and that column moving thing is annoying!

steve.

Chealion

Unfortunately for you iTunes will not display folders. When you load a folder into iTunes, it will display the individual songs. So when you browse your library it is a listing of songs (and appropriate data, eg. Album, Artist).

However depending on your settings for iTunes, it will be stored in a folder in your iTunes Music folder (Artist Name folder with an Album Name folder in it.)

If you use the Browse button in the Library, you can browse by album if you wish, but iTunes still won't show folders anywhere within the actual application.

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Macaholic

Stevohan, anything you drag to iTunes' "Source" window on the left will become a playlist. So, drag each folder of your collections (one at a time) to there. The MP3s will be added to your library and the playlist created, named the same as the ONE folder you drag each time.

Be mindful of iTunes' preferences, particularly in the Advanced section regarding COPYING MP3s when they are added. many a Windows guy complained about iTunes hijacking their libraries, but if you read CLEARLY the options during the initial run of the Setup assistant and also read CLEARLY the preference options, you can have iTunes do what you want.

As for me, I don't bother with Finder-level mucking around organizing MP3s in folders. I do all my organizing within iTunes (it's the same -- CRUCIAL, in fact -- that you use this approach with iPhoto!!). And it is DEAD SIMPLE to search for MP3s in iTunes (changing sort by clicking columns, then simply typing and the list chases down as you type. Or, use the FASt search field to filter away), no matter how many you have.

It's also EASY to make new playlists. grab a bunch of songs and just DRAG them to the Source pane. A new playlist will be created for you to name.

If you actually want to SEE the MP3 on your drive, control-click (or right-click if you use such a mouse) and use the "Show Song File" command and BOOM! You're there.

Keep in mind that, when deleting an MP3 within a playlist, you only delete its reference in THAt playlist. If you delete an MP3 in the Library, itself, you'll be deleting FROM YOUR DRIVE. iTunes is VERY scriptable, however, and you can use scripts that delete an MP3 from your drive when you do so WITHIN A PLAYLIST. Check out the TONS of Applescripts for iTunes, here:

http://www.malcolmadams.com/itunes/index.php

Btw, how's that xvsxp site doing for ya?


EDIT! Whoops! song files are deleted off the drive when deleting within iTunes ONLY if the song RESIDES within iTunes' folder inside your Home Folder's Music folder. You have to really be clear on iTunes' preferences, too. the default is to COPY music files to your iTunes folder in your home Folder's Music folder when you add them to iTunes. if you're not are of this you're creating a shitload of redundant MP3 files.

My iTunes advanced settings are: keep iTunes Music Folder organized is on. Copy files to iTunes Music folder is OFF. BUT, this is because I'm a composer and want to keep my compositions in other, job-specific folders. If I was using iTunes strictly for recreational uses, however, i probably would enable he copy to iTunes folder option, deleting the original after iTunes had copied and organized it.

[ July 12, 2004, 12:11 AM: Message edited by: Macaholic ]

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