Touchscreen fat client wont default to my media server?

[amblix]

I dont know if I'm doing this right but here is what Im trying to accomplish.

I have my Xlobby pc with all my media

I have a fujitsu 3500 tablet pc as my fat client

I want it to default to the server to control my servers winamp. I tried using that as the zone in the basic tab but it doesnt play. It will show the song loaded in winamp but it will not play.

Now if I go into the XNET tab and click on "control zone" for the server it works but I dont want to have to do that everytime I reboot the tablet pc.

also my cover art is not coming accross.

I am using mapped drives, could this be the problem with both instead of using the full network address?

[Jay]

I hope I have this right.
You want the client to only (or default to) use the server's Winamp. No music is to be played on your client.

If I have that right, that's what I wanted.

I added music:zone 1 from setup (F2) to each of my 3 music screens in Skin Editor> Screen> Edit > Enter Event = music:zone 1

I added a button on each screen also linked to the event but I've had this up for about a week and have never needed to push any of them.

[amblix]

I hope I have this right.
You want the client to only (or default to) use the server's Winamp. No music is to be played on your client.

If I have that right, that's what I wanted.

I added music:zone 1 from setup (F2) to each of my 3 music screens in Skin Editor> Screen> Edit > Enter Event = music:zone 1

I added a button on each screen also linked to the event but I've had this up for about a week and have never needed to push any of them.

thats EXACTLY what I want I'm gonna give that a shot

I'm also going to be adding seperate sound cards as well to hook into my denon multizone receiver. I'm sure I'll have questions about that too

[Jay]

Obviously, I did that on my fat clients. I'm sure you understood that but I neglected to say it

[amblix]

Obviously, I did that on my fat clients. I'm sure you understood that but I neglected to say it

I got it

One more question though, on my fat client (tablet pc) do I leave the music DB blank? Or do I set it for the music on the server?

Right now I can control my music but no EQ or volume and still no cover art

[Jay]

Good one! I need to doc this as it took me sooo long to sort it out. (With help from the board)

1st, F2 on your server and go to Basic. Define your music path/s as \\machine name\your music folder. Not C:\whatever.
Repeat for each if you have more than one music folder.

Others may have a simpler way to do this but ...
Go to each of your music screen databases, open them with notepad and do a replace all: c:\whatever to \\machine name\music folder.
That should change the master folders and the album paths properly.

kill (or rename - just in case) your client's databases. Your client should then import the ones from the server. Hit import.

I assume you are using XNet and not the thin client or Web client.

Assuming all goes well, you may want to change your DB templates to reflect the changes. I haven't and just added a new album which added nicely on a DB refresh.

Just backup/make copies before you do this in case I forgot something

[amblix]

Good one! I need to doc this as it took me sooo long to sort it out. (With help from the board)

1st, F2 on your server and go to Basic. Define your music path/s as \\machine name\your music folder. Not C:\whatever.
Repeat for each if you have more than one music folder.

Others may have a simpler way to do this but ...
Go to each of your music screen databases, open them with notepad and do a replace all: c:\whatever to \\machine name\music folder.
That should change the master folders and the album paths properly.

kill (or rename - just in case) your client's databases. Your client should then import the ones from the server. Hit import.

I assume you are using XNet and not the thin client or Web client.

Assuming all goes well, you may want to change your DB templates to reflect the changes. I haven't and just added a new album which added nicely on a DB refresh.

Just backup/make copies before you do this in case I forgot something

ARGH I must be doing something wrong lol Xlobby keeps locking up after controlling it but for a minute.

right now Im manually going into the XNET tab (f2) and hi lighting the server and clicking on control zone. That works for a minute or two and then locks up.....

Do I add the winamp as a zone? for instance zone1 would be \\mediaserver\downstairs\winamp.exe ?

[Jay]

Fat clients. In F2 > General, do NOT put in any path to ANY Winamp.
That's taken care of by the zone event when you enter your music screen/s. The assumption is that the server is zone 1.

Also check your client music database/s. They should have imported from the server as \\machine\music folder, etc. This assumes you have restructured them as I mentioned earlier.

You should have restarted your server XL after the database changes and restarted your fat client XL after that. This is because XL reads the databases on startup. Maybe a refresh is sufficient, but I just restarted the program.

[Dj Elmo]

Hi.

Can you explain this to me from the start? I think what u are doing is exactly what I want to do, but i'm pulling my hair out!!!

I have a server running xlobby, which has 4 zones setup. Then I have a fat client, with no zones. How do I tell the server to play music through one of the zones, from the client? Currently no zones setup on the client.

Also, when I go into the zones screen on the heavymetal skin, I get an error. Something like, the connection has timed out and I get the red cross.

Hope this makes sense,

Thanks

[Jay]

OK, found some ambiguities - edited
Let's try it this way.

Now this is for 1 zone only. Only the server is playing the music.

-------------------------------------
Server
Change music database/s from <path>C:/music folder</path>
to <path>\\machine name\music folder</path>
and all <parameter>\\machine name\music folder\album</parameter>
and all <parameter>\\machine name\music folder\album\tracks.mp3</parameter>
This is an easy operation using Edit>Replace All with Notepad (back up your original databases in case you goof!)
Once your existing album paths are renamed from c:\music folder to \\machine name\music folder,
new albums will be given the path \\machine name\music folder so you only need do this once.
Now F2 (setup) >Basic> change c:/music path/s to \\machine\music folder/s

--------------------------------------
Fat Clients.
Setup (F2)
General. No player path.
Basic. \\machine\music folder/s
Music Database/s. Kill. Let client import them

Skins (pause/break) (on your music screen/s)
>Screen>Edit>Enter Event>Add >music:zone1

Let me know. GMT -4 on July 31

[Dj Elmo]

Hi. Well I have done this and the client does nothing.

It imports the database no probs, I have removed the client winamp so no music player opens and added the event in the music screen.

But when I click on a track to play it, nothing happens. I'm using the heavymetal skin. Xnet is saying connected to server and I have 4 zones setup on the server.

What a I doing wrong

[Jay]

OK. I have but one zone (on the server) so there's no question as to which is zone 1.

You say you have 4 zones. Do you have 4 instances of your player in 4 different folders and have you told the XL server all 4 of those paths in >F2 >Basic?

Can you play music from XL on the server itself?

Do your skin have a 'Show' overlay in your Music page? One choice should be Multizone. I imagine there would be 4 zone buttons, one for each zone. The server should have one highlighted. Try clicking on the corresponding zone button in your client's 'Show' overlay.

I'm leaving my lane at this point since I only use 1 Winamp/zone.

I hope you don't have my problem, as well.
My music only plays on alternate launches of XL. Winamp focus issh which I can't get around.

[Dj Elmo]

Hi again.

Yep I have 4 seperate winamps running and XL server has all 4 paths.
Yep I can play music on the server.

As for the show overlay.....hmmmm not sure.
The problem is, whenever I go into the zone screen on my skin and it is connected to the server via xnet, the zone screen just locks xlobby up. Then it shows a red cross. It tells me that a client hasn't responded quick enough, or something like that.


Ideas??

[Jay]

Well, the Show overlay on my skin contains the zone screen so it's the same thing.

It might be useful to post the exact error msg. you're getting.

On the server >F2>XNet. Can you see your fat client in the "Who's on the network" box? Since you seem to be importing the dbs OK, you should - except for that timeout issue???

And just to double-check, your imported music database/s do look something like this:?
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<database>
<sortorder>genre:artist:albumname:tracknumber:trackfilename</sortorder>
<template>music</template>
<paths>
<path>\\Video\music</path>
<path>\\Video\Shoutcast</path>
</paths>
<item>
<parameter>\\Video\music\Chanticleer</parameter>
<display>Chanticleer / Mysteria: Gregorian Chants</display>
<type>album</type>
<subitems>
<item>
<parameter>\\Video\music\Chanticleer\04-Antiphon_ Dominus Jesus - Palm Sunday.mp3</parameter>
<display>Antiphon: Dominus Jesus - Palm Sunday</display>
<type>track</type>
<information>.................. etc.

Not c:\music .............. etc.

[Dj Elmo]

Yep. My databases all have the \\mediaserver\mp3 paths in them.

I have managed to avoid the error by using a different skin. The KISS skin doesn't lock up. But again, I can select the CD to play and my client selects it, but it doesn't do anything at the server end.

Do the names of the zones have to match or does it just base it on the number? EG zone 1 on my server is called UNUSED.

Thanks for your on going help Jay