noob question - Foobar not working

[zhopudey]

I can't get foobar to work from xlobby. I added my music directory, added a foobar zone, put the 2 dll in foobar's directory.
I can see my cd covers, but when I click on play, nothing happens.
Is there a xlobby for dummies guide anywhere?

[sagitaz]

what foobar version do you use ?

[zhopudey]

Foobar 2000. And I'm using xlobby2, xlobby2main and xlobby2prerelease1.
And I just realised that even WMP doesnt start when I click on avi files. Seems I'm making some big mistake somewhere.

[rembetis]

What format are your audio files in? Can you summarize the steps you took to create your database?

[zhopudey]

Audio files are Flac ( eac + FLAC) and mp3.

1> I extracted xlobby2, xlobby2main, and xlobby2prerelease1 to a folder ( don't rememberthe order), overwriting common files. Put the fb2k plugins in its directory.
2> In General tab, added FB2K and Winamp
3> In basic tab, added my music and movie directorys. Clicked on import.
4> In file types tab, added FB2K for extension FLAC, switch " /play ". Checked the "Enabled" radio button.
5> Added winamp for mp3. No command line switch.
6> Now, surprisingly, foobar and winamp are starting with xlobby.
7> I can browse thru my music and movies, but when I click on play, nothing is happening.

I am using Xp Pro w/ SP2. Heres part of my music.xml

<item>
<parameter>G:\New CDs - EAC\Billy Joel\2000 Years - The Millennium Concert (Disc 2 of 2)</parameter>
<display>Billy Joel / 2000 Years - The Millenium Concert</display>
<type>album</type>
<subitems>
<item>
<parameter>G:\New CDs - EAC\Billy Joel\2000 Years - The Millennium Concert (Disc 2 of 2)\01 - I Go To Extremes.flac</parameter>
<display>I Go To Extremes.</display>
<type>track</type>
<information>
<tracknumber>1</tracknumber>
<trackname>I Go To Extremes.</trackname>
<trackfilename>01 - I Go To Extremes.flac</trackfilename>
<artist>Billy Joel</artist>
</information>
</item>
<item>
<parameter>G:\New CDs - EAC\Billy Joel\2000 Years - The Millennium Concert (Disc 2 of 2)\02 - Goodnight Saigon.flac</parameter>
<display>Goodnight Saigon.</display>
<type>track</type>
<information>
<tracknumber>2</tracknumber>
<trackname>Goodnight Saigon.</trackname>
<trackfilename>02 - Goodnight Saigon.flac</trackfilename>
<artist>Billy Joel</artist>
</information>
</item>
<item>

Just saw that when I click on an avi file, it creates an m3u playlist. Heres a SS of xlooby, when i click on play for a music album

[rembetis]

2> Is there a reason you're not using Foobar OR Winamp for both FLAC and Mp3? I'm not sure, but using both may be presenting a problem.

3> Is "flac" included in the extension list for your music import? (F2 > Database > Import tab, select music from "Template" drop down and look in the Extensions field. If not, put it in there, choose "music" from the Import to DB field and click import again.

4> This step is unnecessary and may actually be causing your problem. Provided flacs are included in your music import, and Foobar2000 is the only player in the General setup, then the Foobar plugin handles all the playing, queuing, etc.

6> Why is this surprising? The players preload with Xlobby, so they're ready to go when you want to play something. Both Winamp and Foobar2000 can be configured to load minimized to your taskbar. But as I said above, having both loaded may be confusing Xlobby.

7> Hopefully, the steps above will clear up the music situation. For movies, you will need to have each avi (or whatever file type you are using) in its own folder, and that extension must be included in the import template (see #3 above). For these files, however, you will need to designate the player in the File Types section of Setup.

Hope that helps.

[rembetis]

One more thing. The periods at the end of your music file names (in both the image you posted and your database excerpt) suggests something is wrong with your import, and may also be contributing to your problem.

[zhopudey]

Thanx for the reply. But its not working. I tried winamp only because fb2k wasnt working. And flac is included in the music template.

Why is the period at the end of the file coming? How do I remove it?

[rembetis]

Did you remove the stuff from steps #4 and #5 on your list? They are not needed and may be fouling things up. And choose either Foobar or Winamp in the setup, not both. I have no idea about the periods, but it seems to me to be a definite sign that something is not set up correctly with your import. I'd suggest deleting and recreating your database after making sure the formats in the extension list for your music import do not have periods before them -- in other words, your extension list should look like this "wav,flac,mp3" and not this ".wav,.flac,.mp3"

Beyond that, I'm afraid I'm out of ideas... Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[zhopudey]

I started afresh, following baddabing's guide. I installed xlobby2pre14, xlobby2main and xlobby2. Then added the heavymetal skin. But I didn't get Flac extension this time. Also, startup was very slow. So deleted the skin, and added xlobby2prerelease1. Now flac was present in music DB extensions list.
Added fb2k zone, added music directory, imported music. Same problem. Now I saw that mp3 files don't have the period after their name. But they're not playing either.

Why is this hapening to me? Why!!!

[rembetis]

I feel your frustration. Let me assure you that once you figure out whatever this problem is, the music process will work more or less flawlessly.

If you open Foobar on its own, without Xlobby running, can your drag and drop a flac or mp3 and it plays just fine? Are the periods present in the flac files within the Foobar display?

Also, in looking at the section of your database that your posted, I don't see lines relating to cover art:

Mine looks like this (note the second line):

<parameter>\\Jukejoint\Music\Acoustic, Folk, Blues, Classic Rock\10,000 Maniacs\In My Tribe (1987)</parameter>
<coverart>\\Jukejoint\Music\Acoustic, Folk, Blues, Classic Rock\10,000 Maniacs\In My Tribe (1987)\folder.jpg</coverart>
<display>10,000 Maniacs / In My Tribe</display>
<type>album</type>
<subitems>

And yet the screenshot you posted shows cover art. Does a cover show up for that Billy Joel CD? If so, there may be some kind of disconnect between image and database (they're not linking). I'm reaching here, just trying to find possible areas of investigation...

[zhopudey]

1> Foobar is working fine with all kinds of music. ( not thru xlobby)

2> The period is present in the titles of all my Flac songs. Must have been put there by eac or flac or tagscanner.

3> No period in mp3 tracks, but they aren't playing either.

4> Theres no cover art for the Billy Joel CD. Heres another section of my music.xml

<item>
<parameter>G:\New CDs - EAC\Creed\Greatest Hits</parameter>
<coverart>G:\New CDs - EAC\Creed\Greatest Hits\folder.jpg</coverart>
<display>Creed / Greatest Hits</display>
<type>album</type>
<subitems>
<item>
<parameter>G:\New CDs - EAC\Creed\Greatest Hits\01 - Torn.flac</parameter>
<display>Torn.</display>
<type>track</type>
<information>
<tracknumber>1</tracknumber>
<trackname>Torn.</trackname>
<trackfilename>01 - Torn.flac</trackfilename>
<artist>Creed</artist>
</information>
</item>
<item>

[rembetis]

Well, I'm stumped Sounds like you're doing everything right. I know it's no consolation, but music is typically one of the most problem free functions of Xlobby. I'd hate to see this experience sour you on it, because it really is one of the most powerful and flexible frontends out there.

The only other thing I can think of is that you somehow have versions of Foobar and Winamp that Xlobby does not play well with. For instance, I'm pretty sure Winamp 3 will not work. Or that somewhere in your Foobar configuration is an option that is thwarting Xlobby.

As far as the periods go, you might want to go into EAC Options (F9) and then File Name and make sure a period isn't present in the "Naming Scheme" field. If you have EAC set up to automatically convert to FLAC, you'll also need to check the Command Line field in Compression Options (F11) > External Compression.

And not to beat a dead horse, but you have removed Foobar and Winamp from the File Types in Setup, correct? Make sure they are not lingering around by opening types.xml in the root Xlobby folder.

Sorry I haven't been able to solve your problem. It's frustrating me now too

[zhopudey]

Well, thanks for all your help anyway.
Maybe someone else can suggest something?

[Colby]

I may look at your problem, but I dont have any flac files nor do I use foobar. If someone sent me a flac file I will dl fb and try.