Closing or Opening a Play List. A Bug?

[admin]

Let me try to answer your confusion.

1 "New" will close the file and generate a new file (unseen for now) and the context box doesn't open when you click "New". I must then click on "Open" after the file closes to open the context box, then I see the newly created file with the word NEW in it. That isn't what I expected. The instructions do not say that.

Yes it does generate a new file, but the New filename appears on Hoster's Title bar at the very top. It is auto-named. We evolved to this from too many early users not understanding how to create and name a new file. Yeah... it happens and we have to help them succeed without learning all about Windows filenaming, including all the symbol characters they want to try and use that Windows would not allow. Thus, we ALWAYS create a new named file when the NEW button is clicked.

2 If I click "Open" at first, it will open the context box and not close the opened one. What happens is any playlist I select will be added to the opened playlist. That isn't what I expected.

Mine doesn't work that way. When I click the Open button, the new selected .hst file is opened. Its contents are not appended to the prior open one.

If what you wrote here is what you see, please post this so we can diagnose why you see this when others don't.

3 If I click "Save" it just saves any changes I make to the playlist.

Correct. We added this for folks who need this old "comfort blanket". However, whenever any change is made in the open Playlist, Hoster automatically does a SAVE to insure ALL CHANGES are present if you experience a crash. This is also why we auto-open the last opened Playlist, so you don't even have to remember what "show .hst" file you are running following a crash. Just open Hoster, and it is there.

4 "SaveAs" will open the context box and I have to give it a name. I can't open a playlist from there.

Correct. Windows SaveAs always allows saving and renaming the CURRENT OPEN FILE with a new name. It is a COPY function. No problem here.

So where do I click to open a different playlist without duplicating one that I already have but with a new name? NOTE I am using duplicate now instead of create.

The OPEN command does this. Read my reply above, and if you click OPEN and it APPENDS the selected file contents to the currently open file, then post this as it is NOT WORKING NORMALLY.

I tried to rename a playlist to "my001.hst" thinking I can solve it. Uh Uh, It duplicates a new file called "my001-new.hst"

Here is where I failed to "integrate" a new function in V3.000 into the Playlist naming section of the manual. My mistake.

I quote from the V3.000 Upgrades section of the 3.006 manual (C:\Program Files\Micro Technology Unlimited\Hoster\Manual\hosterman.htm#V3000): "Updated Playlist File Format - Hoster 3.0 has new features that were not supported in version 2.219 and prior, which required a new playlist .hst file format. Opening an older format file in 3.0 creates a file name [same name]-new.hst, leaving the older format file untouched so it can still be used in 2.219 and prior versions."

As we add MAJOR new features to Hoster, sometimes the Playlist, or the Songs Database, or the KMA File Header contents must change. We go to EXTREME LENGTHS... to insure there is an upward compatible path.

In this case, the project .hst file format created in Hoster 2.219 and prior HAD TO CHANGE to allow new features in V3.000. That is why we take the same filename and add a "-new" before the .hst extension. Your older [priorfilename].hst file is still usable in V2.219 and prior. This is done as soon as you open a .hst file, or Hoster auto-opens the last opened .hst file; the new file is created and opened instead of the older ".hst" file.

I hope this clears up this confusion.

I've added a statement to this effect in the V3.100 manual I am now finishing up, as we move toward final release of 3.100 hopefully next Monday.

Good Lord! I just realized that the MASSIVE changes we have added in V3.100 to allow converting .CDG, .BIN, .MP3G and .ZIP files on the HDD to a new .KMA file format, will cause no end of grief if I don't explain these also. Problem is, these new files, and the new Songs Database that Hoster will AUTOMATICALLY build the first time you run V3.100, are NOT downward compatible with V3.006 or prior.

Such is the plight of developers when adding new features.