Bug 264681 - "Transcoding" and "Copy" features are lumped in together; separating would improve usability.
Summary: "Transcoding" and "Copy" features are lumped in together; separating would im...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: amarok
Classification: Applications
Component: Transcoding (show other bugs)
Version: 2.4.0
Platform: Chakra All
: NOR wishlist
Target Milestone: 2.4.1
Assignee: Amarok Developers
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2011-01-28 22:33 UTC by NilePenguin
Modified: 2012-03-16 20:10 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In: 2.6
Sentry Crash Report:


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Description NilePenguin 2011-01-28 22:33:09 UTC
Version:           2.4.0 (using KDE 4.5.5) 
OS:                All

The transcoding feature was recently added to amarok. Currently, the option to transcode shows up as a pop-up screen when you choose to copy a file to your collection, which is a rather different action. This creates two issues:

The first, and probably minor, result, is that people uninterested in transcoding get greeted with a pop-up every time they just want to copy files. This is an annoyance.

The second result, however, is that people looking for the 'transcoding' feature will not know where to find it, unless they have copied files to their collection before. It's not clear at all where the feature is, even if you search menu's and right-click menu's for it.

This can probably be improved by separating the functions in some way. An obvious way would be to create different options if you right-click in the collection browser: "copy files to collection" and "transcode files", or as a sub-menu of "copy files" ("copy and transcode to <collection>"). An alternative may be to let the user set a default action in the 'configure amarok' dialogue, or a "remember this choice" option in combination with a renamed "copy to collection" option.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
Let someone with no knowledge of the program try to transcode something.

For the other side of the coin, try to copy things to your collection very frequently without the program working on your nerves with requests :)

Actual Results:  
as above.

Expected Results:  
Separated, clear methods to either "copy to collection" or "transcode files".
Comment 1 Matěj Laitl 2012-01-21 00:04:21 UTC
(In reply to comment #0)
> An alternative
> may be to let the user set a default action in the 'configure amarok' dialogue,
> or a "remember this choice" option in combination with a renamed "copy to
> collection" option.

I'm working on this option (also solving bug 280526 on the way), mainly because transcoding in-place doesn't fit in Amarok workflow.
Comment 2 Matěj Laitl 2012-03-16 20:10:03 UTC
Git commit 1a0287f7925d92a05a530ab83fffbc9afae67e86 by Matěj Laitl.
Committed on 21/01/2012 at 01:13.
Pushed by laitl into branch 'master'.

Rework transcoding: remember encoder, transcode on move, cleaner code

This is a major rework of transcoding feature that brings following
user-visible changes to Amarok:
 * Amarok can remember preferred transcoding configuration per each
   collection that supports transcoding. Therefore, the "Use default
   configuration" work-around can go away and the "Transcode or copy?"
   dialog can (and is) be one-step now. This preference can be changed
   in configuration.
 * Transcoding is now supported even during the move operation. No
   worries, only successfully transcoded tracks are removed from their
   original location.
 * Only formats playable on the target collection are offered. Already
   used & tested in yet-to-be-merged iPod collection rewrite.
 * The "Organize Tracks" dialog title and progress bar operation name
   now more verbosely describe actual operation to prevent user
   mistakes.
 * Double-transcode when ripping audio CDs that caused failures is
   avoided. (ChangeLog entry for this was miscredited to my earilier
   commit)

Technically, following changes are made:
 * many methods that accepted optional TranscodingConfiguration now
   either have it mandatory or not at all.
 * TranscodingConfiguration's NULL_CODEC was splitted to JUST_COPY and
   INVALID along with convenience methods isValid() and isJustCopy().
   This simplifies logic in many methods.
 * CollectionLocation::prepare{Copy,Move}() now don't have optional
   TranscodingConfiguration parameter. Depending on target collection,
   CollectionLocation determines it automatically or asks user in
   showSourceDialog() (overridable). AudioCdCollectionLocation already
   overrides it.
 * Collections that support transcoding now should expose
   TranscodeCapability which is used to a) indicate that transcoding
   is supported; b) query which file formats are playable on target
   collection; c) read & save & unset preferred transcoding parameters.

Why the hell the new Capability?
================================

Many Amarok devs dislike the concept of capabilities[1]. Why the hell I
introduced the new one? In ideal world Amarok would be able to transcode
everything regardless of the target collection. This is however not
doable witch current copyUrlToCollection() design - target collection
needs to do non-trivial things such as re-reading file tags, accounting
for different file name and space requirements etc. See my comments in
[1]. We therefore need a way for target collection to indicate it
supports transcoding (in order not to fool user). Some collection
locations such as TrashCollectionLocation should even intentionally
disallow transcoding. Additionally, we want to be able to query
supported destination file formats, to save preferred transcoding
paremeters etc.

I simply didn't want to pollute already over-crowded CollectionLocation
with three more methods used by only a few subclasses. On the other
hand, TranscodeCapability is not the central idea of this patch and I
can factor it into CollectionLocation should there be a voice supporting
it.

v2 patch version: gui string changes as suggested by Bart & Teo

[1] https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/103752/
Related: bug 280526, bug 263775, bug 291722
FIXED-IN: 2.6
REVIEW: 104213
DIGEST: Feature: much improved transcoding

M  +4    -1    ChangeLog
M  +1    -0    src/CMakeLists.txt
M  +10   -33   src/browsers/CollectionTreeView.cpp
M  +1    -2    src/browsers/CollectionTreeView.h
M  +1    -38   src/browsers/filebrowser/FileView.cpp
M  +0    -1    src/browsers/filebrowser/FileView.h
M  +21   -3    src/configdialog/dialogs/CollectionConfig.cpp
M  +33   -0    src/configdialog/dialogs/CollectionConfig.ui
M  +48   -12   src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlCollection.cpp
M  +14   -1    src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlCollection.h
M  +39   -18   src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlCollectionLocation.cpp
M  +3    -1    src/core-impl/collections/db/sql/SqlCollectionLocation.h
M  +1    -1    src/core-impl/collections/mediadevicecollection/MediaDeviceCollectionLocation.h
M  +17   -0    src/core-impl/collections/support/CollectionLocationDelegateImpl.cpp
M  +3    -0    src/core-impl/collections/support/CollectionLocationDelegateImpl.h
M  +1    -1    src/core-impl/collections/support/PlaylistCollectionLocation.h
M  +2    -2    src/core-impl/collections/support/TrashCollectionLocation.h
M  +1    -1    src/core-impl/collections/umscollection/UmsCollectionLocation.h
M  +1    -0    src/core/CMakeLists.txt
M  +1    -0    src/core/capabilities/Capability.h
C  +5    -22   src/core/capabilities/TranscodeCapability.cpp [from: src/core/transcoding/TranscodingConfiguration.cpp - 073% similarity]
A  +84   -0    src/core/capabilities/TranscodeCapability.h     [License: GPL (v2+)]
M  +64   -21   src/core/collections/CollectionLocation.cpp
M  +19   -8    src/core/collections/CollectionLocation.h
M  +22   -0    src/core/collections/CollectionLocationDelegate.h
M  +112  -3    src/core/transcoding/TranscodingConfiguration.cpp
M  +41   -4    src/core/transcoding/TranscodingConfiguration.h
M  +17   -16   src/core/transcoding/TranscodingController.cpp
M  +21   -9    src/core/transcoding/TranscodingController.h
M  +11   -12   src/core/transcoding/TranscodingDefines.h
M  +3    -1    src/core/transcoding/TranscodingFormat.h
M  +4    -6    src/core/transcoding/formats/TranscodingNullFormat.cpp
M  +1    -1    src/core/transcoding/formats/TranscodingNullFormat.h
M  +2    -6    src/services/magnatune/MagnatuneCollectionLocation.cpp
M  +1    -1    src/services/mp3tunes/Mp3tunesServiceCollectionLocation.h
M  +1    -0    src/transcoding/CMakeLists.txt
M  +83   -75   src/transcoding/TranscodingAssistantDialog.cpp
M  +25   -9    src/transcoding/TranscodingAssistantDialog.h
M  +157  -296  src/transcoding/TranscodingAssistantDialog.ui
M  +3    -2    src/transcoding/TranscodingOptionsStackedWidget.cpp
A  +55   -0    src/transcoding/TranscodingSelectConfigWidget.cpp     [License: GPL (v2+)]
C  +42   -39   src/transcoding/TranscodingSelectConfigWidget.h [from: src/transcoding/TranscodingAssistantDialog.h - 050% similarity]
M  +1    -0    tests/core-impl/collections/db/sql/TestSqlCollectionLocation.cpp
M  +3    -0    tests/core/collections/MockCollectionLocationDelegate.h

http://commits.kde.org/amarok/1a0287f7925d92a05a530ab83fffbc9afae67e86