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30 Most Recent RSS FeedUPDATED: Join Together v7.8.0 and M3Unify v1.9.1
I've just released new versions of Join Together (v7.8.0) and M3Unify (v1.9.1) that make some initial accommodations for macOS 10.13 High Sierra.
To date, there have been a few issues with the High Sierra betas, as one expects. But the latest versions of these apps should be fine running in the latest betas. There may be some additional updates when the final version of macOS 10.13 is released later this year.
Even if you're not running a High Sierra beta, you should update to these new versions of Join Together and M3Unify since they also have performance fixes and enhancements. And everybody likes those.
Refresh a Track From Its File's Metadata
If you make changes to the file of an iTunes track in another application, iTunes doesn't always immediately update its database with the changes until you've played the track or tapped its Get Info window.
This is a relatively old AppleScript command, but refresh is intended to do this. This script will compel iTunes to update the selected track entries in the database with information from the metadata of the their files:
tell application "iTunes"
set sel to selection
if sel is {} then return
repeat with aTrack in sel
if class of aTrack is file track then refresh aTrack
end repeat
end tell
NEW: Show Me The Metadata
Every now and then I've needed to inspect the Spotlight metadata for an audio file, usually to find its UTIs or something along those lines. Many years ago I wrote about Spotlight scripting and a one-line mdls script to read this data. But as the years passed, I'd been adding features to this tool as my look-ups became more specific.
Now look what I've done.
Show Me The Metadata will display the audio metadata and the Spotlight metadata for either the file of a selected track in iTunes or a user-selected audio file.
The display areas are scrollable. The window and the heights of the display areas are resizable. It also includes additional features to display embedded artwork and activate the Finder's Information Window for the file. You won't use this a lot, but it'll be handy when you need it.
Show Me The Metadata is for macOS 10.10 and later and is free to use with a donation nag. More information and download is on this page.
Show Information Window for a Track's File
Occasionally it might be convenient to see the Finder's Information WIndow for a track's file. At any rate, it will be more convenient to do so using this script:
tell application "iTunes"
set sel to selection
if length of sel is not 1 then return
set theTrack to item 1 of sel
if class of theTrack is not file track then return
set loc to (get theTrack's location)
if loc is missing value then return
end tell
tell application "Finder"
activate
open information window of loc
end tell
Click the script icon to open this in the Script Editor.app on your machine. Save it named whatever you like as a "Script" in your ~Library/iTunes/Scripts/ folder so it will appear in iTunes' Script menu. Select a track (that has a local file), launch the script and the Finder will respond to you.
NEW: Divvy Up A Playlist
I don't burn CDs much anymore these days. Sad! So when a Correspondent inquired if a script could be written to split up a very long playlist into CD-sized "sub-playlists", I fuzzily recalled (and Kirk confirmed) that iTunes will ask for additional blank CDs if a single CD is insufficient; such a script would be unnecessary.
But then I thought that there might be other reasons to split up a large playlist into smaller playlists. Say, for example, one wanted to limit the CD contents to only 60 minutes. Or, forget about burning CDs (which, I guess, I have), maybe smaller playlists would be convenient for one's listening regimen.
So I wrote the script anyway. It was a fun Sunday morning project yesterday.
Divvy Up A Playlist will copy the tracks of a selected user-created playlist in their Play Order to a series of new, smaller playlists each set to a maximum time length and each named with a user-supplied base name and number suffix incremented sequentially. Additionally, the new playlists can all be moved to a new Playlist Folder, like so:
These particular playlists contain local file tracks as well as remote iCloud Music Library tracks, so I couldn't really burn CDs from them. But whenever I want to listen to my Rolling Stones collection in 74 minute chunks I'm all set (the script can create "sub-playlists" limited in size from 30 to 120 minutes; 74 minutes is the size of a typical CD).
Divvy Up A Playlist is for macOS 10.10 and later and free to use with a donation nag. More information and download is on this page.
[UPDATE; Many thanks to the first downloaders who reported a bug in v1.0. Quickly patched!]
The Next Track, Episode 64: Album Artwork
Kirk and I talk about album artwork in another one of our iTunes-oriented episodes of The Next Track podcast. Additionally, some useful AppleScripts for managing your iTunes artwork are featured.
This episode is sponsored by Loopback from Rogue Amoeba. Loopback gives you the power of a high-end studio mixing board, right inside your computer. Download a free trial of Loopback and be sure to check out a special offer for The Next Track listeners in this week's episode.
You can listen to the episode at The Next Track website here or subscribe here in iTunes to make sure you get all future episodes.
iTunes 12.7 Pulled?
When Apple released macOS High Sierra 10.13 beta 3 to developers on July 10 a download for iTunes 12.7 (build 12.7.0.48) was also made available. By July 17, when I installed the Beta for the first time on another machine, iTunes 12.7 was no longer available for download.
There were reports on the Developer Forum about devices not being recognized so perhaps this is part of the reason for pulling it.
iTunes 12.6.2 Released
Apple has released iTunes version 12.6.2 (build 12.6.2.20) today along with macOS Sierra 10.12.6. Not much specific on changes in iTunes other than the usual performance enhancements.
Somewhat Annual Reminder About Beta Operating Systems
Its been a few weeks now that the betas of Apple's newest operating system, High Sierra/macOS 10.13, have been in the wild. And as I've been warning every Summer for a few years now: Unless the documentation or description of an application or script from this site specifically states that it is compatible with High Sierra, it most likely isn't.
That doesn't mean that apps and scripts won't work at all. It just means to watch out because they might not work as expected.
And if you're part of the Beta program and you run into an issue with an app or script you use regularly, please be sure to let me know.
NEW: Coverscope
So I guess artwork in iTunes drives some people crazy.
I have to admit I really don't give a poop about artwork most of the time. But I get that many people do. One thing that many of my OCD-About-Artwork friends insist upon is that a track's album artwork also be contained in that track's file's metadata; that the correct artwork is "embedded".
Coverscope is an applet that will show both the assigned iTunes track artwork and the local file's metadata artwork (if any exists) for the selected track.
Scrolling through tracks may turn up something like this, where the track entry in iTunes has artwork but its associated file does not have image data in its metadata:
Here's a track where both the iTunes artwork exists and its file's metadata contains image data:
There are features to Embed the track artwork to the file's metadata, Apply the metadata image data to the track, drag an image file to Apply and Embed, Copy Track Artwork to Clipboard and Save Track Artwork as File.
Coverscope is free to use in Demo Mode, during which the above features can be used in any combination up to five times per launch. An in-app purchase of a registration code for $1.99 will remove the restriction so it can be used smoothly without re-launching.
More information and download is available on this page.
