replace Analyze library feature with track context menu item

[Be]

I looked for the batch analysis functionality a handful of times before I actually found it after several months of using Mixxx. The placement of the batch scanner on the left pane of the library display is unintuitive. Everything else in that pane refers to different categories of the library. "Analyze" is the only one that is for applying an operation to the library and seems out of place to me, especially considering there is a separate Library drop down menu in the main menu bar. Is there any use case for hand-picking a selection of tracks to analyze? If not, then I think the current batch analysis UI should be replaced by two simple additions to the Library drop down menu in the main menu bar: "Analyze Library" and "Rescan and Analyze Library" (automatically together, so the computer could be left alone for hours without having to come back to start analyzing after scanning the library). This would analyze all tracks in the library that do not have analysis data already.

Alternatively, the whole Library drop down in the main menu bar, which only has 3 items (Rescan Library, Create New Playlist, Create New Crate) could be replaced with buttons (or something else) somewhere in the the library display.

Related bugs:
Bug #1431168

[Be (be.ing)]

On further thought, I am doubting that moving the Library drop down menu functions to the library display would be wise because the existing functionality of the library display is already crammed into a small space. It makes sense to me to have the options for selecting different portions of the library next to the library display and keep all functions for manipulating the library in the main menu bar.

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

Sound good to me.
The only concern is that we currently can view the analyze progress without the need for a pop-up box.

If we find a way to solve this issue and get rid of the library scanner pop up box as well, it would be grate.

An other usability improvement is to allow to analyses a crate or a playlist. The use case is, that crate tracks are most likely be played in the next gig and when you are running out of time, it would be nice to analyze only these tracks.
We might want to analyze crate tracks and play list tracks first, in any case ..

[Be (be.ing)]

What about putting a progress bar somewhere in the GUI? This could also be used for the library scanner. Personally, I'd prefer that to a pop up window.

Analyzing specific crates and playlists sounds like a good idea. This could be made available by a right clicking menu for them on the left pane of the library display. Prioritizing tracks in crates and libraries in whole-library analyses would be nice too.

[RAWRR (rawrr)]

I filed two similar and related bugs a long time ago, here they are:

-bug #1085691
-bug #1093598

The second one, lasso select, may seem unrelated, but it would help make it easier to be selective about selecting, if you catch my drift.

I think the idea of a progress bar is odd, though I'm not rejecting it. I find it odd because it doesn't offer anything but corroboration, in other words, you can already watch the BPM data pop into existence when viewing the analyze pane in the library. A progress bar would largely be gloss IMHO. Not useless, but more like eye candy.

Something to consider is that there is already a popup that works visually just fine when you have Mixxx set to rescan Library on startup. I don't know why we couldn't just repurpose this, effectively making it multipurpose. The objection would be that you don't want a popup in front of your Mixxx while you're using it, but if you're analyzing your whole collection it probably isn't time to be mixing anyway. If I get pushback on this with "no, you should be able to run analysis on 1,400 tracks and DJ at the same time" then maybe the popup idea doesn't work. But currently it seems seamless with good parts of the current workflow.

I love the idea of having per-playlist or per-crate analysis. That seems tangential and that it should be a new bug, however.

Here ya go: bug #1432143

"It makes sense to me to have the options for selecting different portions of the library next to the library display and keep all functions for manipulating the library in the main menu bar."

I interpret this as "whole library actions=menu, single item in library actions=library pane". If so, this seems logical. It ignores traditional window organization in which typical right-click options for files are mirrored in the "file" menu at the menubar, but Mixxx ignores that tradition anyway.

[Be (be.ing)]

My objection to the popup is merely aesthetic. I think it's an awkward way to present that information.

Reading through Bug #1085691, now I think getting rid of the Library drop down menu would be best. Both rescanning and analyzing the library could be moved to the File menu and duplicated in a right click menu for Library in the left pane of the library display (like how "Create New Playlist" is in the right click menu for Playlist).

[Daniel Schürmann (daschuer)]

In Bug #986704 you find some ideas where we can move too with the library view.
https://launchpadlibrarian.net/106399523/mixxx-newLibraryWidget-step1.svg
contains a fixed region for progress and status info.

[naught101 (naught101)]

What about putting "XX% analysed" or "queued for analysis" in the BPM column while a track is being analysed?

I agree an automatic pop-up would be annoying. A lot of programs use a progress bar that can be clicked to reveal a pop-up, which includes a list of the current tasks. Like firefox:

https://cnet3.cbsistatic.com/img/BbBzw_OOVDonHb09lHsgFMFdtvY=/2013/04/02/fba30186-fdb5-11e2-8c7c-d4ae52e62bcc/Firefox_download_panel.png

In Mixxx, that might include the next 10 tracks to be analysed, plus "... 52 more tracks in queue" at the end. Then there could be an "X" cancel button after each of those entries (the last one of which cancels all 52 remaining tasks, as well as maybe a "cancel all" button at the bottom/top.

A task bar/pop-up combo could also be useful for other tasks (like library scanning and synchronising tags/ratings with a server).

[Swiftb0y (swiftb0y)]

Mixxx now uses GitHub for bug tracking. This bug has been migrated to:
https://github.com/mixxxdj/mixxx/issues/7898