[tkgafs]

Split out from https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=324170 and continuing https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=305853

Try Player.Art(*). All artwork from the corresponding ListItem for the currently playing item is available here, music or video. When playing music it's from the song, so the artwork can be pulled with names like "artist.clearlogo" and "album.thumb".

And for number b, I might actually have something for you there, soon.

 Does this mean that a way to show the correct art for the currently playing item in a music playlist might be available at some point ?

[DaveBlake]

 Does this mean that a way to show the correct art for the currently playing item in a music playlist might be available at some point ? 

Sorry, not related in any way.

The current playlist screen is just the standard music library nav screen, that can look at any list of artists, albums, songs or in that case the current queue of songs etc. The screen behavioiur is consistent - it shows the art of the item under the cursor. When showing the current playlist that may not be the currently playing item, it will be where you put the cursor. The screen is behaving correctly as it is designed to do.

What you want is someone to implement a new view of the current playlist that looks similar to the standard nav screen, but does not behave like it. Ideas have been discussed on its own thread, but no one has come forwards to implement it.

[rmrector]

Player.Art(*) is available in every window, so that is already possible, skins just have to decide to show playing artwork instead of artwork for the focused item.

For number b check out devhelper web, a web interface that can watch InfoLabels available to skins, like all this art. It's kind of raw, but may be more pleasant than hacking a skin.

[tkgafs]

I'm trying out your devhelper code using chrome on windows 10 64bit

it sort of works but the green window that has the running data in it is all compressed to left side of the window making it hard to read variable names etc

see screenshot

[tkgafs]

I seem to have pretty much got the confluence skin showing the correct artwork for the playing item or for the item currently in focus

Ryans pointer to Player.Art was the bit that made it fairly straight forward

Although it took most of the afternoon to fathom out the skins work

I have edited the file ViewsMusicLibrary.xml as can be seen at this pastebin

https://pastebin.com/5GJxbHjD

Basically I have duplicated several sections setting visibility on or off depending on focus

eg for the album art if in focus use $INFO[ListItem.Icon] or if not in focus use $INFO[Player.Art(thumb)]

<control type="image">
<visible>Control.HasFocus(506)</visible>
<left>10</left>
<top>0</top>
<width>290</width>
<height>290</height>
<aspectratio aligny="bottom">keep</aspectratio>
<fadetime>IconCrossfadeTime</fadetime>
<texture background="true">$INFO[ListItem.Icon]</texture>
<bordertexture border="8">ThumbShadow.png</bordertexture>
<bordersize>8</bordersize>
</control>
<control type="image">
<visible>!Control.HasFocus(506)</visible>
<left>10</left>
<top>0</top>
<width>290</width>
<height>290</height>
<aspectratio aligny="bottom">keep</aspectratio>
<fadetime>IconCrossfadeTime</fadetime>
<texture background="true">$INFO[Player.Art(thumb)]</texture>
<bordertexture border="8">ThumbShadow.png</bordertexture>
<bordersize>8</bordersize>
</control>

As this is the first skin edit I have done I have no idea whether this is best or most efficient way to do it, but it does seem to work

when the music is playing you must move the cursor off the list area so that focus is lost which then allows the art work for the currently playing track to be displayed, if you want to see the artwork for another track simply move the cursor to get focus

comments and observations would be most helpful

[tkgafs]

Sorry one thing that puzzles me is that the genre never shows in the left hand column, I cant see a Player.Genre field but there is ListItem.Genre field which is populated but for some  reason never shows, nut does if you get Information on the track

[jjd-uk]

I work off this https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/blob/master...foLabels.h

For use in skin first letter of word remains uppercase then replace remaining uppercase with lowercase and underscores with full stop. So for what you’re after there’s MUSICPLAYER_GENRE which should translate to MusicPlayer.Genre I think.

[jjd-uk]

Just checked wiki, this might be more newbie friendly for this type of stuff https://kodi.wiki/view/InfoLabels#Player_labels

I normally go to source code as wiki may not be completely in sync.

[tkgafs]

Thanks for the info, my surprise though was that the original code does not seem to display the genre in the right hand column (note my mistake above when I said left hand, (I don't seem to be able to edit my posts))

the original code in  ViewsMusicLibrary.xml

is as follows

<code>
    <control type="label">
                    <left>10</left>
                    <top>420</top>
                    <width>290</width>
                    <height>25</height>
                    <label>$INFO[ListItem.Genre]</label>
                    <scroll>true</scroll>
                    <align>center</align>
                    <aligny>top</aligny>
                    <font>font13_title</font>
                    <textcolor>white</textcolor>
                    <shadowcolor>black</shadowcolor>
                    <wrapmultiline>true</wrapmultiline>
                    <visible>Container.Content(Albums)</visible>                    
           </control>
</code>

and I don't know why this does not display the Genre of the track above the track number

[jjd-uk]

ListItem is only for items in focus/selected.

[tkgafs]

ListItem is only for items in focus/selected.

 Exactly why does it not display the Genre when the item is in focus

[tkgafs]

ListItem is only for items in focus/selected.

 Exactly why does it not display the Genre when the item is in focus 

it would appear that it is this line <visible>Container.Content(Albums)</visible> which prevents the genre being displayed in the original code, although I have no idea what the line is for !!

[DaveBlake]

Guys have split this discussion into a thread of its own.
@tkgafs glad that you have found a possible approach to getting the view of the current playlist that you (and others) want. Welcome to the wonderful world of skinning

it would appear that it is this line <visible>Container.Content(Albums)</visible> which prevents the genre being displayed in the original code, although I have no idea what the line is for !!

My skinning knowledge is meager but <visible> controls when that element is displayed, and Container.Content() checks the content of what is showing e.g. albums, artists, or songs. That says only show this element when viewing "albums", and the current playlist is showing "songs".

[jjd-uk]

This being raised again prompted me to take another look at unfinished attempts again, been able to polish it up a bit more.

This is what I have





My approach has been been to add an additional View selectable on the side bar menu so it is easy to toggle desired behaviour, my aim is also to make it viewable where you are in the music views as you can see from the above it's showing the now playing track details when looking at Album listing.

[tkgafs]

That's great hopefully this will be incorporated into the skin officially 

My method is slightly different in that the info is only available when you are in the navigation screen with the list of songs that are to play, and auto toggles between the item in focus and and currently playing item when you move the focus out of the actual list of tracks to play. As I said I have no idea if its the best way to do it but it works well.

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