inconsistency with import/export behavior

[T.BugReporter]

I don't know if you'd call this a bug, a feature request, or what, but I just wanted to put this out there for people to think about.

When I import multiple MP3s, after I've edited them and go to re-export the results, I find that the default file name that Audacity suggests for the exported file is taken from the first file imported, but the MP3 tag data that it suggests is taken from the last file imported instead. This means that if I want to edit FileX.mp3 by including a snippet of fileY.mp3 without making any name or tag changes, I have to open FileX, import FileY, and then import and remove a second copy of FileX before exporting. Has anyone else gotten tripped up by this quirk - or am I the only only one who thinks of this behavior as quirky?

[Gale Andrews]

I don't know if you'd call this a bug, a feature request, or what, but I just wanted to put this out there for people to think about.

When I import multiple MP3s, after I've edited them and go to re-export the results, I find that the default file name that Audacity suggests for the exported file is taken from the first file imported, but the MP3 tag data that it suggests is taken from the last file imported instead. This means that if I want to edit FileX.mp3 by including a snippet of fileY.mp3 without making any name or tag changes, I have to open FileX, import FileY, and then import and remove a second copy of FileX before exporting. Has anyone else gotten tripped up by this quirk - or am I the only only one who thinks of this behavior as quirky?

As you'll see in http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/me ... ditor.html , Audacity only stores metadata for the last imported file, so yes I can count a vote for per-track metadata.

The workaround might be to File > Open Y.mp3 which will then import into a separate project window. Separate projects have their own metadata.


Gale

[T.BugReporter]

I can count a vote for per-track metadata.

The workaround might be to File > Open Y.mp3 which will then import into a separate project window. Separate projects have their own metadata.

Actually, I'm not interested in having Audacity track multiple sets of metadata for a project; after all, those multiple sets would have to get reconciled down to one set once the project was finally exported. My main desire is to have the export dialog's default filename be the same as the file that the metadata came from - which it currently isn't.

[Gale Andrews]

I can count a vote for per-track metadata.

The workaround might be to File > Open Y.mp3 which will then import into a separate project window. Separate projects have their own metadata.

Actually, I'm not interested in having Audacity track multiple sets of metadata for a project; after all, those multiple sets would have to get reconciled down to one set once the project was finally exported. My main desire is to have the export dialog's default filename be the same as the file that the metadata came from - which it currently isn't.

The choice of "which file to use" is the same for the export name as the metadata if you have multiple tracks that have metadata. You want if I understand you to import file X, then import file Y, then export named as file X (which happens now) with the metadata of file X. Per-track metadata which has been asked for several times would let you do this - you'd choose the metadata to use for export and this choice could determine the file name offered for export.

Clearly using the metadata from the last imported file is best, looking at it in isolation. Clearly naming by the name of the first imported file is best when saving Audacity projects, and it may generally be best for export, metadata issues aside. If your suggestion is that since the name of the project is X, we must use the metadata of file X, I don't think that would suit a lot of users. Forcing the file export name to the name of the last imported file may be useful, but again if I understand you correctly, you don't want that - you want to name as the first imported file.

Using the workaround I suggested would I think solve your issue with the freedom to paste X into Y or Y into X.

The only alternative I see would be a preference to always retain the metadata of the first imported file. Is that what you prefer?


Gale

[T.BugReporter]

You want if I understand you to import file X, then import file Y, then export named as file X (which happens now) with the metadata of file X. Per-track metadata which has been asked for several times would let you do this - you'd choose the metadata to use for export and this choice could determine the file name offered for export.

Yes, I suppose that would work, and I won't dismiss the idea since you say it's been asked for multiple times, but it's really overkill for my current needs.

Clearly using the metadata from the last imported file is best, looking at it in isolation. Clearly naming by the name of the first imported file is best when saving Audacity projects, and it may generally be best for export, metadata issues aside.

I don't see these points as "clearly" as you, but I'll set them aside, too, since they're also beside the point. My desire, as I said in the title of this topic, is consistency.

If your suggestion is that since the name of the project is X, we must use the metadata of file X, I don't think that would suit a lot of users.

Actually, my suggestion is more like the other way around: if the metadata came from X, the filename of the export (not necessarily the name of the project - I've never actually needed to save an *.aup file, so "project" name is irrelevant to me) should also default to X.

Forcing the file export name to the name of the last imported file may be useful, but again if I understand you correctly, you don't want that - you want to name as the first imported file.

I don't care about first or last - I can easily adapt my method of operation to either. My main concern is that getting the filename and metadata to match currently requires extra steps that I think shouldn't be necessary.

[Gale Andrews]

Clearly using the metadata from the last imported file is best, looking at it in isolation. Clearly naming by the name of the first imported file is best when saving Audacity projects, and it may generally be best for export, metadata issues aside.

I don't see these points as "clearly" as you, but I'll set them aside, too, since they're also beside the point.

Unfortunately, we have to consider all users and use cases, not just one.

If your suggestion is that since the name of the project is X, we must use the metadata of file X, I don't think that would suit a lot of users.

Actually, my suggestion is more like the other way around: if the metadata came from X, the filename of the export (not necessarily the name of the project - I've never actually needed to save an *.aup file, so "project" name is irrelevant to me) should also default to X.

The file name to be exported is already X in the case you cited. But you chose to import another file that had its own metadata. A user could have imported another three files each with their own metadata for some reason, but you want Audacity to guess that the user actually wants to use the metadata of X.

Software can't read the user's mind so there has to be some rule. I suggested per track metadata, which you rejected although that would give maximum flexibility.

Despite it would solve the case you gave without any user interaction, you've now rejected a preference to always retain the metadata of the first imported file (if that preference was unselected, Audacity would behave as now and use the metadata of the last imported file).

So unless you (or someone else) is going to make an alternative implementable suggestion, I think we should just close this topic.


Gale

[T.BugReporter]

The file name to be exported is already X in the case you cited. But you chose to import another file that had its own metadata. A user could have imported another three files each with their own metadata for some reason, but you want Audacity to guess that the user actually wants to use the metadata of X.

Again, I'm only looking for consistency - where whatever rule the program uses to decide which set of metadata to retain is also used to decide which filename to use - or, if as you say, that doesn't make sense for the majority of users, a tweak hidden in the program options that I can turn on to enable this alternate behavior.

I suggested per track metadata, which you rejected although that would give maximum flexibility.

Despite it would solve the case you gave without any user interaction, you've now rejected a preference to always retain the metadata of the first imported file (if that preference was unselected, Audacity would behave as now and use the metadata of the last imported file).

I'm sorry if I gave that impression, but I haven't rejected anything; I was merely concerned that these alternate solutions might be more time-consuming to implement.

[Gale Andrews]

The file name to be exported is already X in the case you cited. But you chose to import another file that had its own metadata. A user could have imported another three files each with their own metadata for some reason, but you want Audacity to guess that the user actually wants to use the metadata of X.

Again, I'm only looking for consistency - where whatever rule the program uses to decide which set of metadata to retain is also used to decide which filename to use

OK but if Audacity did that now, it wouldn't have been what you wanted because it would have used the metadata from Y and offered you Y as the file name. I agree you could alter your workflow to import Y first, then X as a second import, so that Audacity would then use the X metadata and offer the X file name. But that seems more unintuitive and inflexible to me than the workaround of opening X and Y into two projects, which requires no code changes at all.

If as you say, that doesn't make sense for the majority of users

I don't recall anyone asking before that the file export name should change to respect the metadata being used. Experience shows that forcing the rarely requested feature to happen without a choice could lead to complaints.

So I think the much better feature request is as below - (A) and (B) below have already been asked for several times and the thing we make a choice for is which metadata is kept.

(A) An Import / Export checkbox preference to always retain the metadata of the first imported file (if that preference was unselected, Audacity would behave as now and use the metadata of the last imported file).

(B) We could add a feature for per-track metadata in which case changing the exported file name to the name of the chosen metadata would happen by default

(C) If we had (A) and added (B) we could then make per-track one of the choices:

Code: Select all

When multiple files have metadata
(.) Export metadata from last file (default)
( ) Export metadata from first file
( ) Ask which metadata to export

a tweak hidden in the program options that I can turn on to enable this alternate behavior.

OK so would you like to vote for (A) above?

I can't stop you voting for:

(D) An Import/ Export Preference to change the file export name if necessary to that of the metadata being used

but I think since it has a current vote count of "0" it would not be implemented and is much less useful than (A), (B) or (C).


Gale