Music Database

[nvening]

I am looking to data base all of my music that i have, i have started by taking copys of my music first!

My music are all in cue images (wav). I also want to be able to save it in something that i can send to my friends so they can check what music i have and for various other purposes.

I dont know much about databases ( i hear people talk about database code, i dont need to know that do i) and the only one i have used was filemaker pro at school.

I quick look at google shows that there are various different (some "universal") database files, and that you can save in html as well?

Can someone please guide me in the correct direction?

[mike_w]

You could use OpenOffice.org Base, which will let you save files in the OpenDocument format. Alternatively, you could use a spreadsheet, such as OpenOffice.org Calc. Using it, you can sort through the different fields, or whatever you want to do to it. It may not be as well suited as Base, but it will let you save in all sorts of formats, such as HTML.

If you really wanted, you could also use MySQL and phpMyAdmin to create a MySQL database. That way, you could then put a PHP interface over the top to let other people sort through the database, but you, or somebody else, would have to write the code for that.

Hope that helps

Mike.

[ajbrun]

What kind of information do you want to store in the database?

Surley if it's just to send to your friends to show them what you have etc, then wouldn't a simple list do?

Since you mentioned a database, i'm guessing you want to store more than that, but you also don't sound like you know much about them. Therefore, maybe make a spreadsheet with headings for everything you want to store (album, length, artist etc) and fill it in. You can then easily search a particular column for a text string. That's the easiest thing to do, but might not be what you're after.

[ikonia]

if you don't know much about developing and maintaining a database style app, then the simple solution is to stay clear of a database app.

Use something simple and effective thats in a readable format to most users, such as word/excel (or openoffice/standards equiv) even a flat text file, as its just going to be a list with say 3 colums, artist/album/tracks. Word could be exported as html (which is a fair suggestion) so you could even display it on the web and just point users at http://www.yoursite.com/music.html as an example that way anyone could see the music list you wanted them to see.

There is a slight undertone of you want to store the physical music files in a database style app in your initial post, the short and easy answer for this is "don't".

If you have little experience with database this will become more effort than its worth

[Funkstar]

I can send you a copy of the database i use if you like. I built it in Access years ago and been tweaking it ever since (not perfect by any means though). It doesn't output to HTML but you can pull the info out into a mail merge in Word (thats what i do for my list).

i'll need to clear out the data, but let me know if you are interested.

[nvening]

I was not planing on storing the music, just the album information and picture, what ever happened to filemaker pro cause i could use that, if i can remember lol!

I was hoping to create something a biut nicer than a list (a list would get quite complicated with all that information as well)

Or, mabe i should write is in plain HTML code cause i know that? I could set it out like a web site and then implement a search engine into it?

I could have the main page with a search box, and an alphabet, click on the letter, and it goes to the artist list of that letter, then click on the artist and it comes up with the albums etc.

That sounds perfect for what i want but if there is a better way then ill do that.

[ajbrun]

You'd also need to think about how much music you actually have. Now, I don't have much at all (about 2 gigs), but typing the name of each album, song and artist I had would get very time consuming, and I'm sure you've got lots of other (better) things to be doing with your time. Perhaps there's a program that searches your 'my music' folder (or similar), and makes the list/database itself?

[nvening]

hmmmmmmmmmm, didnt think of that lol

Im just worried about some random program doing its own thing and then saving it in a propriatory file format, never to be seen again, but ill have a google and see what i find.

[ikonia]

check it taglib availble on window and id3 tagging, I'm now sure if windows media formats uses id3 tagging or its own very, but I assume it does.

there are tag lib products that will trawl your music collection and output to a basic text file.

text file is a format everyone can read, which if you so desire you can import it into more complex format such as word or excel. However - keep in mind, everyone can read a text file in almost any medium, word/openoffice/notepad,wordpad, firefox,IE,excel, etc etc.

Keep it simple, unless you have need not to.

[nvening]

i looked at the website but cant tell wheather it reads .cue sheets? But, all is not lost if it does not because i will be converting everything into mp3 for my new sony nwa3000