Recently I came to a conclusion that I am wasting time and clicks by clicking Mp3tag icon on the Taskbar and then selecting a pinned down to it playlist- just to see all of the my music files being loaded up to Mp3tag; which I needed to at some point 9 out of 10 times whenever I turned on the computer
And that Minimized parameter I chose on purpose because rarely do I start my work by using Mp3tag right away- so that it would start only sitting ready on the Taskbar thus not obscuring my view and so that I would not be "greeted" by a blinding big bright window at night time
Unfortunately it does not work- the system starts with Mp3tag being maximized. Does anyone know why and how to change this?
I am using Mp3tag 3.00 on Windows 10 Enterprise x64 18362.356
Plus there is another issue with this shortcut: it creates new "temporary" icon on the Taskbar, ignoring the one that is placed on it by me; thus taking precious space on Taskbar and creating a slight chaos [because I expect Mp3tag to in the middle of my icons pinned to my vertical Tasbkar and not somewhere below them]
And this is the problem of the shortcut itself and not of this shortcut being used in the Startup folder, because if I close Mp3tag and execute that shortcut once more, then once again I see two Mp3tag icons on my Taskbar: one "closed" [that pinned one in the state of not being used] and the second "opened" [in the state indicating a software being used]. And this is plain in wrong state of dichotomy
Normally, a program like notepad.exe can be started minimized from a batch file like this:
start /min "" "C:\Windows\notepad.exe"
But for Mp3tag it seems that @Florian set the window size and the max-/minimized property during the start on the fly, ignoring every other size changing command from a shortcut or a batch file.
Isn't this (again) a Windows and local configuration problem that has nothing to do with MP3tag?
Which is the default program to open a playlist?
(Or to put it in another way: if MP3tag is not the default program to open a playlist, then you get 2 icons in the taskbar - this will also happen with any other program that can be found in the taskbar but isn't the default program).
And may I add: before posting this topic I went through File > Options- only to be stunned by finding that the appearance of the software at its start is something that is not configurable by the user
So it seems than unless an upgrade is made to Mp3tag, it will always open itself being upfront, either mazimized or in a shrunk window and with the last position on the screen that it had - but never in a minimized form
I just put that to a test
I associated both M3U8 and M3U file formats with Mp3tag and even reseted the system. The playlists are now opened in Mp3tag [instead of Winamp] but that does not make that problem of duality go away; i.e. when executed the file All Music.m3u8 at M: or a shortcut to it opens Mp3tag with files being loaded to it utilizing the pinned Mp3tag icon on the Taskbar, but shortcut "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mp3tag\Mp3tag.exe" "C:\Program Files Expanded! AUDIO\MMMM.m3u8" is blind to that fixed icon and creates a new temporary one
So does anyone else get two icons?
I sometimes get two icons also for other software: Corel DRAW and Microsoft Excel. But that is because on this new system of mine [Windows 10] I am experiencing with them a profound delay and glitches in opening: sometimes apparently the system registers two separate commands as requests for two separate instances to be opened. This usually happens hen I click a pinned icon of them on the Taskbar and within few seconds also execute from a drive a file associated with them; or the other way around. But what is needed to be pointed out in regards to this:
1] This was not happening on my Windows 7
2] Others "big" software like Photoshop does not succumb to such glitches on my Windows 10
3] Both Corel and Excell create second instance and not just an icon
4] Both Corel and Excell create its extra icon / second instance next to the pinned one, while Mp3tag not only choose to ignore its already present on the Taskbar icon but also literally distance itself from it
5] Mp3tag does not have a delay in opening [except for that 1-2 seconds before the files start to be loaded, but that is delay within the progress bar loading and not of the overall software start]
Please do not compare apples and oranges.
These programs were originally multi-document-interface programs which MP3tag never was. It is not possible to call a second instance of MP3tag.
As far as I remember there were 2 sections in W7: one for program icons to click on and another one where the currently running programs/currently opened documents were shown - this is different in W10, intentionally, no glitch.
How did you do that?
Anyway: it is enough to add MP3tag as application to open that file type.
Right-click on a playlist file and select "Open with" where you add MP3tag and you will not get a second entity on the task bar.
By selecting a sample file, right clicking on it, selecting Open with from the shell menu, selecting further Choose another app and finally checking the box Always use this app to open before clicking Mp3tag icon
The goal is to have Mp3tag opened but:
1] automatically after entering the system
2] with a chosen set of files
3] in a minimized form [which is currently not possible]
4] "using" its icon pinned to the Taskbar
1] automatically after entering the system -> Windows configuration outside MP3tag
2] with a chosen set of files -> user selection, data preparation outside MP3tag
3] ...is currently not possible
4] "using" its icon pinned to the Taskbar -> Windows configuration outside MP3tag
It is probably doable with Task Scheduler and Autohoto Key
But I just find it revolting that it cannot be done with a simple shortcut that should be working as intended
I am sorry but every other piece of software that I use has no problem in opening itself with usage of its pinned icon; and every piece of software that has a pinned icon on Taskbar in a situation when that software creates another window / "sub-instance" it does that visually by adding another icon next to that pinned down one and not at the end of all pinned icons
So I must be real lucky to have my Mp3tag striking gold, where gold is a behavior not displayed by any other software. Thus it is either only Mp3tag that can strike such gold behavior or it just happens that it is me who has only one piece of software that can work in such ways
I cannot look over your shoulder so I don't know what you are really doing.
I simply cannot reproduce your observation that MP3tag shows itself twice once MP3tag has been added to the list of applications to open a certain file type.
My playlists have been grabbed by VLC as standard program, also available are Editor, WMP and meanwhile MP3tag.
Before MP3tag was added to the list of applications to open a certain file type there was that what you observed: a duplication.
I would say that this behaviour is a result of the local windows configuration - and not that of MP3tag. Windows governs the taskbar, not MP3tag.
I had and still have so many issues with Windows 10 that such another counter productive behavior displayed by it towards me is in a matter of fact something that I should be expecting at this point
And taking into consideration what would have to be done to take care of the whole situation [points 1-4], it would be unwise from me to spent any single minute more on this- because the time saved on successful implementing this would start to be saved after years of using it. And by that time I can be either dead or new update of Windows might once again destroy my setup
mp3tag does not use the windowsstyle or rather it ignores it
mp3tag open with the last window size settings - i dont have it maximised and the above PS command opens it in a none maximised window because thats how it was when i last closed it.
simply braeks it - i.e. Mp3tag still opens and even loads the playlist but in the unwanted maximized form [or should I rather say: it brings it to the front thus "obscuring" my view instead of being run "in a background"]
If you minimize Mp3tag and then close it completely from the taskbar with a right click and "Close window", this command will open Mp3tag in minimized form again:
Yes- this is also working on my brand new Windows 10. And I can even have Mp3ag pinned permanently to my Taskbar - which was another step further in my equation
But going this way [i.e. with such BAT] in order to complete this whole shebang I would somehow need now to tell Mp3tag to
A] always minimize itself before closing whenever I close it- and no mater if with the X icon or of its window or with the close option from the menu available for it on the Taskbar
or
B] always start minimized
The first option would do the trick - with the exception of cases when Mp3tg would not close properly [like when an operating system hang up]. But that would be logical and not that big of a problem
The second option would seem to be a better one- but not for all those those cases when I would need to actually see the Mp3tag window being maximized. And that would be a big problem because I need to see it maximized 99% of the time Or all of the above can be irrelevant
If the user could configure Mp3tag to start up with the system in minimized form - or to start in some pre-state [with being visible only in the Tray area] and loading up playlists files or folders
Because all that I am after is the ability to load up faster my files; or at least some of them [the ones that I use the most often]. A concept of pre-loading files and of / or Library in this mater has been already explored by me REQUEST: pre-load of files. The conclusion was, that Library will not help in that matter
What really does the job done is the reading of files from the drives thus putting them in RAM - because reading them again later on during workflow is much faster
I now have a new machine now with the fastest M.2 NVMe drives I could find on the market [one for system and the other for audio files] - and I am simply disappointment with how little speed I have gained on the account of switching from using SSD drives. Maybe I still need to somehow unblock their potential, but it the basic prinicapal is this: when I load the files first time, the read up is slow - and when I load the same files the second time, then the read up is fast
And so an ability to preload my files either with a workaround BAT / PS1 file or with a totally new Mp3tag option would take care of this - but it would have to be performed in the background [i.e. without bringing focus to Mp3tag window or even opening it in the first place]. Because opening Mp3tag is rarely the first thing that I do when entering Windows - but opening it at some point is very likely. And so if my files could be automatically waiting in Mp3tg [with the software not being brought to my attention before that] then that would be a real time saver
1.) It starts Mp3tag (no path necessary, don't ask me why...)
2.) Then it brings the App with "Mp3tag" in its title to front = activate it
3.) Depending on how long the loading process of your m3u-list takes, you have to adjust the sleep/wait value. In best case, you don't need it at all and you can remove it.
4.) It opens the title bar menu and press n for miNimize
You can save it as PowerShell-Script StartMp3tagMinimized.ps1 and let it autorun with your system start.
After a slight reworking ended up with such script [and descriptions for future reference]:
Blockquote
Start-Process Mp3tag -ArgumentList '"M:\My Playlist.m3u8"'
<#
"Start-Process" opens the App wich has in its title "Mp3tag"
"-ArgumentList" allows for adding a path to a file that is to be executed within that App. The "" signs enclosing a given path are necesery if there there is a pause sign in it
#>
$wshell = New-Object -ComObject wscript.shell;
$wshell.AppActivate('*Mp3Tag')
<#
This brings the App with "Mp3tag" in its title to front- thus activating that App
#>
SLEEP 0
<#
SLEEP X
This sets how much time [measured in seconds] must past before the next step will be executed. The X in this comment stands in for the amount to be specified
#>
$wshell.SendKeys('(%(" "(n)))')
<#
This opens the title bar menu and presses "n" for minimize
#>
So my question concerning the script itself would be: what does it do that $wshell = New-Object -ComObject wscript.shell; line?
And also: what title bar menu?
As for
I cannot. The script itself works perfettcly when I execute it by hand - but when it is placed in Startup folder then it will be simply opened in Notepad and not exceuted as a scirpt
Apparently is not that simple to automatically run PowerShell script. I found all kind of solution but failed miserably. One way I have not tried out was by the means of Group Policy / Task Scheduler. But I would rather not add another layer to the chain of events- I would rather have a BAT file execute the PS1 file, with the BAT being added to and being executed by the Startup of Windows
I'm pretty sure you already found the answer here:
You can use New-Object to work with Component Object Model (COM) components. Components range from the various libraries included with Windows Script Host (WSH) to ActiveX applications such as Internet Explorer that are installed on most systems.
If you start Mp3tag you get a visible window, some call it GUI. If you press ALT + SPACE you get a menu which I call "Title bar menu". On most applications you can also get this menu by pressing the app icon in the upper left corner.