> The separate requests are:
> (1) Add "Performer" contributor type

What does SS do with it?  Is it combined with Artist in the Artist
search?  Is it a separate Browsable tag?

> (2) Allow "Ensemble" and "orchestra" as equivalent to "Band"

I'd be OK with doing this automatically or by a checkbox on the setup
page for (4).  See below.

> (3) Expand the Advanced Search function in the Web interface

The menu of search fields on the SB should be based on the list of
Browsable tags from (2).  Should the advanced search page include just
the Browsable tags from (2) or all the tags SS stores in the Database?

> (4) Allow browsing by additional tags (eg Conductor)

If the user checks for browsing on Composer or conductor, should that
contributor still be added to the artist tag values for an artist
browse?  I'd put a second level checkbox under artist and band.  

---- Sample setup page (default)

Browse on these tags

(X) Album
(X) Artist
( )  combine Composer tag with Artist
( )  combine Conductor tag with Artist
( )  combine Band with tag Artist

(X) Song Title (track title)
( ) Composer
( ) Conductor
( ) Band (this tag may contain an orchestra 
or ensemble name)

( ) combine Ensemble tag with Band
( ) combine Orchestra tag with Band

You may alo browse on multiple tags successively to narrow
the list of albums or tracks that fit your criteria.

( ) add multi-level Browse to main menu

---- end sample page

> (5) Add new multi-level browsing capability

With the current browse artist, album and genre methods, you get to a
list of albums.  If you select one album from the list, you get a list
of tracks. The description in the enhancement request text file says
that after you select a value for the browse list, SS will present a
list of tags that can be browsed next and a list of albums that meet
the tag criteria already selected.  At some point, you may need to
display tracks rather than albums.

I'm not clear why Ceejay wants a list of albums to be displayed at each
stage of the multi-level browse.  I did a few experiments with
Softsqueeze.  

- If I use Browse Album, I get a list of albums  after I select an
Artist value and the choice "All Songs" is added to the list.  If I
select an album, I get the tracks that match the the Album I selected. 
If the Album name was not unique, I get all those tracks with the Album
value I previously specified.  They may come from several CDs.

- If I use Browse Artist, I get a list of albums  after I select an
Artist value and the choice "All Albums" is added to the list.  If I
select an album, I get the tracks that match the Artist and the Album I
selected.  If the Album name was not unique, I get only those tracks
with the Artist value I previously specified.  I I press play when the
Album name is displayed, only those tracks that meet the selection
criteria are queued up.

- If I use Browse Genre, I get a list of Artists after I select a
Genre.  If I select an Artist value, I get a list of Album values and
the choice "All Albums" is added to the list.  If I select an album, I
get the tracks that match the Genre and the Album I selected.  If my
Album name is not unique, I get all the tracks with that Album

- If I use "Browse Year", I get a list of Album values and the "All
Songs" choice is added to the list.  If I select an album, I get the
tracks that match the Artist and the Album I selected.  If the Album
name was not unique, I get only those tracks with the Artist value I
previously specified.

Ceejay suggested that the multi-level browse should display a list of
Albums after each Browse step.  That isn't consistent with the way SS
works now and I don't know that it fits for all stages for all previous
selections.  However, I'll propose a way to do what Ceejay wants. 

A suggestion: After the user browses on one tag, display the list of
browsable tags.  If the user has already browsed the Album tag and
selected one Album value, display the track titles that match the
previously selected tag values.  If the user has not yet browsed the
Album tag, display the distinct album values for tracks that match the
previously selected tag values. 

The user should be able to press the "Play" or "Add" buttons to play
the displayed Track or Album.  However, the selections the user has
already made may eliminate some tracks because they don't have the
right tag values.  That is how "Browse Artist" works now.  That is how
I think the multi-level browse should work.

---
The enhancement request text file calls it "Multi-mode browsing" which
does not convey the sense that you can browse on some tag to narrow the
list, then browse the list again with a different attribute to narrow
the list further.

---
Even if the user has already browsed on a tag, he might want to do it
again.  (If Artist contains both Composers and performers and
conductors and bands.)  Why not present the same list of browsable tags
at each stage?


-- 
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