Hi Dan,
The iTunes Store has both the text portion that you've already
accessed when you did your searches and an HTML portion that used to
get reported as "iTunes Store, dimmed image" before the iTunes 8
release made this accessible. In order to purchase albums, you need
to go into the HTML portion. Going through this section is exactly
like navigating Safari, and in fact, Apple has set it up so that you
can access specific pages in the iTunes Store when you click on links
in Safari. In fact, what I used to do before the HTML section became
accessible was bookmark a link to the iTunes Store Power Search page
for podcasts, so that I could search by title, author, or description
(by typing into text fields) instead of using the "Search text field"
area in iTunes. This was basically a simple HTML page where I could
type in these terms, as I describe below (for the case of music
searches).
If you know the name of an album you want to buy, you can go to the
iTunes Store HTML area, then use item chooser or links chooser to go
to the "Power Search" link. That will take you to an area where you
can set popup buttons for your search category (e.g., Music), and type
in the Album, and optionally Artist, Composer, or other search terms.
There are also checkboxes if you want to limit your searches to iTunes
Plus tracks (DRM-free, higher bit-rate music).
Once you run your search, you'll get results organized in both the
HTML and text areas. The HTML section will contain a section of
results by Album (generally displaying just the most popular items,
with a link to "See all" to display more content) and other sections
for the Artist and genres that he/she works in. There might be other
sections for Music Videos or other listings in compilations. You can
either navigate through the HTML area (for example, selecting the link
to "See all" albums), or you can stop interacting and VO-right or tab
to the text results area that displays individual songs you can
purchase. (This is just like what you're familiar with when your run
a search from the iTunes search text field with the iTunes Store
selected in your Source Table).
At any time, you can VO-right or left to access both the text parts of
the iTunes Store (where present) and the HTML parts. If you navigate
through the HTML portions there won't always be a text counterpart.
For example, if you follow the link to "See all" albums, those albums
will only appear in the HTML section, and will have buttons to allow
you to purchase by album that are in the HTML section. It's only when
you select a particular album that you might get both an HTML page for
the Album and a text section listing the individual songs. In
addition, it's in this HTML section that you might get reviewer's
comments, or links to the most popular songs, or other albums/artists
that people who bought this album also purchased.
Here's a sample search that goes through the steps I outlined. You
can also navigate directly from the iTunes Store home page using
commands like VO-Command-H (next Heading) and VO-Command-M (next
Heading same level) to go through groups (I use DOM mode for this).
However, it's probably easier to get started from the Power Search
link. Also, since the HTML part of the store is just like a web page,
you can use back (Command-left bracket) and forward (Command-right
bracket) to go through these pages.
I'm just going to paste in the answer I gave to someone who wanted to
search for albums by a specific artist (e.g., "David Grisman"):
1. Open iTunes
2. Command-Shift-H (shortcut to open the iTunes Store at its Home Page)
3. VO-right until you are in the HTML area for the store, then
interact (VO-Shift-Down Arrow)
4. VO-U to bring up the links chooser menu
5. Press "P O W" to find the item for the "Power Search" menu and
select it (with VO-space or by pressing return) to go to the Power
Search link on the iTunes Home page.
6. VO-Space to press the Power Search link
7. VO-right to the popup button for "All Results" and change it (VO-
Space and down arrow) to "Music"
8. VO-right past "Artist" to its text entry field and type in "David
Grisman". You can type in any other information --- Composer, Song,
Album. or select the Genre popup button (for someone who works in very
different genres -- like Wynton Marsalis). You can also check the box
for "Search iTunes Plus" if you specifically want DRM-free, higher bit-
rate music. Press return (or VO-right to the "Search" button and
press it).
9. Your search results will appear both in the HTML region and in the
Songs table. For full albums you want to look only in the HTML region.
10. VO-right (or use links chooser menu) to "Albums". The HTML window
will display information about the most popular few albums, for a list
of ALL albums matching your search, VO-right to the "See all" link and
press it (VO-space).
11. Summary information will be displayed for all albums, including
price and a "Buy Album" button. However, if you press the link (VO-
space) to go to the HTML page for the album, you will find a lot more
information available. The HTML page will have a "Buy Album" button,
but there will also be a description of the album, ratings and reviews
from people who have purchased the album, links to other albums people
who liked this one have purchased, lists of the most popular songs,
etc. The Songs Table corresponding to the HTML page will list the
inidividual songs, which you can preview or separately purchase.
Some other tips. I browse the iTunes Store in DOM mode and turn off
mouse cursor tracking when I read the Songs table in the iTunes Store.
You can find more/other links about the artist in the HTML area.
Hope this helps to get you started.
Cheers,
Esther
On Nov 5, 2008, at 2:27 PM, Dan Geise wrote:
Again, sorry for the stupid questions.
Just wondering, I use i tunes almost daily. I have figured out the
curve of downloading songs and sometimes i am able to get to the
download the whole album area, sometimes not....Not sure how I do it
sometimes. I think my mac plays with me and decides not to do things
the same way on a daily or hourly basis.
anyhow, my wife was on my computer last night and she was on i tunes
and apparently there is a whole lot of stuff i am not seeing, I
think it is in the area that says "h.t.m.l. content: but i am not
sure. when she searches a song she said a list comes up that says
stuff like people who downloaded this song also liked :this song:.
She also saw all sorts of options for downloading music that i never
knew was there and i cannot figure out how to find it and voiceover
read it.... and not for nothing a lot of times in safari I get the
h.t.m.l thing also and cannot access the web site and have to press
the back button and go to another web site even though when my wife
looks at the site I had trouble with it comes up fine for her. any
ideas... thanks again dan
any advice for i tunes albums would be GREATLY appreciated
