Amarok 2 and Mysql

[Rayja20]

Greetings gentlefolks.

I’ve been using opensuse for a few weeks and i LOVE it!
I personally think its a better distro that ubuntu.

However, I am having a few issues with amarok that I’d love to get help with.

Namely - how long it takes EACH TIME, to scan my music on startup.
I want to know how to get amarok to STOP taking like 10 mins to first build a collection, THEN allow me to use it functionally, EACH time it starts.

I suspect the answer may be in enabling file indexing in open suse (which I’ve stumbled on some roadblocks with).

Q: is this normal? (doubt it).

Q2: I’ve read that mysql is faster, and nicer for amarok to use, hence have been trying to let amarok use it.

Mysql is installed and configured.

However, the tutorials I’ve read online so far seem to give instructions for an older version of Amarok, and not 2. Hence, I do not see the relevant menus (I believe).

I see no option to have amarok use mysql.

I tried applying the instructions given on this page (starting from the Title “Getting Amarok to work with MySQL”:
Amarok - openSUSE-Community

But that menu isn’t there.

I see an import feature, but when I try to use the database settings illustrated by that guide, amarok says

“Could not open Amarok 1.4 database: Driver not loaded Driver not loaded”

I suspect this page is for importing an already created database though - so this may be entirely irrelevant.

What IS relevant, is my question.
With amarok TWO, how does one go about getting it to use mysql.

[caf4926]

Please post result of the following in a terminal

rpm -qi amarok

kde4-config -v

[Raffles10]

I had this problem with Amarok 2.1, it doesn’t support Mysql. You need Amarok 2.3, I installed it from KDE:Backports

KDE:/Backports/openSUSE_11.2

You can install it with 1-click using “amaroK.ymp”.

It is faster, although you shouldn’t need to scan every time it starts up. My collection is 7,487 tracks which may be small or large compared to yours but it builds a database in less than 1 minute. One problem I’ve found is that if I leave Amarok running in the sys’ tray from session to session it starts up before Mysql is running and my collection shows 0 tracks. I have to close it and start it again to load the database.

[Rayja20]

Thank you for the timely responses folks

caf4926, I have 2.1 after all :-
Response to rpm -qi amarok:

Name : amarok Relocations: (not relocatable)
Version : 2.1.1 Vendor: openSUSE
Release : 7.6 Build Date: Mon 02 Nov 2009 08:22:2 AM EST
Install Date: Sun 28 Mar 2010 01:31:03 PM EST Build Host: build16
Group : Productivity/Multimedia/Sound/Players Source RPM: amarok-2.1.1-.6.src.rpm
Size : 20161728 License: GPL v2 or later
Signature : RSA/8, Mon 02 Nov 2009 08:25:54 AM EST, Key ID b88b2fd43dbdc284
Packager : Submitting Bug Reports - openSUSE
URL : Amarok | Rediscover music!
Summary : Media Player for KDE
Description :
Amarok is a media player for all kinds of media. This includes MP3, Ogg
Vorbis, audio CDs, podcasts and streams. Play lists can be stored in
.m3u or .pls files.

Response to kde4-config -v :

Qt: 4.5.3
KDE: 4.3.5 (KDE 4.3.5) “release 0”
kde4-config: 1.0

Raffles10
Interesting thoughts. I’m Optimistic, as thanks to the command caf taught me, I realized I was actually using 2.1 as you mentioned.
I’m going to add that repo, and install 2.3, and see my luck ^_~
(I also experience my version taking a while to browse through the playlists it imported (.pls and .m3u)

What I’ve noticed recently is that since i’ve installed mysql (uncertain and doubtfull this has anything to do with the fact), amarok no longer does a collection building each time it starts.
Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that i’ve given my NTFS partitions (with the music) R/W access? (dunno! :p)

Thanks much for the responses gents! You seem quite knowledgable.
I’m off to trying 2.3. I shall tell u how it goes!

[caf4926]

You may just need to delete all your amarok hidden config files in .kde4

[vendetta18]

@Raffles10

I had this problem with Amarok 2.1, it doesn’t support Mysql. You need Amarok 2.3, I installed it from KDE:Backports

KDE:/Backports/openSUSE_11.2

You can install it with 1-click using “amaroK.ymp”.

It is faster, although you shouldn’t need to scan every time it starts up. My collection is 7,487 tracks which may be small or large compared to yours but it builds a database in less than 1 minute. One problem I’ve found is that if I leave Amarok running in the sys’ tray from session to session it starts up before Mysql is running and my collection shows 0 tracks. I have to close it and start it again to load the database.

if u do not want to close Amarok between sessions and have to start mysql anyway, then it is better to start Mysql at run level 5. That way your Amarok will not show 0 songs in your collection but what it actually has…

[Rayja20]

Success!

Amarok 2.3 allowed me to set up mysql, and its using that as its database now. Thanks much guys. You’re great.

There’s one other thing though lol (they say make hay while the sun shines, so I’m asking you guys now).

Amarok has this habbit I notice where, if I play one file that (for whatever reason) it cannot render, or does NOT render, all other files can no longer be played.

For example, there is this Internet stream that I used to listen a lot in windoze.

It plays (or played) SOMETIMEs in amarok.
When it did, I would be thankful.

When it doesn’t – no other music file will play in amarok until I restart it. (it just says ‘playing’, does nothing else).
I suspect the rendering engine is crashing (just conjecture).

Any Ideas?