Drupal

Minor database problem

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I just had to repair a minor database problem at MacMegasite related to user points. I noticed that points weren’t being awarded properly for some members, so when I checked the database I saw lots of duplicate key errors in the userpoints table. The easiest way to fix it was to uninstall userpoints, install the latest version, and have it reassign points retroactively.

My2unz.com Improvements

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I’ve made a few improvements to my2unz.com over the weekend. I set up several color variations of the theme, and enabled theme switching. I also did some work on the iTunes module and changed the database tables slightly to add a few new features.

One of the problems with the previous version is that I considered the track title, artist name and album title to identify identical tracks. However, if two members owned the same track but on different albums (for example “Stairway to Heaven” from IV in one member’s playlist and from “Best of Led Zeppelin” in another one), they won’t be recognized as the same track and won’t count in number of fans for that track. I dropped the album info from the track table and moved it to the playlist info table, so it’s still listed in a member’s playlist.

You can now click on a track to see more info and rate that track. In the track lists and track info screens you can click on the artist name to see a list of all tracks by that artist.

There are also new items in member profiles to list all playlists and all tracks owned by that member.

Finally, I’ve added the Content Recommendation module, which will recommend artists, tracks, and playlists based on ratings.

My2unz.com is still in private beta, but anyone who wants an invite can contact me or another member. When it goes public I will enable Drupal distributed authentication and possibly OpenID.

My2unz Update

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I’ve added a few new features to My2unz and to my iTunes module.

  1. I’ve enabled Events and allow members to create events.
  2. I’ve enabled the favorites module, which lets members add a track, artist, album, or playlist to their favorites, which appears in their profile.
  3. Track detail view now shows the members who own that track.
  4. All columns in list views such as playlists and tracks are now sortable by clicking in the column title.

The only non-standard module I’m using is my iTunes module, which manages track, artist, album, and playlist content. I’ve also created customized views using the Views module for tracks & playlists.

my2unz.com is up!

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My new iTunes playlist sharing site, my2unz.com is up. Registration is by invitation only – contact me for an invitation.

I wrote one custom Drupal module that imports an iTunes playlist or library exported as XML and handles specialized nodes for playlists & tracks. The rest of it is mostly standard Drupal modules. I plan to add more functionality for searching playlists, searching tracks by member, and finding members based on their music.

Besides the iTunes specific functions, it also has more standard features like blogging, forums, and buddy lists.

Getting Closer

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I’m almost finished writing the iTunes module. The import is working, but I still need to finish creating the views and menu commands. I’ve only had a few hours a day to work on this, since I’m busy with work.

Getting Closer
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Another WorldBeatPlanet change

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I got rid of the e-commerce module, which was a big pain. Instead I’m now using Amazon product nodes and I created a custom content type for CD Baby products. The store is now a new view which simply shows all Amazon and CD Baby product nodes. I can easily add other affiliates with the new arrangements. If I do eventually start selling music myself, I’ll create a separate store.worldbeatplanet.com domain, which will make it easier to maintain.

New and Improved

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I’ve completed most of my enhancements to WorldBeatPlanet. The emphasis is on community and user’s content. I’m now allowing all registered users to have a blog and a member page and upload audio or video. The video module allows YouTube videos to be embedded as well as uploaded video files. Instead of stories, the primary content type is now blog entries, which are promoted to the front page and included in the feed. I’ve converted the old lyrics, discography, and reviews, which were based on taxonomy terms, to unique content types. I also changed the podcast to use audio nodes rather than file attachments and I added a new FeedBurner feed for the podcast.

Domain squatters must die

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I’ve been thinking of reviving my old domain name ShareYourMusic.com (which used to redirect to WorldBeatPlanet) in connection with the new changes I’m making to WorldBeatPlanet. When I checked it today I discovered that it’s now parked at a ‘domain for sale’ page by a domain squatter, and they want at least $2500 to buy that domain. I plan to see if I have any legal grounds to regain that domain. The following posts confirm that I originally registered that domain: