firefly/roku Playlist order is not as in iTunes

@kjhmrtwg wrote:

This may be really simple – but has anyone had the problem that firefly changes the order of itunes playlists? In roku display I can see all my playlists fine, but the playlist order seems to come through alphabetically according to artist even though the order in each iTunes playlist is more random – and I have changed iTunes playlist orders to see if it makes a difference – and it does not. Am I missing something obvious

No. iTunes has two databases… the “real” database it uses (the .itl file), and the xml file that it creates as a convenience to third parties that read the database.

If you look at the iTunes xml file, I think you’ll see that the xml file as iTunes writes it is in the same order that you see it on the soundbridge — that is, when iTunes writes the xml file in an order other than the order it displays in the interface.

I’ve looked at this before, and it appears to me to be an iTunes bug. Unless you see something in the XML file that might indicate a different order. I never did, though.

— Ron

@kjhmrtwg wrote:

You’re right. I looked at the XML file and saw the order seemed fixed; and where items appear in other playlsists they too seem fixed in the same order. I wonder how often this XML file is updated. I am not used to playing with XML, and trust it is unwise to try to edit this file? But what can I do in order to be able to view and play songs in a playlist in the order I want?

iTunes re-writes it any time it changes the database, so you really can’t change it — iTunes will just overwrite it.

It didn’t used to be like that, it’s a bug since somewhere late in 6, I think. 6.0.4 or 6.0.5.

I don’t really have a way around it though. Perhaps there are applescripts to export iTunes playlists to m3u — then you could not process the iTunes xml file, and just use the exported m3u files. That might be an option.