Exporting and working with the XML library list from iTunes

[Carlow52]

I have established that the Itunes Music Library.xml file contains all the textual info on the music.

i would like to export it and work with it in some sort of data base, maybe Excel or Access or some other open source "thingy"

Any suggestions please.

Have worked with csv and other text files but not XML
Thanks

 

[Eric The Viking]

I have established that the Itunes Music Library.xml file contains all the textual info on the music.

i would like to export it and work with it in some sort of data base, maybe Excel or Access or some other open source "thingy"

Any suggestions please.

Have worked with csv and other text files but not XML
Thanks

XML is the way to go!

You can import into both Excel and Access, but both are somewhat non-trivial to set up unless you're running the latest version. I have brought XML into Excel 2003 (Data--->XML--->Import), but it's got some nasty bugs that make it hard work. IIRC, once it's got a transform into it's 'brain', you're stuck with it.

I think (but haven't played), that the latest versions of MS office are loads better in this regard, as MS has migrated to an XML-based internal structure for its well known data file formats (.DOC and .XLS).

Once in Excel, however, you can manipulate the data in the usual way using Data--->Sort ("your data has a header row").

There are other tools though: Microsoft's "XML Notepad 2007" is a good quick'n'dirty XML-file viewer (it's free). I'm sure there are others.

And I'm also sure someone who has done it before, properly, will be along in a minute...

cheers,

E.

 

[Carlow52]

Thank Eric,
Tried it in Excel ( 2003 and 2008) for the Mac ( severe parsing error etc) so will try it in Excel for Windows later.

 

[Chems]

Get Notepad++, will work with Mac its free and very easy to use.

 

[Carlow52]

Update
Within iTunes:
file > library > export playlist produces a text file with the following information.
Name Artist Composer Album Grouping Genre Size Time Disc Number Disc Count Track Number Track Count Year Date Modified Date Added Bit Rate Sample Rate Volume Adjustment Kind Equalizer Comments Plays Last Played Skips Last Skipped My Rating Location

This is somewhat easier to deal with than the XML file

 

[matt]

Get Notepad++, will work with Mac its free and very easy to use.

Second Notepad++...

 

[Eric The Viking]

Update
Within iTunes:
file > library > export playlist produces a text file with the following information.
Name Artist Composer Album Grouping Genre Size Time Disc Number Disc Count Track Number Track Count Year Date Modified Date Added Bit Rate Sample Rate Volume Adjustment Kind Equalizer Comments Plays Last Played Skips Last Skipped My Rating Location

This is somewhat easier to deal with than the XML file

Indeed so, but much depends on what you want it for. Glad it's working though.

:ho2