Bugzilla – Bug 272
Allow Export Multiple to export based on all non-empty label tracks
Last modified: 2018-08-20 11:51:37 UTC
Several scenarios exist where current behaviour is not intuitive: audio track label track 1 (empty) label track 2 Expected: label track 2 exports. Result: Error "can't export multiple files". This could possibly be "fixed" without allowing export of multiple label tracks by allowing an empty label track to be ignored, then use only the next non-empty one, but less useful? audio track label track 1 label track 2 Expected: both label tracks export. Use Case: easily exporting different overlapping sections of the same track with different labels. Currently you have to move the label tracks up or down and Export Multiple twice. Result: label track 1 only exports. label track 1 audio track label track 2 Expected: Possibly both label tracks export, or more likely, label track 2 only exports. Result: label track 1 only exports. label track 1 audio track 1 label track 2 audio track 2 label track 3 Expected: Assuming you want to export multiple by labels, possibly that label tracks 1, 2, and 3 export a mix of audio tracks 1 and 2, or that label tracks 2 and 3 export a mix of audio tracks 1 and 2. More likely (and more useful from feedback received): label track 2 exports audio track 1, then label track 3 exports audio track 2. Currently to do that you have to remove label track 1 and mute audio track 2; then mute audio track 1 and drag label track 2 to the bottom of the project. Clearly if all tracks are not to be mixed, then label track placement would decide which audio tracks are associated with each label track export. But the result now is: Label Track 1 only exports a mix of audio tracks 1 and 2. Some people may find it useful to choose which label track to export e.g. they may have an annotated label track that is not meant to make track splits. In that case we could ignore label tracks with no audio track above them; or provide a "mute" button or similar to disable export of that label track.
On this page in the Manual https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/export_multiple.html it clearly states: Only labels in the uppermost label track are used for export. This is actually a very useful feature as it enables you to have export markers in the upppermost label track - and other markers and descriptors in lower label tracks. In Gale's first use case the Export multiple now only enables the user to export multiple based on tracks (as there are no labels in the uppermost track), This may be a little confusing as instead of getting mutiple short files you get one whole file - the whole track - but you should have read the EM dialog to see your export is based on tracks and you can't select based on labels and you should RTFM - A "?" help button could be very useful on the EM dialog. In Gale's second and third use cases only the labels in label-track-1 are used for the export - and this is perfectly clear to those who bother to RTFM (and Export Multiple is one of those commands that really warrants RTFM) And as for his Use Case-4 .... :-// Gale writes: >Some people may find it useful to choose which label track to export Well if they bother to RTFM they jolly well know that all they have to do is to move that label track to the top - or to be the topmost label track. I suggest that current behavior is as designed and what we still want (and I speak here as a frequent Export Multiple user and as a reasonably frequent user of multiple label tracks) - and is reasonably documented for RTFMers - a help button would be a useful additional touch. Thus I suggest we close this as WONTFIX
I agree with Peter's analysis in Comment 1. This is a feature request, not a bug, and it does not meet the criterion for a feature request to stay as an Enh: request in Bugzilla database. That is, (a) it is not widely agreed that the current behaviour is wrong, and (b) there is no clear widely agreed better way for Audacity user interface to behave. (a) and (b) make the feature request unsuitable for being tracked as a bug. Therefore closing as NOT-A-BUG.
See: ENH Bug 1923 Enh: Help buttons for Export Multiple and Export Audio
