Albumus Audio Compiler - GUI Guide

The Albumus GUI (gui.py) provides a simple, interactive interface to select project folders and run audio-related tasks such as compiling albums and clearing output. It offers visual feedback, customizable settings, and a categorized task panel.

🚀 Launching the GUI

To run the GUI:

python gui.py

Make sure the following requirements are met:

• Python 3.9+
• customtkinter installed
• A valid config/settings.json exists (will be created if missing)

🖼 GUI Features

Project Directory Management

• Recent Directory Dropdown:

  • Select from previously used project directories.
  • Automatically filters invalid paths.

• Browse Button (🔍):

  • Opens a file dialog to select a new project directory.
  • Updates the dropdown and config settings automatically.

Task Buttons

Tasks are grouped by category and displayed in horizontal scrollable sections. Each button:

• Executes a predefined Python command.
• Shows a tooltip describing what it does.
• Logs output in the GUI and writes it to disk.

Default Tasks:

Status Panel

• Located at the bottom of the interface
• Displays real-time task results or error messages
• Color-coded: Green = success, Red = error

🔧 Configuration

The GUI references:

• config/settings.json to track the current working project

• Automatically updates:

  • dir: currently selected project
  • dir_recent: history of recent projects
  • dir_recent_max: how many recent paths to remember

If invalid directories are detected on launch, they are removed from the dropdown list automatically.

🧪 Example Workflow

1. Launch the app:

   python gui.py
   

2. Use the dropdown or browse button to choose a valid project folder.

3. Click compile_audio to process the files in the in/ directory.

4. View results in the status panel and check the _log/ directory for full logs.

5. Use clear_output to delete generated output (out/ folder) for a clean rebuild.

🛠 Troubleshooting

📁 Log Files

All actions are logged in the _log/ directory:

• gui.log
• compile_audio.log
• clear_output.log

These include timestamped entries, error reports, and command details.

✅ Summary

The GUI offers an easy-to-use interface for managing audio compilation projects without needing to use the terminal. It provides structure validation, task execution, logging, and feedback for a smooth user experience.