Display format: highlighting; new columns; field contents too wide

[JMThomas]

A.  Marking a selected line causes it to appear in black on dark red, which is unreadable and annoying.  Of course, when the selection moves, the marked line will appear red on white/light gray which is just fine. 

It's just irritating that some parts of the display become (temporarily) unreadable because of the act of marking.  I suggest using much lighter values of red as a background color, less intense than any gray shade in use.
B.  New columns for

• FILE PATH (with drive), not including file name or file extension.
  

.

• FILE EXTENSION, and/or ENCODING format. 
  

.

• BAND, now known as ALBUM ARTIST.
  

.

• DRM protection
  
    .wma files can be
      1) protected & readable because the user has the key
      2) protected & not readable, but the user can get their 'own' key (i.e. ripped by WMP with the "copy protect my music" option not disabled).
      3) protected & not readable because the user has to purchase the key
      4) unprotected (therefore readable)
      5) corrupt
  
    iTunes type files can be
      1) protected (i.e. .m4p) readable (user has purchased)
      2) protected unreadable (machine not authorized to account, stolen, etc.)
      3) unprotected (i.e. .m4a)
      4) corrupt
  

C.  Locate and remove folder names common to all files in the file list, on a per drive basis.

For example, if all files on the C: drive started with
  C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Music\*
then replace the common part with "C:\**\" giving
  C:\**\[Various Artists\Sam Hill\Track 1.mp3
  C:\**\[Albums]\Jim Jones\Meet JJ\Track 7.m4a

Do this for each drive letter so "H:\**\" would work for an external drive, along with "C:\**\" for the system drive.
D.  If data is too wide for the column, suppress only the duplicate portion, leaving (as much as possible) of differing ends.

Examples:
  H:\Music\_MM\[Soundtrack]\Austin Powers the Spy Who Shagged Me
  C:\My Music\_MM\[Soundtrack]\Austin Powers
might compress to
  H:\Music\...tin Powers the Spy Who Shagged Me
  C:\My Music\...tin Powers

  H:\Music\_MM\[Soundtrack]\Star Trek II; Wrath of Kahn
  H:\Music\_MM\[Albums]\Star Trek II; Wrath of Kahn
might compress to
  H:\Music\_MM\[Soundtrack]\...Wrath of Kahn
  H:\Music\_MM\[Albums]\...Wrath of Kahn
or perhaps to
  ...\[Soundtrack]\...Wrath of Kahn
  ...\[Albums]\...Wrath of Kahn

  C:\My Music\[Soundtrack]\Star Trek II; Wrath of Kahn
  H:\Music\_MM\[Albums]\Star Trek II; Wrath of Kahn
might compress to
  C:\My Music\[Soundtrack]\...Wrath of Kahn
  H:\Music\_MM\[Albums]\...Wrath of Kahn

Note:  Don't suppress back-slash at the beginning or end of an identical portion

[Admin]

Thanks for your suggestions.
A. We fix this, we just fix color for selection.
B. Yes we add new columns Folder,Filename,Extension
But DRM has some specific problems, you can't decode DRM protected file on 3rd party software, you can only play it, i.e. you can create link between file and sound card and begin transfering data, you can't touch DRM'ed data or intercept it. In such way works Apple DRM'ed files, about Microsoft not sure. Similarity can't decode DRM protected files.
C and D. We think about this.

[JMThomas]

I understand that Apple and Microsoft and RealMedia and other vendors all have different ways of doing DRM.

I was just looking of an quick way to decide if

• I should archive/remove a file from my collection because I can't (or won't) get a key to play it, or
• I could easily get a key (I already own), and Similarity could then analyze the file.

This is most important for songs that were ripped by Window Media Player with the (stupid) option to "copy protect my music" enabled.  Microsoft will give me the key I need to play the music I ripped, but

• I have to ask for each song individually by opening it in WMP and clicking yes to get my key, and
• I already "own" the key -- Microsoft created it just for me when I ripped the song, and
• I can make the song legally playable without spending any money.

I believe you when you say there isn't an easy way to diagnose this condition in the general case. 
 
I'd be delighted if someone knows a trick that will let me easily (maybe in batch?) recover all the songs I ripped before I learned that I should have turned off "copy protect my music" option.

[JMThomas]

Thank you for your kind considerations.  An good algorithm for D) could get real complicated, really quick.

I would be easier (and probablly just as useful), if you

• work on C), the "C:\**\" replacement, and
• ignore D), the fancy name trimming.