CATraxx 8.21

CATraxx 8.21 is a powerful and easy to use tool which is designed to give you a good way to catalog a music collection of any kind, from vinyl records to CDs to MP3s. Automatically download CD data from the Internet, or scan your hard drive for audio files. A comprehensive set a data fields enables you to keep track of a wide range of information. With CATraxx, you are in total control of your music collection.

CATraxx has a comprehensive set of data fields for both albums and tracks, enabling you to catalog a wide range of information: artist, album title, media format, release year, label, catalog number, purchase price, current value, music category, playing time, song titles, songwriters, producers, recording studios, musicians and instruments. You can store an image of the album cover, attach a MP3 file to each track, and add your own personal comments for both albums and tracks.

You can effectively find the information you are looking for by using the search and filter features. CATraxx allows you search your database with any combination of data fields and operators.

CATraxx includes a report designer that lets you create professional looking reports with exactly the layout you want. Use one of the more than 100 pre-defined reports, or create your own reports from scratch. CATraxx lets you preview reports on screen before printing, or save reports in virtually any file format.

You can quickly generate documents to be published on the Internet. The loan module lets you keep track of albums on loan. Check the program periodically to see what is still out on loan. You will always know who has what and since when.

The statistics module allows you to analyze your collection in a variety of ways. CATraxx lets you track your initial investment and the total value of your collection. Use the backup function to make backup copies of your valuable data.

1. General
   • No need to use two separate programs to manage both your CD collection and your audio files. With CATraxx you can catalog all media types, including CDs, LPs, cassettes, mini discs, and audio files.
   • Automatically download CD data from the CDDB database – no typing.
   • Scan your hard drive for audio files (MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC and more) and automatically add them to your database – no typing.
   • Powerful explorer module that allows you to search and browse your database in a familiar browser interface.
   • Multiple customizable data views allowing you to easily locate and edit data.
2. Database
   • Multiple databases: Create as many separate databases as you like. Transfer information between databases.
   • Store information about an (almost) unlimited number of albums, as well as the individual tracks on each album.
   • Comprehensive set of data fields enabling you to catalog a wide range of information: artist, album title, media format, release year, label, catalog number, purchase price, current value, music genre, playing time, song titles, songwriters, producers, recording studios, musicians and instruments.
   • More than 70 custom data fields
     
   • Multiple artists: Register multiple artists on both albums and tracks – including customizable artist roles (“feat.”, “vs.”, “with”, etc).
   • Save time by using lookup tables: Register information such as artist, songwriter, musician, label and group lineup only once. The use of lookup tables will ensure that data is not duplicated.
   • Store album covers, as well as pictures of artists.
   • Add song lyrics (fully searchable) for individual tracks.
   • Store artist profiles, biographies and reviews.
   • Add personal notes for albums and individual tracks, as well as artists.
   • Rate your music: Assign your own personal rating to albums and individual tracks, as well as artists. Let the audio player automatically select your favorite music!
   • The auto-complete feature makes data entry a breeze! Start typing and CATraxx will automatically complete the text based on data in the relevant lookup table.
   • Text formatting: All memo fields (Notes, Reviews, Lyrics, etc.) support text formatting (different fonts, font sizes, font styles, colors, bullet lists and tables). You can also insert images and hyperlinks.
   • Add links to external files (this could be Word documents, HTML files, video files, etc.) from albums, tracks or artists.
   • Add links to web sites from albums, tracks or artists.
   • Password protect your database so only you can log in. Create a guest account: A guest will not be able to add, edit or delete any information in the database.
3. Audio
   • Play music: CATraxx has its own audio player closely tied to the database that will keep a detailed log of all the music you play.
   • Built-in support for 11 audio file formats: aac, ape, flac, mp3, mp4, m4b, mpc, ogg, shn, wav and wma.
   • Create playlists by either manually selecting tracks, or let CATraxx pick the songs based on your criteria.
   • Surprise: Let the CATraxx Audio Player pick albums or songs at random – this is fun!
   • Auto-organize your audio files into a folder structure and filename format of your choice based on information in the database (artist, album title, track index, song title, etc.). Let CATraxx do all the hard work!
   • Tagging: Let CATraxx automatically update audio file tags as you edit data in your database, or tell CATraxx to update the tags at a specific time.
   • Easily attach ripped audio files to albums already in the database.
4. Customization
   • Adapt the program to your own needs: Change the data field names to suit your personal preferences. Hide data fields you don't need. Set default field values.
   • Set up your own media formats and genres.
   • Use the Form Designer to redesign the field layout in all data entry windows.
   • Customize the browse lists: Create multiple list layouts and quickly switch between them, add columns and set column properties (font, font style, color, alignment, etc).
   • Customize the explorer layout by editing the xsl template files.
   • Set up your own customized data views (a combination of list layout, sort order, filter and grouping).
5. Searching and Reporting
   • Find information quickly: Search in all fields with any combination of key words and operators. Save your most frequently used searches and filters.
   • Search for a specific word or number and replace it with another.
   • Sort data by any field with up to five sort levels.
   • Display data in folders grouped by any field.
   • Quickly print lists of your albums and tracks.
   • Create your own reports with exactly the layout you want, or use one of the more than 100 pre-defined reports. You have full control of data fields, groups, sort order, columns, fonts, colors, paper size, margins and print orientation.
   • Preview reports on screen before printing. Save report output in various file formats, including Adobe Acrobat, Excel, HTML, and RTF.
6. Miscellaneous
   • Link to web sites from the Sites menu, an album, a track or an artist record.
   • Keep track of albums on loan. Check the program periodically to see what is still out on loan. You will always know who has what and since when. Track borrow date, due date and return date.
   • Export a list of your CDs to the notes section on your iPod.
   • Export data to HTML and publish your collection on the Internet.
   • Export data to text files or XML to bring the information into other applications.
   • Analyze your collection in a variety of ways with the powerful statistics module.
   • Backup your valuable data either automatically or by request.
   • Microsoft Access database format. Offers you an alternative way to view and search your database.
   • Comprehensive help system: Task based help, full keyword search, and context sensitive help in all windows.

• Download from Internet: When an updated dll file is available the file is now automatically downloaded and installed. You no longer have to download the setup file, close CATraxx, install the updated dll and finally restart CATraxx to continue downloading data.
• Internet.dll version number now displayed in the About window.
• "Vinyl Query" renamed to "Manual Query".
• Manual Query: Discogs: Improved search result.
• Audio: Scan Folder: Track order now set based on filenames if track index is not set in the audio file tag.
• Database Maintenance: Replace Memo Font: In addition to the font name, you can also update the font size.
• You can now right-click the browse list and choose "Clear Filter" to deactivate the current filter (or simply press Shift+Ctrl+C).
• Explorer: If a memo field contains formatted text, the correct font as specified in the edit window is now always used. Previously the default explorer font was sometimes used (no longer necessary to set the .memofieldfont style in Style.css).
• Explorer: Added the Web Links field to preview pane in Album View.
• Images: For images stored externally, you can now right-click the image field and choose Goto Folder to go to the folder the image file is located.
• File Links: You can now right-click and choose Goto Folder to go to the folder the file is located.
• HTML Export: Added a new "Date Include" property for date fields.
• Added support for Windows 7.
• FIXED: Explorer: Preview pane not always updated when selecting new album in the Album View.
• FIXED: Export: HTML: Problem with 'Overview' export if title contained an "extended" character.
• FIXED: Problem exporting to CDPLAYER.INI on Windows Vista.
• FIXED: Audio Player: Problem with high CPU usage if active playlist contained many tracks (several hundreds).
• Various minor fixes and enhancements.