Requests

Requests in Melodee allow users to ask for new music to be added to the library or report issues with existing content. It’s a collaborative way for users to communicate their music needs to administrators or other users who manage the library.

What Are Requests?

Requests are user-submitted tickets that can be used to:

• Request new albums to be added to the library
• Request specific songs that are missing
• Report artist corrections (misspellings, wrong metadata)
• Report album corrections (wrong cover art, incorrect track listing)
• General requests for other library-related needs

Requests support comments, activity tracking, and automatic completion when the requested content is added.

Request Categories

Request Status

Requests progress through these statuses:

Creating Requests

From the Melodee UI

1. Navigate to Requests in the menu
2. Click New Request
3. Select a category (Add Album, Add Song, etc.)
4. Fill in the details:
   • Description: Explain what you’re requesting
   • Artist Name: The artist (for album/song requests)
   • Album Title: The album name (for album requests)
   • Song Title: The song name (for song requests)
   • Release Year: Optional year to help identify the correct version
   • External URL: Link to Discogs, MusicBrainz, or streaming service
   • Notes: Additional information
5. Submit the request

Best Practices for Requests

• Be specific: Include artist name, album title, and year when possible
• Add links: External URLs to Discogs, MusicBrainz, or Spotify help identify the exact release
• Check first: Search the library to make sure the content isn’t already there
• One request per item: Create separate requests for different albums/songs

Request Details

Each request contains:

Comments and Discussion

Requests support threaded comments for discussion:

• User comments: Users can ask questions or provide updates
• System comments: Automatic messages when status changes or content is added
• Replies: Comments can be nested for threaded discussions

Comment Features

• Markdown formatting support
• Timestamps showing when comments were posted
• User attribution for each comment
• System messages for automatic updates

Automatic Completion

One of the most powerful features of Melodee’s request system is automatic completion. When you request an album or song, Melodee monitors new content being added to the library. If matching content is found:

1. The request is automatically marked as Completed
2. A system comment is added with a link to the new content
3. The requester is notified (if notifications are enabled)

How Matching Works

For Add Album requests:

• Melodee compares the requested artist name and album title
• Normalized text matching handles minor spelling differences
• Release year is checked if specified in the request
• If a match is found when the album is added, the request completes

For Add Song requests:

• Similar matching on artist name and song title
• Completes when a matching song is added to any album

Managing Requests

For Users

• View your requests: See all requests you’ve submitted
• Edit requests: Update pending requests with more information
• Complete requests: Mark your own requests as completed
• Delete requests: Remove pending requests you no longer need
• Comment: Add updates or respond to questions

For Administrators

• View all requests: See requests from all users
• Change status: Move requests to In Progress, Completed, or Rejected
• Add comments: Provide updates on request progress
• Prioritize: Focus on frequently requested content

Request Workflow

Typical Flow

User creates request (Pending)
       ↓
Admin sees request and starts working (In Progress)
       ↓
Content is added to library
       ↓
Request auto-completes OR admin marks complete (Completed)
       ↓
System comment notifies user with link to content

Alternative Flows

Duplicate Request:

User creates request → Admin marks as Rejected → Comment explains duplicate

Unavailable Content:

User creates request → Admin marks as Rejected → Comment explains unavailability

Self-Fulfilled:

User creates request → User finds content elsewhere → User marks as Completed

Activity Tracking

Every request tracks activity:

The Last Activity field shows the most recent action, helping users and admins identify requests that need attention.

Participants

Melodee tracks who participates in each request:

• Creator: The user who submitted the request
• Commenters: Users who have commented on the request

This helps identify who to notify when there are updates.

Search and Filtering

Find requests using:

• Status filter: Show only Pending, In Progress, etc.
• Category filter: Show only Add Album requests, etc.
• My requests: Show only requests you created
• Text search: Search descriptions, artist names, album titles

Use Cases

Building a Shared Library

In a household or organization:

1. Users submit requests for music they want
2. The library manager reviews requests
3. High-priority or frequently requested content is added first
4. Requests auto-complete as content is added

Music Discovery Queue

Use requests as a “to-buy” or “to-add” list:

1. Create requests when you discover interesting albums
2. Add external links for reference
3. Work through the list over time
4. Track what’s been added vs. what’s still needed

Quality Control

Report issues with existing content:

1. Create an Artist Correction or Album Correction request
2. Describe the problem in detail
3. Admin fixes the issue
4. Request is marked complete

API Access

Requests are accessible via the Melodee API:

# List requests
GET /api/v1/requests

# Get request by API key
GET /api/v1/requests/{apiKey}

# Create a new request
POST /api/v1/requests
Body: {
  "category": "AddAlbum|AddSong|ArtistCorrection|AlbumCorrection|General",
  "description": "Please add this album",
  "artistName": "The Beatles",
  "albumTitle": "Abbey Road",
  "releaseYear": 1969,
  "externalUrl": "https://www.discogs.com/...",
  "notes": "Original UK pressing preferred"
}

# Update a request
PUT /api/v1/requests/{apiKey}

# Complete a request
POST /api/v1/requests/{apiKey}/complete

# Delete a request
DELETE /api/v1/requests/{apiKey}

# Add a comment
POST /api/v1/requests/{apiKey}/comments
Body: {
  "body": "Any update on this?",
  "parentCommentId": null
}

Tips for Effective Requests

1. Search first: Check if the content already exists
2. Be specific: Include all relevant details (artist, album, year)
3. Add references: External URLs help identify exact releases
4. One item per request: Makes tracking and completion easier
5. Check back: Monitor your requests for comments and updates
6. Mark complete: If you found the content elsewhere, mark it done

Privacy

• Requests are visible to all users by default
• Comments show the username of the commenter
• Activity is tracked for transparency
• Admins can see all requests; users see their own and public requests

Have questions about requests? Open an issue on GitHub or check the API documentation for technical details.

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