manual/working_with_playlists/main.tex

   1 % $Id$ %
   2 \section{\label{ref:working_with_playlists}Working with Playlists}
   3 \fixme{This section is currently in a half written state, with possible errors
   4   and a lot of stuff missing. Please help us fix this chapter by submitting
   5   additions/corrections to the tracker}
   6
   7 \subsection{Playlist terminology}
   8 Some common terms that are used in Rockbox when referring to
   9 playlists:
  10
  11 \begin{description}
  12 \item[Directory.] A playlist! One of the keys to getting the most out of
  13   Rockbox is understanding that Rockbox \emph{always} considers the song that
  14   it is playing to be part of a playlist, and in some situations, Rockbox will
  15   create a playlist automatically. For example, if you are playing the
  16   contents of a directory, Rockbox will automatically create a playlist
  17   containing the songs in that directory. This means that just about anything
  18   that is described in this chapter with respect to playlists also applies to
  19   directories.
  20
  21 \item[Dynamic playlist.]  A dynamic playlist is a playlist that is created
  22   ``On the fly.'' Any time you insert or queue tracks using the
  23   \setting{Playlist submenu} (see \reference{ref:playlist_submenu}), you are
  24   creating (or adding to) a dynamic playlist.
  25
  26 \item[Insert.] In Rockbox, to \setting{Insert} an item into a playlist means
  27   putting an item into a playlist and leaving it there, even after it is
  28   played. As you will see later in this chapter, Rockbox can \setting{Insert}
  29   into a playlist in several places.
  30
  31 \item[Queue.] In Rockbox, to \setting{Queue} a song means to put the song
  32   into a playlist and then to remove the song from the playlist once it has
  33   been played. The only difference between \setting{Insert} and
  34   \setting{Queue} is that the \setting{Queue} option removes the song from the
  35   playlist once it has been played, and the \setting{Insert} option does not.
  36 \end{description}
  37
  38 \subsection{Creating playlists}
  39
  40 Rockbox can create playlists in four different ways.
  41
  42 \subsubsection{By selecting (``playing'') a song from the File Browser}
  43 Whenever a song is selected from the \setting{File Browser} with
  44 \ActionTreeEnter, Rockbox will automatically create a playlist containing
  45 all of the songs in that directory and start playback with the selected
  46 song.
  47
  48 \note{If you already have created a dynamic playlist, playing a new
  49   song will \emph{erase} the current dynamic playlist and create a new one.
  50   If you want to add a song to the current playlist
  51   rather than erasing the current
  52   playlist, see the section below on how to add music to a playlist.}
  53
  54 \subsubsection{By using Insert and Queue functions}
  55 If playback is stopped, the \setting{Insert} and \setting{Queue} functions
  56 can be used as described in \ref{ref:playlist_submenu}
  57 to create a new playlist instead of adding to an existing one.
  58 This will \emph{erase} any dynamic playlist.
  59
  60 \subsubsection{\label{ref:playlist_catalog}By using the Playlist catalog}
  61 The \setting{Playlist catalog} makes it possible to modify and create playlists
  62 that are not currently playing. To do this select \setting{Playlist catalog}
  63 in the \setting{File Menu}. There you will have two choices,
  64 \setting{Add to playlist} adds the selected track or directory to an existing
  65 playlist and \setting{Add to a new playlist} creates a new playlist containing
  66 the selected track or directory.
  67
  68 \note{All playlists in the \setting{Playlist catalog} are stored in the
  69   \fname{/Playlists} directory in the root of your \daps{} harddisk and
  70   playlists stored in other locations are not included in the catalog. It is
  71   however possible to move existing playlists there (see
  72   \reference{ref:Filemenu}).}
  73
  74 \subsubsection{By using the Main Menu}
  75 To create a playlist containing all music on your \dap{}, you can use the
  76 \setting{Create Playlist} command in the \setting{Playlist Options} menu found
  77 in the \setting{Main Menu}. The created playlist will be named
  78 \fname{root.m3u} and saved in the root of your \daps{} harddisk.
  79
  80 \subsection{Adding music to playlists}
  81
  82 \subsubsection{\label{ref:playlist_submenu}Adding music to a dynamic playlist}
  83 \screenshot{rockbox_interface/images/ss-playlist-menu}{The Playlist Submenu}{}
  84 The \setting{Playlist Submenu} is a submenu in the \setting{File Menu} (see
  85 \reference{ref:Filemenu}), it allows you to put tracks into a
  86 ``dynamic playlist''. If there is no music currently playing, Rockbox will
  87 create a new dynamic playlist and put the selected track(s) into it.
  88 If there is music currently playing, Rockbox will put the
  89 selected track(s) into the current playlist. The place in which the newly
  90 selected tracks are added to the playlist is determined by the following
  91 options:
  92
  93 \begin{description}
  94 \item [Insert.] Add track(s) immediately after any tracks added via the most
  95   recent \setting{Insert} operation. If no tracks have yet been added via an
  96   \setting{Insert}, new tracks will be added immediately after the current
  97   playing track. If playback is stopped a new dynamic playlist will get
  98   created with the selected tracks.
  99
 100 \item [Insert next.] Add track(s) immediately after current playing
 101   track, no matter what else has been inserted.
 102
 103 \item [Insert last.] Add track(s) to end of playlist.
 104
 105 \item [Queue.] Queue is the same as Insert except queued tracks are
 106   deleted immediately from the playlist after they've been played. Also,
 107   queued tracks are not saved to the playlist file (see
 108   \reference{ref:playlistoptions}).
 109
 110 \item [Queue next.] Queue track(s) immediately after current playing track.
 111
 112 \item [Queue last.] Queue track(s) at end of playlist.
 113
 114 \item [Play next.] Replaces all but the current playing track with track(s).
 115     Current playing track is queued.
 116 \end{description}
 117
 118 The \setting{Playlist Submenu}  can be used to add either single tracks or
 119 entire directories to a playlist. If the \setting{Playlist Submenu} is
 120 invoked on a single track, it will put only that track into the playlist.
 121 On the other hand, if the \setting{Playlist Submenu} is invoked on a
 122 directory, Rockbox adds all of the tracks in that directory to the
 123 playlist.
 124
 125 \note{You can control whether or not Rockbox includes the contents of
 126   sub-directories when adding an entire directory to a playlists. Set the
 127   \setting{Settings $\rightarrow$ General Settings $\rightarrow$ Playlist
 128   $\rightarrow$ Recursively Insert Directories} setting to \setting{Yes} if
 129   you would like Rockbox to include tracks in sub-directories as well as tracks
 130   in the currently-selected directory.}
 131
 132 Dynamic playlists are saved so resume will restore them exactly as they
 133 were before shutdown.
 134
 135 \note{To view, save or reshuffle the current dynamic playlist use the
 136   \setting{Playlist} sub menu in the WPS context menu or in the
 137   \setting{Main Menu}.}
 138
 139 \subsection{Modifying playlists}
 140 \subsubsection{Reshuffeling}
 141 Reshuffeling the current playlist is easily done from the \setting{Playlist}
 142 sub menu in the WPS, just select \setting{Reshuffle}.
 143
 144 \subsubsection{Moving and removing tracks}
 145 To move or remove a track from the current playlist enter the
 146 \setting{Playlist Viewer} by selecting \setting{View Current Playlist} in the
 147 \setting{Playlist} submenu in the WPS context menu or the \setting{Main Menu}.
 148 Once in the \setting{Playlist Viewer} open the context menu on the track you
 149 want to move or remove. If you want to move the track, select \setting{Move} in
 150 the context menu and then move the blinking cursor to the place where you want
 151 the track to be moved and confirm with \ActionStdOk. To remove a track, simply
 152 select \setting{Remove} in the context menu.
 153
 154 \subsection{Saving playlists}
 155 To save the current playlist either enter the \setting{Playlist} submenu
 156 in the \setting{WPS Context Menu} (see \reference{sec:contextmenu}) and
 157 select \setting{Save Current Playlist} or enter the
 158 \setting{Playlist Options} menu in the \setting{Main Menu} and select
 159 \setting{Save Current Playlist}.
 160 Either method will bring you to the \setting{Virtual Keyboard} (see
 161 \reference{sec:virtual_keyboard}), enter a filename for your playlist and
 162 accept it and you're done.
 163
 164 \subsection{Loading saved playlists}
 165 \subsubsection{Through the \setting{File Browser}}
 166 Playlist files, like regular music tracks, can be selected through the
 167 \setting{File Browser}. When loading a playlist from disk it will replace
 168 the current dynamic playlist.
 169
 170 \subsubsection{Through the \setting{Playlist catalog}}
 171 The \setting{Playlist catalog} offers a shortcut to all playlists in your
 172 \daps{} harddisk root folder called \fname{/Playlists}.
 173 It can be used like the \setting{File Browser}.
 174
 175 \subsection{Helpful Hints}
 176
 177 \subsubsection{Including sub-directories in playlists}
 178 You can control whether or not Rockbox includes the contents of
 179 sub-directories when adding an entire directory to a playlists.
 180 Set the \setting{Main Menu $\rightarrow$ Settings $\rightarrow$ Playlist
 181 $\rightarrow$ Recursively Insert Directories} setting to \setting{Yes} if you
 182 would like to include tracks in sub-directories as well as tracks in the
 183 currently selected directory.