manual/working_with_playlists/main.tex

   1 % $Id$ %
   2 \section{\label{ref:working_with_playlists}Working with Playlists}
   3
   4 \subsection{Playlist terminology}
   5 Some common terms that are used in Rockbox when referring to
   6 playlists:
   7
   8 \begin{description}
   9 \item[Directory.] A playlist! One of the keys to getting the most out of
  10   Rockbox is understanding that Rockbox \emph{always} considers the song that
  11   it is playing to be part of a playlist, and in some situations, Rockbox will
  12   create a playlist automatically. For example, if you are playing the
  13   contents of a directory, Rockbox will automatically create a playlist
  14   containing all songs in it. This means that just about anything
  15   that is described in this chapter with respect to playlists also applies to
  16   directories.
  17
  18 \item[Dynamic playlist.]  A dynamic playlist is a playlist that is created
  19   ``On the fly.'' Any time you insert or queue tracks using the
  20   \setting{Playlist submenu} (see \reference{ref:playlist_submenu}), you are
  21   creating (or adding to) a dynamic playlist.
  22
  23 \item[Insert.] In Rockbox, to \setting{Insert} an item into a playlist means
  24   putting an item into a playlist and leaving it there, even after it is
  25   played. As you will see later in this chapter, Rockbox can \setting{Insert}
  26   into a playlist in several places.
  27
  28 \item[Queue.] In Rockbox, to \setting{Queue} a song means to put the song
  29   into a playlist and then to remove the song from the playlist once it has
  30   been played. The only difference between \setting{Insert} and
  31   \setting{Queue} is that the \setting{Queue} option removes the song from the
  32   playlist once it has been played, and the \setting{Insert} option does not.
  33 \end{description}
  34
  35 \subsection{Creating playlists}
  36
  37 Rockbox can create playlists in four different ways.
  38
  39 \subsubsection{By selecting (``playing'') a song from the File Browser}
  40 Whenever a song is selected from the \setting{File Browser} with
  41 \ActionTreeEnter, Rockbox will automatically create a playlist containing
  42 all of the songs in that directory and start playback with the selected
  43 song.\\
  44
  45 \note{If you already have created a dynamic playlist, playing a new
  46   song will \emph{erase} the current dynamic playlist and create a new one.
  47   If you want to add a song to the current playlist
  48   rather than erasing the current
  49   playlist, see the section below on how to add music to a playlist.}
  50
  51 \subsubsection{By using Insert and Queue functions}
  52 If playback is stopped, the \setting{Insert} and \setting{Queue} functions
  53 can be used as described in \ref{ref:playlist_submenu}
  54 to create a new playlist instead of adding to an existing one.
  55 This will \emph{erase} any dynamic playlist.
  56
  57 \subsubsection{\label{ref:playlist_catalog}By using the Playlist catalog}
  58 The \setting{Playlist catalog} makes it possible to modify and create playlists
  59 that are not currently playing. To do this select \setting{Playlist catalog}
  60 in the \setting{Context Menu}. There you will have two choices,
  61 \setting{Add to playlist} adds the selected track or directory to an existing
  62 playlist and \setting{Add to a new playlist} creates a new playlist containing
  63 the selected track or directory.\\
  64
  65 \note{All playlists in the \setting{Playlist catalog} are stored by default
  66   in the \fname{/Playlists} directory in the root of your \daps{} disk and
  67   playlists stored in other locations are not included in the catalog. It is
  68   however possible to move existing playlists there (see
  69   \reference{ref:Contextmenu}).}
  70
  71 \subsubsection{By using the Main Menu}
  72 To create a playlist containing all music on your \dap{}, you can use the
  73 \setting{Create Playlist} command in the \setting{Playlists} menu found
  74 in the \setting{Main Menu}. The created playlist will be named
  75 \fname{root.m3u8} and saved in the root of your \daps{} disk.
  76
  77 \subsection{Adding music to playlists}
  78
  79 \subsubsection{\label{ref:playlist_submenu}Adding music to a dynamic playlist}
  80 \screenshot{rockbox_interface/images/ss-playlist-menu}{The Playlist Submenu}{}
  81 The \setting{Playlist Submenu} is a submenu in the \setting{Context Menu} (see
  82 \reference{ref:Contextmenu}), it allows you to put tracks into a
  83 ``dynamic playlist''. If there is no music currently playing, Rockbox will
  84 create a new dynamic playlist and put the selected track(s) into it.
  85 If there is music currently playing, Rockbox will put the
  86 selected track(s) into the current playlist. The place in which the newly
  87 selected tracks are added to the playlist is determined by the following
  88 options:
  89
  90 \begin{description}
  91 \item [Insert.] Add track(s) immediately after any tracks added via the most
  92   recent \setting{Insert} operation. If no tracks have yet been added via an
  93   \setting{Insert}, new tracks will be added immediately after the current
  94   playing track. If playback is stopped a new dynamic playlist will get
  95   created with the selected tracks.
  96
  97 \item [Insert Next.] Add track(s) immediately after current playing
  98   track, no matter what else has been inserted.
  99
 100 \item [Insert Last.] Add track(s) to end of playlist.
 101
 102 \item [Insert Shuffled.] Add track(s) to the playlist in a random order.
 103
 104 \item [Insert Last Shuffled.] Add tracks in a random order to the end of the playlist.
 105
 106 \item [Queue.] Queue is the same as Insert except queued tracks are
 107   deleted immediately from the playlist after they have been played. Also,
 108   queued tracks are not saved to the playlist file (see
 109   \reference{ref:playlistoptions}).
 110
 111 \item [Queue Next.] Queue track(s) immediately after current playing track.
 112
 113 \item [Queue Last.] Queue track(s) at end of playlist.
 114
 115 \item [Queue Shuffled.] Queue track(s) in a random order.
 116
 117 \item [Queue Last Shuffled.] Queue tracks in a random order at the end of the playlist.
 118
 119 \item [Play Next.] Replaces all but the current playing track with track(s).
 120     Current playing track is queued.
 121 \end{description}
 122
 123 The \setting{Playlist Submenu}  can be used to add either single tracks or
 124 entire directories to a playlist. If the \setting{Playlist Submenu} is
 125 invoked on a single track, it will put only that track into the playlist.
 126 On the other hand, if the \setting{Playlist Submenu} is invoked on a
 127 directory, Rockbox adds all of the tracks in that directory to the
 128 playlist.\\
 129
 130 \note{You can control whether or not Rockbox includes the contents of
 131   subdirectories when adding an entire directory to a playlists. Set the
 132   \setting{Settings $\rightarrow$ General Settings $\rightarrow$ Playlist
 133   $\rightarrow$ Recursively Insert Directories} setting to \setting{Yes} if
 134   you would like Rockbox to include tracks in subdirectories as well as tracks
 135   in the currently-selected directory.\\}
 136
 137 Dynamic playlists are saved so resume will restore them exactly as they
 138 were before shutdown.\\
 139
 140 \note{To view, save or reshuffle the current dynamic playlist use the
 141   \setting{Playlist} sub menu in the WPS context menu or in the
 142   \setting{Main Menu}.}
 143
 144 \subsection{Modifying playlists}
 145 \subsubsection{Reshuffling}
 146 Reshuffling the current playlist is easily done from the \setting{Playlist}
 147 sub menu in the WPS, just select \setting{Reshuffle}.
 148
 149 \subsubsection{Moving and removing tracks}
 150 To move or remove a track from the current playlist enter the
 151 \setting{Playlist Viewer} by selecting \setting{View Current Playlist} in the
 152 \setting{Playlist} submenu in the WPS context menu or the \setting{Main Menu}.
 153 Once in the \setting{Playlist Viewer} open the context menu on the track you
 154 want to move or remove. If you want to move the track, select \setting{Move} in
 155 the context menu and then move the blinking cursor to the place where you want
 156 the track to be moved and confirm with \ActionStdOk. To remove a track, simply
 157 select \setting{Remove} in the context menu.
 158
 159 \subsection{Saving playlists}
 160 To save the current playlist either enter the \setting{Playlist} submenu
 161 in the \setting{WPS Context Menu} (see \reference{sec:contextmenu}) and
 162 select \setting{Save Current Playlist} or enter the
 163 \setting{Playlist Options} menu in the \setting{Main Menu} and select
 164 \setting{Save Current Playlist}.
 165 Either method will bring you to the \setting{Virtual Keyboard} (see
 166 \reference{sec:virtual_keyboard}), enter a filename for your playlist and
 167 accept it and you are done.
 168
 169 \subsection{Loading saved playlists}
 170 \subsubsection{Through the \setting{File Browser}}
 171 Playlist files, like regular music tracks, can be selected through the
 172 \setting{File Browser}. When loading a playlist from disk it will replace
 173 the current dynamic playlist.
 174
 175 \subsubsection{Through the \setting{Playlist catalog}}
 176 The \setting{Playlist catalog} offers a shortcut to all playlists in your
 177 \daps{} specified playlist directory.
 178 It can be used like the \setting{File Browser}.
 179
 180 \subsection{Helpful Hints}
 181
 182 \subsubsection{Including subdirectories in playlists}
 183 You can control whether or not Rockbox includes the contents of
 184 subdirectories when adding an entire directory to a playlists.
 185 Set the \setting{Main Menu $\rightarrow$ Settings $\rightarrow$ General Settings
 186 $\rightarrow$ Playlists $\rightarrow$ Recursively Insert Directories}
 187 setting to \setting{On} if you would like to include tracks in subdirectories
 188 as well as tracks in the currently selected directory.