[bookport] Re: Playlists
- From: buhrow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Brian Buhrow)
- To: bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 07:57:26 -0800
I think this is a fine compromise. I see it working like this:
From the bookport interface perspective
1. Designate a special directory, in the same vein as memos or notes, as a
play list directory. Files in this directory would contain lists of file
names which would comprise the play lists. (Lines of the file would
consist of pathnames to the files in the play list. Pathnames would be
relative to the root of
the flash card, i.e. \music\song1.mp3 or \books\the_great_Escape.txt.)
2. To create a play list on the bookport itself, the user changes to the
playlists directory and presses a keystroke to create a new play list.
He's then prompted to type in a name for his play list. Once the play list
is created, it becomes yet another play list which can be used in all of
the following manners, as described below.
3. To add to a play list on the bookport, the user changes to the play
list directory, browses to the appropriate play list using the same * and #
keys, and presses a new key sequence which makes that play list the default
list. Then, the user can browse around his filesystem as usual, and when
he wants to add a new file to the play list, rather than pressing the 2
key to play the file, he presses a new key sequence which appends that file
to the current play list.
4. To delete items from a play list on the bookport, the user changes to
the playlists directory, selects the appropriate play list, and presses a
new key sequence to enter browse mode for that play list. In this mode,
the * and # keys move forward and backward in the play list, the 2 key
plays the file, and the delete sequence deletes the item from the play
list. If the user presses the 2 key to listen to a file in the play list,
and automatic file advancement is on, then Bookport should play all files
in that play list from the current file to the end of the list. If
the file referenced doesn't exist, it should be silently ignored.
If automatic file advancement is off, then Bookport should only play the
current file. If the file doesn't exist, the user should be told it
doesn't exist, and reminded that he can delete it from the play list by
pressing the delete sequence.
There may also be commands to cut and paste lines in the
play list so that the user can reorder them in the play list.
To exit the browse mode, and return to the play lists directory itself, the
user should use the *-0 keys, just as one does to move up the directory tree.
5. To play the files in a list without browsing the list itself, the user
changes to the play list directory, browses to the appropriate play list,
and presses the 2 key. In this case, the files in the play list are played
sequentially, regardless of the automatic file advancement setting.
If a file in the play list doesn't exist, it should be silently ignored.
6. To delete an entire play list, the user changes to the play lists
directory, browses to the appropriate list, and presses the delete key
sequence.
If the deleted list is the default list, then the default list is
changed to be the list before the one which was just deleted, as is done
when a file is deleted.
7. A new setting should be added which lets the user choose whether or not
place holders should be honored when playing files from play lists. That
is, should the Bookport use the same pause marker as is used when reading
the file individually or should it use a separate pause marker when playing
a file from a play list. There may be times when the user wants to use
either. In any case, bookmarks created when reading in individual file
mode, or playlist mode should be global and visible from either reading
mode.
8. A new command should be added to tell you the name of the current play
list. It should also tell you if you're actively playing from that play
list, or just that i't's the list to which files will be appended if you
add a file to a play list. For example, if you press the sequence, it
might say,
"Default play list is comedy, play list is active"
this would mean that you're listening to a file which was started from the
play list "comedy".
It could also say,
"Default play list is comedy, play list is inactive"
This would mean that if you add a file to a play list, it would get added
to the "comedy" play list, but you're reading files as individual files,
not from the play list.
I would suggest imposing the restriction that active and default play
lists cannot be separate.
>From the host computer side.
the user should be able to create text files with one file name per
line, describing the files they want in their play lists. It should be
documented that no drive letters should appear in the file path names, and
path names should be relative to the root of the bookport flash card. The
bookport transfer utility should be taught to recognize a play lists
directory on the host computer and should copy files in there to the play
lists directory on the Bookport. The transfer utility might verify that
all files in a given play list exist on the Bookport, but should only warn
the user that all files are not present, it should not disallow the user
from copying play lists with non-existent files to the Bookport.
Users should be able to copy their own play lists to the Bookport play list
directory without the advent of the transfer utility.
The transfer might allow the user to tag certain files to be placed in
certain play lists at the time the file is transfered to the Bookport, but
I'm not entirely clear on what this interface would work like. Perhaps it
could do something like some of the other players do in that it suggests a
list of generic lists, like Rock music, Classical, story books, seventies
jams, eighties hits, etc. and let people categorize their files
accordingly.
Other related posts:
