[bookport] user Help, AccessiblePodcatcher
- From: "Mike Justice" <m.d.justice@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 21:19:14 -0500
AccessiblePodcatcher, Version 1.4 (16 June 2005).
Available from www.webbie.org.uk as a free program
(works well to capture files for use on BookPort)
This HELP file was prepared by a user, not the software publisher: (no tech
support is offered by preparer)
NOTE1: The program was designed using MS Windows conventions, and uses Windows
Media Player to play podcasts.
NOTE2: The status line (read with JawsKey+PageDown) provides a variety of
messages depending on current program function.
NOTE3: The manual brought on screen from the program menu is a text file that
can be modified by the user if loaded into a text editor. Then the modified
file will be available from the program.
-- At startup
1) The program will always open at the list view of available podcaster
websites.
2) Arrow keys, Home, End, PageUp, and PageDown will navigate this list, and
letter keys can be used.
NOTE: the above-described navigation also works in other list views in the
program.
-- playing podcasts from a podcaster website
1) Press enter on the podcaster name you want: the website will connect, and
open an items list view of available podcasts. If this takes very long, the
status line will display intermediate messages, until the final message is
"done." If the address is not correct, an error message will display.
2) Move through the list of podcasts to make your selection, and press enter
(or ctrl+p) to play. The status line will display "connecting to media", it may
display "buffering", then it will display the Kbps rate of the file being
played when buffering is 100% complete.
3) While you are listening to the streaming podcast: ctrl+u pauses (in
mid-stream), ctrl+p resume play, ctrl+i increases volume, and ctrl+d decreases
volume. Escape closes the podcast stream, so it will start over if selected
again.
4) There is no facility for rewind or fast forward during play.
5) You can move through the items list from the podcast website after stop,
after pause, or while one is still playing, and then play another selection. If
one is playing, it automatically stops when another is selected.
6) You may tab or back tab until the podcasters website list view appears for a
new selection of a podcaster website. When you make a new podcaster selection,
a new items list view of podcasts will replace the one from the previous site.
7) By tabbing to the percent list view, you can make controlled volume settings
to any percentage, for playback volume. PageUp and PageDown will change volume
in 10% increments, END sets 100%, arrow keys change by 1%. Whatever volume
setting you have when you exit the program, will be retained for the next start
up, whether you use this list view method, or the ctrl+I/ctrl+D keys for volume
changes.
-- saving a single podcast
1) Wile the cursor is on a podcast in the items list view, ctrl+S will open a
dialog box with standard Windows save commands. You can choose the folder where
you want to save the podcast, and the program will remember that folder even if
you restart the program for a new session later.
2) Each time you manually save a program, the dialogue appears and you can use
the pre-set path, or select a new folder.
3) When the save function begins, the status line will first indicate,
"downloading audio file", and will display "done" when the download is
complete.
4) The program folder is the default folder for manually save podcasts, and you
may want to choose a different folder to keep downloaded podcasts separate from
program files.
5) You can save a podcast while it is playing, but you will not be able to stop
the audio of the play function until the save is complete, and most other
podcatcher program controls will not respond. [Next is recommended alternative]
6) If you start the manual podcast save routine without playing the podcast,
you can minimize the window and perform other computer tasks while the save is
in progress, but most podcatcher program controls still will not respond until
the save is complete.
-- Adding to, or removing from, the podcaster website list
1) Press ALT to activate the menu bar, right arrow to podcasts, down arrow to
add, and press enter.
2) Alternatively, press ALT, C, then A to use the menu shortcuts.
3) A dialog will appear, prompting for the podcast name. This will be the name
of the podcaster website, not an individual podcast item. Then tab to OK and
press enter.
4) The name is completely your choice, because the next dialog will prompt you
for the actual website feed address.
5) In the second dialogue, enter the correct podcast feed address, then tab to
OK and press enter.
6) When the cursor is on any podcaster website name in the list view, you can
use the menu bar (ALT,C,E), to edit that name, and/or the website address, at
any time.
7) When the cursor is on any podcaster website name in the list view, you can
delete it from the program with the delete key, or you can use the menu to do
the same. There will be a prompt to make sure you have not done this
accidentally. If the selected podcaster website was also in the subscription
list, it will be deleted there simultaneously.
-- Adding or removing a podcaster site on the "subscription list"
1) When your cursor is in the list view of podcaster websites, move to your
choice and press ctrl+B to add it to the subscription list.
2) Alternatively, you can use the menu bar to select that action, or the menu
bar shortcut keys: ALT,B, then A to add the selected podcaster website to the
subscription list.
3) Either method will keep the list view of podcast websites in focus to allow
additional selections, if desired.
4) Use tab or reverse tab if you want to move to the "subscribed podcasts" list
view.
5) You can remove any selected podcast website from the subscription list with
ctrl+r, using the menu bar, or by pressing the delete key.
6) There is no precautionary warning before removal from the subscription list,
because the podcast website remains on the podcasts list to be used again.
-- updating subscribed podcasts
1) Select the updating feature from the menu bar. All items from each podcaster
website in your subscription list will be
saved to your hard drive. This could be a very large number of files, so you
should choose subscriptions carefully.
2) This process could be manually started just before you plan to be away from
the computer (e.g. overnight) with all other non-essential programs closed, for
the lightest load on the computer processor.
3) Accessible Podcatcher has a command line switch (-us) that can be used to
run the program in a scheduler for automated operation. After updating of
subscribed podcasts is complete, the program exits from memory.
4) when the subscription update feature is used, all files and folders not in
the program subscription list will be deleted from the default subscriptions
folder.
5) If the podcast website keeps only the latest podcasts (for example, 1 week
or 1 month), any older ones on your hard drive will be automatically deleted
during updating.
-- Subscribed podcasts saved on the hard drive
1) You can select a podcaster name from the subscription list view, and press
enter to display in the items list view, the various podcasts saved on your
hard drive. Select the one you want and press enter or ctrl+P to play.
2) If you have Winamp, you can select saved podcast items directly from the My
Documents folder in the folder called AccessiblePodcasts. There will be folders
for each podcaster name with the podcast items in those folders. Playing the
files with Winamp provides more control of playback.
3) You can also transfer saved files from the My Documents folder and the
folder called AccessiblePodcasts, to a portable MP3 player (such as BookPort).
Other related posts:
- » [bookport] user Help, AccessiblePodcatcher
