DioneSS[Playlist Editor]Help v1.3.XXX

MENU OPERATIONS

FILE MENU

File->New

This creates a new file and clears the playlist. If the currently loaded playlist has been modified or is not saved the program will prompt you to save the file or Cancel the New File operation.

File->Open

Loads an M3U Playlist file. If the operation is successful the file opened will be added to the "Recent Files" list. If you are opening a WinAmp M3U file any extra information contained in the list will be removed. WinAmp and other programs often add flags for their own use and these are not required. This Playlist editor can safely export a Playlist to any other program by removing these tags. When a playlist is loaded the program will also change to the working directory the file was loaded from to enable it to be accessed if it contains relative paths.

Following loading the playlist the program will attempt to determine the total size of all the playlist items. If the total size cannot be determined a "+" symbol will appear following the size of the items that could be found. This is the general rule if items cannot be found.

File->Import

This will load a playlist file and add to the end the ended of the list currently loaded. Use this operation to merge multiple Playlists together. This operation will also add to the list of recent files. Be careful if you are importing Playlists with relative paths as the program will change to the relevant working directory. This may cause other relative items in the playlist to be lost.

File->Save

The operation will save the playlist. If a playlist file has been opened and edited the file will be saved under the same filename it was opened from. If it is a new playlist the program will prompt for a filename. Be sure to save Playlists with relative pathnames in the correct location. By default the program will attempt to change to that folder for you but cannot always be determined.

File->Save As

As above but always prompts you for a filename and save location.

File->Recent Files

Maintains a list of the last 5 recently opened files. Clicking an item in the list will instantly load it. The list will not add duplicates.

File->Exit

Terminates the program. If the playlist is unsaved and edited then you will be prompted to save the file. When the program closes all interface settings are stored.

EDIT MENU

Edit->Play File

Opens the selected file or the entire playlist if no file is selected. This process will create a temporary playlist file and open it in the default MP3 player. The temporary playlist will start at the selected item and continue to the end of the playlist. Therefore the selected item will not be repeated over and over again.

Edit->Preview Playlist

Opens the entire playlist in the default MP3 player.

Edit->Add File

Adds a single MP3 file to the current playlist and adds the file size to the total for the entire playlist shown on the status bar.

Edit->Add Directory

Adds all MP3 files in a directory to the playlist. If the "Recurse Subdirectories" option is checked the program will also search all lower level directories and add files from those folders. When a directory contains many subdirectories the program will report the status of its search in the status bar showing the current directory it is searching in. This process will update the total size of the playlist also reported in the status bar.

Edit->Remove Item

Removes a single item from the playlist and decrements the total playlist files size shown in the status bar if the file can be found.

Edit->Move Item Up

Shifts the selected item up one position in the list. The item previously above will now be below.

Edit->Move Item Down

Inverse of above.

Edit->Edit ID3 Tag

The DioneSS playlist editor provides support for updating and reading ID3 tags. Depending on the module included the program can read and write both V1 & 2 Tags and provides excellent shortcuts for fast duplication and usage of ID3 Tag info. This operation will open the ID3 Tag editor with the currently selected file. See "ID3 Tag Editor" for more info.

VIEW MENU

View->Floating ID3 Tag

The floating ID3 Tag allows ID3 Data to be displayed in real-time as an item is selected. This menu item toggles whether this is visible or not since if using a small window it can obstruct the playlist view.

View->Toolbar

This operation toggles whether the toolbar is visible of not. The toolbar can be hidden to allow the program window to be as compact as possible.

View->Change Color Scheme

Four colour schemes are available and these are cycled through on clicking this menu item. The colour scheme and window size and position is stored when the program is closed.

View->Always On Top

This toggles whether the application is always in the foreground above all other windows. This is useful for Drag & Drop operations where the playlist editor needs to be visible even though it has lost focus to a larger window. Occasionally the program "on top" status is robbed by other applications although this can be restored by simply toggling the "Always On Top" command again.

TOOLS MENU

Tools->Find Items in Playlist

This shows the "find" dialogue allowing you to search for text within the playlist. If you have large Playlists this is a powerful utility that can allow you to listen to tracks by a single artist or containing a single word. See "Find Dialogue" for more info

Tools->Make Paths Relative

The make paths relative function requires an understanding of the way in which files can be pointed to by only specifying lower level directories. This process allows the playlist entries to be truncated so they can be distributed and made more portable. Relative paths are also shorter than full-paths so the playlist size is optimized.

When files are added the default text in the playlist will be the full-path containing the drive letter. This is ok and the files will play. But, what if the folder where the MP3 files lived was moved or your drive letter changed. E.g.

A Playlist.m3u

c:\My Documents\My Music\Rock\Track01.mp3
c:\My Documents\My Music\Rock\Track02.mp3
c:\My Documents\My Music\Rock\Track03.mp3

If the files were moved to c:\MP3\Rock\Trac... they would not play because the playlist would not be able to find them. This would also happen if they were burnt to CD-ROM because the drive letter would change.

The "Make Paths Relative" function is designed to prevent this because it allows us to make the paths "relative" to a folder.E.G. If the function was clicked and "c:\My Documents\My Music" was chosen as the "pathname to remove" the playlist would now look like this.

Rock\Track01.mp3
Rock\Track02.mp3
Rock\Track03.mp3

Now, if the Folder "Rock" was moved the playlist would still work because the files are pointed to relative to the folder. Ok, but what if the folder was renamed to "Rock_01". Then the playlist would not work but if the playlist had been made relative to the lowest directory then they would. E.g.

"Pathname to remove" = c:\My documents\My Music\Rock" would give

Track01.mp3
Track02.mp3
Track03.mp3

So, provided the Playlist was save to the "same" directory as Track01.mp3, Track02.m.. the playlist will always work. This is very useful and is one major reason for the existence of the DioneSS playlist editor in the first place. It doesn't matter how many levels up the paths are made relative to although the playlist must be saved in the "correct" location. E.g. If you wanted to copy the "My Documents" folder to a CD-ROM and have the playlist in the root directory the "pathname to remove" would simply be "c:\". This would give:

My Documents\My Music\Rock\Track01.mp3
My Documents\My Music\Rock\Track02.mp3
My Documents\My Music\Rock\Track03.mp3

so, the playlist would work no matter what drive letter was given. This playlist however must be saved in the top-level directory and after making relative always will do. e.g The same location as the "My Documents" folder. You can determine the top-level folder by looking at the playlist after it has been process although the program will always prompt to save the file for you in the correct location. Always accept the offer if you are not familiar with computer file systems.

Further to this, if you have just added some files from a directory then the program will know exactly the right path to truncate to. For example, add some files using the "Add Directory" command, click "Make paths relative" then OK (without changing folder) then click "YES" to allow the program to save the playlist for you. 3 Steps to an instant Playlist for an album or folder of files. Use this operation with caution though. If the pathname gets muddled in a relative playlist it simply will not work. The program features a function for searching for items that maybe missing ( see "Search for Missing Files") although this can take some time.

Tools->Rectify MP3 Filenames

This provides a shortcut to the "Filename Rectifier" which is a versatile utility for mass-renaming of MP3 files. The utility works on all items in the playlist. See "Filename Rectifier".

Tools->Remove->Duplicate Items

If two entries in the playlist match these can be weeded out using this function. The function only compares the actual text in the window "including" the path. If two files are the same in the playlist but in different folders they will not be removed. If the process finds one or more duplicate items only the first item in the list found will be retained. All other items will be removed from the playlist. This process will take longer as the playlist gets longer since the number of possibilities for duplicates will increase by the power of two.

Tools->Remove->Non-Existent Items

Click this function if you wish to remove playlist items that cannot be found or are pointer to incorrectly by the playlist. The operation will instruct the program to search the actual disk-drive for the playlist files and verify they are in the correct place. If they are not the items will be removed. The resultant of this operation will ensure that all the items on the playlist exist and are pointed to correctly. Use this function before executing critical operations such as "Rename MP3 Files" for example. See "Search for missing items" if you wish the program to attempt to locate by filename the items that are pointed to incorrectly.

Tools->Search->For missing Items

This operation will check the playlist for items that are pointed to incorrectly or don't exist. The program will first weed out missing items then attempt to locate by searching the entire computer system for the missing filename.

The function is very useful if you have save a playlist but since moved the files elsewhere or renamed a folder. The search is based on filename alone so if a file called "Track01.mp3" is missing all instances of the file "Track01.mp3" found will be added to the playlist. The function attempts to keep the original order of the playlist but will more commonly append to the end of the playlist the found files but in the same order they were missing. If you have a large amount of folders on your disk drives the process may take some time.

Tools->Search->Entire Computer System for MP3 Files

This is an extension of the above although it adds any MP3 files found anywhere on ALL connected drives A-Z on your computer. The process is very useful if you wish to build a list of your entire MP3 collection or locate missing files. Once the files are in the program window they can be tabulated, searched, renamed etc. The program will search every drive including and add even hidden files from the recycle bin.

This process is faster than the "Search for missing files" function because it has no parameters to match. It is the equivalent to searching for one file of *.mp3" and adding all matches on your entire computer system.

Tools->Special->Batch Process

Clicking this command opens the batch processor which is a utility that allows you to create M3U files automatically for multiple folders at a time. The process defaults by creating relative Playlists that can be used in portable MP3 players and burnt to CD-ROMS. See "Batch Processor".

Tools->Special->Import Winamp Bookmarks

This command will import entries found in WinAmp's bookmark file. By default the program will look for the file at "C:\PROGRAM FILES\WINAMP\" . If you do not have WinAmp installed at this location the operation will prompt you to locate the "Winamp.bm" file. You only need to locate the file once and the bookmark file location will be remembered from then on. This operation calls the "Remove Non-Existent Items" function when it loads the bookmarks to remove unneeded ID3 Tag info stored in this file. This operation will process the entire list.

If you wish to use a different bookmark file, temporarily rename the bookmark file already pointed to and then click the command. This will force the program to prompt you for the location of the "different" bookmark file since it wont be able to find the "renamed" file.

Tools->Generate HTML/TXT File

This opens the Report Generator that is capable of tabulating ID3 and File info into a HTML or TXT document with many customisable settings. See "HTML/TXT File Generator".

Tools->Shortcuts->Windows Explorer

In most cases when working with relative Playlists the program will be working in a specific "Root" folder with reference to the playlist. Clicking this will open Windows Explorer in the current directory providing a quick shortcut to working with files or folders on the playlist. Such an example maybe the wish to quickly locate MP3 files to reset the "Read Only" attributes after finding you cannot update the ID3 Tags or rename them. The command saves you navigating through the directory tree.

Tools->Shortcuts->Calculator

A useful utility for calculating file sizes maybe if you cant quite get all the playlist files onto a single CD-ROM.

Tools->Shortcuts->Volume Controls

Just in case you have just clicked a file and the volume is sky high. Or wish to mute some web page with a stupid MIDI file on it that is corrupting your listening experience!

HELP MENU

Help->Help

Depending on the version this will either open an internet page with the help file for this application on it or open a local copy of the help file. This is the help file.

Help->Tip of the Day

This displays a dialogue containing useful tips regarding operation or usage of the program that may not be documented here. Tips can be automatically shown at start-up by checking the option. You can navigate the tips with the "<<" & ">>" buttons or click "Random>" for a random tip. Close the dialogue with the "X" button.

Help->Visit DioneSS Homepage

The DioneSS project is now back in the underground where it belongs. Such a place allows us to add advanced features and communicate closely with the users on a personal level. For example, bug fixes and new features can be added in a few hours. The website contains a short FAQ, list of download locations and the source code. If you have a problem/suggestion/comment regarding this software you should click the contact link to make get in touch with me and voice your views. Since I prefer to get on with coding the applications rather than creating websites full of pretty menus then this is the fastest way to get help.

Help->About

Program version and greetings list. If you have a support email please firstly make a back-up of your program. Then download the latest version of the software. If the bug you found in the older version is still present in the latest version then please let me know. If you email me the old version you backed up also that would be great since I do not keep older versions and regret it now.

Don't bother to email me with the version number because it means nothing to me as explained. I also welcome suggestions. If you have an idea for a new feature or find yourself repeating a process with in the program email me the idea and I will make a macro that ill deal with it or implement the new feature. I don't care how complex or simple or whatever your idea is and if added your name will appear in the credits dialogue. The program has built a reputation for offering advanced features without being big-headed about them. Do you see WinAmp with such Features?? even dedicated "MP3 Renaming" I've seen on CNET doesn't implement a fraction of the functionality this one does so feel lucky that I coded it for next to nothing.

This program is SHAREWARE meaning you can distribute it IN ITS ORIGINAL FORMAT ONLY wherever you like. The source code is available for some old version and one day I will get round to updating it to the latest version maybe. Please do not steal the ideas contained in this software. If you like it download it and use it and don't try and sell bits of it etc..

ADVANCED DIALOGUES

HTML/TXT FILE GENERATOR

-HTML/TXT

This option allows you to specify whether the file created is a HTML or TEXT document. If the you choose the program to create a text document the fields tabulated such as ID3_TITLE will be separated and truncated to be a fixed width across the document. If you choose a "fixed width" font the information will appear inline like a table in HTML.

If you choose to create a HTML document formatting can be applied in the following dialogue. In TXT file mode only the "Include" list items that are checked make a difference to the output file.

-Include

This is a three page window that allows you to specify the items tabulated and various HTML formatting. Clicking the button below initiated as "Table>" will take you to the next page of settings. To "include" an item such as "Header" or "ID3_Year" click the checkbox to select it. Only checked items will be tabulated. Use the scroll bar to see further items that are not visible. Right clicking each item allows you to specify the text colour of each item tabulated in HTML format. If you right click the left hand side to the left of the list items you can specify the table background color.

By default the program will save the file to the current directory. There is an option to tabulate "links" to files in the playlist allowing you to click the "link" and the file be played. This responds in the same way as a "Relative" playlist. If you have a "Relative" playlist in the main window the program will create and "save" (if allowed) to the "relative" directory. The HTML file will perform much in the same way as a relative playlist. This is useful if you wish to upload the HTML document to a web server and will work if you keep the HTML relative to the MP3 files on the server. If the paths in the playlist are absolute the links created will also be absolute.

The program also converts spaces in the file or folder names to "%20" as a requirement of HTTP. This however is the only special character that will be converted.

-Table>

this cycles through more options such as table padding and font etc.

-Default

This will reset all formatting settings in the dialogue to their default value as hard-coded into the software.

-Load

Formatting settings can be saved and loaded. If you would like to retain a set of parameters concerning this dialogue or quick loading then save them using the "Save" command. The settings are saved as a "HTS" (HTML Settings) file and it is a good idea to save them to the program folder since this is where the program will default to for loading and saving files no matter the current directory. You should not attempt to edit an "HTS" file with a text editor because the file contains hidden characters that if corrupted and loaded can cause the program to crash.

-Save

Explained above.

-Don't Save file or prompt

This suppresses the "Do you want to keep the file" message box from popping up each time a report is generated. If this option is checked the program will automatically delete the file created when the program is closed by marking it as temporary. You will have to save the file under a different filename to avoid this or uncheck the option and click "Yes" to prevent the program from deleting it.

-Format Filenames

This forces the first letter in the "Filename" field to made upper-case when tabulated. use this option on lowercase filename to improve the appearance of the list items.

-Open in Browser

If you do not wish the HTML or TXT file generated to be opened after it has been created and are confident with the file that will be created then uncheck this option. The program will simply create the file without showing it to you that can be useful for batch processing or macros.

-Use Default Template

Check this option to use the "Built" in header file for the HTML document. The header file depends on the program version and includes the date and time the file was created.

-Use Custom Template

If you are an advanced user and wish to specify a custom header then choose this option. If no template is loaded the program will show a "File Open" dialogue asking you to choose the HTML file to use as a template. If you cancel this the program will return to the "Default" template until a valid template is supplied. If you have loaded a template but wish to change it simply click the ".." button to specify a new template. If you cancel this the old custom already loaded will be used.

Templates are very easy to use. The program simply appends the HTML file before the final "<\BODY" tag. At this point it will add a table with all the formatting specified and add it to the end of the document. If you have a website or record shop you may wish to create a different header. The best results are through experimentation and you can use any HTML file you wish with no specific rules regarding its layout or tags.

-Generate

Proceeds to create the HTML/TXT file. The process will simultaneously read the ID3 Tags from the files listed and write the HTML file. This prevents any sharing violations occurring but can be slow if read access to the MP3 files is slow. The progress bar indicates the progress of the operation and the program will prompt you to save the file if the option is enabled. It is recommended that you allow the program to save the file much in the way the "Make paths Relative Function" does as the HTML file created may contain "Relative" links to the MP3 files listed.

-Close

Close the dialogue.

FILENAME RECTIFIER

-Replace/Remove

If text is entered into this box alone then added using the "add button", a rule will added that will simply "Remove" the text entered from the filename if it exists. If text is present in the both the "Replace/Remove" and "With/Add" fields, the text entered will be the text searched for and replaced "With" as a rule.

-With/Add

As above but text in this box only will be "Add"ed to all filenames. Text in this field will create a "Replace" rule if text is present in both fields only.

-Add

This will add a rule to the "Rule List" from the text in the field "Replace/Remove" and "With/Add" fields. When the "Add" button is clicked the rule will be added but not checked as a failsafe. To enable the rule click it or click the "Add" button a second time with the same parameters. This feature also shows any duplicate rules in the list that may cause conflict.

-Remove

This permanently remove a rule from the "Rule List". If you wish to disable a rule simply disable it by unchecking it. Since the "rule List" is limited to a maximum number of 20 rules, the "Remove" option is essential and also helps clarify the rule list.

-Capitalise Start of each word

Checking this will make the first character in each word in the filename a capital. A word is distinguished as being separated by spaces and this function will not work with "_" or "-" as a separator for example.

-Add incremental Numbers to each item in the Playlist

Checking this option instructs the program to append the track number to the filename at the "beginning" or "End". The program automatically derives the suitable range of number so if there are more than 10 items in the playlist the number added will be 01-10+.. If there are over a hundred items but less than a thousand the program will ensure the number added is always 3 characters wide e.g. 006 or 855. This maintains the if the files are sorted alphabetically they will be in the correct track order. in a computer system the file "Track10" precedes "Track1" so leading zero's are essential. The program calculates the leading zeros to pad with from the total number of items in the playlist.

-Convert Extension to lowercase

This simply converts ".Mp3" or ".MP3" to ".mp3". In case sensitive file systems such as UNIX or FTP transactions this is essential and is most commonly lowercase.

-Convert Filename to lowercase

As above but with the entire filename. This overrides the "Capitalise start of each Word" rule.

-Limit Filename to "n" characters

This rule allows the output filename to be truncated and it the last and most dominant rule executed. This rule overrides all other rules so if you have an "Add" rule that is after the "n"th character it will be ignored. MSDOS and other systems such as ISO for CD-ROM file system impose a limit to the maximum characters a filename can have. Be cautious with this rule however because E.g.

File 1 = Mad_Music_Track01.mp3
File 2 = Mad_Music_Track02.mp3

If we limit the length to 8 characters both files will have the same name. Thus the second file cannot be renamed because it will exist! Take care not to allow this to happen as it the program does not check for this violation. If this happens then use the "Undo Last" feature and try again.

-Default

This will load the default set of rules that is hard-coded into the program. Use this to reset all the parameters in the dialogue.

-Load

You can save and load all the rules contained in the dialogue. If you have a certain set of rules that you apply to files downloaded from a certain site for example you can save these without setting them up all over again. The parameters are saved as ".RPS" (Replace Settings) files. Do not edit such files with a text editor because they contain hidden characters that can be corrupted and cause the program to crash.

-Save

Explained above.

-Rename

This will initiate the process of renaming the all the files listed in the playlist with the rules you have selected. The operation first creates a back up of the original filenames so that the process can be undone. This is only one-level deep so take care before starting the operation. If you click "Rename" twice" only you can only go back once and cannot restore the condition before the first press.

-Test

This will simply take the first item in the list and apply the rules then pop-up a message box showing the resultant filename. This does not actually rename any filenames and is there to allow the rules to be tested before you go ahead and rename the files.

-Undo Last

This will restore aback-up of the filenames and rename the files back to their original filenames before pressing the "Rename" button. This is useful if you have made a mistake but will only restore the very last operation. The process will always be able to restore all the items modified provided files were not removed/deleted/renamed/ or set as "Read only" between pressing "Rename" and "Undo Last"

-Close

Closes the dialogue

-Suppress Warning Dialogue

By default the program pops up a warning dialogue to remind you of the importance of pressing the "Rename" button. When this has been popped up once the "Suppress Warning Dialogue" option will be cleared so not to annoy. If you are confident of the renaming rules applied then clear this option to avoid the popup warning.

Notes:

Be careful with this dialogue. It is possible to close the dialogue then go back and "Undo Last" the process ONLY if the list hasn't been edited. If the "Rename" process is completed then the dialogue closed and then the list is modified the backup or "Undo File" will not work. The "Undo File" makes a backup of the list so modifying it will prevent it from being restored!

It is a good idea to store "RPS" files in the program directory as the program will always look there first for "Rename Settings". By default the first save location for "Replace Settings" is also the program folder.

ID3 TAG EDITOR

->>

Shifts to the next item down in the main playlist and selects it.
-<<

Shifts to the next item up in the playlist and selects it.

-Update

This operation Updates the ID3 Tag of the selected item. If the ID3 Tag has not been changed this button will be disabled. If the MP3 file is set as read only it is not possible to update the ID3 Tag. The program will notify you of this.

-Preview

This operation allows you to listen to the item without closing the dialogue. This can be useful to determine the correct ID3 data. The operation performs the same operation as the "Play File" function.

-Close

Closes the dialogue.

-ID3 TAG Present

If the program cannot find an ID3 tag then this checkbox will be blank. If it is clicked the program will automatically add a new tag to the selected file.

-<Filename

This will copy the filename of the selected item into the "Title" field. This useful for copy and paste operations where only the title of the current item differs.

-Copy

Takes a copy of the data in view. This is useful for pasting later onto another file for quick duplication of ID3 Tag data.

-Paste

Re-inserts the data copied back into the current data fields for fast modifications.

-Refresh

Gets a fresh copy of the ID3 info stored in the file if the text fields have been modified incorrectly.

-WWW>

This operation opens a the default web-browser depending on the information contained in the "Comment" filed. If the comment field contains a URL (Internet Address) this will be opened. Otherwise, the operation will open the "Google" search engine with having passed the text as a search parameter to this search engine.

Notes.

Quick duplication of ID3 Tags can be achieved using the functions provided. If an album of tracks in the playlist have their filenames as the track titles then simply enter the all the ID3 Tag information for the first file, then click "Copy" to store it. Now click "Filename" to paste the filename into the title field. Now Click "update". For the remaining files you only need to click the ">>" to navigate, "Copy", "Filename" and "Update" buttons to file the data for all the tracks in the entire album. This is by far the fastest way to update the ID3 Tag info.

FIND DIALOGUE

-Case Sensitive Search

Check this box to instruct the search to distinguish between capital and lower-case characters in the search text.

-Also Search Folder Names

By default this option is enabled and instructs the search engine to look at the folder names also. If this is unchecked the program will only examine the filenames of the items in the playlist.

-Resume Search on next Show

If the "Find" Dialogue is closed midway into a search, checking this option will allow the dialogue to retain its settings next time it is shown. This is useful if you wish to carryout an other operation on the playlist item/s that requires you to close the "Find" dialogue without resetting the search.

-Find Next

Searches the playlist until the next occurrence of the search text is found. A matching item will be selected in the main playlist window. The progress bar above this button shows the relative amount of the playlist that has been searched. A total above the button indicates how many items were found from those searched. If the operation successfully finds more than one occurrence of the searched text then this will be added to a history system that can be accessed by clicking the drop-down button on the search text entry field. This history system is useful to quickly reinitiate previous searches although the history system is cleared when the program is closed.

-Preview

This calls the "Play File" operation from the "find" dialogue and provides a shortcut to listen to a found item without leaving the dialogue. This is useful as you may wish to listen to the item found to see if it is the right track, a common thing to do amongst most music listeners.

-Close

Closes the dialogue. If the "Resume Search on next show" option is checked the dialogue will remain as it is when next opened otherwise it will be reset. The history for valid searches is retained while the program is loaded.

BATCH PROCESSOR

-Create M3U's In

The bath process will create multiple M3U files for each directory of files it finds listed in the main window. The "Create files in" allows you to specify the location in which the program saves these files and thus makes them relative to. If you choose "In Root Directory" the program will create M3U files in the "highest" level directory shown in the main window. E.G. If the main window shows

c:\Program Files\ClockRadio\Track01.mp3

create "In Root Directory" will place the M3U files in "c:\" and they will be relative to the MP3 files. E.g

Program Files\ClockRadio\Track01.mp3 (Note no C:\ as this makes it absolute)

If you specify "In MP3 files" directory the program will create the M3U files in the "lowest" level directory (where the files actually exist) E.G in ClockRadio. Choosing to create M3U's in both locations will create M3Us in both eh lowest and highest level directory.

-Filename

The filename given to the M3U files is derived from the folder names the MP3 files exist in. The "%n" variable specifies the directory name of depth "%n" from the lowest directory. E.g

c:\Program Files\ClockRadio\Track01.mp3 %1 = ClockRadio, %2 = Program Files

If you specify "%1-%2" as the M3U filename the M3U will be saved as "ClockRadio-Program Files.m3u". This works well for artists and albums. E.g

c:\MP3\Rock\Bryan Mungbean\Truths and Teapots\Track01.mp3 would yield "Truths and Teapots-Bryan Mungbean.m3u"

Alternatively you could specify "%2_helllo_%1_%3" would yield "Bryan Mungbean_helllo_Truths and Teapots_Rock.m3u"

The program will process up to nine levels of directory name for the M3U filename. If you do not specify a variable it wont be included and there is no specific order to be adhered to. If you leave the "filename" field blank the default filename is "%1-%2-%3-%4....%9.m3u"

The program will also format the resultant filename before saving to ensure it does not contain illegal characters. The characters "_", " " & "-" will be trimmed. For example if there is no fifth level directory and the filename "%1-%2-%5" was specified you would get an extra "-" at the end of the filename. This is removed by the formatting.

-Process

This will proceed and automatically batch create the M3U files for you. By default, the program will overwrote any M3U file with the same name if encountered. This usually only happens if you have run the process before with exactly the same parameters and folder names. The progress is indicated by the progress bar and the status is displayed after the process has completed.

HOW TO TUTORIALS

Create a playlist in three commands...

A playlist for an album can be created in just three commands.

1. Click "Add Directory" & choose the path where the files are located.
2. Re-order the list items in necessary.
3. Click "Make paths Relative" function and simply click "OK" (without navigating the tree). Click "YES" to lst the program SAVE the file.

They are the only steps you need to create a "Relative" = "portable playlist for that folder (album). Provided you keep the M3U file with the
playlist files it will always work. Presto!..

Merge Two Playlists Together...

Simply drag and drop or "Import" the two Playlists into the main window. If the paths are relative use "Search for Missing Files" and the program will automatically restore the full paths of the items (if they exist) within the playlist. Following this save the playlist using "Save" or "Make Paths Relative" function.

Quickly add ID3 Info to an album of MP3 files...

If you have an album where the ID3 tag info is the same for every file apart from the "Title" then follow these instructions. If the "Filename"
reflects the "Title" the its even simpler.

1. Navigate to the first item in the album and click "Edit->Id3 Tag"
2. Type in all the relevant ID3 Tag Info for the first item in the playlist.
3. If the "filename" is the same as the "Title" click the "<Filename" button and the "Filename" will be pasted into the "Title" field.
4. Now click "Copy" and then "Update" to write the ID3 Tag info.
5. If you get "Unable to update ID3 Tag" at this point click "Tools->Shortcuts->Explorer" and reset the "Read only" attribute or make sure they are not in use.
5. Navigate to the next item using the ">>" button.
6. Click "Paste" then update the "Title" field manually or using the "<filename" shortcut.
7. Click "Update" again to write the tag info for track 2.
8. simply repeat these steps until all the files contain the same ID3 Tag data but the "Title"

Add files from Windows explorer in a specific order...

The program can add files from windows explorer in a specific order. When you select files in explorer the first Item clicked will be the last item added into the playlist. So, if you sort them by size, attributes, date etc.. you can manipulate the ordering of playlist items. This is useful if you wish to quickly add items in a specific order without doing each file individually.

Fix a relative playlist in which the files cannot be found...

Click the "Search for Missing Files" function. The program will attempt to search the entire computer for the files by "filename". If two or more matching the missing items are found they will both be added and the resultant files added will always have an "absolute" path so you can be sure of their location.

Create an MP3 CD-ROM...

You can create an MP3 CD-ROM with great complexity using the DSS Playlist Editor. The "Batch Processor" allows you to automatically create Playlists very quickly and the "HTML/TXT Generator" can handle tabulating File data for viewing. Both processes will work at and directory depth so you can create a playlist and HTML file for many albums all in one file very easily.

If you save the HTML file or playlist to the root it can be automatically opened using and "Autorun" file. For Windows 95/98 Simply copy and paste the text below and save it into the root directory of your CD-ROM folder as "Autorun.inf".

[autorun]
open=start dssple.htm

or

[autorun]
open=start playlist.m3u

This file will instruct windoze to open the file when the CD-ROM is inserted after it has been burnt.

Rename MP3 files suitable for FTP sites...

FTP sites often require a naming convention that contains no spaces and all lower-case filenames. To convert the filenames of items on the list to this format build a list of the files you wish to rename then click the "Rectify Filenames" function.

Following this add the rules that apply and uncheck the rules that don't. In the "Add/Replace" box type in a space and in the "Remove/With" box type in "_". Click "Add" twice to add the rule and enable it. This will cause all spaces in the filenames to be replaces with underscores. Now make sure the "Make Extension Lowercase" and "Make Filename Lowercase" options are enabled and click "Rename". The files should be suitable for FTP uploading. To restore the files immediately from a mistake click "Undo Last". To restore files downloaded in the same format simply create rules that do the opposite to above. I.e., replace "_" with a space and "capitalise start of each word..".

Create a web page with links to MP3 file downloads...

If you wish to upload files to a website and create a web page tabulating them with download links simply ensure the playlist you create is relative. E.g When you upload the folder containing a directory structure in the main window such as:

My Music\Album\Artist\Traks.mp3

to a web server. The download URL will be

"http:\\mysite.domain\My Music\Album\Artist\Traks.mp3"

The URL for the HTML file you generated with those paths would be

"http:\\mysite.domain\DSSPLE.htm"

or whatever you saved the file as. The links in the HTML file will function in the same way as a "relative" playlist and allow users to download or "stream" (if available) the files on your site.. You can also customise the Web page created. See "HTML/TXT file Generator".

Listen to all the files on your computer by a specific artist...

Click "Search my entire Computer for MP3 files" and wait for the process to complete. Now click "Find Items in Playlist" and type in the name of the artist. The program will cycle through all the items found on your computer with the artist name as the file or folder name. Click "Preview" each time you click "Next" to listen to each track.

FAQ & TROUBLESHOOTING

The setup or main program will not work?

This program requires standard Visual Basic runtime libraries to work. If you have downloaded a lot of SHAREWARE programs from the internet then you will probably have this file already. If you have just installed a clean operating system the file probably wont exist and you will need to download it. The reason the file is not included with the installation program is because it is larger than the actual program itself and large downloads are often undesirable. To get the file and instructions visit the website where there is a link to the runtime library required.

Previewing the playlist or playlist is slow?

If you have added items from a read-only drive such as a CD-ROM (CD-Read Only Media/Memory) then it is not possible for the program to create a temporary playlist file at this location. The program will attempt to create a temporary file in the program folder as a secondary attempt but this will not always work if the pathnames in the playlist are relative to a folder. As a final attempt the program will force the default MP3 player to play and queue the files by opening them all at once at speed. This is the same as "Enqueuing" a list of files in WinAmp and it can take time if the playlist is large. If you view WinAmp's playlist files you can actually see the files get placed into the list one by one. If your MP3 player doesn't support queuing this may have adverse affects and only the last item maybe played.

The Program used to work but now it crashes?

The program uses the Windows registry file to save it settings. If the program will not start it is more than likely due to corrupted registry entries. To remove the programs playlist entries click "Start->Run" in Windows start menu and type "regedit" then click "OK". Now search the registry for the string "DioneSS Playlist Editor" and delete all references to it. When the program is next loaded the registry entries will be restored to a valid state although you will lose any personalised program settings.

I get Runtime Error xx when I try to load M3U files?

Some third party programs add there own tags and comments to M3U files. The program does its best to ignore these although given the amount of different types of "tags" other programs add it is impossible to filter out all. If you cannot load an M3U into this program why not just create a new one. Or attempt to weed out the invalid data using the "Remove Non-Existent Items" function. If the program does crash you can be assured that it will cause no damage to your computer during the file open process.

The program appears to have crashed during an operation?

Some of the functions this program implements are heavily CPU intensive. Long processes always have a progress bar in view to reflect the work done. If such a process is performed on a large playlist the program may take time to complete the operation depending on the speed of your computer and during this process Windows task manager may report "Not Responding". Of course, the program is not responding to input because it has a work load so don't just "CTRL-ALT-DEL" it. It is highly unlikely that the program will not return from a long CPU intensive process and programming in further user bells and whistles for user feedback may re-assure you but will only make it take longer.

I have had a head on collision with another bicycle?

If the bicycle is significantly damaged get a new Bicycle and apologise to the person you crashed with especially if it was your fault or just ride off if you were asleep during the collision.

Where can I get MP3 files for free?

On the Internet or from CD's bought from the shops. Get to know people on the Internet.

My Stereo wont go loud enough?

????

-File	-Edit	-View	-Tools	-Help
-New -Open -Import -Save -SaveAs	-Play File -Preview Playlist -Add File -Add Directory -Remove Item -Item Up -Item Down -Edit ID3 Tag	-Floating ID3 Tag -Toolbar -Change Colour Scheme -Always On Top	-Find Items in Playlist -Make Paths Relative -Rectify MP3 Filenames	-Help -Tip of the Day -Visit DioneSS Website -About
			-Remove -Duplicate Items -Non Existent Items
			-Search -For Missing Files -Entire computer for MP3 Files
-Recent Files			-Special -Batch Process -Import Winamp Bookmark
-Recent Files			-Generate HTML/TXT File
-Exit			-Shortcuts -Windows Explorer -Calculator -Volume controls