Playboyster v1.4

Programmed by Joonas Hirvonen with Delphi 5

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Introduction
Playboyster is a tool for creating playlists (those *.m3u files). Designed especially for those who burn their own mp3-cds and like to have playlists included on the disc. Playboyster recursively scans directories and creates playlists (playlist filenames are taken from the directory names). Handles Winamp 1.x/2.x-style playlists. If you use 2.x style playlists and utilize the ID3-tags, a full CD-R of mp3s loads into Winamp in a flash! You can create playlists with most mp3-players, but when you want to create separate lists for each album etc. it's no fun. Solution: use Playboyster.

Introduction

Playboyster is a tool for creating playlists (those *.m3u files). Designed especially for those who burn their own mp3-cds and like to have playlists included on the disc. Playboyster recursively scans directories and creates playlists (playlist filenames are taken from the directory names). Handles Winamp 1.x/2.x-style playlists. If you use 2.x style playlists and utilize the ID3-tags, a full CD-R of mp3s loads into Winamp in a flash!

You can create playlists with most mp3-players, but when you want to create separate lists for each album etc. it's no fun. Solution: use Playboyster.

Usage
Select a directory where you want the scan to begin. The scan is recursively (meaning that all subdirs will be scanned) and only notices .mp3 files. Filenames for the playlists are created from the subdirectory names under the directory you choosed. For example, if you select "D:\MP3\" as starting directory, subdirectory "D:\MP3\In Flames - Colony\" would result a playlist file called "In Flames - Colony.m3u". Or, if you have subdirectories as "D:\MP3\Mercyful Fate\Don't Break The Oath\", a playlist file called "Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath.m3u" would be created. "D:\MP3\Metallica\S&M\Disc 1\" becomes "Metallica - S&M - Disc 1.m3u" and so on. Select a output directory where the playlists will be created. If you rather want the playlists to be created in each subdirectory, choose Put playlists in scan dirs* in settings-menu. You will be asked for a playlist filename (if you leave this empty, default will be used). Select base path. If you select Scan dir, exclude drive, filepaths are saved without the driveletter (e.g. "D:"). Use this if you want your playlists to work from burned CD-Rs. Alternatively, you can enter the path to the blank field (can also be left blank). Next, select your playlist-style. Winamp 1.x playlist is just a plain list of all files. Winamp 2.x playlists store the track lengths in seconds and other wanted info of the file, artist and title for example. This means that when using 2.x playlists, Winamp doesn't have to count the song length or read its ID3-tag. So, if you click "_All.m3u" (a file containing all mp3s of a CD-R) playlist, you can immediately see the song lengths, artists and titles of all the songs on the disc. This is handy especially with CD-ROMs which get all these information way too slow. If you use 2.x style playlists, you can enter your favourite playlist (ID3) formatting style in the text field. Works the same way as in Winamp but doesn't have to be the same. E.g. "%1 : %2 (%4)" could result "In Flames : Ordinary Story (1999)" in the playlist. Or "%1 : %b%2" could be "Dimmu Borgir : 5. Maelstrom Mephisto". Following formatting codes are usable: %1 = artist %2 = song title %3 = album %4 = year %5 = genre %6 = comment %a = track number (if exists in ID3 tag) %b = track number + ". " (if exists in ID3 tag) e.g. "5. " Found in Winamp: Preferences -> Plug-ins -> Input -> Nullsoft MPEG ... -> ID3 v1 title formatting Then just click Create playlists and go check your output directory.

Usage

Select a directory where you want the scan to begin. The scan is recursively (meaning that all subdirs will be scanned) and only notices *.mp3 files. Filenames for the playlists are created from the subdirectory names under the directory you choosed. For example, if you select "D:\MP3\" as starting directory, subdirectory "D:\MP3\In Flames - Colony\" would result a playlist file called "In Flames - Colony.m3u". Or, if you have subdirectories as "D:\MP3\Mercyful Fate\Don't Break The Oath\", a playlist file called "Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath.m3u" would be created. "D:\MP3\Metallica\S&M\Disc 1\" becomes "Metallica - S&M - Disc 1.m3u" and so on.

Select a output directory where the playlists will be created. If you rather want the playlists to be created in each subdirectory, choose Put playlists in scan dirs in settings-menu. You will be asked for a playlist filename (if you leave this empty, default will be used).

Select base path. If you select Scan dir, exclude drive, filepaths are saved without the driveletter (e.g. "D:"). Use this if you want your playlists to work from burned CD-Rs. Alternatively, you can enter the path to the blank field (can also be left blank).

Next, select your playlist-style. Winamp 1.x playlist is just a plain list of all files. Winamp 2.x playlists store the track lengths in seconds and other wanted info of the file, artist and title for example. This means that when using 2.x playlists, Winamp doesn't have to count the song length or read its ID3-tag. So, if you click "_All.m3u" (a file containing all mp3s of a CD-R) playlist, you can immediately see the song lengths, artists and titles of all the songs on the disc. This is handy especially with CD-ROMs which get all these information way too slow.

If you use 2.x style playlists, you can enter your favourite playlist (ID3) formatting style in the text field. Works the same way as in Winamp but doesn't have to be the same.

E.g. "%1 : %2 (%4)" could result "In Flames : Ordinary Story (1999)" in the playlist.
Or "%1 : %b%2" could be "Dimmu Borgir : 5. Maelstrom Mephisto".

Following formatting codes are usable:

%1 = artist
%2 = song title
%3 = album
%4 = year
%5 = genre
%6 = comment
%a = track number (if exists in ID3 tag)
%b = track number + ". " (if exists in ID3 tag) e.g. "5. "

Found in Winamp: Preferences -> Plug-ins -> Input -> Nullsoft MPEG ... -> ID3 v1 title formatting

Then just click Create playlists and go check your output directory.

Settings
If Create list of all files in the settings-menu is checked, a playlist called "_All.m3u" is created containing all the mp3s in the directory. If Ask Name If Over 64 Chars in the settings-menu is checked, Playboyster asks for a new playlist name if it exceeds 64 characters. Useful if you burn CDs with the Joliet-filesystem. If Put playlists in scan dirs in the settings-menu is checked, playlists will be created in the scanned subdirectories (List of all files is still created to the output directory). If Show log window in the settings-menu is selected, you can monitor what playlists are created. Save settings saves all settings including the scan and output-paths.

Settings

If Create list of all files in the settings-menu is checked, a playlist called "_All.m3u" is created containing all the mp3s in the directory.

If Ask Name If Over 64 Chars in the settings-menu is checked, Playboyster asks for a new playlist name if it exceeds 64 characters. Useful if you burn CDs with the Joliet-filesystem.

If Put playlists in scan dirs in the settings-menu is checked, playlists will be created in the scanned subdirectories (List of all files is still created to the output directory).

If Show log window in the settings-menu is selected, you can monitor what playlists are created.

Save settings saves all settings including the scan and output-paths.