As a test, I thought I would mount my linux home folder and play all the music files in a particular folder to keep the computer doing something for an extended period. In other operating systems you can “select all” the files you want to play in a particular folder and “open” them to start playing all the files one after the other. In Haiku, that method causes media player to try and open as many instances as the number of files selected and play them all at the same time!
Is there an easy way to select multiple files in tracker and have media player open them one after the other?
But it doesn’t make sense, really, except for some 90s nerdy perversion.
To make the experience consistent and useful we’d probably fix it so that all files are added to the playlist rather than filling the screen of the user with useless windows.
Actually, I sort of like having the ability to have multiple instances of MediaPlayer open and playing at the same time. It is something that DJs for example would find useful. An interesting side note is that the first media player specifically targeted at DJs I am aware of was an application called FinalScratch developed somtime around 1997-1998. For more background see:
According to that story, it was BeOS that resulted in the birth of digital DJ software! I remember an app for BeOS called SoundPlay that was the first media player I am aware of, on any platform that could play audio files at various speeds either forwards or in reverse.
Anyway I digress. It would be nice to have the option of a single instance of MediaPlayer, to play multiple files sequentially, or multiple instances to play files simultaneously.
To me, this looks like a job for a secondary mouse button (i.e right) click menu option as “Play as playlist” , which gives you what you want while keeping the multiple instances way intact.
It will summon the mess known as over-populated-right-click-menu from the Win 9x time where every possible program added own features to the right click menu.
Thanks but no. The menu shouldnt be changed, MediaPlayer should be adjusted, if one selects more than one file they should be added to the playlist. MediaPlayer should be still able to runmore thanone instances.
I’m afraid that you are tied to right click actions (as for all selected files), or some coded behavior for Media Player (which may be undefined, as the program would decide if grouping or open several instances).
Another option would be to patch MediaPlayer to do the playlist if the input params are folder(s). But it wont fix the “undefined” behavior for opening … two selected files.
It could also ask if multiple files are dropped on it. Or make it an option. I would think most people would want the playlist option, but for the ones that need multiple instances open they could select that in the settings.
Wrong, the menu should know what sort of files you have clicked on… if they are all Audio files you get the menu if not you get whatever else.
The menu doesn’t have to be dumb like on Windows.
Also OP is right, Haiku is all about good defaults sending to playlist by default would be better, but this is more MediaPlayer’s job to handle correctly I think (subsequently opening a MediaPlayer while it’s playing should enqueue a file isntead of playing it).
…to have all files played immediately after pressing the return button is unlikely what the common user expects…
But you are right it is in some circumstances very handy and a special task for Haiku.
On Concerts, in Theater, on live presentations could be very useful to have the ability to hear multiple files at once. Of course not all at the same output! While a file is played to the speaker for the visitors, the other files can be played to another outputs (headphones) of the media crew to choose live what will be next to send or presented…
for one DJs 3 playing files at a time is common I think…
I guess you would use some software a little more advanced… like one supporting multitrack if you wanna do some DJ, instead of the manual syncing of several files
Or the problem lies somewhere else entirely.
Selecting several files from a BFS formatted volume and opening them in MediaPlayer places all automatically in a playlist and starts playing the first one.
Exactly what everyone expected.
Just tested with some WAVs I got on a ext2 partition. Works there as well.
I guess we need more info on the exact circumstances.
Ups, yes of course… Would be good to have! Not for a DJ only…
For Theater, and for Live events it would be great to have!
Haiku could offer this multi track behavior I suppose…
The behavior to play a file instantly is ok… and behaves in the BeOs way…
For example… if one plays a file life. It would be bad if that file would be changed by accidentialy choosen another one… It would be expected to play another file together with the one played at first…
sorry for my English…
The system just did what expected… play these files!!!
Common mistake to expect a system to decide what you as user expected should happen!
I choose one file… so play this file!
I choose 100 files … so play this files!
why a system should make the decision to play this files one by another? why?
