PlaylistExpander

FAQ

What does it do?

It "expands" playlist-files into folders.

What?

It takes a playlist-file in the root-directory and creates a folder. In this folder, it places copies of the files in the playlist.

Won't that take forever?

No. It doesn't actually copy the files to the folder. It creates a new file which uses the exact same physical data on the disc.

Is that legal?

No. Any disk-checking program will probably complain about cross-linked files and such things.

So this is yet another copy utility then?

No. All the itmes in the playlist must already exist somewhere on the CF-card.

So, what do I need this program for?

It is designed to be used with mp3-players, mainly Nex II(e).

What are the requirements?

It runs in windows 2000/XP. It will not work on Windows 98 unless someone implements some disc-routines for me. It operates on FAT16 discs which are mounted as removable drives.

What about folder-depth limitation on the Nex II?

The playlist-folder created will be playable with the nex, even if the items in the playlist is not accessable by the Nex.

So I only have to update the playlist when I am tired of the current one?

No. You should "re-expand" the playlist each time you change the playlists or modifies the mp3's on the disc.

Is this program really safe?

I will try to make this program as safe as possible. It might create some oddities in the file system. It might go and lose some space on the disc. But all these problems should be fixed by reformat. I don't think it should be able to harm anything else. Just make sure you select the correct disc, and have a backup of the files on the disc.

When will it be released?

When I feel that it is ready. I might release a beta soon, depending on how much energy I feel like spending on this project.

Can I send mail to you regarding this project?

Yes. Let the subject of the mail begin with "PlaylistExpander:".My email is found at the bottom of this page.

News

2003-09-21, 11:11
New version is out. No GUI-changes or new features. Fixes some potential problems which could make the Nex crash on large CF-cards and sometimes make PlaylistExpander loose the long filename for a file in the root directory. It's recommended that all PlaylistExpander users upgrade to the latest version.

2002-11-27, 20:35
This program seems to work as it should. At least I have not gotten any complaints. A new release has been uploaded. This version is without expire-date. The code has been optimized, but no significant changes.

2002-11-10, 12:30
First public beta released.

2002-11-09, 11:50
I have gotten a report on a possible problem (nothing dangerous, it just didn't work I think). I want to confirm this before I release a public beta. If someone wants to try the private beta, send me a mail. It would also be nice to know if it works in Windows XP. I think it should, but I have never tried the program in XP.

2002-11-08, 11:20
First private beta released. Depending on the the feedback, public beta should not be very far away.

2002-11-07, 15:10
Fixed so that existing files with the same name as a expanded file, don't get deleted instead when unexpading a folder.

2002-11-07, 14:50
Fixed some memory-bugs and cluster deallocation. It seems to do what it is supposed to do. There are some known bugs (or rather known unwanted features :) and probably a couple of unknown bugs, but that's pretty normal. I have not decided yet if it is ready for some public beta testing.

2002-11-07, 11:55
Corrected a bug with long filenames, so now it shouldn't miss any files. It still loses a couple of clusters on a expand/unexpand cycle. A first beta shouldn't take to long now. Send me a mail if you wan't to be one of the first to try it :)

Screenshot

It doesn't exist in the form of a program just yet

Download

2003-09-21: Download PlaylistExpander v0.9.3 Beta

Links

Froniter Labs: Maker of the NexII(e)
NexSort: My first util for my Nex. It is replaced by FATSort.
FATSort: My second util for my Nex. It is used to sort files already transfered to a Compact Flash card.


Visits since 2006-11-07: Counter

Copyright © 2006 by Christian Swahn (email: chsw@home.se)