[HOW TO] Setting up WMP Playlists in Windows Mobile 2003

[Guest porko]

I've only tried this on the C500. I've gathered this info from various posts on MoDaCo.

This is a temporary work-around and a bit long winded. So if you are always changing the music, or have lots and lots of music on your C500, it may not be worth it:

Stage 1 – Create playlists – Save them in a folder in My Documents called “Playlists”

Stage 2 – Create IE Shortcuts to the playlists.

Stage 3 – Launch Playlists through IE Favourites.

Stage 1

Create playlists using an .asx file, like this: (You can use Playlist Manager for this: http://www.airfagev.com/forum_view.asp?msg_id=33263) If you do use Playlist Manager skip to Stage 2 (but copy the playlists you created in Playlist Manager to the folder “My DocumentsPlaylists”, you will find them in “storagewindowsstart menuPM Playlists”)

1. Open a new notepad window and add the playlist details:

2. Save it as “Bob Dylan-Blow.asx” on the storage card in “My DocumentsPlaylists”

Stage 2

1. Create a folder called “My Music” in storagewindowsfavourites”

2. Create a new file in Notepad with info like this:

[internetShortcut]

URL=file:///storage cardMy DocumentsPlaylistsBob Dylan-Blow.asx

Modified=501CE6E5519DC201E8

3. Save this file as “Bob Dylan - Blow.url” and copy it to the “My Music” folder you created in your favourites folder.

Stage 3

Now launch your Playlists by opening IE (favourites should be displayed upon WMP startup), select the My Music folder and launch the “Bob Dylan – Blow” Internet Shortcut. As if by magic, your music will play!! Hopefully!!! :)

All Done. Using the process above you can create short cuts to each album you wish to play on the phone and to each video too.

[Guest crafty]

sorry am i missing something - whats the advantage of selecting playlists from IE over from a playlist folder in your start menu? Surely that just adds another step in starting up a playlist?

[Guest porko]

sorry am i missing something - whats the advantage of selecting playlists from IE over from a playlist folder in your start menu?  Surely that just adds another step in starting up a playlist?

Unfortunately Playlist Manager is for Windows Mobile 2002 and not Windows Mobile 2003. When used on 2003 the PlayLists it creates (and puts into the start menu) do not work when launched from the start menu (Maybe I should have mentioned this before :-)) The playlists it creates are fine, it's just that 2003 doesn;t like launching them from the start menu, so another method that works is to launch from IE. Maybe AirFagev could update the app!! :)

As I said, it 's long winded and a bit of hassle, but it's work-around until we get this functioanlity from WMP.

And as someone else has mentioned you can use this app as a replacement for WMP anyway, (http://www.pocketmind.com/pocketmusicsp.htm), but it doesn't play Windows Media. :-(

It's just a way for me to play my 4/5 WMA encoded albums that I have on my SP.

I hope this helps some others..

Paul

[Guest crafty]

Thats really strange - playlists work fine from my start menu on my C500???

Then again i've never used the Playlist Manager app, i just made them myself with notepad. What happens is you click on an asx file in the start menu?

Playlists.gif

[Guest porko]

Hmm thats weird....Oh gawd... dont say it's just me.... ;-)

Playlist Manager creates standard playlists as far as I can see... here's one:

It copies the resulting asx file to: "storagewindowsstart menuPM Playlists". When this is selected using the start menu I get the message “Windows Media cannot play this file” for each file listed in the asx.

Any chance you can post a sample playlist for me?

Paul

[Guest crafty]

Hmmm, looks the same as mine:

<asx version="3">


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Intro.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - We Dont Care.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Graduation Day.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - All Falls Down (Feat Syleena Johnson).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Ill Fly Away.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Spaceship (Feat Glc and Consequence).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Jesus Walks.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Never Let Me Down (Feat Jayz and J Ivy).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Get Em High (Feat Talib Kweli and Common).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Workout Plan.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - The New Workout Plan.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Slow Jamz (Feat Twista and Jamie Foxx).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Breathe In Breathe Out (Feat Ludacris).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - School Spirit (Skit 1).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - School Spirit.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - School Spirit (Skit 2).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Lil Jimmy (Skit).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Two Words (Feat Mos Def Freeway and The Harlem Boys Choir).wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Through The Wire.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Family Business.wma"/></entry>


<entry><ref href = "Storage CardMy DocumentsMy MusicKanye West - College DropoutKanye West - Last Call.wma"/></entry>


</asx>[/code]






Can you do this, in the registry, go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTASXFileShellOpenCommand [Values] Default  and see what the Value Data is.  This should be:



[code]wmplayer.exe %1

This is the key that tells the phone what to open asx files with - i'm wondering if your's is different to mine for some reason. Perhaps the Playlist Manager alters it somehow?

[Guest porko]

Thanks Crafty... Yes agreed.. this is weird then...

The asx files on the phone have an icon that looks like a paper page (ala Notepad) with a large yellow '7' over it.

I must admit, I was curious why the icon wasn't a WMP one.

Unfortunately, I dont know how to edit the registry on the phone.. I have the MS Mobile Toolkit installed but havent a clue how to use it (can I use this for regedit?)

Paul

[Guest crafty]

I dunno if MS Mobile Toolkit can as i've never used it, I use PHM RegEditor which has server me extremely well.

I think that the icon you described is the default one - i just made my own one cus i didn't like it :). I can share it if you want.

[Guest porko]

Crafty,

Installed PHM RegEdit and checked the key. It's the same as yours "wmplayer.exe %1".

Hmmm. not to worry matey.. I dont want to take up any more of your time...

I appreciate the help you've given to me. :-D

Thanks,

Paul

[Guest crafty]

No worries mate.

[Guest TheKardinal]

check this out

http://www.omnisoft.com/articles/spevb/evbapplist.asp

look for Greatbal's Playlist Manager.