Managing Files with the Auto Playlist Manager
SnackAmp provides a powerful file manager to allow you to modify and move around
your files, and immediately update the database to reflect the changes. You
can also modify the attributes of your files, including ID3 tags. The file
manager is integrated into the Auto-Playlist manager.
The Auto-Playlist in table mode
works very much like a graphical file manager or enhanced media managers.
allowing you to drag/drop and
copy/paste folders or files to organize your collection, select files and
folders to playing and lauch ID3 tag editors on the files. Moving a folder to
set of files will automatically update all references to those files, even if
they are in the active playlist. You can even relocate a track while
it is playing!
There are a number of functions you can perform on either the selected
folder or selected files using the right
mouse button menu. From the folder tree you can:
- Add the tracks within the highlighted folder and immediately play the first
one
- Create, rename or remove a folder
- Cut or Paste entire folder trees
- Set or clear a folder tree of auto-playlist preferences
- Expand or collapse the tree
- Catalog the folder or folder tree to detect any changes you make from
outside SnackAmp
- Correct file names to remove funky characters and properly capitalize
words
- Save and apply auto-playlists.
From the file list you can:
- Immediately play or append the selected tracks to the playlist
- Save or append the selected tracks to a playlist file
- Copy the tracks to the clipboard for moving or pasting into the playlist
- Delete and rename tracks
- Correct file names of selected tracks
- Split the selected tracks into Artist and Album folders and name
the files by Track-Title (based on file name)
- Rename a file by combining the folder or two folders below into the file
name.
- Edit the ID3 tag information of the selected track(s).
If you add, remove or rename the folders containing your music from outside
SnackAmp, you first have to re-catalog your collection. If you know the
affected folders, you can catalog just those. You may then have to re-enable
the desired folders from the Auto- play list manager. By default, newly detected
folders will assume the state of their parent folder.
In the Table view, you can alter the columns shown under the Auto Playlist
tab of the settings form. In addition you can alter some other look &
feel settings for the Auto Playlist.
Note: removable media are denoted with a CD icon (rather than a folder). You are
limited to what you can do with this media. If it is read only (such as a CD)
you will obviously not be able to move, rename or modify the files.
You can move and organize files using the following methods:
-
From the Auto- Playlist window, you can move files and file directories around
to organize your media. From the tree you can select a folder with the left
mouse button, and drag it to any other folder. The cursor will change to a hand
icon to indicate the move. When you release the mouse button over the new
location you will be prompted if you want to move the folder (and its contents).
You can move folders within the same subtree or move them to another volume or
computer. Removable media folders cannot be moved since they represent read only
media (e.g. CD).
-
From the Auto Playlist window, you can also highlight a directory, copy it to
the clipboard (right mouse button menu or the Copy key combination). Then
highlight the new target directory and Paste it. As with other copy/paste
actions, you can perform multiple copies with each being appended to the
clipboard. The paste operation clears the clipboard.
-
From the lower file list window above or the main playlist window, you can Copy
one or more files to the clipboard then highlight a directory in the tree and
paste them. You will be prompted before the move takes place.
-
From the lower file list window above, you can highlight one or more files and
while highlighting, drag them to a directory in the above tree. When you release
the button you will be prompted if you want to move the files. The target
directory can on the same or different volume/computer.