External music programmes as music 1

Hello Torben

We do also have music 1 for music scheduling. But wanna know how we can programme a m3u playlist file that mairlist starts it on the hour by it selves. Like it does in to the music database. What option I have to choose.

Regards

Goos

Hi Goos, I’m still in version 2 but a script based around this:CurrentPlaylist.LoadFromFile('C:\mAirList\playlists\' + FormatDateTime('yyyy-mm-dd-hh', now + 0.04166) + '.m3u');
Loads the next hour so use events to run at 59 minutes.

Events can also be used, but we use a script.
hth Tony

Thanks Tony

Will use it. I am not quit ready with Music 1 at the moment. Still busy importing. Spoke to Steve yesterday . Will test it out with him futher on monday. Thanks for helping out

Goos

True, but in v3 and above, an Event is MUCH easier to set up for this.

In the Action being run (which will be Load playlist), you can specify filenames as (for example)
%Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u and tick a box to say ‘Use variable substitution’ to get the correct file name; also in the Action, you can tell mAirList to ‘pretend’ the time is a number of minutes before or after the actual time of day.

So you can time the Event to happen at (say) 58 minutes past each hour, and also set the Action to happen as if it were (say) three minutes later, therefore making the %h give the correct value to load the next hour’s Playlist. :wink:

BFN
Cad

What I need is an script that starts mairlist automaticly the next m3u file . Like an example the list from 11 am

Goos

Hi Goos, a script can be used for loading and starting a playlist in automation but as Torben and Cad show in later versions of mAirList it is much simpler to use events.

You will need to use events anyway to run the script (if needed without user invention), so best to use events (which can also be used in some earlier versions of mAirList).

Ok Tony

Thanks for the information it is usefull for me. I am just starting with music 1 importing the music jingles news commercials etc

Playing around with it this week.

Thanks

Goos

Ok i understand now more. But still though how do i get the script working in mairlist starting each hour an m3u list

Cad

Question also to you where do i fill the
%Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u

I can ask also to Steve of M1 if it is possible to create a standard output for mairlist users as well. I do not know if Torben agress with this. Maybe it is usefull…

No need to bother Steve: a standard m3u list works just fine in mAirList.

To answer your question, first open the Events list/editor (click the Events button in the main toolbar).

Then do this:

[ol][li]Click Add (not New: that would start a complete new Event list! :wink: ).[/li]
[li]In Description, type Load Hourly M3U Playlist (or some other descriptive name).[/li]
[li]In Time, click each hour, at; then enter a sensible value for minutes and seconds (58 and 30, respectively, are my suggestions: adjust as necessary). Note that you must type a number in both boxes.[/li]
[li]If your station’s mAirList is ever in Assist mode, tick the Assist checkbox in Scope.[/li]
[li]In Actions, click Add…, Playlist.[/li]
[li]If you want to delete anything not yet played in the current Playlist when you load the next hour’s M3U file, click Load playlist; if you want to add the the next hour’s M3U file to the end of the current Playlist leaving the current contents unchanged, click Append playlist. Feel free to try both ways and see which one works best. ;)[/li]
[li]On the next dialog: in the Action tab, type a Filename of drive:[i]path[/i]%Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u, so if your hourly logs are in L:\data\Music 1, you would actually type
L:\data\Music 1%Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u. Note: this format assumes the hourly log files from Music 1 are named e.g. 2012-03-12-09.m3u for 9 am on the 12 March. If you use a different name format, make the obvious changes. ;)[/li]
[li]Click Apply, then click Options.[/li]
[li]In Options, tick Enable substitution of variables; in Time Adjustment, change the time box to 00:05:00.[/b][/li]
[li]Click Apply, then click OK.[/li]
[li]The Actions list should now contain your new load/append Playlist Action. Click OK.[/li]
[li]The Events Scheduler list should now contain your new scheduled load/append Playlist Action. Close the Event Scheduler window. Your Playlist Control Bar now shows the Event box, with the ETA of your next scheduled Event.[/li][/ol]

Once this is set up, I suggest that you Save both the Action itself and the Events list as separate files. This gives you a backup if you ever ‘lose’ them; and you can also Load those files into another copy of mAirList (if you have, say, a testing/production PC and a live playout PC).

To test everything (on a NON-live-on-air PC!), load some songs into your Playlist, put it into AUTO mode and start it running. Then double-click the time-of-day at the far right of the mAirList Status Bar and change time-of-day to a couple of minutes before an hour, click Set, then wait. When this ‘fake’ time-of-day reaches the time set in your Event, you’ll see the new Playlist being loaded or appended. To reset the mAirList ‘internal’ time-of-day to ‘now,’ double-click the time in the Status Bar again, then click Reset.

If you need any more info or help, let us know: but hopefully this should get you going; and once you’ve tried both Load and Append Playlist as Events, the difference between them should be clearer.

BFN
Cad

Hi Cad

Thanks for the explanation we will check it out today … Of course starting on the production studio pc at home… We are running over the 2008 server during weekdays so it is not a problem at al to test

Set it up and working
\XX_XXXXXXXX\Music 1\playlists poprockfm%Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u

Goos

Hi Cad

Strange but %Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u will not start the playlist as you told me

4/4/2012 4:00:27 PM Error Error executing action Append playlist (C:\Music 1\playlists poprockfm%Y-%M-%D-%h.m3u): Error loading playlist: Error loading C:\Music 1\playlists poprockfm\2012-04-05-16.m3u

Goos

Hi Goos, is music 1 generating playlists in the correct date format to match that you specify in mAirList?

Today is 4th day of the edit 4th month?

The error suggests you to be either in the month of May or on the 5th April.

Kind Regards Tony