C. Creating Playlists

1. Introduction to the Playlist Screen

In previous versions of ittyMIDI Player, there was a single database of MIDI songs and a corresponding Playlist called "All Songs". Starting in version 2.0, ittyMIDI Player allows multiple databases, referred to as Books, each with its own corresponding Book Playlist. If you upgraded from version 1, your old songs will still be present in "All Songs". You can create your own Playlists as before. Playlists can combine songs from several different books.

You can create a Playlist for your next performance or for this week's lesson. Each Playlist can have the same song many times. Each copy of the song can be tailored for your particular needs. For example, a teacher may have the same song in the list 5 times - increasing in speed each time. Even if you only have one song, you can still make an impressively large playlist, simply by adding that song several hundred times.

On the left side of the screen is a list of the songs in the current book. Use the drop-down list in the upper left to select a book from all those that are currently on your handheld.

On the right is the current Playlist. Select a Playlist by using the drop-down in the upper right of the screen. Songs in the current Playlist are highlighted in the book list on the left. All book playlists are listed first in the Playlist drop-down. You may neither add songs to nor remove songs from these lists. A ! next to a Playlist name means the Playlist is empty. If the current Playlist is not a Book Playlist, tap on a song to add it to the Playlist. Any song in a Playlist with a * next to it is invalid, probably meaning the Book containing that MIDI file is missing.

Add a quick note about a song by tapping on the note pad button on the lower right. The other three buttons allow you to edit the current song. Use the trash button to remove it from the Playlist. The arrow buttons move it up and down.

It is now possible to copy settings from one song to another. When a song in the current playlist is selected, select "Copy Settings" in the Edit menu. Now, select another song in any playlist and paste these settings to it by using the "Paste Settings" menu command. The "Default Settings" command in the Edit menu will restore all settings to their defaults.

To move from screen to screen, use the display menu or the hardware scroll button.

To beam Playlists or a Book, select the appropriate item in the options menu. Beaming of an individual Playlist is now allowed. However, the Playlist's songs will only be valid if the receiving handheld has the required songs, located in books with the same names. When beaming a book of songs, make sure to close Player on the receiving handheld. You may receive a Playlist while Player is open, provided the receiving handheld is on the Playlist screen.

2. Screen Elements

This section describes the items on the Playlists Screen as they appear from left to right and top to bottom.

1. Book Drop-down

Tap on this drop-down to switch between books or delete the current book.
 

2. Playlist Drop-down

Tap on this drop-down to switch between Playlists; or create or edit them. A ! signifies an empty Playlist.
 

3. Songs Box

These are the MIDI songs in the current Book. Tap on one to add it to the current Playlist. (Unless a Book List is selected.)
 

4. Playlist Box

These are the songs in the current Playlist. If a song has a * next to it, it is an invalid file.
 

5. Trash Can

This button deletes the highlighted song from the current Playlist.
 

6. Move Song Up or Down

These buttons move the highlighted song up and down within the current Playlist.
 

7. Edit Annotation

Tap on this button to view and edit a song's note. Use this to store extra information about a song.


 

8. Play/Pause and Stop Buttons

This button takes you to the play screen.
 

3. Edit List Names

To create a new Playlist, go to the Playlist drop-down and select the last entry, "Edit List Names". This screen allows you to create, delete, and rename Playlists. Tap "new" to create a new Playlist. You will be asked to enter a name. Playlist names must be unique and can have up to 11 characters. To rename or delete a Playlist, select it, and press the appropriate button. You cannot modify Book Playlists, with one exception. If a Book's database no longer exists, you may delete its Playlist.
 

4. Delete Current Book

The last entry in the book drop-down is "Delete Current Book", which will permanently delete the book's database from your handheld. When the delete dialog appears, a checkbox allows you to choose whether or not to remove the current book's songs from all playlists. If you choose not to delete the playlist entries, they will be marked as invalid, and will not be playable. If a book's database is located on a Handspring memory card or a write-protected extended memory card, Player will not be able to delete it. To delete the book, use the appropriate utility or unlock the card, respectively.

Note: Deleting a book only deletes it from the handheld. You must separately delete it from SongLoader if you want to remove it from your PC as well.