Help on creating a playlist

A playlist is a list consisting of multiple clips that were made using the Virtual Cutter. When a playlist is started, all clips are played in sequence.

A playlist is created as follows:

1. Create a clip from an audiovisual file. 
   
2. You can optionally provide a title for the clip. Enter this title in the field 'Clip title'. 
   
3. Add the selection to the playlist. To do so, click the button.
   The Cutter indicates how many fragments are present in the playlist.
   It is not possible to place files in one playlist if they are to be played by different players. In that case the Cutter will generate an error message.

Editing a playlist

Click the button to open the playlist. The items in the playlist are shown on the screen. The following actions are possible:

1. Changing the order
   Click the arrow next to the sequence number to the left of the title of the item and choose a new sequence number for the item.
   
2. Deleting an item
   Click the link 'Delete' to the right of the title of the item.
   
3. Editing an item
   Click the link 'Edit' to the right of the title of the item. A web page will appear that has largely the same functionality as the selection screen. This screen can be used to change the title of the item as well as the markers for the start and the end. Click in order to confirm the changes.

Playing a playlist

Open the playlist by clicking the button in the selection screen.

Start playing the playlist by clicking the button. The Cutter opens the appropriate player and starts playing the items in the playlist. Please note: this does not work with the Real Player in Internet Explorer! For this to work save the playlist on your harddisk using the 'Save as...' button and open the file in the Real Player.

Saving a playlist

In order to be able to play a playlist again at a later stage you need to save it as a file. This procedure differs from the procedure for replaying a single clip, in which case it suffices to save the HTML code generated by the Cutter in either an HTML file, a Word file or a Powerpoint file. However, in case of a playlist you need to first save the playlist separately, and then create a link in either an HTML file, a Word file or a Powerpoint file.

Procedure:

1. Check the playlist by playing it.
   
2. Click . The Cutter opens a dialogue for saving the playlist. Choose a location for the file and click the 'Save' button.  You can change the name of the file, but take care not to change the extension (such as .ram, .mov, .asx)! 
   
3. Create a hyperlink in the file from which you wish to start the playlist, for instance a Word file or an HTML file. 

Opening a playlist from Word or PowerPoint

Store the playlist in the same folder as the Word or PowerPoint file. Then create a hyperlink in Word or PowerPoint. Read the Word or PowerPoint manual if you do not know how to create a hyperlink.

Opening a playlist from a web page

Follow these steps if you do not know which HTML codes to use for opening a playlist via a hyperlink or an embedded player:

1. Go back to the selection screen by clicking the button. 
2. Open the window with HTML codes by clicking the button. 
   
3. Select the HTML code under HTML - external player or HTML - embedded player, copy the code and paste it into the HTML file.
   
4. Now adapt the HTML code to make it refer to the playlist. This is easier when the playlist has been stored in the same folder as the HTML file, or in a subfolder.
   
   External player
   For an external player you replace the bold text in the href tag by a reference to the playlist file.
    
   For example:
   
   <a href = "./cutter.ram">Start playlist</a>
   
   Embedded player
   For an embedded player you replace the bold text in the SRC  parameter (both in the OBJECT tag and in the EMBED tag) by a reference to the playlist file. 
   
   An example for the RealPlayer (simplified):
   
   <OBJECT ID="RealPlayer" CLASSID="clsid:CFCDAA03-8BE4-11cf-B84B-0020AFBBCCFA"
   HEIGHT = "390" WIDTH = "360">
   <param name="SRC" value="./cutter.ram"
   <param name="AUTOSTART" value="FALSE">
   <param name="CONTROLS" value="ImageWindow,ControlPanel,Statusbar">
   <embed NAME="RealPlayer"
   SRC="./cutter.ram"
   type="audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin"
   AUTOSTART ="FALSE"
   CONTROLS ="ImageWindow,ControlPanel,Statusbar">
   </OBJECT>