From: Michael O'Quinn <michael_at_oquinn.info>
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 11:02:52 -0800 (PST)

On Sun, 30 Mar 2003, Raymond Casazza wrote:

> is that the only workaround? Seems like a lot of work. THanks for the quick
> response.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "lee donaghy" <lee295012_at_yahoo.com>
> To: <rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se>
> Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2003 11:06 AM
> Subject: Re: need help: just purchased a 20gig recorder
>
>
> > --- Raymond Casazza <r.casazza_at_worldnet.att.net>
> > >
> > > Does ROckbox allow me to order songs automatically
> > > without setting up
> > > playlists. I have a Classic MP3 10gig and this
> > > allows me to do this.
> >
> > you will have to rename your songs with a number
> > prefix
> > like 01,02 etc.

I wouldn't say it's a workaround as much as it's just How It Is Done. I
don't think this is particularly an Archos or a RockBox problem. Many
useful tools and utilities work best if files are named so they sort in
playing order.

There are some tools that can help rename your files. There are literally
dozens (hundreds?) of Freeware, Shareware, and Full Cost packages, so most
likely you can find one that turns your crank.

Some general links with download info are...

   http://www.mp3-converter.com/
   http://software.mp3.com/software/
   http://www.dailymp3.com/otherutil.html

This is just a tiny sampling, but it should help you get started.

A couple of my favorites are...

   http://www.flame.org/~lonewolf/Software/FPU/
   http://www.mutschler.de/mp3ext/

The first is a general batch file renaming utility. It includes an
interface to use the Blade MP3 encoder, bus since I'm a fan of LAME, that
does me no good. But the general capabilities when renaming files are
really awesome. It's the best tool for WinDoze I've found for doing batch
renames, and not just with MP3 files. (There are many similar
capabilities already in the shell with Linux.) I don't use this as much
with MP3s as I used to, since I've found...

The second, MP3Ext, is the best tool I've personally seen so far for
managing MP-3 files. It takes care of ID3 tags, and can rename the files
themselves into a standard format using the ID3 tag data. MP3Ext DOES
have a bit of a learning curve, and the interface is not always intuitive,
but it's worth the effort, IMHO.

One of it's most powerful features is that it can process one file, a
whole directory of files, or even an entire directory tree with just a few
clicks and key-presses. (But learn what you're doing first!)

How does the Classic MP3 player sort the songs? I assume it must be using
the Track Number from the ID3 tag. If all your songs have the ID3 tags
properly populated, they can all be renamed by MP3Ext in a minute or two
with the AlbumRename action. Look in the help file sections about
Multiple Files, and Actions.

And it's always possible that the ability to sort on MP3 tags could be
included in RockBox. That's one the really cool things about open source
software. Just read the FAQs about how to submit a feature request.


Michael O'Quinn
Received on 2003-03-30