Please read this file in its entirety before using MP3 Folders.
MP3 Folders was written and tested in Windows 98. If you have problems using this program in other versions of Windows (95 or greater), send an email with the details to bugs@millpoint.com
A. Introduction:
MP3 Folders is a program that lets you treat a folder as a playlist for MP3 and WAVE files, with support for displaying and editing ID3v1 MP3 tags. Specific features include:
1. Open a folder using MP3 Folders, and all MP3 and WAVE files are listed in a manner similar to Windows« Explorer, plus ID3v1 Tags and the length of the audio file.
2. Play a file by double-clicking it, right-clicking it and selecting 'Play', or selecting it and clicking the 'Play' toolbar button or selecting 'Play' from the Audio menu.
3. Playlist features: Click the 'ALL' toolbar button or 'Play All Files' Audio menu option to play files sequentially. Change between files using the 'Next' and 'Previous' toolbar icons or Audio menu options or by playing another file as described above. There are 3 ways to change the order of the files: 1) sort by any column by clicking the column header, 2) manually arrange the files using the Up and Down arrows on the toolbar, and 3) click the 'Random' button on the toolbar or choose 'Randomize the Playlist' from the Audio menu.
4. Store and access frequently used folders using the Favorites menu.
5. Play the files in the folder (or a selected subset) in another application. When you select "Play All Files in External Program" or "Play Selected Files in External Program" from the Audio menu, MP3 Folders creates a temporary M3U playlist file in the system TEMP directory and opens it using whatever application is registered to open ".m3u" files on the system.
6. Edit the audio headers of a WAVE file or the ID3v1 tags of an MP3 file by selecting the file and clicking the appropriate toolbar icon, or by right-clicking on the file and choosing the appropriate option from the popup menu.*
* Changing the sampling rate of a WAVE file can dramatically change the way it sounds when played and any changes to the audio headers in a WAVE file may be undone by re-entering the original values.
7. Batch apply ID3v1 tags to multiple MP3 files at once. Select multiple files and choose 'Edit ID3v1 Tags...' from the Audio menu, or right-click and choose 'Edit ID3v1 Tags...' from the popup menu to bring up a form allowing you to specify which tags to change and the new values. There are options to automatically fill in the Title tag with the filename (without the '.mp3') and to guess at a track number for the Comment tag (this finds the first string of numbers in the filename).
8. Sort files by clicking on the column header that you want to sort by. Click the column header again to toggle between sorted ascending and descending.
9. Multiple ways to open the program:
- When opened 'normally' (by double-clicking the executable, etc), MP3 Folders opens the default folder or its folder if there is no default folder.
- You can launch the program by dragging a file onto the executable, in which case MP3 Folders opens in that file's folder.
- The file extension "mpf" is assigned to MP3 Folders. You can make copies of the file 'Play This Directory.mpf' and place them in any folder you wish to open with MP3 Folders. By double-clicking the file, MP3 Folders will launch and open that folder.
10. File system operations:
- Navigate the directory structure of your system by double-clicking on folders and using the 'Go Up One Directory' toolbar icon. Create new folders by clicking the 'Create New Folder' toolbar icon. You may optionally use a tree-view to navigate the directory structure of your computer (like Windows« Explorer).
- Move files by dragging them to folders, and by dragging files back-and-forth between MP3 Folders and Windows« Explorer. (Hint: You can move a file up one directory from within MP3 Folders by dragging it to the 'Go Up One Directory' toolbar icon.)
- Send a file or folder to the Recycle Bin by selecting it and clicking the 'Delete' toolbar icon or pressing the Delete key, or by right-clicking it and selecting 'Delete'. The delete confirmation dialog can be turned on/off by selecting 'Confirm File/Folder Deletion' from the Settings menu.
- Rename a file or folder by selecting it and pressing the F2 key, by right-clicking it and selecting 'Rename', or by selecting it and then clicking on its name.
B. Change History:
- 10/2/2000: Initial release - Version 1.0.0
- 12/14/2000: Version 1.0.1 released. Bug fixes, including a problem with the Favorites menu.
- 12/18/2000: Version 1.1.0 released. More bug fixes, and added batch ID3v1 tags feature.
- 9/15/2001: Version 1.5.0 released. Bug fixes, sped up loading of large directories, added manual and random playlist ordering.
- 9/17/2001: Version 1.5.1 released. Changed delete function to send files/folders to the recycle bin rather than delete them from disk.
- 9/17/2001: Version 1.5.2 released. Added menu option to turn delete confirmation dialog on/off.
- 9/27/2001: Version 1.5.3 released. Added ability to rename files by clicking the filename after it is already selected. Changed it so that when moving files/folders from the current directory, it doesn't do a total refresh of the directory.
- 9/30/2001: Version 1.5.4 released. Added ability to select multiple files. This allows deleting, moving, and reordering multiple files at once.
- 10/6/2001: Version 1.5.5 released. Sped up loading folders. Now retains screen position and column widths between sessions. Allows showing grid lines.
- 10/9/2001: Version 1.5.6 released. Fixed problems when sorting by file size and when resizing to a large screen. Retaining screen position and column widths is now optional (now also retains column ordering).
- 11/17/2001: Version 1.5.7 released. Somewhere along the line, it stopped properly distinguishing between MP3's and WAV's. Fixed that.
- 11/21/2001: Version 1.5.8 released. Finally realized that calculating folder sizes is what takes it so long to open folders with lots of subfolders. Made calculating folder sizes an option.
- 8/7/2002: Version 2.0.0 released. Lots of changes since 1.5.8. Added optional tree view of directory structure. Added small window option with ability to float above other apps. Added ability to toggle between playing all files (like a playlist) and playing a single file. Added repeat capability (for all files or a single file). Selecting 'Edit ID3v1 Tags' when multiple files are selected now brings up the Batch Apply Tags screen. Decreased load time per file when changing directories.
- 8/8/2002: Version 2.0.1 released. Changed it so that the window scrolls if necessary to make the current song visible when the track changes.
- 8/9/2002: Version 2.0.2 released. Made MP3 Folders a single-instance application (otherwise settings could get all screwed up). Added the option to minimize to the system tray.
- 8/9/2002: Version 2.0.3 released. Added option to startup zoomed to either the small window or the system tray.
- 8/16/2002: Version 2.0.4 released. Fixed a couple of bugs.
- 8/29/2002: Version 2.0.5 released. Added ability to save listing as a M3U playlist file.
- 8/30/2002: Version 2.0.6 released. Added ability to play the folder listing or selected files in an external application. Creates a temporary M3U playlist file and opens it in the application associated with the file extension ".m3u".
- 3/3/2003: Version 2.0.7 released. Added ability to permanently delete files/folders rather than send them to the recycle bin.
C. Possible Future Improvements:
- Support for viewing and editing ID3v2 MP3 tags
- Support for playing CD Audio files
- Add Network Neighborhood to directory tree
Please send bug reports and ideas for improvements to bugs@millpoint.com
D. Installation:
- To install MP3 Folders, double-click MP3Folders.msi, which should be in the same directory as this file. You may need to download the Windows Installer from Microsoft. This is available from www.microsoft.com:
* For Windows 95/98/Me: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=32831
* For Windows NT/2000: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=32832
- To uninstall MP3 Folders, first start it and select 'Delete All Settings' from the 'Settings' menu. Then quit the program, run the 'Add/Remove Programs' applet in the Control Panel, select 'MP3 Folders' from the list of applications, and click the 'Add/Remove...' button.
E. Licensing:
MP3 Folders is free. If you like it, tell all your friends about it. You may distribute it freely, so long as it is not modified in any way and the install package remains intact (including this file!).
F. Disclaimer:
Use this program at your own risk. Millpoint Solutions, Inc. makes no warranty or claim that this software will not harm your system in any way. Do not use on sole copies of important files until you are satisfied that it is safe. Millpoint Solutions, Inc. is not liable for any damage to your system resulting from use of this software.
G. About Us:
Millpoint Solutions, Inc. is a software development company located in Grand Rapids, MI. We specialize in object-oriented and custom database applications for area businesses, wireless applications (e.g. Palm OS applications and connectivity), and web programming (e.g. web-sites with databases, either on the internet or a private intranet). If you, your company, or someone you know is in need of any of these services, please visit our webpage to see what we can do for you.
Millpoint Solutions, Inc.
http://www.millpoint.com
The latest version of MP3 Folders will be available on our website.
Windows« and Windows« Explorer are trademarks of Microsoft« Corporation
