VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 10 of 10
Thread
  1. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Marina Del Rey, CA
    Search Comp PM
    When PotPlayer File -> Open opens a file in a folder for playback, all the other media files in that same folder are automatically added to the PLAYLIST.

    I don't want this to happen. If anything gets added to PLAYLIST, I want it to be just the one-and-only file I just manually selected for playback. Adding additional manually selected files to that ever-growing playlist is fine if that would occur as I play more an more files, but I don't want all of the files in any folder I browse into in order to select a single file to all be automatically added to the PLAYLIST. Rather quickly, the PLAYLIST becomes enormous and really unusable, and I have to REMOVE ALL ITEMS just to clean it up and get it back to zero.

    So, what setting(s) am I missing? I like the PLAYLIST to accumulate "recently played files", but just those I actually played... not everything else that happened to be in a folder I browsed into.

    Help please! Thanks.
    Quote Quote  
  2. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    canada
    Search Comp PM
    Nope,just have one file in the folder,it's meant to add all files in the same folder for that fact.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
    Quote Quote  
  3. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    Search Comp PM
    In every player I've ever used opening a folder means exactly that. Try keeping multiple playlists.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Marina Del Rey, CA
    Search Comp PM
    But I'm not doing "open folder". I'm doing "open file".

    So that one file should be added to a list of "recently opened media" or "open recent..." (e.g. in Photoshop) or something like that, where this "history list" accumulates recently opened individual files. That's what I want to be able to re-open conveniently perhaps, from a recent history of recently opened files.

    But I don't necessarily have any interest in other files which just also happen to be in what clearly must be some folder in which a selected file lives. I've got to go to some folder to pick a file from it, but I'm not picking other files... just the one. And if I did want to open multiple files then I would select multiple files, and then would agree that all of those selected should be added to the "recently opened media" history list (i.e. PotPlayer's "playlist").

    But if only one file is selected, then only that file should be added to the "recently opened media" history list. That's just how I feel. For example in my folder of clips from "Glee" I may have 30 files, of which only one is selected using "open file" at this moment to be played. why should all 30 files be added to "recently opened media" history list, aka "Playlist"?? I don't think it should.

    For example, with Winamp's playlist functionality, you have two choices: (1) add file, or (2) add folder. This is a very clear distinction of what gets placed in the Winamp "playlist", and the user decides based on which function is utilized. I just think PotPlayer's automatic "add entire folder contents to playlist" results when all I did was open a single file for playing, well that's wrong for me. I only want the single file I opened to appear in the "history" list.

    At the very least it seems a settings option should be available to prevent that from automatically happening if that's how I want the player's playlist functionality to behave, assuming there are other people who actually do want this "all files in a folder" to be the program's behavior following opening a single file for playback. I certainly don't want this to be its behavior, for me.
    Quote Quote  
  5. Options -> How to open file(s) -> Open selected file(s) only.
    Quote Quote  
  6. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Marina Del Rey, CA
    Search Comp PM
    One more observation...

    If I use PotPlayer's "open file" dialog to select a SINGLE file that is in a folder for playback, ALL of the other files in that folder are instantly added to the "Playlist".

    However if in this very same "open file" dialog, I instead select TWO OR MORE files in that folder, then ONLY THOSE FILES get added to the "playlist". All of the other files in that folder are NOT added to the playlist.

    This suggests an inconsistent, different and "thus flawed" method of deciding what files to add to the playlist, for no reason other than I selected either say (a) one or (b) more than one files from a folder. Why is there any difference in behavior?

    If I play TWO files from a folder (by selecting while holding CTRL) and only those two files are added to the playlist, why shouldn't the same behavior result when I play just ONE file? Obviously, it should.
    Quote Quote  
  7. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Marina Del Rey, CA
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    Options -> How to open file(s) -> Open selected file(s) only.
    AHA!!! THAT WAS IT!!! Of course it's not worded using some English having to do with "playlist" as seems more appropriate, but rather is worded about controlling "opening files" whereas this conveys nothing about the fact that it actually controls playlist construction.

    And why is this even an option, to complicate program usage? And why is it secretly and confusingly buried in a second set of preferences called "Options", rather than in "Preferences" which I assumed was how you controlled program behavior?? And why is this unnecessary if I select two or more files with the existing default option of "open similar files together", since selecting two or more files will add just those selected files to the playlist? Why does this option only produce a different behavior when just one file is selected than when two or more files are selected?

    Oh well.

    Anyway, you're absolutely correct. This does seem to be a user-specified way to select one and only one file and have just that one file added to the playlist, rather than adding all files in the same folder to the playlist (even though the default option is not "open all files in folder", but rather is "open similar files together"... which is not a very clear distinction I must suggest).

    Nevertheless, thank you very much for this tip. It DOES make the program do what I wanted it to do, even if the English leaves something to be desired.

    Excellent! Thank you again.
    Quote Quote  
  8. It's in the Preferences dialog too. Under General -> File open method.
    Quote Quote  
  9. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Marina Del Rey, CA
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    It's in the Preferences dialog too. Under General -> File open method.
    I see. Hadn't really noticed it there either or fully appreciated what it actually meant and controlled, because the word "playlist" wasn't in the text of the option. So since "playlist" was never mentioned I didn't realize that this was in any way related to what got placed in the "playlist", i.e. "recent history of opened files", or that it even affected playlist construction methodology as it clearly does.

    Anyway, now that you've pointed me to this preferences/options item and I've proven for myself that the setting you suggested actually does make the program work as I wanted, it is clearly what I've been looking for all along. Many thanks again.
    Quote Quote  
  10. In addition, once you have established your track list you can save as an m3u or dpl (track list play file).
    This way you can create custom playlists which are instantly available for replay.
    Just click on the little square box icon on the playlist's bottom toolbar.
    Quote Quote  
Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!