NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, February 2003
M3U
by Ed Maxey, Past President
edmaxey@juno.com
(click to email author)


So you have a folder with hundreds of songs and wish to make a list file which will play all of them. Admit you're too lazy to generate the list by adding one file at a time from your media player.

Okay, here's an answer.

    1. Go to a DOS prompt.
    2. Enter the command line "dir X:\*.mp3 /B > C:\list" (no quotes) and press enter.
    Explanation: dir command will make a list of all files in the X
    folder/directory having an MP3 extension. /B does this "Bare,"
    meaning nothing but file names will appear in the list. > pipes
    the list into a file named LIST in the C:\ root folder/directory.
    3. Exit back to Windows and load C:\LIST into NOTEBOOK or WORDPAD.
    4. Add "#EXTM3U" (no quotes) as the first line in LIST.
    5. Save LIST as LIST.M3U in the X folder (directory).

You can now click on the LIST.M3U file and the entire list of songs will play if you use WinAmp. Windows Media Player will also accept the LIST.M3U file. XING will play all the songs in the LIST.M3U file but questions you before doing so.

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