Windows XP Cookbook (Cookbooks)

Problem

You want to create a playlist in Windows Media Player so that you can listen to a set of songs.

Solution

Using a graphical user interface

1. Click the Library button at the top of the screen so that you are in your library area.

2. Tell Windows Media Player to display the Playlist pane by choosing View Now Playing Options Show Playlist. On the right side of the screen a pane will appear, with Now Playing List at the top.

3. Choose Now Playing List New List Playlist.

4. Drag files from the Library onto the Playlist pane. You drag multiple files at once. To select adjacent items, press and hold the Shift key while you select files. To select nonadjacent items, press and hold the Ctrl key while you select files. The result will look like Figure 11-2.

   Figure 11-2. Create a playlist by dragging music from your library to the Playlist pane

5. Select New Playlist Save Playlist As, name it and click Save.

6. To play your current playlist, highlight the first file in it and click the Play button at the bottom of the screen. Your playlist will now play all the files in it, one after another. If you want to start in the middle of the playlist, highlight the file where you want to begin, and click the Play button.

7. To play a different playlist, scroll to the My Playlists area of the Contents pane on the far right side of Windows Media Player, and double-click the list you want to play. Its contents will appear in the library area and in the Playlist pane, and the list will begin playing.

Discussion

Playlists are at the core of using Windows Media Player. In addition to using them to create songs that play automatically, one after another, you create playlists when you want to burn CDs.

By default, when you save a playlist, it is saved with a .wpl extension in the My Playlists folder, which is usually located in the My Music folder. You can also save playlists with the other extensions: .m3u, .asx, .wax, or .wvx. And you can save them in any folder that you like.

See Also

You can create a playlist in Windows Media Player, and then use that playlist to play in the background during a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. For details, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;555066.