• Article
  • 7 minutes to read

by Dave Nelson

By default, Windows Media Player 11 in Windows Server 2008 creates playlists in WPL format (files with .wpl file name extensions). This article describes how to create copies of the playlist files in ASX format (files with .asx file name extensions) so that you can import them into the Spider web Playlists extension for Internet Data Services (IIS). When you import the ASX files in Spider web Playlists, the equivalent Spider web playlist files (files with .isx file proper name extension) are created, which you lot must and then edit to enable them in the Web Playlists feature. This article describes how to edit ISX files in two different ways, depending upon whether you want to serve the media files referenced in the playlist media entries either from the original user folder or from a Web site directory.

This article contains the following sections:

  • Prerequisites
  • Saving WPL Playlist Files as ASX Playlist Files in Windows Media Player
  • Importing ASX Playlist Files to the Web Playlists Feature
  • Enabling your Imported Web Playlist
  • Setting Playback Options
  • Related Articles

Prerequisites

To install the Spider web Playlists extension for IIS 7.0 and in a higher place, see the Installation Notes section in the IIS Media Services Readme.

Note

This commodity assumes that you take created playlists in Windows Media Actor on the local server computer using default Player settings. For more information almost installing Windows Media Role player 11 and creating Windows Media Actor playlists, see the Related Manufactures section.

Windows Media Player creates its playlists in WPL format by default. This section shows how to create an ASX-formatted version of a Windows Media Player playlist (.wpl) file to import into the Web Playlists feature.

To create ASX-formatted playlist files

  1. In the Windows Media Player Library, in the Contents pane, select the playlist that y'all want to add to the Spider web Playlists characteristic. So, in the Details pane, click Edit in List Pane.
    Screenshot of Windows Media Player Library and Contents pane with playlist 1 selected and Edit in List Pane button highlighted.

    This will add the playlist to the List pane in Windows Media Player. In the following case, we bear witness in the Listing pane a simple playlist (named playlist1) that contains two tracks (named track1 and track2).
    Screenshot of List pane in Windows Media Player showing playlist 1 that contains track 1 and track 2.

  2. Click the down pointer next to the playlist name, then click Salvage Playlist As.
    Screenshot of List pane with down arrow next to the playlist 1 marked and Save Playlist As dot dot dot in the drop down menu highlighted.

    This action volition open the Save As dialog box with default values.
    Screenshot of Save As dialog box with playlist 1 dot W P L as File name highlighted.

  3. In the Relieve As dialog box, in Save every bit type, select Whatsoever Playlist (*.wpl, *.asx, *.m3u).
    Screenshot of Save As dialog box with Any Playlist selected from the Save as type drop down menu.

  4. In the Save As dialog box, in File proper name, change the file name extension from wpl to asx.
    Screenshot of Save As dialog box with playlist 1 dot a s x inside the File name field highlighted.

  5. In the Salvage As dialog box, click Save.
    Screenshot of Save As dialog box with Save button highlighted.

Importing ASX Playlist Files to the Web Playlists Feature

This section shows how to import the ASX-formatted Windows Media Player playlist file that you created in the previous section.

To import ASX-formatted playlist files

  1. In IIS Manager, select the Web site or virtual directory from which you desire to serve your Windows Media Player playlist files (.wpl files), and then in the Contents pane, click the Web Playlists icon.
    Screenshot of I I S Manager console with Web Playlists in Contents pane selected.

  2. In the Actions pane, click Open Feature.
    Screenshot of Actions pane with Open Feature highlighted.

    This action displays the Web Playlists feature page. If you lot have not previously created Spider web playlists for the site or virtual directory, the page will exist empty every bit shown beneath.
    Screenshot of Web Playlists feature page.

  3. In the Deportment pane, click Import ASX Playlist.
    Screenshot of Actions pane with Import A S X Playlist dot dot dot from drop down menu selected.

  4. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the location where the playlist file in ASX format is stored, select information technology, and so click Open up.
    Screenshot of dialog box with playlist 1 dot A S X highlighted and Open button selected.

    The Windows Media Player playlist file (playlist1.asx) in imported to the Web Playlists feature every bit a Web playlist file (playlist1.isx), as shown below:
    Screenshot of Web Playlists feature page with playlist 1 as File name highlighted.

Enabling your Imported Web Playlist

Afterward y'all import your ASX-formatted Windows Media Thespian playlist file, there are a couple of approaches to have regarding how you want to serve the media that is referenced in it. You can either leave the media files where they reside in your user folder, or you can copy them to a folder in your Spider web site root directory or virtual directory. Your choice actually depends on whether you want to maintain multiple copies of your media files.

If you choose the first pick (go out the media files where they are), then yous must practice the following:

  1. In the Web Playlists feature, set impersonation settings so that information technology can admission the files in the user folder.
  2. In the Spider web Playists feature, enable Absolute/UNC paths.
  3. In the ISX file, alter relative URIs for the media entries to physical paths.
  4. In the ISX file, change the srcType from relative URI to physical path.
  5. In the ISX file, remove the param container with invalid extraparam attributes.

If yous cull the second option (copy the media files to your Web site or virtual directory), so yous must do the following:

  1. Re-create your media files to a folder in the Web root directory or to the virtual directory.
  2. In the ISX file, update the relative URIs for the media entries.
  3. In the ISX file, remove the param container with invalid extraparam attributes.

The following sections provide details on both approaches:

  • Serve the media files from user folders
  • Serve the media files from the Spider web site

Serve the media files from user folders

  1. In the Spider web Playlists feature, set impersonation settings and then that it can admission the files in the user binder. For detailed instructions, see Web Playlists for IIS - Serving Media Content from User Folders.

  2. In the Web Playlists feature, enable Absolute/UNC paths.

    a. In the Actions pane, click Edit Characteristic Settings.
    Screenshot of Actions pane with Edit Feature Settings selected.

    b. In the Edit Characteristic Settings dialog box, select Allow absolute/UNC paths.
    Screenshot of Edit Feature Settings dialog box with Allow absolute forward slash U N C paths option checked and selected.

  3. In a text editor, such as Notepad, alter the relative URI for each media entry in the ISX to a physical path. For example:

    Change: <ref src="..\track1.wma">
    To: <ref src="C:\Users\Administrator\Music\track1.wma">

    Tip

    Yous can utilize the Replace characteristic in Notepad to make this change to all media entries at once.

  4. In the text editor, change the srcType for each media entry in the ISX to a physical path. For example:

    Change: <param name="srcType" value="relativeURI" />
    To: <param proper name="srcType" value="physicalPath" />

    Tip

    You tin utilise the Replace feature in Notepad to make this change to all media entries at once.

  5. When you import the Windows Media Role player ASX playlist file, the Web Playlists feature groups the unsupported playlist attributes as extraParam values in a param container in the ISX playlist file. You must remove (or annotate-out) the param container with invalid extraParam attributes for each media entry in the ISX.

    In the following instance, we comment-out the param (beginning and ending comment marks shown in crimson). Too, for brevity, we show only the first and last extraParam values (for the track length and number) in the example:

                      <!--<param name="extraParam" value="&amp;lt;Duration value=&amp;quot;00:04:36.532&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;  ...  Value=&amp;quot;iv&amp;quot;" />-->

    Tip

    Considering extraParam values vary for each track, do the following when using the Supervene upon feature in Notepad:

Change: <param name="extraParam"
To: <!--<param proper noun="extraParam"

-and-

Alter: <param name="title"
To: --><param name="title"

This will comment-out the param container with the extraParam attributes, equally shown in the higher up example.

Serve the media files from the Spider web site

  1. Copy the media files referenced in the Windows Media Player playlist (.wpl) file to a folder in the Web site directory or to a virtual directory. For example, if you imported the .asx version of the playlist to the Default Web site, copy the files to: <systemdrive>\inetpub\wwwroot\media.

  2. In a text editor, such as Notepad, update the relative URI for each media entry in the ISX. For example:

    Change: <ref src="..\track1.wma">
    To: <ref src="media/track1.wma">

    Tip

    You can use the Replace feature in Notepad to brand this modify to all media entries at in one case.

  3. When you import the Windows Media Player ASX playlist file, the Spider web Playlists feature groups the unsupported playlist attributes as extraParam values in a param container in the ISX playlist file. Y'all must remove (or annotate-out) the param container with invalid extraParam attributes for each media entry in the ISX.

    In the post-obit instance, nosotros comment-out the param (commencement and ending comment marks shown in red). Too, for brevity, we show merely the commencement and last extraParam values (for the rails length and number) in the example:

                      <!--<param proper name="extraParam" value="&amp;lt;Duration value=&amp;quot;00:04:36.532&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;  ...  Value=&amp;quot;four&amp;quot;" />-->

    Tip

    Because extraParam values vary for each track, do the following when using the Supercede feature in Notepad:

Change: <param name="extraParam"
To: <!--<param name="extraParam

-and-

Change: <param proper noun="title"
To: --><param name="championship"

This will comment-out the param container with the extraParam attributes, as shown in the to a higher place example.

Setting Playback Options

After updating the ISX, clients will be able to play the media items referenced in it. By default, clients volition take full control of the playback experience, such as the ability to skip (both forrard and astern) to different entries in the playlist and to seek within a currently playing track. You can limit a client's ability to seek or skip playlist media entries by configuring media entry settings in the Web Playlists feature. For more data, see IIS Media Services Assistance.

To admission this aid, printing F1 while using the Spider web Playlists feature in IIS Manager.

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