[Plugin: MP3-jPlayer] Works well, customizable

lao3d, thanks for your feedback,

the help on using the tags was definitely lacking detail in the last release (v1.3.4), it’s now being improved with better examples and explainations, and some detail on how the plugin operates. This should make things easier and less frustrating for anyone who’s not so comfortable delving into theme files and will be available in a few days time.

I’ll also add some theme specific examples as i realise that some themes are trickier than others to work with (the Thesis theme for eg is not so obvious which files to drop tags into).

The tags themselves are quite simple, they just have some optional inputs and there’s a bit of subtlety to their placement. They can also interact with some of the admin settings.

For anyone not sure where to drop the tags, try this to start off:

1. Use an mp3j_flag() tag. Drop it anywhere in the header to start with and leave it’s brackets empty.

2. Use an mp3j_put() tag. Drop it at the top of the sidebar to start with and leave it’s brackets empty.

Having done 1 and 2 above, visit a page on your site that you know has a playlist.

That is all you need to do to put the player in the sidebar.

Simon

that’s a good question as the code above gives varying results on the blog/index page. In short yes you can play any tracks on it including the playlist connected to the index page itself if there is one (ie if you’re using a static page as the blog index and you’ve put a playlist on it).

If you want the playlist to be same for all pages then you just put the id number of the page that has the playlist you want to use in the put tag. so if the page id was 100 you’d write:

mpj_put(100);

Page id’s are visible on the page/post edit screens in the address bar where it says .php?post=

BUT for other single page/post pages on your site you’d also need to force the scripts using mp3j_addscripts() to get the player to show as if there was no playlist entered in that page’s custom fields then the scripts won’t be added by default like they are on the blog index (i’ll prob make this possible from admin in future version). I hope that makes sense.

fyi using the put tag with empty brackets is like using the shortcode in that the shortcode does nothing if there are no tracks in the custom fields. An empty put tag behaves the same. This means on the blog index you get the following:

If put tag is placed before the wordpress post loop: the tag only sees the first post in the list, if there’s no tracks in this post then no player will show.

If put tag is in the loop: player show’s with first post that has playlist

If put tag is after the loop: the tag only sees last post on the list, again if no tracks then no player shows.

Using the Modes for the put tag ‘first’, ‘feed’, or an id, give you control of the playlist. and Leaving it empty leaves it up to the player to auto add if it sees a playlist.

Simon

Hi serf, can you give me a link to the page and the browser you’re using?

@brokenflipside

the mp3j_addscripts() must go in the header and it must be above the wordpress wp_head() hook, it’s not possible to add the scripts from the sidebar.

Simon

@serf, is the box there when the player is the only active plugin? if yes then is it there when you switch to the default theme? If you’re happy to send me a login (via contact form on my site) then i’ll take a look for you.

Simon