Using Cover Art Graphics

Wimp can load either a JPG or SWF file into the graphic container. Cover art images can also be used a "hot link."

You can also active the graphic so that it behaves like a hyperlinked button, so that when the graphic is clicked, a new browser window will open and go to the defined URL.

Activating the graphic to act as a hyperlinked button.:

You can activate the graphic to act as a button through ID3  or XML tags. To activate the graphic act as a button, include a URL in the <comments> tag:

Through ID3 tags:
To enter a URL for use on the graphic by putting the URL into the "comments" section of the MP3 file's ID3 tag. In order to use this feature, getMyid3info must be enabled so that wimpy.php/asp/cfm can read the contents of each MP3 file's ID3 tag.

NOTE: The ASP version of Wimpy only reads ID3 version 1 tags. ID3v1 tags only allow a maximum of 30 characters in the "comments" tags, which may not be enough for a long URL.

Through XML tags:
Enter a URL to use as the hyperlink on the graphic into the <comments> tag for each MP3 file listed in the playlist

Example:

<comments>http://www.yoursite.com/my/graphic/link.html</comments>

If you are using swf files as your coverart, please note the following:

The Flash document for your coverart.fla should be set up to 125x125 pixels.

Wimpy assumes that the loaded coverart.swf file is 125x125. If the "graphic area" is resized using Skin Machine, the loaded coverart.swf file will be stretched or squished accordingly.

When you export the coverart.swf file, be sure to set the Flash output (as defined in the "Publish" settings) to: Flash Version 6, Actionscript version 1.0.

Animations will run at 24 frames per second, regardless of the actual frames per second you set in the coverart.fla. (All externally loaded swf movies take on the frame rate of the swf that it is loaded into... Wimpy runs at 24 frames per second)

You can download an example coverart.fla file by clicking here. This file is set up to load the output swf file properly into the graphics container.

When using the Customizer tool, set the "Directory cover art file name" option to the the name of a file that Wimpy should "look for" when it reads the contents of a directory. Do not use a URL for this option, just use a file name. By default, wimpy will look for a file named "coverart.jpg" in directories and subdirectories. This configuration option tells Wimpy the name of the "default" file that wimpy should look for when automatically reading the contents of directories.

Loading Graphics
There are three ways to load graphics in the graphic container:

1. When running Wimpy in the default "automatic" directory reading mode:

By default Wimpy looks for a file named "coverart.jpg" in the Wimpy installation directory and sub-directories. If Wimpy finds a file named coverart.jpg, it will load the coverat.jpg file into the graphic container when each directory or sub-directory is read. See examples below.

You can use the defaultVisualBaseName and defaultVisualExt options to change the "base name" and extension of the cover art graphic that Wimpy should look for.

For example, if defaultVisualBaseName is set to "folderGraphic" and defaultVisualExt is set to "swf" then wimpy will look for files  that have the following name: folderGraphic.swf

When using the Customizer Tool, defaultVisualBaseName and defaultVisualExt are tied together under one option titled "Default cover art filename."

Example:

http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/coverart.jpg
http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/subFolder/coverart.jpg

In the example above, when Wimpy first loads, it will display "subFolder" in the playlist. When "subFolder" is clicked, Wimpy to read the contents of "subFolder" -- if there is a file named "coverart.jpg" in the subFolder, then the coverart.jpg file will load into the graphic container.

Also, if there is a JPG file that uses the same file name as the MP3 file, Wimpy will load the JPG file into the graphic container when the file is player.

For example, if you have an MP3 file and and associated JPG file that uses the same "base name":

http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/subFolder/file1.mp3
http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/subFolder/file1.jpg

... then when "file1.mp3" is played, the graphic container will load the associated JPG file (file1.jpg) into the graphic container.

Likewise, if there is an XML playlist in the folder, and the playlist is clicked, then the associated JPG file will load into the graphic container:

http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/subFolder/myPlaylist.xml
http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/subFolder/myPlaylist.jpg

If you're using a default coverart.jpg in each directory / sub-directory, Wimpy will attempt to load it first... if you're also using cover art for individual tracks, Wimpy will attempt to load the main coverart first (coverart.jpg), then the tracks cover art (myMP3file.jpg) -- at the same time that the MP3 file is loading... hence, you may get some glitchy cover art display.

Enter the "Cover art container background image" option...

2. Using the "Cover art container background image" option

This option can be configured using the Customizer tool and is found in the "Advanced Options" area of the Customizer tool. This option can be used instead of the default coverart.jpg per directory.

Using this option will place an image behind any loading cover art images, so if there are any hiccups along the way of loading directory-based image or track based image, the image defined for this option will show.

Think of this option as setting up a "fall back" graphic.

Click here for more information on this option.

3. With XML playlists

You can specify a URL for each file in an XML playlist by setting the <visual> tag to a URL to a cover art graphic.

Example:

<visual>http://www.youriste.com/path/to/graphic.jpg</visual>

If you are running Wimpy off of an XML playlist (see wimpyApp) then Wimpy will use the logic described above in #1 Automatically -- where Wimpy will attempt to load a JPG image that is in the same location and uses the same "base name" as the XML playlist.

For Example, if your running Wimpy off of an XML playlist, put a JPG image that uses the same "base name" as your playlist in the same location, similar to:

http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/myPlaylist.xml
http://www.youriste.com/mp3s/myPlaylist.jpg

See also

defaultImage

defaultVisualBaseName

defaultVisualExt

wimpyApp

.