<chapter id="configuration"> <title>Configuring &kplayer;</title> <para>Like other &kde; programs, &kplayer; is highly configurable. When you <link linkend="howto-installation">install &kplayer;</link> and its multimedia playing backend <link linkend="howto-installation-mplayer">&mplayer;</link>, the default settings should enable your system to play multimedia content without any additional configuration. This chapter describes ways to make &kplayer;'s user interface best fit your tastes and configure media playback for optimal quality and performance.</para> <sect1 id="configuration-ui"> <title>User interface</title> <para>When &kplayer; is first installed, its window contains a <link linkend="parts-menu-bar">menu bar</link>, a <link linkend="parts-toolbar-main">main toolbar</link>, a <link linkend="parts-toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link> and a <link linkend="parts-status-bar">status bar</link>. Additionally, a <link linkend="parts-toolbar-slider">progress toolbar</link> will usually appear when you start playing a file.</para> <para>On the <link linkend="menu-settings"><guimenu>Settings</guimenu> menu</link> you will find options to hide toolbars that you do not need and to show <link linkend="parts-toolbar-slider">other available toolbars</link>. Some of them will only be available for video files, while the progress toolbar is available when &kplayer; can detect the time length of the current file.</para> <para>The menu bar itself can be toggled on and off with the shortcut key combination <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>M</keycap></keycombo>. You can also hide the status bar if you do not need the information it displays.</para> <para>To show or hide the <link linkend="parts-library">multimedia library</link>, press <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>L</keycap></keycombo> or choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Show Library</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. To show or hide the <link linkend="parts-message-log">message log</link> detailing internal operation of &mplayer; backend as well as &kde; <acronym>I/O</acronym> Slaves, press <keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>G</keycap></keycombo> or choose <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Show Message Log</guimenuitem></menuchoice>.</para> <para>Each toolbar has a small area on one of its sides where you can press and hold the &LMB; to drag the toolbar into a new position. You can place most toolbars either horizontally at the top or bottom of &kplayer; window or vertically at the left or right side of it, while the playlist toolbar can only be positioned horizontally.</para> <para>Similarly, you can move around the multimedia library and the message log by pressing and holding the &LMB; on the title area of the window and dragging it above or below the <link linkend="parts-video-area">video area</link> and positioning it in relation to the toolbars.</para> <para>If you <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click a toolbar, you will get a <link linkend="popup-toolbar">menu</link> to configure it. You can choose the toolbar orientation, text position and icon size.</para> <para>&kplayer; will of course remember all the settings you choose and the positions where you put your toolbars. It will remember visibility settings for <link linkend="howto-full-screen">full screen mode</link> and for normal mode separately.</para> </sect1> <sect1 id="configuration-playlist"> <title>Playlist</title> <para>&kplayer;'s <link linkend="toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link> has a drop down box that shows the current playlist. It stores files and streams that have been played or are going to be played and lets you easily switch to a different item and play it. For details on the playlist feature see the <link linkend="howto-playlist">Playlist micro-HOWTO</link>. Following is a description of options that affect the playlist behavior.</para> <itemizedlist> <listitem><para><guimenuitem>Loop</guimenuitem> option is available from the <link linkend="menu-player"><guimenu>Player</guimenu> menu</link>, the <link linkend="toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link> and the <link linkend="popup-playlist">playlist popup menu</link>. When enabled, it makes &kplayer; start playing items from the beginning of the list after it finishes playing the last item on the list.</para></listitem> <listitem><para><guimenuitem>Shuffle</guimenuitem> option is also available from the <link linkend="menu-player"><guimenu>Player</guimenu> menu</link>, the <link linkend="toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link> and the <link linkend="popup-playlist">playlist popup menu</link>. When enabled, it makes &kplayer; play items in a random order. When the <guimenuitem>Loop</guimenuitem> option is also enabled, items will be reshuffled every time &kplayer; restarts playback from the top of the list. To reshuffle immediately, disable the <guimenuitem>Shuffle</guimenuitem> option and then enable it again.</para></listitem> <listitem><para><guilabel>Allow duplicate entries on playlists</guilabel> option is available on the <link linkend="settings-general"><guilabel>General</guilabel> page</link> of the &kplayer; Configuration dialog. When enabled, it allows &kplayer; to put identical entries on the playlist. By default it is disabled, and if you queue the same file twice, the old entry will be removed before adding the new one at the bottom of the playlist.</para></listitem> </itemizedlist> <para>The <guimenuitem>Edit</guimenuitem> command opens the current playlist in the <link linkend="parts-library">multimedia library</link> where you can add new items and remove or change the order of existing ones. It is available from the <link linkend="popup-playlist">playlist popup menu</link> that you can open by <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> clicking the playlist drop down box on the <link linkend="parts-toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link>.</para> <para>To save the current playlist in the <guilabel>Playlists</guilabel> section of the <interface>multimedia library</interface>, <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click the playlist drop down box on the <link linkend="parts-toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link>, select <menuchoice><guisubmenu>Add to</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Playlists...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> and enter a playlist name. The new playlist will then be added to each menu that works on playlists. See the <link linkend="configuration-playlists">multimedia library configuration</link> for details.</para> </sect1> <sect1 id="configuration-library"> <title>Multimedia library</title> <para>&kplayer;'s <link linkend="parts-library"><interface>multimedia library</interface></link> is the place to access all your multimedia and arrange it into playlists. The things you create in the library affect other parts of &kplayer;, in particular some menus and the current playlist. For details on the multimedia library feature see the <link linkend="howto-library">Multimedia library micro-HOWTO</link>.</para> <sect2 id="configuration-now-playing"> <title>Now Playing</title> <para>This section shows the contents of the current playlist and lets you modify it, for example by adding new files, streams and directories, removing existing items or changing their order. The changes are reflected on the current playlist shown on the <link linkend="parts-toolbar-playlist">playlist toolbar</link>. The commands to modify the playlist contents are available from the <link linkend="menu-library"><guimenu>Library</guimenu> menu</link> or the <link linkend="popup-library">library <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click menu</link>.</para> </sect2> <sect2 id="configuration-recent"> <title>Recent</title> <para>This section shows the recently played files and streams and lets you modify the list. The top few entries are shown on the <guisubmenu>Play Recent</guisubmenu> submenu of the <link linkend="menu-file"><guimenu>File</guimenu> menu</link> and <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click <link linkend="popup-menus">popup menus</link>.</para> <para>The <guilabel>Maximum Recent entries in the library</guilabel> option on the <link linkend="settings-general"><guilabel>General</guilabel> page</link> of the &kplayer; Configuration dialog gives the maximum number of files, folders and streams the <guilabel>Recent</guilabel> section can hold. When a new entry is added and the total number of entries exceeds this number, the bottom entry is removed from the list.</para> <para>The <guilabel>Maximum entries on Play Recent menu</guilabel> option on the <link linkend="settings-general">same page</link> of the global settings gives the maximum number of commands the <guisubmenu>Play Recent</guisubmenu> submenus can have. When a new entry is added and the total number of entries exceeds this number, the last entry is removed from the menus.</para> </sect2> <sect2 id="configuration-playlists"> <title>Playlists</title> <para>This section stores the playlists you create and lets you add new playlists and change or remove the existing ones. You can also add new playlists by selecting files, folders or streams elsewhere in the multimedia library, <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> clicking the selection and choosing <menuchoice><guisubmenu>Add to</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>New Playlist...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> from the popup menu. <mousebutton>Right</mousebutton> clicking a folder and choosing <menuchoice><guisubmenu>Add to</guisubmenu><guimenuitem>Playlists</guimenuitem></menuchoice> will also add the folder to the list of playlists.</para> <para><guisubmenu>Play List</guisubmenu> submenu on the <link linkend="menu-file"><guimenu>File</guimenu> menu</link> and <guisubmenu>Add to</guisubmenu> submenu on the <link linkend="menu-library"><guimenu>Library</guimenu> menu</link> as well as their equivalents on <link linkend="popup-menus">popup menus</link> each have a list of commands to either play a playlist or add new content to it. Each playlist in this section has its own command on each of those menus. When you add, remove or rename a playlist, the menus are updated to reflect the changes.</para> <para>The <guilabel>Maximum entries on playlist menus</guilabel> option on the <link linkend="settings-general"><guilabel>General</guilabel> page</link> of the &kplayer; Configuration dialog gives the maximum number of playlists that will be included on the submenus that work on playlists.</para> </sect2> <sect2 id="configuration-devices"> <title>Devices</title> <para>This section lists the disk and tuner devices available on your system as well as the <acronym>CD</acronym> tracks and <acronym>DVD</acronym> titles found on the disks you insert into the disk devices and the channels available on the tuner devices. &kplayer; puts any devices it finds on this list, and you can add new devices or remove existing ones.</para> <para>The <link linkend="menu-file"><guimenu>File</guimenu> menu</link> and some of the <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click <link linkend="popup-menus">popup menus</link> have submenus that let you easily access and play multimedia available on these devices. Each device from this section has its own <link linkend="submenu-device">submenu</link>. When you add, remove or rename a device, the menus are updated to reflect the changes.</para> <para>When &kplayer; finds titles on a <acronym>DVD</acronym> disk or tracks on a <acronym>CD</acronym> disk, it updates the corresponding menu to include commands to play the individual titles or tracks. &kplayer; looks for titles and tracks when you insert a disk into a drive or when you select <guimenuitem>Play Disk</guimenuitem> or <guimenuitem>Load Disk</guimenuitem> command for a disk device that does not yet have any titles or tracks listed.</para> <para>Similarly, when you change the channel list for a tuner device, &kplayer; updates the corresponding menu to include commands to play each of the available channels. The option to change the channel list is on the <link linkend="properties-general"><guilabel>General</guilabel> page</link> of the device properties dialog that you can open by selecting the device in the multimedia library and choosing the <guimenuitem>Properties...</guimenuitem> command from the <link linkend="menu-library"><guimenu>Library</guimenu> menu</link> or the <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click <link linkend="popup-library">popup menu</link>.</para> <para>To add a new device, select the <guilabel>Devices</guilabel> node and choose <menuchoice><guisubmenu>Add</guisubmenu> <guimenuitem>Device...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> command from the <link linkend="menu-library"><guimenu>Library</guimenu> menu</link> or the <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click <link linkend="popup-library">popup menu</link>. This will bring up a dialog box as shown below.</para> <mediaobject> <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="device-add.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject> <textobject> <phrase>Add device dialog</phrase> </textobject> </mediaobject> <para>Enter a unique descriptive name for the device into the <guilabel>Name</guilabel> field and the path to the device node under the <filename>/dev</filename> directory into the <guilabel>Path</guilabel> field. Select the device type from the <guilabel>Type</guilabel> drop down box. For a tuner device you will need to choose a channel list, and for TV device also an input driver. Click the <guibutton>OK</guibutton> button to add the device to the <interface>multimedia library</interface> and to the <guimenu>File</guimenu> menu and various <link linkend="popup-menus">popup menus</link>.</para> <para>There are many more device specific options that you can see and change in the <link linkend="properties">device properties dialog</link>. To open it, select the device in the <interface>multimedia library</interface> and choose the <guimenuitem>Properties...</guimenuitem> command from the <link linkend="menu-library"><guimenu>Library</guimenu> menu</link> or the <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click <link linkend="popup-library">popup menu</link>. For more information on disk and tuner device support in &kplayer; see the <link linkend="howto-devices">Devices micro-HOWTO</link>.</para> </sect2> <sect2 id="configuration-list-view"> <title>List view</title> <para>There are several ways you can customize the <interface>list view</interface> where the library shows the multimedia found in the folder you select from the <interface>tree view</interface>.</para> <para>The <guisubmenu>Columns</guisubmenu> submenu of the <link linkend="menu-library"><guimenu>Library</guimenu> menu</link> and the <link linkend="popup-library">library popup menu</link> allows you to choose what columns to show in the <interface>list view</interface>. Each available column has a command on this submenu that either shows or hides that column. What columns are available depends on the folder selected in the tree view and on its contents.</para> <para>To change the order of columns in the <interface>list view</interface>, click and drag a column header with the &LMB;. However, the <guilabel>Name</guilabel> always has to be the first column. To change the width of a column, click and drag the divider on the right side of the column header.</para> <para>To change the sorting order of items in the <interface>list view</interface>, <mousebutton>left</mousebutton> click the header of the column you want to sort by. To sort in the reverse order, click the same header again. The new sorting order will apply to all folders in the multimedia library, except for <link linkend="howto-library-playlist-folders">playlist folders</link> with a <link linkend="howto-library-ordering-sorting">custom order</link> of items.</para> </sect2> </sect1> <sect1 id="configuration-shortcuts"> <title>Shortcuts</title> <para>To change the shortcut key arrangements used by &kplayer; select <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem>Configure Shortcuts...</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. This will open a dialog box as shown below.</para> <mediaobject> <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="shortcuts-configure.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject> <textobject> <phrase>Shortcut configuration dialog</phrase> </textobject> </mediaobject> <para>If you change the key bindings, make sure not to duplicate an existing shortcut and also not to use the &Shift; key for your new shortcuts, because the &Shift; key has a <link linkend="howto-properties">special function</link> in &kplayer;.</para> <para>Search through the list to find the action for which you want to add or change the shortcut keys and select it by <mousebutton>left</mousebutton> clicking the name. You will then be able to change the shortcut by selecting the <guilabel>None</guilabel>, <guilabel>Default</guilabel> or <guilabel>Custom</guilabel> radio button or by clicking the large button in the <guilabel>Shortcut for Selected Action</guilabel> area. The <guilabel>Define Shortcut</guilabel> dialog box will then open.</para> <mediaobject> <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="shortcuts-define.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject> <textobject> <phrase>Define Shortcut dialog</phrase> </textobject> </mediaobject> <para>Choose whether you want to change the <guilabel>Primary</guilabel> or <guilabel>Alternate</guilabel> shortcut, then press the key or key combination you want to act as the shortcut. If the <guilabel>Auto-Close</guilabel> box is checked, the dialog will vanish as soon as you enter the key combination, else it will remain until you press <guibutton>OK</guibutton> or <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton>. Clicking the little black icon with a white cross in it clears the shortcut.</para> <sect2 id="configuration-userdefmenus"> <title>User defined menus</title> <para>You can add your own pop up menu to &kplayer;, so that pressing one key combination will make the menu appear, then pressing a second key, or using the <keysym>Up arrow</keysym> and <keysym>Down arrow</keysym> keys and pressing <keycap>Enter</keycap>, will select an item from it.</para> <para>To do this add a <guilabel>Custom</guilabel> shortcut for each of the actions you want to appear in the menu and in the <guilabel>Define Shortcut</guilabel> dialog check the <guilabel>Multi-Key</guilabel> box, press the key combination that you want to bring up your new menu, then, separately, press the key that will choose that item from the menu.</para> </sect2> </sect1> <sect1 id="configuration-toolbars"> <title>Toolbars</title> <sect2 id="configuration-toolbars-style"> <title>Toolbar style and position</title> <para>The <link linkend="popup-toolbar">toolbar popup menu</link> has several options to change the toolbar appearance. To display this menu, <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click the toolbar for which you want to change the options.</para> <para>The <guisubmenu>Orientation</guisubmenu> submenu contains options to place the toolbar at the <guimenuitem>Top</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>Bottom</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>Left</guimenuitem> or <guimenuitem>Right</guimenuitem> side of the &kplayer; window. You can also click and drag the toolbar by the handle on its left border with the &LMB; to move it to a new position. The <guimenuitem>Floating</guimenuitem> option displays the toolbar on top of other parts of &kplayer; window. The <guimenuitem>Flat</guimenuitem> option makes the toolbar show as small lines that you need to <mousebutton>left</mousebutton> click to expand the toolbar.</para> <para>The <guisubmenu>Text Position</guisubmenu> submenu allows you to display a description of each icon on the toolbar either underneath or alongside the icon, or display only the description instead of the icon. By default only the icon is displayed without the description.</para> <para>The <guisubmenu>Icon Size</guisubmenu> submenu allows you to choose the size of the icons on the toolbar. The choices are <guimenuitem>Default</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>Small</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>Medium</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>Large</guimenuitem> and <guimenuitem>Huge</guimenuitem>.</para> </sect2> <sect2 id="configuration-toolbars-dialog"> <title>Toolbar configuration dialog</title> <para>To configure &kplayer;'s toolbars, select <guimenuitem>Configure Toolbars...</guimenuitem> from the <link linkend="menu-settings"><guimenu>Settings</guimenu> menu</link> or from the <link linkend="popup-toolbar">toolbar popup menu</link>. This will open a dialog box as shown below.</para> <mediaobject> <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="toolbars-configure.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject> <textobject> <phrase>Toolbar configuration dialog</phrase> </textobject> </mediaobject> <para>The drop down list box at the top of this dialog shows the name of the selected toolbar and lets you switch to another toolbar. The <guilabel>Current actions</guilabel> list box shows the actions included on the currently selected toolbar, and the <guilabel>Available actions</guilabel> list box shows all the other actions that exist in &kplayer;.</para> <para>The buttons in the middle part of the dialog let you include or exclude actions from the selected toolbar and change the order of buttons and other elements on the toolbar. The right arrow button puts the action selected in the <guilabel>Available actions</guilabel> box on the toolbar, and the left arrow button takes the action selected in the <guilabel>Current actions</guilabel> box off the toolbar. The up and down arrow buttons move the action selected in the <guilabel>Current actions</guilabel> box back and forward within the toolbar respectively.</para> <para>To be included on a toolbar, an action needs an icon that will be shown on the toolbar if the action is shown as a button. Some actions already have icons, but for others you need to choose one. The <guilabel>Change Icon...</guilabel> button opens a dialog box that allows you to choose an icon for the selected action.</para> <mediaobject> <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="toolbars-change-icon.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject> <textobject> <phrase>Change icon dialog</phrase> </textobject> </mediaobject> <para>When the <guilabel>System icons</guilabel> option is selected, the drop down box on the right lets you select a category of system icons to choose an icon from. By default the <guilabel>Actions</guilabel> category is selected that shows the action icons in your system icon theme. If you have icons other than the system icon theme that you want to choose from, select the <guilabel>Other icons</guilabel> option and click the <guibutton>Browse</guibutton> button to open the standard dialog to find the directory where your icons are stored. The <guilabel>Search</guilabel> box lets you filter the icons by name.</para> </sect2> </sect1> <sect1 id="configuration-dialog"> <title>Other settings</title> <para>&kde; is known as the most flexible and configurable desktop environment, and &kplayer; is no exception. In addition to the configuration options described in previous sections, there are many more options, most of which are accessible through the <link linkend="settings">&kplayer; configuration dialog</link>. Select <menuchoice><guimenu>Settings</guimenu><guimenuitem> Configure &kplayer;...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to open it.</para> <para>The dialog is divided into several sections. Some of them affect &kplayer; behavior, including <link linkend="settings-general">general</link> options. The <link linkend="settings-controls">Controls section</link> tells &kplayer; which changes it should remember globally and which ones it should store in individual <link linkend="howto-properties">file properties</link>, and its subsections allow you to fine tune individual &kplayer; controls, including <link linkend="settings-progress">progress</link>, <link linkend="settings-volume">volume</link>, <link linkend="settings-contrast">contrast</link>, <link linkend="settings-brightness">brightness</link>, <link linkend="settings-hue">hue</link>, <link linkend="settings-saturation">saturation</link>, and <link linkend="settings-sliders">slider controls</link> in general. Other sections affect options that &kplayer; uses for interaction with <link linkend="howto-installation-mplayer">&mplayer;</link> and control various aspect of multimedia playback, including <link linkend="settings-video">video</link>, <link linkend="settings-audio">audio</link>, <link linkend="settings-subtitles">subtitles</link> and <link linkend="settings-advanced">advanced</link> options.</para> <para>The <link linkend="settings">Configuration dialog chapter</link> gives complete details on each section and all the available options. Also the <link linkend="howto-settings">Advanced configuration micro-HOWTO</link> describes some of the more advanced options in more detail.</para> <para>Some additional options that apply to the main &kplayer; window are available from the <link linkend="popup-title-bar">title bar popup menu</link> that you can get by <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> clicking the <link linkend="parts-title-bar">title bar</link> or <mousebutton>left</mousebutton> clicking the little button in the top left corner of &kplayer; window or by pressing <keycombo action="simul">&Alt;<keycap>F3</keycap></keycombo>.</para> </sect1> <sect1 id="configuration-properties"> <title>File properties</title> <para>&kplayer; has a unique feature that lets you choose many different options on per-file basis. These options are called File Properties and are stored along with the <acronym>URL</acronym> of each individual file or network location.</para> <para>There are two ways to set a file property. The easiest one is by holding down the &Shift; key when changing a setting like video size or aspect, sound volume, video contrast or brightness, etc. &kplayer; will apply the change to the currently loaded file and remember it in the corresponding file property. When it loads another file, it will revert the setting back to where it was before the change (unless the other file also has the same property set). When you load and play that first file again, &kplayer; will again apply the change you made to the setting and keep it until you load another file or <acronym>URL</acronym>.</para> <para>The other way to set a file property is through the <link linkend="properties">File Properties dialog</link>. The properties in the dialog are arranged according to their function. General properties like <guilabel>Name</guilabel>, <guilabel>Length</guilabel> and others are in the <link linkend="properties-general">General</link> section. Properties that control the video size are in the <link linkend="properties-size">Size</link> section. Other sections contain properties that affect &kplayer; interaction with <link linkend="howto-installation-mplayer">&mplayer;</link> and control multimedia playback, including <link linkend="properties-video">video</link>, <link linkend="properties-audio">audio</link>, <link linkend="properties-subtitles">subtitles</link> and <link linkend="properties-advanced">advanced</link> properties.</para> <para>Select <menuchoice><guimenu>File</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Properties...</guimenuitem></menuchoice> to open the properties of the current file or <acronym>URL</acronym>. You can also <mousebutton>right</mousebutton> click an item in the <link linkend="parts-library"><interface>multimedia library</interface></link> and select the <guimenuitem>Properties...</guimenuitem> command to open the properties dialog for that item.</para> <para>The <link linkend="properties">File properties dialog chapter</link> gives complete details on each section and all the available properties. Also the <link linkend="howto-properties">File properties micro-HOWTO</link> describes this feature in more detail and gives some examples.</para> </sect1> </chapter>