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PlaLa – the hörbert PlaylistLanguage

Do you have questions about PlaLa? Please write directly here in the comment section below the post.
Our general customer service cannot provide developer support for PlaLa.

With the hörbert PlaLa (“PlaylistLanguage”), hörbert (model from October 2021 with hörbert_V2 board and higher) can be extensively configured. PlaLa originated from the idea of providing tailored solutions for our customers’ very individual issues without having to write a custom firmware every time, which would be quite ineffective and expensive for the customers.

PlaLa and this documentation are aimed at hobbyists (m/f/d), tinkerers (m/f/d), makers (m/f/d), and all technology enthusiasts who want to squeeze the maximum potential out of their hörbert or want to implement specific use cases, such as a museum player with special functions for people with disabilities, or simply as the cleverest audio solution without needing to develop their own firmware.

PlaLa is useful, but please remember the users!

Many functions that should remain hidden from hörbert users due to their complexity can be combined into a clever application using PlaLa. In standard operation without PlaLa commands, we ensure that hörbert always behaves consistently and simply, so that users do not lose confidence in their hörbert and their capabilities. For example, a “random playback function” is not a blessing for all users.

PlaLa and Firmware Updates

Especially for PlaLa users, beta versions of hörbert’s firmware are interesting. Customer inquiries for which we introduce new PlaLa commands are usually answered with a new beta version of the firmware, which then understands new PlaLa commands. However, these are beta versions that still need to be extensively tested, and the use of beta versions of the firmware is at your own risk.

The hot end of hörbert: PlaLa is in a permanent alpha stage! We reserve the right to make changes to existing PlaLa commands and settings at any time. Those who tinker with this do so at their own risk.
We are not completely immune to later insights. If there’s really no other way, an existing command may have to be changed. That always remains the last resort – alternatively, there may be very similar commands that achieve almost the same effect, so that the ‘old’ command does not need to be changed for existing customers. But afterwards, no one should say they weren’t warned.

In the current expansion stage of hörbert, PlaLa commands must be written in files with a text editor, which are then copied to the memory card. A subset of PlaLa commands is already used by the hörbert software to make settings, and the use of an editor is not necessary for this.

Where is the PlaLa used?

PlaylistLanguage is named this way because it includes control data for hörbert in playlist files.

 

Playlist files for hörbert have the extension .m3u The file index.m3u on a memory card is read first when hörbert starts. This file can contain configuration commands that should have a global effect on hörbert, e.g. settings for the sleep timer or for external buttons.

 

In each playlist, additional .m3u files can be stored with the same name as a media file. If a file 1.mp3 exists in a playlist, you can also create a file 1.m3u. 1.m3u will then be read and executed before 1.mp3.

 

PlaLa commands can control system functions such as volume, or they can be used to perform specific jumps to other tracks, set pauses, and much more.

What does the PlaLa syntax look like?

PlaLa commands are inserted into .m3u files as M3u comments. This does not interfere with other playlist reading software, and hörbert responds to anything that starts with
#hoerbert:
A commented-out PlaLa command looks like this:
##hoerbert:
Here is an example of a valid PlaLa file called index.m3u, starting with 3 SET Mode commands and containing additional commands, as well as explanatory comments:
#EXTM3U

## Disable microphone. Press SET button twice to read this setting
#hoerbert:set_mode_microphone 0

## Disable Bluetooth. Press SET button twice to read this setting
#hoerbert:set_mode_bluetooth 0

## Disable WiFi. Press SET button twice to read this setting
#hoerbert:set_mode_wifi 0

## How should recordings be started?
#0 Recording starts by holding the black button and pressing the gray button
#1 Recording starts by long-pressing a playlist button
#2 Recording only while holding a playlist button for a long time
#3 Recording starts when a playlist button is long-pressed, and the knob is turned to the right during that time
#hoerbert:recording_button_mode 1

# Start with the first song of the red playlist after inserting new batteries (Cold start)
#hoerbert:play_after_cold_boot 0.1.0.0

Address-Modifier

For jumps to other titles or the unique identification of a title, an addressing scheme is used, which we call Address-Modifier. (“Address” with double-d, because we use English terms in the PlaLa).
Here the Address-Modifier are explained:

PlaLa Commands

Documentation of global commands and commands that can be used in playlists

SET Mode Commands

A special group of configuration commands are the SET commands, which are only processed by hörbert if they…
…a) are listed in the index.m3u file, and
…b) hörbert is put into Set mode by pressing the SET button inside hörbert after being turned on, and…
…c) these settings are saved by pressing the SET button again.
This prevents particularly fundamental settings from being unintentionally overwritten by switching between memory cards.

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