The emphatic.xml file
emphatic uses
an XML-based configuration mechanism. For those not familiar
with the XML language, it is an
HTML-like markup language, but instead of specifying
presentation of information as HTML does,
it's meant to specify only content. In emphatic's case, this
content is emphatic's
configuration.
The structure
of the emphatic.xml
is specified
in the emphatic.dtd
file included
with the software. The DTD is
commented, and these comments serve as the documentation for
all of the various configuration
options. emphatic is very
customizable,
thus, there are many different XML elements and
attributes to learn about, and many nuances to how you can use
the emphatic.xml
file to
configure emphatic.
For more
information on how to customize emphatic, please take a look
at emphatic.dtd
in
the
distribution archive.
Some of
the highlights of emphatic's configuration are listed
below.
Custom Display Modes
Called "info
modes" in prior version of emphatic, display modes are a brand
new way to view track information on your
empeg. Now you're in control of where information is, how
it's displayed, and
even when
it's
displayed. You can even choose a specific visual to be in
the background of the track
information, and add graphical elements like status bars and
volume knobs. Also new in
this version is the ability to designate a "global mode" which
contains info elements which are
displayed in all display modes.
There's too
much flexibility to go into here, but the default emphatic
configuration should give you an idea of what's
possible. Much more is planned in this area in the
future, so stay tuned!
Custom Menus
You can also
customize emphatic's menu, including nested submenus, access to
the empeg player's built-in menu,
and access to virtually any player function by sending IR
codes. If you can do it with one or
more remote button presses, you can do it with just one press
of a menu item.
Button Configuration
You can
configure certain buttons to be interpreted by emphatic for
navigating menus, changing modes, and activating
other emphatic functions.
Arcade-Style Search Input
When I first
implemented this, I did so as kind of a joke, and I wasn't sure
how useful it would be. But if you
don't have a remote handy, it's a lifesaver for doing searches!
By defining a menu item with "arkanoid"
input, you will be able to enter the numbers 0-9, "OK",
"Cancel," and "Select Mode" using only
the front-panel knob (many apologies to Mk1 owners on this
one.) To use it, rotate the knob
to select the numbers (letters) you want to input. When
you've entered enough letters that
you're close to the item you want, hold down the knob for a bit
and the cursor will change to
"scroll," at which point, the knob can be used to scroll to the
exact item you want. When the
item you want is highlighted, click the knob and the cursor
will change to "OK." While "OK" is
displayed, holding down the knob will cycle through the
"Append, Insert, Enqueue, Replace" modes.
Once you're finished, click "OK" and your search is
executed. It's hard to explain here, but
do it a few times and you'll get the hang of it.
Song Ratings
emphatic now
allows you to input song ratings which are saved on the empeg
player. These ratings can then be used
in a custom shuffle mode to weight your favorite
(highest-rated) songs first. By adding a
random component to the shuffle, you can provide a nice shuffle
mode that favors higher-rated
songs, but still mixes in lesser-rated songs.
The rating
function can be activated either from the emphatic menu, or by
assigning a remote button to the rating
functionality. These options can be customized in the XML
configuration file.