Is there a way to create shortcuts within Rockbox?

[cocopugg]

I've been searching but can't find the answer. I was wondering if there is anyway to create shortcut files within Rockbox? For example, suppose you have 2 or more albums that contain the exact file, with a shortcut file we can save the extra space of having to duplicate the same mp3. Thanks.

[UnholyNewbkilla]

I don't know man. I wonder the same thing. It would make things a lot easier..

[GodEater]

Yes - use the shortcuts plugin. This doesn't appear to be in the manual yet, which I should really sort out given I wrote the initial version of it

Briefly : Navigate through the file browser to the file / directory you wish to create a shortcut to. Bring up the File Menu (check the manual for your player on how to do this) and choose "Add to shortcuts". This will create a file called "shortcuts.link" (or just shortcuts if you only have "View supported" set) in the root directory of your player. You can perform this step for many files, and all of them will be added to this shortcuts file.

When you later want to use those shortcuts, simply select the shortcuts.link file in the browser, open it, and you'll be presented with a list of the shortcuts you made earlier. Selecting one of them will then drop the filebrowser into the relevant directory, with the file you chose already hilighted. Voila.

[bascule]

That isn't what the OP wanted, though. His description is more like a symlinked file that you could view from the File Browser in one directory, but actually loaded a music file from another...

...and no, that's not possible...

...ans I personally don't see a use for it, but obviously there are others that do

[GodEater]

Ah yes I see - misread the post.

[fml2]

That isn't what the OP wanted, though. His description is more like a symlinked file that you could view from the File Browser in one directory, but actually loaded a music file from another...

Yes, here I agree

...and no, that's not possible...

But here I'd disagree. IIRC, if you create a shortcut file with just one entry but then rename it so that its name is no more the default "shortcuts.link" but, say, "myfile.link", then you'll jump to that location after selecting (='playing') the .link-file in the browser. I.e. the .link file works just as a symlink.

But I can't verify this now -- just out of my head.

[GodEater]

You're talking about a feature of Windows here. Windows != Rockbox.

[fml2]

You're talking about a feature of Windows here. Windows != Rockbox.

No, I'm talking about the feature of the shortcuts plugin (viewer part of it, which should be activated when a .link file is 'played').

[GodEater]

Yes - but that still doesn't acheive what the OP wants.

[fml2]

Yes - but that still doesn't acheive what the OP wants.

Yes, I stand corrected. The 'symlinks' are just a feature of the plugin, they are not known at the file system level.

[cocopugg]

...ans I personally don't see a use for it, but obviously there are others that do

You're kidding? You can't see the benefits of saving tens if not hundreds of megs,  worth of multiple mp3s that exist throughout a complete album collection? It just seems like wasted space that could be better used by the addition of different mp3s, if such a short cut option existed. So what you are  saying is that not only does Rockbox not support such an option, but it would be techinically impossible to create?

[melancholydm]

if that annoys you.... you could always use the database for browsing your songs, no need to worry about duplicates

[AlexP]

As far as I know, FAT32 does not support symlinks.  

Could you achieve what you want by having a m3u in directory B pointing at a single track in directory A?

[GodEater]

Yeah, I'm sorry but the way to achieve what you want is through playlists - not through trying to hack some feature into the FAT32 file system.