A.2 File Menu

As its name implies, the File menu in iTunes (and any other computer program, for that matter) is where you go to do things with files: open them, export them, create new ones, and so on.

A.2.1 New Playlist

The iTunes program was made for music, and the first item on the menu creates a new, empty playlist file that you can fill with the songs of your choice from your music collection (Section 4.9.1). Keyboard shortcut: -N (Mac), Ctrl+N ( Windows ).

A.2.2 New Playlist From Selection

When strolling through your library, you can quickly make instant playlists by selecting an artist or album and selecting "New Playlist From Selection" on the File menu (Section 4.9.1). To select only certain songs from the artist or album shown in the song details window, press while clicking song titles. (Pressing Shift highlights all the songs between your first and second selection clicks.) Keyboard shortcut: With the desired songs highlighted, Shift- -N (Mac), or just Shift-click the Add button; Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows).

A.2.3 New Smart Playlist (iTunes 4 and later)

As described in Chapter 4, Smart Playlists work like this: You give iTunes a set of rules, like the bands you want to hear or the genre you're in the mood for ( "No Air Supply or other '80s Lite on this one, iTunes!," and the program goes shopping through your music library to create a customized playlist. The list even updates itself when you add new music to your collection. Keyboard shortcut: Option- -N (or Option-click the Add button in the iTunes window) on the Mac; Ctrl+Alt+N (or Shift-click the Add button) on the PC.

A.2.4 Add (File) to Library

If you've just downloaded the new MP3 single that a hot new band posted for free on its Web site, you can get it into rotation on your playlists by choosing File Add to Library and selecting the song file from your download location. The Add to Library command is just one way to add new songs to your iTunes music library (for others, see Section 4.4). Keyboard shortcut: -O (Mac), Ctrl+O (Windows).

A.2.5 Add Folder to Library (Windows Only)

This command lets you add an entire folder's worth of sound files to iTunes for Windows.

A.2.6 Close Window

If you have a bunch of open playlist windows and need to get some screen real estate back in a hurry, use File Close Window to close the active iTunes window. Key board shortcut: -W (Mac), Ctrl+W (Windows).

NOTE

Many people find the keyboard command for Close Window ( -W) to be much more efficient than taking the mouse for a joyride through the File menu. See page 325 for a list of other keyboard shortcuts.

A.2.7 Import (iTunes 4 and later)

If you have a playlist of which you're particularly proud on one computer and want to copy it to another computer, you can export it (see the next item) from iTunes. Then you copy it to a disk or email it to yourself and use File Import to pull that playlist into iTunes on the second computer. Keyboard shortcut: Shift- -O (Mac), Ctrl+Shift+O (Windows).

A.2.8 Export Song List

You can save copies of your masterful iTunes mixes in three different formats: plain text, Unicode text, and XML (Extensible Markup Language, which is, among other things, the new wave of the Web). Saving a song list in one of the text formats is useful for making a printed list for a CD cover or importing into a database. Saving the song list as XML allows you to import it into iTunes on another computer.

A.2.9 Export Library (iTunes 4 and later)

If you want to export all of the playlists in your library at once, choose the Export Library option to create a large XML file containing all the information.

A.2.10 Get Info

Much like the old standard Macintosh command, selecting a song from the library or a playlist and choosing File Get Info in iTunes opens the Song Information box (Section 4.7.4). In the Summary tab, you can see such trivia as the name, size , length, and location of the file, plus the last time you played it. Click the Info tab to edit the labels on the songs in the library, and the Options tab to make adjustments like adding a specific equalizer preset or song rating (which are features of iTunes 3 and later). Click the Artwork tab to add photos and graphics to your iTunes files (Section 4.3.4). Keyboard shortcut: -I (Mac), Ctrl+I (Windows); see page 326 for keyboard shortcuts for navigating the Get Info window.

A.2.11 Edit Smart Playlist

Even Smart Playlists can start to sound dumb after awhile. If you want to go back and make some adjustments to your automatic song-selection requirements, click the desired Smart Playlist in the iTunes source list and then choose Edit Smart Play-list. The Preferences box for that particular playlist pops up so that you can adjust its settings. Keyboard shortcut: Option-click the + button below the Source list (Mac); Shift-click the + button (Windows).

A.2.12 Show Song File

The song titles listed in the Library and playlists windows are only pointers that link to the actual digital audio file in the iTunes Music folder on your hard drive. The Show Song File command pops open the folder, revealing the actual song file in the Finder or in Windows Explorer. Keyboard shortcut: -R (Mac), Ctrl+R (Windows).

NOTE

If you originally ripped the song from a CD, the folder name is usually the same name as the album, which itself is typically buried inside another folder or two, like Russian nesting dolls .

To cut to the chase and see the file path of the song on the Mac, -click the window name in the title bar. You get a pop-up menu that shows your nested-folder hierarchy, revealing the exact location of the actual audio file.

In Windows XP, just glance up at the address bar to see the file's complete path.

A.2.13 Show Current Song

If you want to name that tune but can't remember what it is, choose Show Current Song to refresh your memory. Whatever you're playing at the momentwhether a radio station, MP3 file, or CD trackis highlighted in the song list. Keyboard short-cut: -L (Mac), Ctrl+L (Windows).

A.2.14 Burn Playlist to CD

You can make a home- cooked compact disc from the current playlist in your iTunes window by selecting Burn Playlist to CD. Right away, the circular Burn CD button in the top right corner of the iTunes window spins open to reveal its yellow and black icon, and the status display window asks you to insert a blank CD. (To back out of the deal if you change your mind, click the small gray X in the status display window.)

A.2.15 Update Songs on iPod

If you have the iPod connected while you're ripping new songs or composing new playlists, this command sends the new data directly to the iPod without your having to disconnect and reconnect the player to jump-start the autosync function.

NOTE

As with just about every Mac program before the arrival of Mac OS X, the last item on the iTunes File menu in Mac OS 9 is the Quit command to close the program.

A.2.16 Exit (Windows only)

Mac fans quit their programs; in Windows, you exit them by choosing this command from the File menu.