Posted by Ed Mullen on 10/17/06 14:41

Paul Jones wrote:
> Harlan Messinger wrote:
>
>> If the user wants to listen to it now, why is it your business to tell
>> him to download it and listen to it later? Or vice versa?
>
> I'm giving the user the option of listening to the track(s) on a
> separate button within the same html page. In fact, there are several
> MP3s - it's all rather more complex than I said. What I don't want is
> the user having to exit to a new page to listen to the song and then
> having to reload the page (and lose lose his place) to listen
> to/download other tracks.
>
> So, is there no way to do what I want - not even with java/javascript?
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>

If you simply provide a link to the mp3 file, then the user's browser
configuration will dictate what happens when he left-clicks. It may
play the file using a browser plug-in with a small pop-up controller.
It may launch a separate application (in my case, Winamp) to play the
file. If there is no such functionality defined in the browser setup,
the user should get a pop-up asking what to do with the file. At that
point he could play it in a selected external app or download/save it.
Further, by providing a direct link to the file the user can right-click
and save the file for later playing in his favorite audio app.

You could use an embedded approach rather than a simple link. However,
that is fraught with issues that go back to the differing possible
system configurations of your users. Likewise, invoking a java player
applet can't be guaranteed to work for everyone. Some people don't have
java installed.

On my site I simply provide direct links to the mp3 files.

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
http://mozilla.edmullen.net
http://abington.edmullen.net
Sex: In America an obsession. In other parts of the world a fact. -
Marlene Dietrich

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