Shuffle and re-write file names in a website directory

[KennyP]

Hi guys,

Is it possible, with php, to shuffle and re-write the numbers/names of a list of songs in a website directory?

That is, in a website folder I have songs named "1.mp3" through "22.mp3"

Can a php script be made to automatically run on page load (or at least once a day) that can shuffle and re-write

the numbers of the mp3 files?


Thanks,

Kenny

[Beverleyh]

Untested, but something like this;

<?php 
$dir = '/home/www/mywebsite.com/mp3s/'; // root path to files
$exts = '/\.(mp3)$/'; // only these file types (mp3|mp4|wma)
if ($hd = opendir($dir)) { 
    while (false !== ($fname = readdir($hd))) { 
        if (preg_match('/^\.{1,2}$/', $fname)) continue; // exclude current directory, parent directory 
        if (!preg_match($exts, $fname)) continue; // exclude file types not in $exts 
         $files_array[] = $dir.$fname;
        }
    }
shuffle($files_array); // shuffle 
foreach($files_array as $track) {
    $track = str_replace($dir, '', $track); // just track name
    echo "<a href='http://www.mywebsite.com/music/$track">$track</a>\n";
    }
closedir($hd); 
?>

[Nile]

Beverly's script will only print out a list, shuffling the names. Is that what you wanted? I assumed you actually wanted the files renamed.

[KennyP]

Thank you Beverly and Nile for your replies.

Yes, I actually would like the files renamed, so that a flash site's built-in player will play them randomly.

Otherwise, I would like to use the following script I found to read the mp3 file names in a directory, and then output an updated xml file called "options.xml," from which the player can read them.

Please tell me which is the best way to do it?

Script I found:

<?
/* directory to go through */
$file_dir = 'mp3';

/* temporary storage for the filenames */
$files = array();

/* open directory */
$dir = opendir($file_dir);

/* loop through directory */
while ( $file = readdir($dir) )
{
    if ($file != '.' && $file != '..')
    {
        /* push into array of files */
        array_push( $files, $file );    
    }
}

/* shuffle the order of filenames in the array */
shuffle( $files );

/* print beginning of XML doc */
echo '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>'."\n";
echo '<songs>'."\n";

/* loop through files */
foreach( $files as $file ) {
    list($name, $ext) = explode('.', $file);
    list($artist, $title) = explode('-', $name);
    echo "\t".'<song path="'.$file.'" artist="'.$artist.'" title="'.$title.'"></song>'."\n";
}

/* close XML file */
echo '</songs>'."\n";
?>

My adaption of the script:

<?
/* directory to go through */
$file_dir = '/music';

/* temporary storage for the filenames */
$files = array();

/* open directory */
$dir = opendir($file_dir);

/* loop through directory */
while ( $file = readdir($dir) )
{
    if ($file != '.' && $file != '..')
    {
        /* push into array of files */
        array_push( $files, $file );    
    }
}

/* shuffle the order of filenames in the array */
shuffle( $files );

/* print beginning of XML doc */
echo '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<options>

	<general
		websitetitle="Guy Arseneau"
		
		headerminheight="120"
		headermaxheight="150"
		
		bodybgcolor="0xffffff"
		bodybgalpha="0.1"
		bodybgblur="15"
		bodybgtoppadding="20"
		bodybgrounded="10"
		
		modulebgcolor="0x000000"
		modulebgalpha="0.4"
		
		templatewidth="980"
		templateheight="555"
		
		logourl="logo/logo.png"
		logoorientation="left"
		logoheight="120"
		logopadding="-20"
		logoclicklink="index.html#/home"  
		logoclicktarget="_top"
		
		menufont="Arial"
		menufontbold="true"
		textfont="Arial"
		
		menualign="center"
		menubarcolor="0x000000"
		menubaralpha="0.4"
		menubarheight="40"
		menubarpadding="30"
		menubarrounded="10"
		menufontsize="17"
		menuspacing="22"
		menuidlecolor="0xcccccc"
		menuselectcolor="0xFFBE59"
		menushadowdistance="0"
		menushadowstrength="0"
		menushadowopacity="0"
		
		submenubgcolor="0x000000"
		submenubgopacity="0.7"
		submenufontsize="14"
		submenupadding="25"
		submenuspacing="10"
		submenubottomrounded="10"
		submenuidlecolor="0xaaaaaa"
		submenuselectcolor="0xffffff"
		submenubgshadowdistance="3"
		submenubgshadowstrength="5"
		submenubgshadowopacity="0.1"
		
		moduletoppadding="0"
		
		footerheight="40"
		footerpadding="30"
		footerbottompadding="10"
		footerbgopacity="0.6"
		footerbgrounded="10"
		footerbgcolor="0x000000"
		footerpixelopacity="0"
		footerpixelcolor="0x000000"
		footershadowdistance="0"
		footershadowstrength="0"
		footershadowopacity="0"
		footertextshadowdistance="0"
		footertextshadowstrength="0"
		footertextshadowopacity="0"
		
		musicfullscreenrightpadding="10"
		musicfullscreenbottompadding="0"
		musicfullscreencolor="0xaaaaaa"
		musicfullscreenopacity="0.4"
	/>'."\n";
echo '<musicentries
		musicactivated="true"
		musicvolumecolor="0xffb66e"
		musicvolumebgcolor="0x2f2924"
		musiciconcolor="0xffffff"
		musicbuttoncolor="0x1e1a17"
		musicstartvolume="0.30"
		
		musicplayerwidth="250"
		musicplayerpadding="10"
		musicplayerbgopacity="0.9"
		musicplayertoprounded="10"
		musicvolumeheight="30"
		musicentryheight="24"
		musicentryfontsize="11"
		musicentryfontcolor="0xaaaaaa"
		musicentrybgcolor="0x1e1a17"
		musicentrybgopacity="0.4"
>'."\n";

/* loop through files */
foreach( $files as $file ) {
    list($name, $ext) = explode('.', $file);
   // list($artist, $title) = explode('-', $name);
    echo "\t".'<song urllink="'.$file.'"> Select - track<title="'.$title.'"></song>'."\n";
}

/* close XML file */
echo '</musicentries>

	<footertext>
	<![CDATA[
		<ft>Copyrighted 2014 by Guy Arseneau, New York City, USA, All Rights Reserved</ft>
	]]>
	</footertext>

</options>

'."\n";
?>

The page, options.xml, I need to output:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

<options>

	<general
		websitetitle="Guy Arseneau"
		
		headerminheight="120"
		headermaxheight="150"
		
		bodybgcolor="0xffffff"
		bodybgalpha="0.1"
		bodybgblur="15"
		bodybgtoppadding="20"
		bodybgrounded="10"
		
		modulebgcolor="0x000000"
		modulebgalpha="0.4"
		
		templatewidth="980"
		templateheight="555"
		
		logourl="logo/logo.png"
		logoorientation="left"
		logoheight="120"
		logopadding="-20"
		logoclicklink="index.html#/home"  
		logoclicktarget="_top"
		
		menufont="Arial"
		menufontbold="true"
		textfont="Arial"
		
		menualign="center"
		menubarcolor="0x000000"
		menubaralpha="0.4"
		menubarheight="40"
		menubarpadding="30"
		menubarrounded="10"
		menufontsize="17"
		menuspacing="22"
		menuidlecolor="0xcccccc"
		menuselectcolor="0xFFBE59"
		menushadowdistance="0"
		menushadowstrength="0"
		menushadowopacity="0"
		
		submenubgcolor="0x000000"
		submenubgopacity="0.7"
		submenufontsize="14"
		submenupadding="25"
		submenuspacing="10"
		submenubottomrounded="10"
		submenuidlecolor="0xaaaaaa"
		submenuselectcolor="0xffffff"
		submenubgshadowdistance="3"
		submenubgshadowstrength="5"
		submenubgshadowopacity="0.1"
		
		moduletoppadding="0"
		
		footerheight="40"
		footerpadding="30"
		footerbottompadding="10"
		footerbgopacity="0.6"
		footerbgrounded="10"
		footerbgcolor="0x000000"
		footerpixelopacity="0"
		footerpixelcolor="0x000000"
		footershadowdistance="0"
		footershadowstrength="0"
		footershadowopacity="0"
		footertextshadowdistance="0"
		footertextshadowstrength="0"
		footertextshadowopacity="0"
		
		musicfullscreenrightpadding="10"
		musicfullscreenbottompadding="0"
		musicfullscreencolor="0xaaaaaa"
		musicfullscreenopacity="0.4"
	/>
	
	<musicentries 
		musicactivated="true"
		musicvolumecolor="0xffb66e"
		musicvolumebgcolor="0x2f2924"
		musiciconcolor="0xffffff"
		musicbuttoncolor="0x1e1a17"
		musicstartvolume="0.30"
		
		musicplayerwidth="250"
		musicplayerpadding="10"
		musicplayerbgopacity="0.9"
		musicplayertoprounded="10"
		musicvolumeheight="30"
		musicentryheight="24"
		musicentryfontsize="11"
		musicentryfontcolor="0xaaaaaa"
		musicentrybgcolor="0x1e1a17"
		musicentrybgopacity="0.4"
	>

		<song 
			urllink="music/1.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 1
		</song>
		
		<song 
			urllink="music/2.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 2
		</song>
		
		<song 
			urllink="music/3.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 3
		</song>	
		
	   <song 
			urllink="music/4.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 4
		</song>	

		<song 
			urllink="music/5.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 5
		</song>

		<song 
			urllink="music/6.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 6
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/7.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 7
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/8.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 8
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/9.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 9
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/10.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 10
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/11.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 11
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/12.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 12
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/13.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 13
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/14.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 14
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/15.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 15
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/16.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 16
		</song>	

		<song 
			urllink="music/17.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 17
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/18.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 18
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/19.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 19
		</song>		


		<song 
			urllink="music/20.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 20
		</song>	
			
		<song 
			urllink="music/21.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 21
		</song>		

		<song 
			urllink="music/22.mp3"
		>
		Select - Track 22
		</song>		
</musicentries>    
	
	<footertext>
	<![CDATA[
		<ft>Copyrighted 2014 by Guy Arseneau, New York City, USA, All Rights Reserved</ft>
	]]>
	</footertext>

</options>

[Nile]

I'm not quite sure of your question above, but the following script should effectively shuffle the names of all your files in a directory that match the specified pattern on line 3:

<?php

$files = glob( "*.mp3" ); // desired pattern

$shuffled = $files;
shuffle( $shuffled );

foreach( $files as $key => $filename )
{
    rename( $filename, $filename . "-old" );
}

foreach( $files as $key => $filename )
{
    rename( $filename . "-old", $shuffled[$key] );
}

It seems a bit roundabout to be doing this in PHP when you could shuffle the order the songs are played in Actionscript, but who uses Actionscript anyways these days?

[KennyP]

Thank you Nile, that is exactly what I want to do, but how is it set up?

Doesn't it need a path added to the MP3 directory, as Beverly wrote?

Also, can the script be made to run either on page load or at least once a day, without setting up a cron job?

[Nile]

The paths are relative, so changing what's inside of the double quotes on the third line acts as your path. If the PHP file is in the same directory as all the mp3s, you don't need to change anything. If it isn't, you'll need to change the path (what's inside the double quotes is equal to Beverly's $dir variable, but with the addition of a file pattern, e.g., "*.mp3").

The script does run on page load, so that's covered. To assure that it runs least once a day you'll need a cron job or something like.

[KennyP]

Thank you so much, Nile and Beverly. I will implement the script on the website and will report back.

[KennyP]

Thank you, it works just great. Whatever number of mp3's I upload into the music directory get shuffled perfectly on every page load.

Thank you again,

Kenny

[Nile]

Glad it's working for you.

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