Playing exported files on your computer

Let's say that you have created some speech in a workbook and exported it (by clicking the Export Button). The program will now take the purple beans the user has created on that page and turn them into one or more mp3 files, which will be placed in that user's Export Folder on your computer.

So what do you do now? This page tells you how to play the exported files on your computer. Later sections will tell you how to play them in other situations, but the first step is to understand how your computer plays sound files.

The first step is to locate your Export Folder. Let's say you chose to have this folder on your desktop. Then you will see a folder named "SentenceShaper exported messages for <your name>" on the desktop. Let's also assume that you have just exported a workbook called "Summer Vacation". When you open your Export Folder, you will see a sub-folder named "Summer Vacation ". (Note: Do not use folders with "FOR INTERNET" in their names...these are only for posting on web pages.)

When you open this sub-folder, you'll see something like the screenshot shown here. You'll see the individual mp3 files for each page, which will have names like "Page_1_Speech.mp3", along with the playlist file (circled in red). There will also be some picture files, which will have names like "Page_1_Picture.jpeg" which you should ignore right now (they are only used for making movies).

Playing a single mp3 file

To play one of the mp3 files (the files with "Speech" in their names), try double-clicking on it. This should open your default music player (for example, Windows Media Player), and cause it to play the mp3 file. If nothing happens, you may have to right-click on the mp3 file and choose "Open with...", then select a program to play the file. It all depends on how your computer is set up.

If the workbook page you had a picture on it, that picture should be be shown when you play the mp3 file. Also, if you typed in a text caption, it should also be displayed when the mp3 file is played.

The second screenshot on this page shows an exported workbook page playing in Windows Media Player (top) and iTunes (bottom). Some older software for playing mp3 files may not show the exported picture, but all you may need to do is to download a newer version of the sound file player.

Different media (music) players behave differently. QuickTime and RealPlayer may not show the pictures, but Windows Media Player and itunes do.

In summary... whenever you play exported mp3 files, the same thing will probably happen: the computer will launch the default music player, or ask you to select one. In most cases, you will see the exported page pictures and text captions while the mp3 files are playing.

Playlists: How to play an entire exported workbook

The playlist file (outlined in red in the first screenshot) tells the computer which mp3 files to play, and in what order. It will have a name that begins with the word "PLAYLIST" and ends in ".m3u".In the example above, it is named "PLAYLIST Summer Vacation.m3u".

To play an entire playlist, double-click on this playlist file. This should open your default music player (for example, Windows Media Player), and cause it to play all the exported mp3 files in order. You may have to right-click on the playlist file and choose "Open with...", then select a program. Again, it depends on how your computer is set up.

If you use iTunes to play your mp3 files, you'll want to read the section on transferring exported files to handhelds for more detailed instructions. Also, in order to see the pictures within iTunes itself, click the button (outlined in red on the upper right of the screenshot here) to set you to view the playlist in "Cover Flow" mode.

Note: Playing the exported mp3s on the actual handheld device will be covered in the section about handhelds.