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###############################################################################

#                                                                             #
#                       PWIM - Play What """I""" Mean                         #
#                                                                             #
#                                                                             #
#               Play What I Mean because I Means What I Mean                  #
#                                                                             #

############################################################################### Licensed under the terms of the LGPL Lesser General Public License Archived here, http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lesser.html You may modify, change, and alter any portion of the code provided in the pwim package, or even this page if you like.

What, PWIM?

Pwim is a program written in Python that searches through a given set of directories to find precisely what you meant and play it. It accepts a string argument such as, 'anything' or 'ice' and 'pick' in the form:

pwim anything

and,

pwim ice pick

To result in the location of such files as, "Excel Saga - anything.mpg" and "maison ikoku - The Pillows - ice pick.wmv". Such files would then be played back by the default player, MPlayer, or whichsoever you may choose, and then stored in the cache for quicker retrieval of frequently viewed material.

Why, PWIM?

For some time I had become frustrated with the pain of searching through several directories of my music videos, music, videos, etc. for that certain thing I wanted to play. I managed to remember one thing about the title, 'Wacky" , but I just couldn't remember the rest and further I couldn't remember where in the world I had put it. There had to be a more convenient way for a lazy agnostic(INSERT_RELIGIOUS_AFFILIATION_HERE_OR_NOT) such as myself to play my files without the tedium of opening another console window or ls'ing through a directory bursting with too much text to shake that proverbial stick at, or busting an eye scanning through said directory so that I could click on said file.

And so I thought of Pwim and four tries later, bash, tcl, bash(again), and finally python(my new love), I had something that I liked. So if you are lazy, word your files correctly(or not and suffer the exilerating excitement of getting something different), or just want a little more convenience in your life, choose PWIM, or not, and delete this file... NOW!

How, PWIM?

Far be it for me to detail for you, the illustrious end-user, how this program works(truthfully I can barely remember, but that doesn't mean I am not active in the developement and will continue to fix and streamline), however I can offer a basic description of how Pwim works from start to finish.

  • Installation:

Run install.sh as root, on most systems:

# ./install.sh

This will install pwim to /etc/pwim and create a synlink in /usr/bin.

  • Configure:
        If you like running as root than you are exactly where you need to be,
        otherwise return to your own user account and proceed, the instructions
        will be the same in either event. 

        Two options are available to you depending upon your graphical
        preference, command line edit, and graphical edit.
  • - Option 1 - Command Line

Should you prefer the command line enter:

$ pwim -d DIRECTORY1 DIRECTORY2 DIRECTORYn

Or however many directories you require to fulfill your media needs.

        Should you find later that you no longer wish to have a directory
        that you previously entered, issue the command:

                $ pwim -r DIRECTORY1 DIRECTORY2 DIRECTORYn

        To remove said directories from the list. Note: Although it is entitled
        "directories.txt" the file that controls this is not technically 
        editable through manual means.

        To view the current contents of the directories file issue the command:

                $ pwim -c
  • - Option 2 - Graphical
        The second option is through Pwim's graphical configurator which can be
        accessed by issueing the command:

                $ pwim -gc

        Many options can currently be accessed through the configurator, but the
        main reason for its existance remains easier editing of the directory 
        file.

        Once the directories have been added, and other options changed to suit
        taste, you are ready to use Pwim to the fullest extent of the law.

Note: A fun game is to type in some obscure word and see what pops up... Notable Examples:

pwim such -> 'Love Hina - such great heights.WMV'

pwim vampires -> 'various - vampires.avi'

pwim Crawling -> 'Hoobastank - Crawling In The Dark.MP3'

pwim Fear -> 'Baka Productions - Outlaw Star - Don't Fear the Reaper.mpg'

pwim Places Fear -> 'Dashboard Confessional - The Places Come To Fear The Most.mp3'


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