Dynamic Non-PHP Files with PHP

[Helios]

I am creating a script to dynamically list MP3s for the public to listen to through M3U files. They are not supposed to download the actual MP3. For those of you who do not know, an M3U looks like this:

#EXTINF:212,File Name in Player
Path\to\file.mp3

This format can change from M3U to M3U, but I know for a fact that the path can be a URL and that it will work in most players. I want to have this file to be dynamic, so that one generic M3U file can play any MP3 on my Web site. I can't parse M3U files as I don't have access to a main Apache account and I don't particularly know how to Telnet, so I need a way to create these another way.

[Mordecai]

Well, you could use a .pls or a .m3u.
.pls:
[playlist]
numberofentries=1
File1=$url
Title1=$title
Length1=-1
Version=2

Please note that Length1 is set to -1. Since this is a stream, it does not have a fixed length. You can change it if need be.

.m3u:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:$numseconds,$title
$url

The difference between .pls and .m3u (besides the radical format difference) is that .m3u needs to know the number of seconds. You may be able to pass it a negative one as its value to ignore it, but I'm not sure.

[move3rd]

I'm trying to do the same thing. Is it ok to send the path and track name via a url to the .m3u/.pls file?

This is what I have in audio.m3u:

<?php

$artist = $_GET['artist'];
$release = $_GET['release'];
$track = $_GET['track'];
$q = $_GET['q'];

if($q == hi)
           {
           $url = "http://www.mysite.com/artists/".
"$artist"."/".
"$release"."/".
"$track".
"_hifi.mp3";
           }   else    {
           $url = "http://www.mysite.com/artists/".
"$artist"."/".
"$release"."/".
"$track".
"_lofi.mp3";
                       }
header("Content-Type:audio/url");
//              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~this is soooooo important        

echo "#EXTINF:212,$track from $release by $artist";
echo "$url";

?>

It isnt owkring media player just reads the php in the file and spits out an error.

Do i need to set my server parse .m3u files or am i missing somthing?
😕

[Sgarissta]

Try renaming audio.m3u to audio.php, and make sure that the mime type you're sending in the header is valid.

[Mordecai]

Originally posted by move3rd
This is what I have in audio.m3u:

Well, is your server set up to use .m3u as PHP?

Originally posted by move3rd
if($q == hi)

I'm sure you want "hi" there. HI would be a constant.

Originally posted by move3rd

header("Content-Type:audio/url");

This should actually be audio/m3u. And you need a space bewtween 'Content-type:' and the mime type.

Originally posted by move3rd
echo "#EXTINF:212,$track from $release by $artist";

It's always 212 seconds?

Hope these things help.

[move3rd]

Thanks,

yes that helps

It's now playing the file but no displaying artist/track info.

Here is what i have now:

 
<?php

$artist = $_GET['artist'];
$release = $_GET['release'];
$track = $_GET['track'];
$q = $_GET['q'];

if($q == "hi")
           {
           $url = "http://www.mysite.com/artists/".
"$artist"."/".
"$release".
"/"."$track".
"_hifi.mp3";
           }   else    {
           $url = "http://www.mysite.com/artists/".
"$artist"."/".
"$release"."/".
"$track".
"_lofi.mp3";
                       }
header("Content-Type: audio/x-mpegurl");
//              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~this is soooooo important     

echo "#EXTINF:120,$artist";
?>

<?
echo "#EXTALB:$release";
?>

<?
echo "#EXTART:$artist";
?>

<? 
echo " $url";
?>

--- edit ---
I tried audio/m3u but it didnt work. I'm on a shared server with cpanel installed. The mime types listed are:

audio/mpeg -- mpga mp2 mp3
audio/x-mpegurl -- m3u