Song requests

RadioBOSS accepts song requests from listeners. RemotePLE shows this queue and inserts a chosen request into the playlist or into the on-air list.

Open it with Ctrl+W. The window talks to the same RadioBOSS instance as the main window: with the check box Local switched on, the local instance applies.


The list

Five columns per request:

- Track: the file name of the requested track.
- Greeting: the text the listener sent along. May be empty.
- State: done, taken, open or outside (see below).
- Age: how long the request has been waiting.
- Directory: where the file sits on the RadioBOSS machine.

Selecting a row announces track, state, age and greeting as one sentence. So you do not have to walk the columns one by one.


The four states

- open: the request is still waiting.
- done: RadioBOSS dispatched the request from its own request window. This does not mean the track has been broadcast - RadioBOSS sets the mark as soon as it hands the request out.
- taken: you inserted the request into a list from here. RadioBOSS knows nothing about that, so RemotePLE remembers it itself. The memory lasts as long as the program runs.
- outside: the directory of the track lies outside the assigned root paths. Such a request cannot be inserted, because RadioBOSS does not find the file under that path.

Done and taken are two different things and are therefore shown separately. Together they tell you whether somebody else has already dealt with a request or you did.


Inserting a request

First choose the tab Playlist or OnAir in the main window - that is where the insert goes. Then open the menu in the request list with Enter or a right click, or use the button Insert.

The four positions are the ones of the main window and carry the same names:

- Insert above: in front of the entry selected in the target list. Requires exactly one entry to be selected there.
- Insert under: behind the selected entry. Same requirement.
- Insert as next: the request becomes the next track. Only available in the on-air list, because only there is a track running.
- Append to bottom: at the end of the list.

You can select several requests at once. The order of the list is kept.


When you insert into the on-air list, RemotePLE then asks whether the request should be removed from the request list. There it is done with, and a request left standing is easily inserted a second time. With the playlist there is no question: you edit it at leisure and save or discard it later - taking the request away at that point would be premature.


The greeting

The two radio buttons below the buttons decide what happens to the greeting text:

- Read out: the greeting is inserted as an own entry in front of the track and read out by RadioBOSS.
- Note: the greeting is inserted as a comment in front of the track. It is not broadcast, it reminds you while going through the list what the track belongs to.

A request without a greeting produces no extra entry in either case - only the track is inserted. The choice is remembered.


Entering a request yourself

The button New request enters a request as if it came from a listener - for example when it arrives by phone. First you choose the track file on the server, then you can enter a greeting. The field may stay empty.


Removing a request

The button Remove request takes the requests selected in the list off the server. The Del key does the same when the list has the focus. You are asked first, and it cannot be undone.

After removing, the list is read from the server again. The announcement therefore names what really disappeared, not what the server reported.


Clearing the list

Clear list clears the whole request list on the server, regardless of the selection. The button sits away from the selection and asks first. The operation cannot be undone. Single requests are taken out with Remove request.


Keys in the window

Ctrl+W: open the window.
Enter: open the insert menu.
Del: remove the selected request.
F5: reload the list from the server.
Escape: close the window.
