tunes2html

tunes2html.pl is a Perl script that reads the data from an iPod's iTunesDB file and generates an HTML file and a text file, each containing an organized list of the songs on the iPod.

tunees2html.pl can be run using Perl or, on Windows, using the tunes2html executable. The script should work on any platform that has Perl 5.005 or greater. The script requires an iTunesDB file, which is readily available on Windows and Linux systems to which an iPod has been connected. Access to the iTunesDB file on Macintosh seems to be limited to Mac OS X.

tunes2html.pl has been tested on Windows 98, Windows 2000 Professional, Mac OS X, Solaris 5.7, and Solaris 5.8, using Perl 5.005 and Perl 6.

Updates for v 1.1

Playlists are now listed.

tunes2html's output is visible in two sample files included in the bundle:

sample.htm (viewable in IE 5.5+ & Netscape 6+ & Apple Safari)
sample.txt

As you can see in the samples, there are two sections in the output - "single artists" (one artist per CD) and "various artists" (two or more artists per CD).

tunes2html can be downloaded as a ZIP file containing:

tunes2html.pl - the Perl script
tunes2html.exe - a Windows-executable version of tunes2html - does not require Perl
readme.htm - this page
README.txt - a text version of this page
COPYING.txt - the GNU General Public License
sample.htm - a sample of the program's HTML output
sample.txt - a sample of the program's text output
minusbl.gif & plusbl.gif - graphics referred to in the HTML output

INSTRUCTIONS
Always use this script on a copy of the iTunesDB file!

0. Uncompress the ZIP file into a directory. (First use only.)
1. Connect an iPod to your computer.
2. Copy the iTunesDB file from the iPod_Control/iTunes directory (which may be hidden) on your iPod to the directory in which you have uncompressed the ZIP file. (See copying instructions below.) tunes2html expects the iTunesDB file to be in the same directory as the program.
3a.Windows users: double-click tunes2html.exe.
3b.Perl users on any platform: run from command line as perl tunes2html.pl
4. Two files will be built: iPod.htm and iPod.txt. Both will be in the same directory as the program.
5. If there is a problem with file creation or reading the iTunesDB, the program will print an error message.

How to get a copy of iTunesDB from your iPod:
Windows:

Connect your iPod to your computer.
Open Windows Explorer, making sure Explorer is set to "Show hidden files and folders".
In Windows Explorer, go to the disk letter for the iPod.
Open the folder called iPod_Control.
In the iPod_Control folder will be a folder called iTunes. Open it.
In the iTunes folder will be a file called iTunesDB.
Right-click the iTunesDB file and choose Copy.
Go to the directory in which you installed the script, right-click, and choose Paste.

Mac OS X:

Connect your iPod to your computer.
Open a Unix shell.
cd /Volumes
ls (look for something called iPod)
cd WHATEVER YOU JUST FOUND
cp iPod_Control/iTunes/iTunesDB ~/Desktop
Move the file from the Desktop to the directory in which you installed the script.

Linux (assumes iPod is mounted to /mnt/ipod):

Connect your iPod to your computer.
Copy /mnt/ipod/iPod_Control/iTunes/iTunesDB to the directory in which you installed the script.

tunes2html.pl is based on tunes2pod.pl from GNUpod by Adrian Ulrich.

Updated versions of tunes2html will be available at http://www.joescafe.com/tunes2html.

This program and its components are distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or praise, please e-mail me at jmmallon at joescafe dot com.

Joe Mallon