Category: Geeks r Us
I've taken over a radio station who has their servers at JBServers.
Each time I wanna add new music to the auto dj playlist, I have to manually upload it via an ftp client. That in itself is not a problem, but, where the trouble comes in, is when I have to "drag and drop" each newly uploaded song title to what is refered to as the "media library" on the website.
(Why you can't just upload your stuff directly to the media library, is above me.)
The website is full of these "on mouse over" link thingies, and, when I try using them with the key combo of control +insert +enter, (the key as described in the JFW help menu), it don't seem to work.
I'm currently running JFW 10.
I have also tried clicking the files I need to move with the left click button, and tried dragging and dropping them to the auto dj thingie on the website, without success.
I sent a support ticket to the people at JBServers, and, their response was that the site is coded in AJAX, a mixture of java, php and HTML, and that it should be compattible with screen readers in general.
Has any of you encountered a similar prolem, and if so, how did you overcome it?
I'm kind of with my hands in my hair, and would really appreciate any and all help I can get in this regard.
In my experience it's kind of like flash, some ajax bassed stuff is accessible and some isn't, it all depends on the coder really.
Now with regards to the song thing. When you upload the file via ftp, do you then have to browse to the folder on the server where the file is at on the website, and then drag and drop? Or is it like you have to drag and drop from your local computer?
Dragging and dropping from the local comp seems kind of redundant to me, but that's just me.
Malthe.
no, you have to drag the song from the folder on the website itself, which, in itself is a difficult task, cause like i say, almost the entire site has these "on mouse over" links, which hardly seem to wanna work with jfw. I can lcate the song on the server with some pain, but it's dropping it in the media library which I can't seem to figure out for the life of me.
Yeah my webhost has sort of the same in their file manager though I use ftp instead, their file manager works with screen readers though, there's no dragging and dropping involved.
I suspect this is a part of your hosts shoutcast or whatever broadcast server you have's control panel? Do you have access to the source code of that? If you do you could alter it and write in a function that when you clicked on the clickable link and then clicked add to playlist it'd do that instead of that messy dragging and dropping business.
Otherwise you could try to ask your webhost nicely if they could add some sort of alternative interface for screenreader users.
Do you by chance have access to the playlist file it self? If you do perhaps you could just edit that manually instead of using their annoying interface.
Malthe.
Hi Malth, I followed your advice, and, here's the response I got from them. Looks like I'm screwed, unless I can find another hosting company with a more accessible control panel that allows for music to be uploaded and to be streamed live.
"Using the autoDJ function, I don't know what we could do to help with this at this time. Streaming live, however, this may be far more feasable but would also require a broadcast software that is capable of performing with limited visibility. Unfortunately I just don't have a solution that I could provide at this time, its something I've passed on to the developement team but could take as much as a year to produce something that will work with your needs here. The control panel is indeed very much a "visual" area so I can certainly understand how this would be difficult, there just isn't a quick and easy fix at all :(
~DJ"
No way to edit the playlist manually either? Either the database or a static file?
If this next idea I have is totally stupid tell me so, as I am a bit of a newbie. But can they possibly write a script which you could just run to sync your media library if they don't want you screwing around with the database? Like so when you'd added songs it'd simply sync it with the directory you upload to?
Someone correct me if this is not a working solution.
Malthe
well, apparently this might take up to a year to code, ... if they are gonna take it seriously, so, i guess JBServers has me screwed.
So, a bit off topic, but, if anyone knows of any hosting company with an accessible interface where you can actually upload music and stream it, .. please, let me know? :(
A year? That's absurd.
Hope you find something better.
Malthe.