Automating Playlists with “foo cmd playlist”: Tips & Examples

How to Use the “foo cmd playlist” Command — A Quick GuideThe “foo cmd playlist” command is a compact, flexible tool intended for managing playlists from the command line. Whether you’re a power user scripting routine playback tasks or a casual user wanting faster playlist edits, this guide explains how to use the command effectively: syntax, common flags, examples, troubleshooting, and automation tips.

What “foo cmd playlist” does (at a glance)

It manages playlists from the command line — creating, listing, adding/removing tracks, reordering entries, importing/exporting, and controlling playback-related playlist behavior.

Basic syntax

The canonical form looks like:

foo cmd playlist <action> [options] [arguments] 

• action: the operation you want to perform (create, add, remove, list, move, clear, export, import, play, etc.).
• options: flags or parameters that modify behavior (e.g., –force, –format, –position).
• arguments: playlist name, track identifiers, file paths, or positions.

Common actions and examples

• Create a playlist

  foo cmd playlist create "My Playlist" 

  Creates a new, empty playlist named “My Playlist”.

• Add tracks to a playlist

  foo cmd playlist add "My Playlist" "/path/to/song1.mp3" "/path/to/song2.flac" 

  Adds specified files to the end of “My Playlist”. You can also add by track ID if your environment exposes track identifiers.

• List playlists

  foo cmd playlist list 

  Displays all playlists with their IDs and track counts.

• Show playlist contents

  foo cmd playlist show "My Playlist" 

  Prints tracks in “My Playlist” in order, often showing track index, title, artist, and duration.

• Remove a track by position

  foo cmd playlist remove "My Playlist" --position 3 

  Removes the third track from the playlist.

• Remove a track by ID or path

  foo cmd playlist remove "My Playlist" "/path/to/song1.mp3" 

• Move (reorder) a track

  foo cmd playlist move "My Playlist" --from 5 --to 2 

  Moves track at position 5 to position 2.

• Clear a playlist

  foo cmd playlist clear "My Playlist" --confirm 

  Empties the playlist; some implementations require a confirmation flag to prevent accidental deletion.

• Export a playlist

  foo cmd playlist export "My Playlist" --format m3u --output "/tmp/myplaylist.m3u" 

  Exports into a common format such as M3U, PLS, or JSON.

• Import a playlist

  foo cmd playlist import --input "/tmp/others.m3u" --name "Imported" 

• Play a playlist

  foo cmd playlist play "My Playlist" 

  Starts playback from the first (or previously saved) position.

Useful flags and options

• –position / –from / –to: specify track indices.
• –format: choose export/import format (m3u, pls, json, csv).
• –shuffle: add or play in shuffled order.
• –repeat: set repeat modes (none, one, all).
• –confirm / –force: require or bypass confirmations.
• –verbose / –quiet: control output verbosity.
• –append / –replace: when importing, decide whether to append or replace existing playlist.

Scripting and automation examples

Automate daily playlist updates, e.g., append all new MP3s from a folder:

new_tracks=(/music/new/*.mp3) if [ ${#new_tracks[@]} -gt 0 ]; then   foo cmd playlist add "Daily Add" "${new_tracks[@]}" fi 

Create a cron job to export playlists nightly:

0 2 * * * /usr/bin/foo cmd playlist export "Favorites" --format m3u --output "/backups/favorites_$(date +%F).m3u" 

Batch import multiple playlists:

for f in /imports/*.m3u; do   foo cmd playlist import --input "$f" --name "$(basename "$f" .m3u)" done 

Tips and best practices

• Use descriptive playlist names and avoid characters that may need escaping in shells.
• Prefer track IDs when available to avoid broken paths if files move.
• Keep backups of important playlists with routine exports.
• Use –verbose when scripting during development to catch errors; switch to –quiet in production.
• Test destructive commands (clear/remove/replace) with a dry-run option if available.

Troubleshooting common errors

• “Playlist not found”: verify exact name or use ID from foo cmd playlist list.
• “Permission denied”: ensure your user has file read access to tracks or run with appropriate permissions.
• Tracks not playing after moving files: re-add or import using updated paths or use track IDs.
• Export/import format mismatches: check format flags and supported encodings.

Advanced features (if supported)

• Sync playlists to remote services or devices.
• Use metadata filters when adding (e.g., add all tracks where genre=“jazz”).
• Atomic operations to avoid partial updates in scripts.
• Hooks or events to trigger actions when playlists change.

Example real-world workflow

1. Create a playlist for a party:

   
   foo cmd playlist create "Party 2025" 

2. Add curated tracks:

   
   foo cmd playlist add "Party 2025" /music/party/*.mp3 

3. Shuffle and play:

   
   foo cmd playlist play "Party 2025" --shuffle 

4. After the party, export for archive:

   
   foo cmd playlist export "Party 2025" --format m3u --output "/archives/party2025.m3u" 

If you’d like, I can: provide a cheat-sheet of commonly used commands, write example scripts tailored to your OS (Linux/macOS/Windows PowerShell), or generate sample alias/functions to simplify frequent tasks. Which would you prefer?