{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\nouicompat{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Arial;}{\f1\fnil\fcharset0 Tahoma;}{\f2\fnil\fcharset2 Symbol;}} {\colortbl ;\red255\green255\blue255;\red0\green0\blue255;\red0\green0\blue0;} {\*\generator Riched20 6.3.9600}\viewkind4\uc1 \pard\b\fs28\lang1033 PodSilo by MollieSoft - Frequently Asked Questions\par \b0\i\fs22\tab - Updated April 18, 2023 for Version 1.4.7.0.\i0\par \fs20\par \b\i\fs24 What is PodSilo\b0 ?\par \i0\fs22\tab\highlight1\f1 - Most podcast providers offer an RSS ("Really Simple Syndication") feed URL that lists the audio files currently available on their website, generally in mp3 format. \par \highlight0\f0\tab - PodSilo uses RSS feeds to automatically download podcast episodes for you! \par \tab - Collect and save ALL episodes ever offered by a feed, even though only a few episodes are offered at a time. Replay any episode at any time.\par \highlight1\f1\tab - PodSilo maintains a list of your podcast RSS feeds. You can poll each feed, then download the new episodes listed in the poll result, either manually or automatically according to a schedule ("catch-up").\par \tab - PodSilo creates \i readable \i0 file names for episodes based on the episode title.\par \tab - PodSilo lets you search for episodes by episode title, file name, download status, and many other episode properties. You can use logical expressions to combine search conditions.\par \highlight0\f0\tab - PodSilo manages disk space used by the downloaded episodes. Episode cleanup rules determine which episodes are kept during catch-up, and how much disk space is available for each feed (or for all feeds).\par \tab - The download folder can be located on a removable USB drive or a writable network share, and PodSilo will prompt you to mount the drive when needed.\par \tab - The Feed Journal shows a detailed list of all feeds polled and episodes downloaded, and the progress of each poll and download.\par \tab - PodSilo is efficient and performs well even with thousands of feeds!\par \par \i How do I install PodSilo?\par \i0\tab - Go to {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK www.molliesoft.com/PodSilo }}{\fldrslt{www.molliesoft.com/PodSilo\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22 to download the install package. You will need administrator privileges on your machine to perform the install.\par \i\par What operating systems will run PodSilo?\par \i0\tab - PodSilo runs on Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.\par \tab - PodSilo requires the Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.6.1 to run. This should normally already be present; if the PodSilo installation process detects it is not installed, go to\par \tab {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49981 }}{\fldrslt{https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49981\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22\par and install it.\par \fs20\par \i\fs22 How do I run PodSilo?\par \i0\tab - The install process will place a shortcut to PodSilo in your Startup folder, so it will start when you log on to your computer.\par \tab - PodSilo should always be running so that it can automatically poll feeds and download episodes for you; just minimize it to the system tray instead of closing PodSilo.\par \tab - The install process also places a separate shortcut to PodSilo on your desktop, so that you can start PodSilo manually.\par \par \i I clicked the "Minimize" button (on the upper right of PodSilo); where did it go? \par \i0\tab - When minimized, the PodSilo icon will appear in the System Tray (at the bottom right of the desktop). If you do not see it there, click the small up-arrow in the tray marked "Show hidden icons". Note that Windows lets you customize the System Tray to make the PodSilo icon stay in the visible portion of the tray if desired. You can also use the PodSilo desktop shortcut to make PodSilo appear on the screen again.\par \par \i What will happen to PodSilo when the trial period expires?\par \i0\tab - After the 60-day trial period, PodSilo will start but only allow you to purchase a license if desired. Without a license, PodSilo will no longer run as before. A license entitles you to run PodSilo permanently on a single computer.\par \par \i If I upgrade to the next version of PodSilo, will my permanent license still be valid?\par \i0\tab - Yes. A permanent license for PodSilo is a license forever; you can safely upgrade to any new version and your license will still be valid.\par \tab - Even if you only have a trial license, you can upgrade PodSilo without affecting the expiration date of your license.\par \par \i How can I learn more about how PodSilo works?\par \i0\tab - This FAQ is the main source of information about PodSilo.\par \tab - While running PodSilo, tooltips are available on most controls, including the column headings of the feed list and episode list in the main window. Hover the mouse on these areas to see the tooltips.\par \tab - Click the Help button in the Search for Episodes window to show a separate search help window.\par \tab - Some windows, such as Manage Episodes and Import Feeds, have a separate help area which can be made visible by checking the "Show help" box on that window.\par \tab - Please email support@molliesoft.com with any questions or comments that the documentation does not address.\par \par \b\i\fs24 Feeds and Episodes\par \par \b0\fs22 How do I find feeds for PodSilo?\par \i0\tab - To add a feed to PodSilo, you need the RSS URL for the feed. This is a link for the feed that returns an xml file representing all episodes currently present in the feed. The web site offering the feed will generally contain this RSS link somewhere on its page.\par \tab - Click on the "Import Feeds" button in PodSilo, then press the "Load Feeds" button in the resulting dialog. Select one of the predefined feeds list, e.g. BBC feeds; you can then easily import some or all of the feeds. There are predefined lists for the BBC, NPR, MollieSoft favorites, and the most popular feeds. You can also import any text list of rss feeds, or any opml file contains rss feeds.\par \tab - Podcast directory sites like podbay.fm offer many ways to browse and search for podcast feeds. A web search for "podcast feed list" will produce many such directories. Podbay.fm makes it particularly easy to find RSS feed links: just search for a podcast by title or author, click on the podcast, find the "\ul RSS\ulnone " link at the left of the page, right-click and select "Copy Link". This is the rss feed for the podcast.\par \tab - If you use a different podcast application, it generally will allow you to copy the RSS URL of a feed, or export your list of feeds to an OPML file. Then you can paste the RSS URL into the Add Feeds dialog in PodSilo, or import the entire feed list using the PodSilo Import Feeds dialog, or simply paste the url into PodSilo using the Control-V key combination.\par \tab - If you have an iTunes link for a podcast, sites such as {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK http://picklemonkey.net/feedflipper-home/ }}{\fldrslt{http://picklemonkey.net/feedflipper-home/\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22 let you paste in the iTunes URL and extract the contained RSS URL.\par \tab - Just to get you started, here are some rss feeds you can try:\par \tab\tab This American Life - {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK http://feed.thisamericanlife.org/talpodcast }}{\fldrslt{http://feed.thisamericanlife.org/talpodcast\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22\par \tab\tab Planet Money - {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510289 }}{\fldrslt{http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510289\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22\par \tab\tab Radio Diaries - {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK http://feed.radiodiaries.org/radio-diaries }}{\fldrslt{http://feed.radiodiaries.org/radio-diaries\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22\par \tab\tab The Moth - {{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast }}{\fldrslt{http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast\ul0\cf0}}}}\f0\fs22\par \i\par How do I add a feed to PodSilo?\par \i0\tab - To add a single feed, use the Add button above the feed list to open the "Add Feed" dialog. Paste the RSS feed URL into the "Feed URL" box. Press "Test Feed" to see if it is a valid feed, and then press OK. You can also change the folder name at this time if you do not like the provided feed title.\par \tab - A fast way to add a feed (without testing it first) is to copy the feed from e.g. a web site, then click inside the PodSilo feed list and press control-V to paste the feed. You can then poll the new feed in the normal manner, or press control-P to poll it. If you have a list of feeds URLs with each feed on a separate line, just select all the lines and use control-V as before to paste all the feeds at once.\i\par \i0\tab - Each RSS feed URL you enter into PodSilo must be unique, so if you try to add an URL that you already have, PodSilo will object. See the history log for details.\par \tab - After you add a feed, you can use the \i Edit Feed \i0 button above the feed list to change the folder name of the feed, or provide a special cleanup rule.\par \par \pard\sl240\slmult1\cf3\i\f1 Why should I use PodSilo instead of just listening via the feed web page?\par \i0\tab - Many feeds only offer the last few episodes via their RSS link, or via their web page. PodSilo allows you to accumulate \i all\i0 episodes of the feed over time, and listen to them at your leisure, even if they are no longer offered by the feed.\par \pard\cf0\i\f0\par I have feeds set up in some other podcatcher; how can I get these feeds into PodSilo?\par \i0\tab - Use the \i Import Feeds\i0 button above the feed list to show the Import Feeds dialog. Most podcatcher applications allow you to export an OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) file containing your feeds; use the "Load Feeds" button in the Import Feeds dialog to select this file. This will populate the Import Feeds list in the dialog.\par \tab - You can also import a simple text file containing one feed URL per line, instead of using an OPML file.\par \tab - Once you have populated the Import Feeds list, you can test (poll) one or all of these feeds, then choose which ones you want to import into PodSilo using the green "Import" button.\par \tab - Each RSS feed URL you enter into PodSilo must be unique, so duplicate URLS in your OPML or text import file will be ignored.\par \tab - You can use the \i Export Feeds\i0 button above the feed list to save your list of PodSilo feeds to either an OPML or text file. This is useful for backup purposes, or to import your feeds into some other podcatcher.\par \tab - See the entry \i "\highlight1\f1 Can I import episodes from a different podcast downloader into PodSilo?"\i0 \highlight0\f0 below for a procedure to import these episodes into the corresponding feed in PodSilo.\i\par \i0\par \i What is the fastest way to add a feed URL into PodSilo?\par \tab\i0 - Copy one or several feed URL lines into the Windows clipboard, e.g. by selecting any number of feed URL lines in a text editor, then using Control-C to copy these lines into the clipboard.\i\par \i0\tab - You can use the PodSilo keyboard shortcut Control-V (hold down the Control key and press the letter V at the same time) to paste the copied lines into the feed list. Each of the URLs you selected will be added into the feed list at the end, and you can then use the keyboard shortcut Control-P to poll each of these feeds (Control-P polls the current feed in the feed list). Any erroneous URL lines you attempt to paste will be reported in the History Log.\par \par \i How do I poll a feed?\par \tab\i0 - Polling a feed will refresh its list of episodes, but does not download any episode.\i\par \i0\tab - You can poll a feed manually using the Poll button above the feed list. This will poll the current feed (the feed with the highlighted current cell).\par \tab - You can poll all the enabled feeds manually using the Poll All button above the feed list.\par \tab - Your download folder is not involved when you poll a feed, so you can poll even if the download drive is not mounted. Of course, you cannot download episodes until the drive \i is\i0 mounted.\par \par \i What does Catch-Up mean?\par \i0\tab - Another way to poll a feed is to run Catch-Up. This is a composite command that first polls the feed, then downloads new episodes and runs cleanup on the feed (in accordance with the episode cleanup rule for that feed).\par \tab - You can catch-up the current feed using the Catch-up button above the feed list.\par \tab - You can catch-up all the enabled feeds manually using the big green Catch-Up button at the top of the main window.\par \tab - Use the PodSilo Settings dialog to create scheduled times at which Catch-up will run automatically (for all enabled feeds).\par \tab - Once an episode has been marked as "downloaded", it will no longer be eligible for download in catch-up. So if an episode has been downloaded, then deleted via cleanup or manually by the user, running catch-up will never download this episode again since it is no longer considered "new". Of course, you can still download such an episode manually. You can also use the Manage dialog to mark any downloaded episodes as no longer downloaded, i.e. new. Then catch-up will download them again as long as they satisfy the episode cleanup rule in effect for that feed.\par \i\par How can I download only the episodes I want?\par \i0\tab - Use the command buttons above the Episode list:\par \pard{\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}{\*\pn\pnlvlblt\pnf2\pnindent0{\pntxtb\'B7}}\fi-270\li1170 Download - downloads the current episode (the one with the highlighted cell).\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Download New - download all new episodes for the current feed.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Download All - download all episodes for the current feed.\par \pard\tab - The download command buttons \i ignore\i0 the episode cleanup rules; so pressing "Download All" will really download all the episodes of the feed, even if your rule says only download (for example) the 2 latest episodes.\par \tab - Running Catch-up for a feed will download episodes in accordance with the episode cleanup rule.\par \tab - If you want to download several specific episodes in a feed, check the "Selection Mode" checkbox above the Episode List; this adds a "Select" checkbox column at the left of the episode list. Check off the episodes you want to download, then press the green Download button. To hide the Select checkboxes again, just uncheck "Selection mode".\par \tab - When the episode list has keyboard focus (some cell has the purple highlight) you can use Control-D to download the current episode.\par \par \i I don't have enough space for episodes on drive C. Can I download episodes to a removable USB drive? How about to a shared folder on another computer?\par \i0\tab - Yes! Starting with PodSilo version 1.4.1.0, the download folder that you specify in the Settings dialog can reside on a removable USB drive or on a \i writable\i0 network share (from another computer on your local network).\par \tab - If the download folder resides on a drive that is not currently available (e.g. the USB drive is unplugged or the remote network share is on a sleeping computer), you can run PodSilo but obviously will not be able to do anything that requires the download folder to be physically available, such as downloading episodes, running Catch-up, or running Cleanup. If you attempt an operation that requires the drive to be available, you will see a message box allowing you to retry the operation; make the drive available, then retry.\par \tab - You cannot Download, Play or Explore an episode unless the download folder is available.\par \tab - The network share must be writable, or you will just get an error when you attempt to download an episode (see the history log for details).\par \tab - If Windows does not remember the account credentials for a network share, you can provide them in the Network Credentials dialog. Open the Settings dialog and click the "Network Credentials" button next to the download folder. This lets you add, remove, edit or test credentials for a network path. The credentials are remembered by PodSilo but are encrypted on disk. See the \i Network Credentials\i0 section below for more details.\par \par \i OK, but what happens if a scheduled catch-up starts and the download folder is not available at the time?\i0\par \tab - PodSilo will display a message box prompting you to mount the drive (e.g. plug in the USB drive, or wake up the remote computer on which the download folder resides). Make the drive available, then just press the "Retry" button in the message box. The scheduled catch-up will then run as intended.\par \tab - Note that when you wake up a remote computer, it may take a while (e.g. one minute) for Windows to determine that the remote computer is actually available. You can usually force Windows to recognize the remote computer by starting a Windows Explorer and using it to navigate to the appropriate network share.\par \tab - Similarly, if you click any Download, Catch-up or Cleanup button, and the drive is not mounted, you will be prompted to mount it before the operation can run.\par \par \i How do I tell quickly if the download folder is available or not?\par \i0\tab - The "Disk Space" area at the bottom-right of the main PodSilo window will turn red if the drive containing the download folder is not available.\par \tab - If the drive really is mounted, but PodSilo still shows it as unavailable, you can use the \i Refresh\i0 button at the top of the main window to correct the display.\par \i\par How long does PodSilo keep episodes? How many episodes will it keep?\par \i0\tab - You can limit the total space allowed for the entire download folder (including all feeds) in the Settings dialog. Once the total space used exceeds this limit, PodSilo will not download any more episodes until some episodes are deleted or the total space limit is raised.\par \tab - You can specify an \i Episode Cleanup Rule\i0 in the Settings dialog. This rule will determine which new episodes are downloaded during catch-up, and which old episodes are deleted during cleanup.\par \tab - Episode cleanup rules can be specified for all feeds using the Settings dialog, or for each individual feed using the Edit Feed dialog. You can quickly remove all individual episode cleanup rules (for individual feeds) using the checkbox "Remove all individual feed cleanup rules" in the Settings dialog.\par \tab - The episode cleanup rule can be:\par \pard{\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}{\*\pn\pnlvlblt\pnf2\pnindent0{\pntxtb\'B7}}\fi-270\li1170 Keep all episodes - cleanup will not delete any episodes.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Keep N episodes in the feed with the latest published dates - cleanup will delete any earlier episodes. Note: when some of the latest episodes have identical published dates, this may keep more than N episodes.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Keep episodes downloaded less than N days ago - cleanup will delete any episodes downloaded earlier than N days ago.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Keep episodes published less than N days ago - cleanup will delete any episodes published earlier than N days ago.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Limit total space for the feed to N MB/GB. Once this limit is reached for episodes of the feed, new episodes will still be downloaded but cleanup will delete episodes with the earliest published dates in order to make room.\par \pard\tab - The episode cleanup rules do not apply when you request downloads via the various Download buttons. Only the total space limit for all feeds (from the Settings dialog) will prevent use of these buttons, once the limit is exceeded.\par \tab - Remember that cleanup for a feed occurs every time catch-up is run for that feed, either automatically or using the Catch-Up buttons.\par \tab - Even if you have an episode cleanup rule, you can prevent certain episodes from being deleted during cleanup or catch-up by setting the episode to "Locked" using the Manage Episodes dialog. You can unlock them later in the same way, and they will again be eligible for deletion during cleanup.\par \par \i How does PodSilo name episodes and feeds?\par \i0\tab - PodSilo removes characters not valid in Windows folder names or file names.\par \tab - Feed folder names are derived from the feed title obtained by polling the feed. You can change the folder name of a feed when you add the feed, or later using the Edit Feed dialog.\par \tab - Episode names are derived from the episode title provided in the feed poll. Any spaces or Invalid characters are removed. Normally, the episode publish date is prepended to the episode title, in the form YYYYMMDD. For example, an episode entitled:\par \tab\tab "What did you do (last summer)?" published on July 2, 2017\par \tab would be named on disk:\par \tab\tab "20170702_WhatDidYouDoLastSummer.mp3".\par The feed name is truncated to 80 characters (before prepending the date).\par \tab - For a few feeds, the publish date of the episodes may not reflect the real episode date; instead the episode title has the true publish date. In any case, you may simply prefer \i not\i0 to have the publish date prepended to the episode file name. Using the Manage Episodes dialog, you can uncheck the feed setting "File name starts with publish date". (This is always checked by default when you add a feed.) This will remove the prepended publish date from the episode file names for all existing episodes as well as for all future downloaded episodes. You can freely reverse this setting at any time using the Manage Episodes dialog.\i\par \par How does PodSilo organize feeds on disk?\par \i0\tab - Each feed is assigned a subfolder of the top-level download folder. Episodes for the feed are downloaded into this subfolder.\i\par \i0\tab - You can change the top-level download folder (which contains all the feed folders) in the Settings dialog. If this folder is not available (mounted), the Settings dialog will not transfer episode files, and you will not be able to download episodes until the folder is available.\par \tab - You can change the folder name for an individual feed using the Edit Feed dialog.\par \par \i What information does PodSilo display for each feed?\par \i0\tab - The feed list shows:\par \pard{\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}{\*\pn\pnlvlblt\pnf2\pnindent0{\pntxtb\'B7}}\fi-180\li1170 Enabled: does this feed participate in the Catch-up All, Poll All, and Cleanup All commands?\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Title: available once a feed has been polled. The folder name on disk is derived from the title.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Category: available once a feed has been polled, if it has a category. You can also assign your own category by double-clicking this entry.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Last Updated: the date the feed was last modified on the feed server.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Total number of episodes in the last poll.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Number of "new" episodes in the last poll: "new" means episodes that have never been downloaded. If downloaded and subsequently deleted, the episode is still "downloaded".\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Number of downloaded episodes in the last poll: episodes that have been downloaded at some time, even though they may no longer be on disk.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Number of episodes on disk: the number of episodes physically present on disk for the feed.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Disk MB: total megabytes currently occupied on disk by downloaded episodes of this feed.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 Cleanup Rule: does this feed have its own cleanup rule, which overrides the general feed cleanup rule specified in the Settings dialog? You can set this rule in the Edit Feed dialog; you can quickly see this rule by hovering the mouse over the Cleanup Rule checkbox for the feed.\i\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}\i0 URL: the RSS link used to poll the feed.\i\par \pard\i0\tab - If you double-click a cell in the feed list, it will launch a web browser and show the web page containing the feed description. However, if you double-click the category cell, this will instead display the \i Edit Feed Category\i0 dialog, allowing you to change the category of the feed.\i\par \i0\tab - In addition, the text field below the feed list shows the summary description for the current feed; the image at the bottom left of the main window shows the image for the current feed. Click the feed image to scroll the feed list to the current feed. If you would like more room in the main window to display feeds and episodes, you can hide the feed description and episodes description areas using the "Descriptions" checkbox at the top of the main window.\par \tab - You can sort the feed list by any column. Click the column heading to sort it ascending or descending. For example, sort by Disk MB to see which feeds occupy the most space on your disk; sort by Cleanup Rule to see which feeds have a special cleanup rule; sort by Last Updated to see which feeds have the most recent content.\par \tab - When the feed list has keyboard focus (some cell has the purple highlight), you can easily find a title by typing anything that is part of the title; the feed list will select the first title with that typed string in it and scroll to the title. While typing, you will see the current search string on the bottom (status) line of the main window.\par \par \i What information does PodSilo display for each episode?\par \i0\tab - The episode list shows: \i\par \pard{\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}{\*\pn\pnlvlblt\pnf2\pnindent0{\pntxtb\'B7}}\fi-180\li1170\i0 Status:\par \pard\li1440\i New \i0 (never downloaded), \par \i Downloaded \i0 (at some time),\par \pard\fi-360\li1800\i Locked\i0 (cannot be deleted during cleanup - set using the Manage Episodes dialog),\par \pard\li1440\i Failed \i0 (the current download for this episode was unsuccessful), or\par \i Blank \i0 (the episode was not present in the last poll of this feed, but was present in some previous poll of this feed).\par \pard{\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}{\*\pn\pnlvlblt\pnf2\pnindent0{\pntxtb\'B7}}\fi-180\li1170 On disk: read-only indicator, checked if present on disk. If you have downloaded an episode, then deleted it from disk, PodSilo will continue to show it as "Downloaded", but not "on disk".\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Title: the episode title as obtained from the feed. Double-click the title entry to play the episode.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}User notes (if you have checked the box "User notes" above the episode list): these are arbitrary notes you can enter about any episode. You can search for specific user notes using the Search window.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Progress: when downloading an episode, shows a progress bar indicating % complete.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Elapsed time: when downloading an episode, shows elapsed time for the download in minutes:seconds.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Duration: the duration of the episode in hours:minutes:seconds.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Publish Date: in the format YYYY/MM/DD.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Length: Size of the downloaded episode file. Before downloading, this is the predicted size of the episode from the feed information; after downloading, this is the actual size on disk.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}Bitrate: in kilobits per second. The bitrate is only known once the episode has been downloaded.\par {\pntext\f2\'B7\tab}File Name: the assigned file name of the episode. This has the form YYYYMMDD_