Rdio+
Bringing keyboard, playlist and visual enhancements to Rdio, all in one easy to install script for Chrome and Fluid.
Keyboard shortcuts
Quick commands for most in demand features.
Playlist flexibility
Add whole albums, artists, and more with a few clicks.
Full screen visualizer
Rdio at its essence: Large cover art, minimal text and controls for use at a glance.
Keyboard shortcuts
Rdio's user interface is pretty easy to get around with the mouse, but keyboard commands can really come in handy for more frequent commands. After installation you'll have a series of extra shortcuts available. Refer to the table at right for the full list of commands and don't forget you can see the same list any time within Rdio with the keyboard command Ctrl+, in Chrome and Cmd+Shift+, in Fluid.
Note the shortcuts differ between Chrome and Fluid to avoid conflicts with keyboard shortcuts already built into each existing program. More customization may be provided in a later release.
| Action | Chrome | Fluid |
|---|---|---|
| Previous Track | Left | Left |
| Next Track | Right | Right |
| Play/Pause | Spacebar | Spacebar |
| Now Playing | Cmd + U | Cmd + U |
| Collection | Ctrl + C | Cmd + Shift + C |
| Full Screen | Ctrl + F | Cmd + Shift + F |
| Home (Dashboard) | Ctrl + H | Cmd + Shift + H |
| Search Focus | Ctrl + L | Cmd + Shift + L |
| Queue | Ctrl + M | Cmd + Shift + M |
| History | Ctrl + N | Cmd + Shift + N |
| Playlists | Ctrl + P | Cmd + Shift + P |
| Shuffle Toggle | Ctrl + X | Cmd + Shift + X |
| Repeat Toggle | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Shift + Z |
Playlist flexibility
Rdio restricts playlist construction severely; you can add only individual songs, and then only one at a time. What about constructing playlists around albums, artists, radio stations, or what you happen to be playing right now?
The Rdio+ userscript removes these restrictions by allowing playlist creation and modification in several new areas:
- The top of each of album's home page drop down menu (the '+'/down arrow button the top right) will now have an "Add to Playlist..." option, just has always been the case for individual songs (screenshot A). Behavior is basically identical to existing add to playlist dialogs, just select an existing playlist or create a new one and you're set. Note for now this functionality is only added for an album's home page, not on albums listed elsewhere on the page.
- Artist home pages now have an "Add To Playlist..." option alongside their Albums, Songs and Bio links at the top right of the page (screenshot B). This will automatically add the most popular albums (generally the top five or six) by that artist to a playlist.
- The Now Playing overlay now has an "Add to Playlist" option to the immediate right of the Now Playing header (screenshot C). This will automatically add everything currently playing, be it a radio station, playlist, song or album, to the respective playlist. This allows for some pretty creative playlists, mixing related artists, radio stations, and more with just a few clicks.
Screenshot A: Adding an album to a playlist
Screenshot B: Adding an artist's most popular albums
Screenshot C: Adding what's now playing (Cmd+U)
Full screen visualizer
The Rdio+ script also provides a full screen mode for larger displays with large album art, increased text size along with minimal controls (play, pause, forward, back) and now playing information. For now this is invoked with a single keyboard command, Ctrl+F on the Chrome version, Cmd+Shift+F for Fluid. The same keyboard command will close out of full screen mode, as will any click outside the album art or controls.
This mode is really designed for setups where Rdio is running on secondary monitors where control is less of a factor or for when you're not in front of the computer. The enhanced readability and size makes it a lot easier to glean the basics from a distance.
The full screen visualizer requires at least 900px in height in its default mode with track information listed underneath the album art (screenshot D). For windows not as high as 900px, yet at least 1200px wide, track information will be moved to the right of the album art (screenshot E).
Screenshot D: full screen mode - vertical
Screenshot E: full screen mode - horizontal
Chrome
Rdio+ can be installed like any other Chrome Userscript. One of the most straightforward methods is to open a new Chrome tab or window, then directly drag the downloaded rdioplus_chrome.user.js file from the Finder on top of the browser. Chrome will ask to confirm installation. Say yes and you're set.
From this download page it's even easier: Just click on the Chrome download link. Chrome will ask if you want to install the user script immediately.
The userscript can be uninstalled at any time by going into Window > Extensions, finding Rdio+ and clicking "Uninstall".
Fluid
Note that the Rdio+ script can only be used with paid installations of Fluid that allow for custom user scripts.
Start by going to Window > Userscripts. In the popup userscripts/userstyles dialog, go to the lower left and hit the ‘+’ button to add a new row. A new row will appear labeled ‘Untitled’. Double click on the row and rename it to “Rdio”. On the right side of the dialog under patterns you should see a single row listed as “*example.com*”. This should be modified to be “*www.rdio.com*” (screenshot F)
In the bottom right is the area for the actual user script. Open up the entire contents of rdioplus.user.js and paste inside (screenshot G). You’re now done. Close the dialog, and restart the Rdio Fluid instance.
Screenshot F: Fluid installation
Screenshot G: Area to paste in script indicated in blue
The Rdio+ userscript was created by designer and developer Nick Schaden using Rdio's provided web API. Feedback, suggested future enhancements and bug reports are always welcome.