Contents
OverviewFeaturesCreating a Custom Calculation Method Link
Overview
The latest version of CasaTunes now provides built-in support for automatically playing Muslim call to prayers using CasaTunes. The algorithms used to calculate the prayer times is based on the open-source library found on www.praytimes.org, and using XML prayer schedule files.
The prayers include: near dawn (Fajr), after midday has passed and the sun starts to tilt downwards/noon (Dhuhr), in the afternoon (Asr), just after sunset (Maghrib) and around nightfall (Isha’a).
Call to prayers playback is supported utilizing CasaTunes' Chime feature, which has been customized for prayers. The Chime feature allows CasaTunes to interrupt the music that is current playing in a room (if any), play the call to prayer, and then resume playing the music after it has completed.
Call to prayers are supported on all CasaTunes music servers.
Features
- Muslim call to prayers support is now integrated into all CasaTunes music servers
- CasaTunes will automatically play your muslim call to prayers at the proper time
- You can select the rooms in your home where you want to listen to the call to prayers
- You can configure which prayers to enable/disable for the week
- You can select a different audio file for each call to prayer, or use the same audio file
- You can define your own custom prayer time calculation method, in case, your method is not provided by the built-in calculation methods
- You can provide your own schedule using an XML file for those regions where the automatic calculation of prayer times differ
- You can adjust the calculated prayer time by +/- 10 minutes
Setup
To configure muslim call to prayers in CasaTunes:
Step 1: You must enable doorbell chimes in CasaSetup. Follow these steps:
- Open CasaSetup
- Select Select Controller menu option
- Select Advanced Settings in the CasaSetup header
- Select Play doorbell chime from the dropdown
- Select the CasaTunes media player source to use to play your call to prayers. This source is dedicated for this purpose, and cannot be used for general music playback
Step 2: You must provide your own mp3 prayer file(s) and copy these into the CasaTunes Prayers folder. The files must be named exactly as below:
- Fajr.mp3
- Dhuhr.mp3
- Asr.mp3
- Maghrib.mp3
- Isha.mp3
You can use the same adhan audio file for each prayer, or different ones, but all five files must be present. These files must be copied into the following shared CasaTunes server share folder: \\CasaServer\CasaData\Prayers
Step 3: You must create a room group containing all the rooms where you want the call to prayers to be played. Please note the volume for a room is controlled by the Page Volume setting for each room.
You must use the iOS APP to configure the call to prayer settings. The iOS App is currently the only CasaTunes client that supports these settings
Step 4: You must provide the latitude and longitude coordinates for your location. You can either press Find my location in the CasaTunes iOS App and have the App automatically determine your location, or you can manually enter the latitude and longitude.
Step 5: You must Enable Prayers in the iOS General Settings App.
- Press the Home button twice to return to the iOS home screen
- Select the Settings icon
- Scroll down and select to configure the CasaTunes settings
- Scroll down and turn on Enable Muslim Prayers
Step 6: Now start the CasaTunes iOS App and select Menu > Settings > Prayers to manage your Prayer settings.
Step 7: In the Prayers settings page, you can:
- Enable or disable prayers
- Set the prayer schedule for the week
- Specify your location (latitude and longitude), or touch Find my location to have the App automatically detect your location
- Select the method to use to calculate prayer times, or select By Location (if your location is listed). Currently the following calculation methods are supported: "Jafari", "Karachi", "ISNA", "MWL", "Makkah", "Egypt" and "Custom". For more information about the Custom calculation method see below.
- Adjust the times for high latitudes. Options include "None", "Middle of the night", "1/7 of the night", and "Angle Based method"
- Adjust the Asr calculation, by selecting one of the following juristic methods: Shafii or Hanafi.
- Adjust for Daylight Savings time
- Apply an end user prayer time adjustment. You can adjust the calculated prayer time by +/- 10 minutes
Creating a Custom Calculation Method
To change the Custom calculation method, follow these instructions:
- In CasaSetup select Stop CasaTunes and wait for CasaTunes to stop
- Edit the Prayers.xml file located in the \\CasaServer\CasaData folder using Notepad or another text editor
- Search for the <CustomCalcMethod> section in the XML document
- Change the various settings in this section (which includes a description in the line above the setting)
- Once you have finished making your changes, save the file
- In CasaSetup, select Start CasaTunes to start CasaTunes again