diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/Makefile.in b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/Makefile.in
index 5f487ab20..8aacf53a7 100644
--- a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/Makefile.in
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/Makefile.in
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #
 #
 #   Author   : $Author: maroy $
-#   Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+#   Version  : $Revision: 1.2 $
 #   Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/Makefile.in,v $
 #
 #   @configure_input@
@@ -111,8 +111,10 @@ PLAYLIST_EXECUTOR_LIB_OBJS = ${TMP_DIR}/HelixPlayer.o \
                              ${TMP_DIR}/AuthenticationManager.o \
                              ${TMP_DIR}/ClientContext.o \
                              ${TMP_DIR}/ErrorSink.o \
-                             ${TMP_DIR}/HelixIIDs.o
+                             ${TMP_DIR}/HelixIIDs.o \
+                             ${TMP_DIR}/AudioPlayerFactory.o
 TEST_RUNNER_OBJS = ${TMP_DIR}/HelixPlayerTest.o \
+                   ${TMP_DIR}/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.o \
                    ${TMP_DIR}/TestRunner.o
 TEST_RUNNER_LIBS = -l${PLAYLIST_EXECUTOR_LIB} -l${CORE_LIB} \
                    ${HELIX_LIBS} \
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/audioPlayer.xml b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/audioPlayer.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0d7c6505b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/etc/audioPlayer.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
+<!DOCTYPE audioPlayer [
+
+<!ELEMENT audioPlayer   (helixPlayer) >
+
+<!ELEMENT helixPlayer   EMPTY >
+<!ATTLIST helixPlayer   dllPath     CDATA   #REQUIRED >
+]>
+<audioPlayer>
+    <helixPlayer dllPath = "../../usr/lib/helix"
+    />
+</audioPlayer>
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerFactory.h b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerFactory.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f42e4bc28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerFactory.h
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    Copyright (c) 2004 Media Development Loan Fund
+ 
+    This file is part of the LiveSupport project.
+    http://livesupport.campware.org/
+    To report bugs, send an e-mail to bugs@campware.org
+ 
+    LiveSupport is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+  
+    LiveSupport is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+ 
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with LiveSupport; if not, write to the Free Software
+    Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ 
+ 
+    Author   : $Author: maroy $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerFactory.h,v $
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#ifndef LiveSupport_PlaylistExecutor_AudioPlayerFactory_h
+#define LiveSupport_PlaylistExecutor_AudioPlayerFactory_h
+
+#ifndef __cplusplus
+#error This is a C++ include file
+#endif
+
+
+/* ============================================================ include files */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "configure.h"
+#endif
+
+#include <stdexcept>
+
+#include "LiveSupport/Core/Configurable.h"
+#include "LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerInterface.h"
+
+
+namespace LiveSupport {
+namespace PlaylistExecutor {
+
+using namespace LiveSupport;
+using namespace LiveSupport::Core;
+
+/* ================================================================ constants */
+
+
+/* =================================================================== macros */
+
+
+/* =============================================================== data types */
+
+/**
+ *  The factory to create appropriate AudioPlayer objects.
+ *  This singleton class has to be configured with an XML element,
+ *  describing the AudioPlayerInterface that it should build
+ *  and maintain. This is done by including the configuration element
+ *  for the desired type of connection manager inside the configuration
+ *  element for the factory.
+ *
+ *  Currently only the HelixAudioPlayer is supported, thus a
+ *  configuration file may look like this:
+ *
+ *  <pre><code>
+ *  &lt;audioPlayer&gt;
+ *      <helixPlayer dllPath = "../../usr/lib/helix"
+ *      />
+ *  &lt;/audioPlayer&gt;
+ *  </code></pre>
+ *
+ *  The DTD for the above XML structure is:
+ *
+ *  <pre><code>
+ *  <!ELEMENT audioPlayer   (helixPlayer) >
+ *  </code></pre>
+ *
+ *  For the DTD and details of the helixPlayer configuration
+ *  element, see the HelixPlayer documentation.
+ *
+ *  @author  $Author: maroy $
+ *  @version $Revision: 1.1 $
+ *  @see HelixPlayer
+ */
+class AudioPlayerFactory :
+                        virtual public Configurable
+{
+    private:
+        /**
+         *  The name of the configuration XML elmenent used by this object.
+         */
+        static const std::string    configElementNameStr;
+
+        /**
+         *  The singleton instance of this object.
+         */
+        static Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref     singleton;
+
+        /**
+         *  The audio player created by this factory.
+         */
+        Ptr<AudioPlayerInterface>::Ref          audioPlayer;
+
+        /**
+         *  The default constructor.
+         */
+        AudioPlayerFactory(void)              throw ()
+        {
+        }
+
+
+    public:
+        /**
+         *  A virtual destructor, as this class has virtual functions.
+         */
+        virtual
+        ~AudioPlayerFactory(void)             throw ()
+        {
+        }
+
+        /**
+         *  Return the name of the XML element this object expects
+         *  to be sent to a call to configure().
+         *  
+         *  @return the name of the expected XML configuration element.
+         */
+        static const std::string
+        getConfigElementName(void)                  throw ()
+        {
+            return configElementNameStr;
+        }
+
+        /**
+         *  Returns the singleton instance of this object.
+         *
+         *  @return the singleton instance of this object.
+         */
+        static Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref
+        getInstance()                                   throw ();
+
+        /**
+         *  Configure the object based on the XML element supplied.
+         *
+         *  @param element the XML element to configure the object from.
+         *  @exception std::invalid_argument if the supplied XML element
+         *             contains bad configuraiton information
+         *  @exception std::logic_error if the object has already
+         *             been configured, and can not be reconfigured.
+         */
+        virtual void
+        configure(const xmlpp::Element    & element)
+                                                throw (std::invalid_argument,
+                                                       std::logic_error);
+
+        /**
+         *  Return an audio player.
+         *  The returned player will already have been initialized.
+         *
+         *  @return the appropriate audio player, according to the
+         *          configuration of this factory.
+         */
+        Ptr<AudioPlayerInterface>::Ref
+        getAudioPlayer(void)                    throw ()
+        {
+            return audioPlayer;
+        }
+};
+
+
+/* ================================================= external data structures */
+
+
+/* ====================================================== function prototypes */
+
+
+} // namespace PlaylistExecutor
+} // namespace LiveSupport
+
+#endif // LiveSupport_PlaylistExecutor_AudioPlayerFactory_h
+
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerInterface.h b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerInterface.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f23f8fdf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerInterface.h
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    Copyright (c) 2004 Media Development Loan Fund
+ 
+    This file is part of the LiveSupport project.
+    http://livesupport.campware.org/
+    To report bugs, send an e-mail to bugs@campware.org
+ 
+    LiveSupport is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+  
+    LiveSupport is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+ 
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with LiveSupport; if not, write to the Free Software
+    Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ 
+ 
+    Author   : $Author: maroy $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/include/LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerInterface.h,v $
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#ifndef AudioPlayerInterface_h
+#define AudioPlayerInterface_h
+
+#ifndef __cplusplus
+#error This is a C++ include file
+#endif
+
+
+/* ============================================================ include files */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "configure.h"
+#endif
+
+
+#include "LiveSupport/Core/Configurable.h"
+
+
+namespace LiveSupport {
+namespace PlaylistExecutor {
+
+using namespace LiveSupport;
+using namespace LiveSupport::Core;
+
+/* ================================================================ constants */
+
+
+/* =================================================================== macros */
+
+
+/* =============================================================== data types */
+
+/**
+ *  A generic interface for playing audio files.
+ *
+ *  @author  $Author: maroy $
+ *  @version $Revision: 1.1 $
+ */
+class AudioPlayerInterface : virtual public Configurable
+{
+    public:
+        /**
+         *  A virtual destructor, as this class has virtual functions.
+         */
+        virtual
+        ~AudioPlayerInterface(void)                        throw ()
+        {
+        }
+
+        /**
+         *  Configure the object based on the XML element supplied.
+         *
+         *  @param element the XML element to configure the object from.
+         *  @exception std::invalid_argument if the supplied XML element
+         *             contains bad configuraiton information
+         *  @exception std::logic_error if the scheduler daemon has already
+         *             been configured, and can not be reconfigured.
+         */
+        virtual void
+        configure(const xmlpp::Element    & element)
+                                                throw (std::invalid_argument,
+                                                       std::logic_error)  = 0;
+
+        /**
+         *  Initialize the Player object, so that it is ready to
+         *  play audio files.
+         *
+         *  @exception std::exception on initialization problems.
+         */
+        virtual void
+        initialize(void)                        throw (std::exception)    = 0;
+
+        /**
+         *  De-initialize the Player object.
+         */
+        virtual void
+        deInitialize(void)                      throw ()                  = 0;
+
+        /**
+         *  Specify which audio resource to play.
+         *  The file may be a playlist, referencing other files, which
+         *  will be accessed automatically.
+         *  Note: this call will <b>not</b> start playing! You will
+         *  have to call the start() function to begin playing.
+         *
+         *  @param fileUrl a URL to a file
+         *  @exception std::invalid_argument if the supplied fileUrl
+         *             seems to be invalid.
+         *  @see #start
+         */
+        virtual void
+        playThis(const std::string  fileUrl)    throw (std::invalid_argument)
+                                                                        = 0;
+
+        /**
+         *  Start playing.
+         *  This call will start playing the active playlist, which was
+         *  set by a previous call to playThis().
+         *  Playing can be stopped by calling stop().
+         *
+         *  @exception std::logic_error if there was no previous call to
+         *             playThis().
+         *  @see #playThis
+         *  @see #stop
+         */
+        virtual void
+        start(void)                             throw (std::logic_error)
+                                                                      = 0;
+
+        /**
+         *  Tell if we're currently playing.
+         *
+         *  @return true of the player is currently playing, false
+         *          otherwise.
+         */
+        virtual bool
+        isPlaying(void)                         throw ()              = 0;
+
+        /**
+         *  Stop playing.
+         *
+         *  @exception std::logic_error if there was no previous call to
+         *             start()
+         */
+        virtual void
+        stop(void)                              throw (std::logic_error)
+                                                                      = 0;
+};
+
+
+/* ================================================= external data structures */
+
+
+/* ====================================================== function prototypes */
+
+
+} // namespace PlaylistExecutor
+} // namespace LiveSupport
+
+
+#endif // AudioPlayerInterface_h
+
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactory.cxx b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactory.cxx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..286ed294b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactory.cxx
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    Copyright (c) 2004 Media Development Loan Fund
+ 
+    This file is part of the LiveSupport project.
+    http://livesupport.campware.org/
+    To report bugs, send an e-mail to bugs@campware.org
+ 
+    LiveSupport is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+  
+    LiveSupport is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+ 
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with LiveSupport; if not, write to the Free Software
+    Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ 
+ 
+    Author   : $Author: maroy $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactory.cxx,v $
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+/* ============================================================ include files */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "configure.h"
+#endif
+
+#include "LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerFactory.h"
+#include "HelixPlayer.h"
+
+
+using namespace LiveSupport::Core;
+using namespace LiveSupport::PlaylistExecutor;
+
+/* ===================================================  local data structures */
+
+
+/* ================================================  local constants & macros */
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  The name of the config element for this class
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+const std::string AudioPlayerFactory::configElementNameStr =
+                                                    "audioPlayer";
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  The singleton instance of AudioPlayerFactory
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref AudioPlayerFactory::singleton;
+
+
+/* ===============================================  local function prototypes */
+
+
+/* =============================================================  module code */
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Return the singleton instance to AudioPlayerFactory
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref
+AudioPlayerFactory :: getInstance(void)                   throw ()
+{
+    if (!singleton.get()) {
+        singleton.reset(new AudioPlayerFactory());
+    }
+
+    return singleton;
+}
+
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Configure the connection manager factory.
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+void
+AudioPlayerFactory :: configure(const xmlpp::Element & element)
+                                                throw (std::invalid_argument,
+                                                       std::logic_error)
+{
+    if (element.get_name() != configElementNameStr) {
+        std::string eMsg = "Bad configuration element ";
+        eMsg += element.get_name();
+        throw std::invalid_argument(eMsg);
+    }
+
+    audioPlayer.reset();
+
+    // try to look for a SimpleConnectionManager configuration element
+    xmlpp::Node::NodeList   nodes = element.get_children(
+                                        HelixPlayer::getConfigElementName());
+    if (nodes.size() >= 1) {
+        const xmlpp::Element  * configElement =
+                         dynamic_cast<const xmlpp::Element*> (*(nodes.begin()));
+        Ptr<HelixPlayer>::Ref   hp(new HelixPlayer());
+        hp->configure(*configElement);
+        hp->initialize();
+        audioPlayer = hp;
+    }
+
+    if (!audioPlayer) {
+        throw std::invalid_argument("no audio player factories to configure");
+    }
+}
+
+
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.cxx b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.cxx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3f342542c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.cxx
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    Copyright (c) 2004 Media Development Loan Fund
+ 
+    This file is part of the LiveSupport project.
+    http://livesupport.campware.org/
+    To report bugs, send an e-mail to bugs@campware.org
+ 
+    LiveSupport is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+  
+    LiveSupport is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+ 
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with LiveSupport; if not, write to the Free Software
+    Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ 
+ 
+    Author   : $Author: maroy $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/Attic/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.cxx,v $
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+/* ============================================================ include files */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "configure.h"
+#endif
+
+#if HAVE_UNISTD_H
+#include <unistd.h>
+#else
+#error "Need unistd.h"
+#endif
+
+
+#include <string>
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include "AudioPlayerFactoryTest.h"
+
+
+using namespace LiveSupport::PlaylistExecutor;
+
+/* ===================================================  local data structures */
+
+
+/* ================================================  local constants & macros */
+
+CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_REGISTRATION(AudioPlayerFactoryTest);
+
+/**
+ *  The name of the configuration file for the Helix player.
+ */
+static const std::string configFileName = "etc/audioPlayer.xml";
+
+
+/* ===============================================  local function prototypes */
+
+
+/* =============================================================  module code */
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Set up the test environment
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+void
+AudioPlayerFactoryTest :: setUp(void)                         throw ()
+{
+    try {
+        Ptr<xmlpp::DomParser>::Ref  parser(
+                                    new xmlpp::DomParser(configFileName, true));
+        const xmlpp::Document * document = parser->get_document();
+        const xmlpp::Element  * root     = document->get_root_node();
+
+        Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref    audioPlayerFactory;
+
+        audioPlayerFactory = AudioPlayerFactory::getInstance();
+        audioPlayerFactory->configure(*root);
+
+    } catch (std::invalid_argument &e) {
+        std::cerr << "semantic error in configuration file" << std::endl;
+    } catch (xmlpp::exception &e) {
+        std::cerr << e.what() << std::endl;
+    }
+}
+
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Clean up the test environment
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+void
+AudioPlayerFactoryTest :: tearDown(void)                      throw ()
+{
+}
+
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Test to see if the HelixPlayer engine can be started and stopped
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+void
+AudioPlayerFactoryTest :: firstTest(void)
+                                                throw (CPPUNIT_NS::Exception)
+{
+    Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref        audioPlayerFactory;
+
+    audioPlayerFactory = AudioPlayerFactory::getInstance();
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(audioPlayerFactory.get());
+
+    Ptr<AudioPlayerInterface>::Ref      audioPlayer;
+
+    audioPlayer = audioPlayerFactory->getAudioPlayer();
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(audioPlayer.get());
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(!audioPlayer->isPlaying());
+}
+
+
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Play something simple
+ *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+void
+AudioPlayerFactoryTest :: simplePlayTest(void)
+                                                throw (CPPUNIT_NS::Exception)
+{
+    Ptr<AudioPlayerFactory>::Ref        audioPlayerFactory;
+    Ptr<AudioPlayerInterface>::Ref      audioPlayer;
+
+    audioPlayerFactory = AudioPlayerFactory::getInstance();
+    audioPlayer        = audioPlayerFactory->getAudioPlayer();
+
+    audioPlayer->playThis("file:var/test.mp3");
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(!audioPlayer->isPlaying());
+    audioPlayer->start();
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(audioPlayer->isPlaying());
+    while (audioPlayer->isPlaying()) {
+        usleep(10000);
+    }
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(!audioPlayer->isPlaying());
+}
+
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.h b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..434342767
--- /dev/null
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.h
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+/*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    Copyright (c) 2004 Media Development Loan Fund
+ 
+    This file is part of the LiveSupport project.
+    http://livesupport.campware.org/
+    To report bugs, send an e-mail to bugs@campware.org
+ 
+    LiveSupport is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+  
+    LiveSupport is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+ 
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with LiveSupport; if not, write to the Free Software
+    Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+ 
+ 
+    Author   : $Author: maroy $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/Attic/AudioPlayerFactoryTest.h,v $
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#ifndef AudioPlayerFactoryTest_h
+#define AudioPlayerFactoryTest_h
+
+#ifndef __cplusplus
+#error This is a C++ include file
+#endif
+
+
+/* ============================================================ include files */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "configure.h"
+#endif
+
+#include <cppunit/extensions/HelperMacros.h>
+
+#include "LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerFactory.h"
+
+
+namespace LiveSupport {
+namespace PlaylistExecutor {
+
+/* ================================================================ constants */
+
+
+/* =================================================================== macros */
+
+
+/* =============================================================== data types */
+
+/**
+ *  Unit test for the AudioPlayerFactory class.
+ *
+ *  @author  $Author: maroy $
+ *  @version $Revision: 1.1 $
+ *  @see AudioPlayerFactory
+ */
+class AudioPlayerFactoryTest : public CPPUNIT_NS::TestFixture
+{
+    CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE(AudioPlayerFactoryTest);
+    CPPUNIT_TEST(firstTest);
+    CPPUNIT_TEST(simplePlayTest);
+    CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_END();
+
+    protected:
+
+        /**
+         *  A simple test.
+         *
+         *  @exception CPPUNIT_NS::Exception on test failures.
+         */
+        void
+        firstTest(void)                         throw (CPPUNIT_NS::Exception);
+
+        /**
+         *  Play something simple.
+         *
+         *  @exception CPPUNIT_NS::Exception on test failures.
+         */
+        void
+        simplePlayTest(void)                    throw (CPPUNIT_NS::Exception);
+
+    public:
+        
+        /**
+         *  Set up the environment for the test case.
+         */
+        void
+        setUp(void)                                     throw ();
+
+        /**
+         *  Clean up the environment after the test case.
+         */
+        void
+        tearDown(void)                                  throw ();
+};
+
+
+/* ================================================= external data structures */
+
+
+/* ====================================================== function prototypes */
+
+
+} // namespace PlaylistExecutor
+} // namespace LiveSupport
+
+#endif // AudioPlayerFactoryTest_h
+
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.cxx b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.cxx
index 05c2c3513..b0df58803 100644
--- a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.cxx
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.cxx
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
  
  
     Author   : $Author: maroy $
-    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.2 $
     Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/Attic/HelixPlayer.cxx,v $
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
@@ -128,6 +128,10 @@ HelixPlayer :: configure(const xmlpp::Element   &  element)
 void
 HelixPlayer :: initialize(void)                 throw (std::exception)
 {
+    if (initialized) {
+        return;
+    }
+
     // open the Helix Client Core shared object
     std::string     staticLibPath(dllPath);
     staticLibPath += clntcoreName;
@@ -207,7 +211,8 @@ HelixPlayer :: initialize(void)                 throw (std::exception)
     }
 
     // set up other variables
-    playing = false;
+    playing     = false;
+    initialized = true;
 }
 
 
@@ -215,21 +220,25 @@ HelixPlayer :: initialize(void)                 throw (std::exception)
  *  De-initialize the Helix Player
  *----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 void
-HelixPlayer :: deInitialize(void)
+HelixPlayer :: deInitialize(void)                       throw ()
 {
-    // signal stop to and wait for the event handling thread to stop
-    handleEvents = false;
-    pthread_join(eventHandlingThread, 0);
+    if (initialized) {
+        // signal stop to and wait for the event handling thread to stop
+        handleEvents = false;
+        pthread_join(eventHandlingThread, 0);
 
-    // release Helix resources
-    clientContext->Release();
+        // release Helix resources
+        clientContext->Release();
 
-    clientEngine->ClosePlayer(player);
-    player->Release();
+        clientEngine->ClosePlayer(player);
+        player->Release();
 
-    closeEngine(clientEngine);
+        closeEngine(clientEngine);
 
-    dllAccess.close();
+        dllAccess.close();
+
+        initialized = false;
+    }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.h b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.h
index df4330b32..e5e8ef924 100644
--- a/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.h
+++ b/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/HelixPlayer.h
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
  
  
     Author   : $Author: maroy $
-    Version  : $Revision: 1.1 $
+    Version  : $Revision: 1.2 $
     Location : $Source: /home/paul/cvs2svn-livesupport/newcvsrepo/livesupport/modules/playlistExecutor/src/Attic/HelixPlayer.h,v $
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 #include <dllacces.h>
 #include <dllpath.h>
 
-#include "LiveSupport/Core/Configurable.h"
+#include "LiveSupport/PlaylistExecutor/AudioPlayerInterface.h"
 
 #include "AdviseSink.h"
 #include "ErrorSink.h"
@@ -71,12 +71,27 @@ using namespace LiveSupport::Core;
 /**
  *  A class to play audio files and SMIL files through the Helix
  *  Community Library.
+ *  This class can be configured with the following XML element.
+ *
+ *  <pre><code>
+ *  <helixPlayer dllPath = "../../usr/lib/helix"
+ *  />
+ *  <pre><code>
+ *
+ *  where the dllPath is the path to the directory containing the Helix
+ *  library shared objects.
+ *
+ *  The DTD for the above configuration is the following:
+ *
+ *  <pre><code>
+ *  <!ELEMENT helixPlayer   EMPTY >
+ *  <!ATTLIST helixPlayer   dllPath     CDATA   #REQUIRED >
+ *  </pre></code>
  *
  *  @author  $Author: maroy $
- *  @version $Revision: 1.1 $
+ *  @version $Revision: 1.2 $
  */
-class HelixPlayer :
-                    virtual public Configurable
+class HelixPlayer : virtual public AudioPlayerInterface
 {
     friend void * eventHandlerThread(void *)      throw();
 
@@ -131,6 +146,11 @@ class HelixPlayer :
          */
         pthread_t               eventHandlingThread;
 
+        /**
+         *  Flag to indicate if this object has been initialized.
+         */
+        bool                    initialized;
+
         /**
          *  Flag to mark if the event handling thread should be running
          *  and handling events.
@@ -149,12 +169,22 @@ class HelixPlayer :
 
 
     public:
+        /**
+         *  Constructor.
+         */
+        HelixPlayer(void)                           throw ()
+        {
+            playing     = false;
+            initialized = false;
+        }
+
         /**
          *  A virtual destructor, as this class has virtual functions.
          */
         virtual
-        ~HelixPlayer(void)                        throw ()
+        ~HelixPlayer(void)                          throw ()
         {
+            deInitialize();
         }
 
         /**
@@ -196,7 +226,7 @@ class HelixPlayer :
          *  De-initialize the Helix Player object.
          */
         virtual void
-        deInitialize(void);
+        deInitialize(void)                      throw ();
 
         /**
          *  Specify which audio resource to play.