To play a SMIL document from a local file you use the File->Open command and select the file. Alternatively, methods customary on your platform will also work, such as drag and drop of the document's icon on Mac or Windows, or passing the filename on the command line on Unix.
To play a document over the network you use File->Open URL or File->Open Location and type the URL. This feature is not fully supported in the current release: only http: URLs are allowed, and on Windows not all media types will play back correctly.
Mac and Windows players allow simulaneous playback of multiple documents, on Windows CE and Linux that is not supported in the current release.
In case of problems encountered during playback a dialog with a terse summary of the problem will be displayed. More information can be found in the logging window, which can be opened through View->Log or File->Log Window. The amount of detail in the log window can be selected through the preferences. There you can also select whether to do rigorous error checking on your SMIL documents (except on handheld platforms).