Idea to enhance the Web User Interface: Messaging

[jbarr]

First off, a quick word of thanks to Neilm: The Web User Interface is simply EXCELLENT!!! It extends SageTV's power to outside our house, and is simply amazing!

OK, that said, I have a feature request that I think might be quite useful. How difficult would it be to integrate a simple "messaging" function into the Web User Interface?

My idea is this: Have a simple Web page (in the Web User Interface) containing a form that provides the user with a text entry box and a "send" button. The user types a short message into the box, and clicks "Send". That would initiate one of two things:

1. Popup dialog box
The message would then force a "popup" dialog box on the SageTV client for the viewer to see. The viewer would see the popup, read the message, and dismiss it with the remote.

2. Indicator icon
If you don't want to force a popup, then maybe you could have some "indicator" icon display somewhere that would alert the viewer to a message. Kind of like the "conflicts" icon does?

Of course, the pie-in-the-sky feature would be to let the viewer respond, and have the response display on the Web page, sort of like a chat, and OK, maybe integrate in SMS messaging also.... But that's WAY too much overkill for what I'm looking for. Sorry!

I'd simply like to see a viewable message on the client initiated by input on the Web page.

Is something like this even doable? Would this be difficult to implement? And since I'm now using SageMC, would it work with SageMC?

[evilpenguin]

I don't do messaging like that very often, but when I do I have to VNC to my Sage machine and open up a notepad. This would be *much* cleaner solution.

[FidgetyRat]

I do think the idea is a neat one, but I just don't see how it fits into the typical sage system.

Most of us treat sage as a media portal, yet this seems more like convenience for the family then a function of a media or home theater system.

Though I admit, if it were there, I would likely use it on occasion.

[ekiwi]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

I do think the idea is a neat one, but I just don't see how it fits into the typical sage system.

I would probably use it but not in an interactive way, but as a way to send computer generated messages

ie system errors warnings etc eg "EPG SCRAPING FAILED"