SageMC Menu Customization

[wjones]

I spent 10 minutes trying this - reading through this post and others on this forum.

So, I thought I would just pull all the info together and share my settings at the same time.

One point to bear in mind is that this allows you to include folders (the below settings are not an exclusion filter).
If you want to exclude one or more folders, you can change the "PathFilterExcludes" setting to true.

Open the file C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\sagemc_menu.xml with notepad or similar (your path could be different).

In there, by default is a section which looks like this:

        <internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my videos.png" screen="Video Library Folder View" title="My DVDs">
            <evalExpression> </evalExpression>
        </internalScreenMenuItem>

Replace this with something like this:

       <internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my videos.png" screen="Video Library Folder View" title="Series">
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExprs", new_java_util_ArrayList())</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "D:\\shares\\DVDs Series")</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExcludes", false)</evalExpression>
        </internalScreenMenuItem>

The above path works for me with a WHS server where all my folders are on d:

If you want to include 2 paths in your list, then repeat the add line as follows:

        <internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my videos.png" screen="Video Library Folder View" title="Movies">
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExprs", new_java_util_ArrayList())</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "D:\\shares\\DVDs Films 1")</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "D:\\shares\\DVDs Films 2")</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>java_util_List_add</evalExpression>
        </internalScreenMenuItem>

All the paths are case sensitive, so make sure the above paths match what you have in your "manage video folders" screen.

Once this is done, you may need to re-scan your import library, and you may need to remove then add your folders. I also found that restarting the HD200 helped.

I have 1 outstanding problem which is that grouping by genre no-longer works, all the genre folders are empty since I split my videos using the above technique.
I see that I am not alone in this Link

Hope this saves someone a bit of time!

Cheers
Will

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by wjones

I spent 10 minutes trying this - reading through this post and others on this forum.

So, I thought I would just pull all the info together and share my settings at the same time.

Excellent write up, thanks This should really be a sticky for people looking to add path filters to their menu.xml file.

One more trick that I use:
I have always wanted different views for different menu items. For example, dvd's and blurays i want the poster cover view, but for random videos, tv shows, videos without metadata i want the list view. I use the below snippet to accomplish it (it also resets the view to FILE-SYSTEM, and Filters = None). I only included the lines about setting the view type, filters, and listview.

<internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my videos.png" screen="Video Library Folder View" title="Blu-ray">
  <evalExpression>SetProperty("sagemc/ui/video_lib_view", "FILE-SYSTEM")</evalExpression>
  <evalExpression>SetProperty("sagemc/video_lib_filter", "None")</evalExpression>
  <evalExpression>SetProperty("sagemc/ui/video_lib_folder_listview", false) </evalExpression>
</internalScreenMenuItem>

[wjones]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

it also resets the view to FILE-SYSTEM, and Filters = None

Great tip - thanks, this will help with my genre grouping issue until I can get it resolved!

[jrichard11865]

How does this help with your genre issues? I have the genre issue as well when using path filters and is driving me nuts!

[wjones]

Originally Posted by jrichard11865

How does this help with your genre issues? I have the genre issue as well when using path filters and is driving me nuts!

Hi Jrichard,

You are absolutely right, this does not fix the problem - but it just gives me a way to default the view to something else.. thus reducing the irritation factor of having the useless genre view come up by default.

Cheers
Wil

[jrichard11865]

ok thanks....I thought maybe you had a slick way of working around the genre issue! looks like we are both stuck until there is a fix.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by jrichard11865

ok thanks....I thought maybe you had a slick way of working around the genre issue! looks like we are both stuck until there is a fix.

What Genre issues? SMW does genre categories just fine is there a issue in the default?

[rosemary]

It seemed at first that this might be just what I was looking for, but now I'm thinking I'm wrong. Either that, or there needs to be a different form what what I'm wanting.

I want a main menu like this:

TV
Movies
etc.

You click on TV, and it takes you to a browser that shows all the SUBFOLDERS of TV on the first screen it takes you to. With this, the only thing I could figure out how to do was make it so clicking TV took me to a browser that had a TV folder that I then had to click on.

Here's the XML I'm using:

       <internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my tv.png" screen="Video Library Folder View" title="TV">
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExprs", new_java_util_ArrayList())</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "C:\\Media\\Videos\\TV")</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExcludes", false)</evalExpression>
        </internalScreenMenuItem>

       <internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_dvd.png" screen="Video Library Folder View" title="Movies">
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExprs", new_java_util_ArrayList())</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "C:\\Media\\Videos\\Movies")</evalExpression>
            <evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExcludes", false)</evalExpression>
        </internalScreenMenuItem>

I have two imported folders, C:\Media\Videos\TV and C:\Media\Videos\Movies and the case matches what's in the XML.

Am I missing something?

[Fuzzy]

It sounds as if your imported folder is actually C:\Media\Videos. If this is the case, you WILL see the next level down in the library (so you will see the TV and Movies folders). Change it so that you actually have C:\Media\Videos\TV and C:\Media\Videos\Movies as individual shares.

Another option is to go to using SageMovieWall and TVExplorer for you browsing, and point your Movies and TV menu items to those.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

It sounds as if your imported folder is actually C:\Media\Videos. If this is the case, you WILL see the next level down in the library (so you will see the TV and Movies folders). Change it so that you actually have C:\Media\Videos\TV and C:\Media\Videos\Movies as individual shares.

agreed sounds like you need to separate out your import folders

Another option is to go to using SageMovieWall and TVExplorer for you browsing, and point your Movies and TV menu items to those.

you will still need to separate out your import shares if you want to use path filter expressions (optional in both SMW and TVE).... SMW and TVE use the same function calls as SageMC for filtering out paths..

[rosemary]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

It sounds as if your imported folder is actually C:\Media\Videos. If this is the case, you WILL see the next level down in the library (so you will see the TV and Movies folders). Change it so that you actually have C:\Media\Videos\TV and C:\Media\Videos\Movies as individual shares.

No, that was the case before I started trying this, but I realized it needed to be setup that way so I changed it. My import list shows:
C:\Media\Music
C:\Media\Videos\Movies
C:\Media\Videos\TV

and my sage.properties says:

seeker/archive_directory=C\:\\Media\\Music,2;C\:\\Media\\Videos\\TV,1;C\:\\Media\\Videos\\Movies,1;

I've tried restarting sage just to be sure all this has went into effect. I've also manually rescanned my imports using the SageMC "Rescan Import Folders" menu option.

I also tried putting "C\:" instead of "C:" into the xml file.

Any other ideas?

[razrsharpe]

I would switch to UNC path shares and import folders. For some reason they seem to be easier to set up. I know somewhere in the SMW thread there is some tips for drive letter shares and path filter expressions... but i never really got it to work.

[rosemary]

Update: Looks like something wasn't getting cleared out of Sage. I tried deleting both the Videos\TV and Videos\Movies import folders and doing a rescan. Then I added them both back and did another rescan. Now it works great!

razrsharpe: I bet your suggestion would have worked, just not for the reasons you think. I bet a lot of people had success with this, but it was just because this got them past whatever cache was causing sage not to fully rescan.


Thanks for the help!

[razrsharpe]

ya that's a good point... and something i usually do naturally when i want sage to completely refresh its db. remove all the import directories, rescan, add them back, then rescan again.

anyway glad you god it working

[rosemary]

Bleh. It turned out to be all for naught. Now when I hit the Videos button on my remote, I have nowhere for it to take me. I wanted it to take me to the previous entry point, which was a screen with a TV and a Videos folder in the browser. I suppose I could create some sub-menu or something and have it take me there, but it doesn't sound too great of an idea for me right now.

[wrems]

Need help setting up filter path expressions. For the life of me I cannot get this working.

Here's what I'm trying to do. I want to set up a separate movies and other videos libraries. So my SageMC homepage will reference 2 links (Movies, Other), amongst the regular items. I've tried so many variations of things to try and get this to work so I'm at a loss and want to start over from the beginning.

Heres the snippet I'm working from:

<internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my videos.png" screen="Video Library" title="Movies"> 

<evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExprs", new_java_util_ArrayList())</evalExpression> 

<evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "\\\\Bill\\Media\\Movies")</evalExpression> 

<evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExcludes", false)</evalExpression> </internalScreenMenuItem>

  <!--                                   -->

<internalScreenMenuItem icon="hover_my videos.png" screen="Video Library" title="Other"> 

<evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExprs", new_java_util_ArrayList())</evalExpression> 

<evalExpression>java_util_List_add(PathFilterExprs, "\\\\Bill\\Media\\Other")</evalExpression> 

<evalExpression>AddStaticContext("PathFilterExcludes", false)</evalExpression> </internalScreenMenuItem>

  <!--                                   -->

I've set up media import directories for:
\\Bill\Media\Movies
\\Bill\Media\Other

No matter what I change or do seems to be working... I either get all or nothing in my video browsers.

Any help is very much appreciated!

[razrsharpe]

everything looks right... but one thing that is annoying and confusing... the case of the share must match exactly (ie Bill != BILL != bill). So make sure the import directory, UNC share as reported by windows, and the path filter string are all identical case

EDIT: and each path filter must be an import path... ie you need \\Bill\Media\Movies and \\Bill\Media\Other as import directories. \\Bill\Media as the only import directory does not work.

[wrems]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!

I was about to rip my hair out messing with this thing. The one mundane detail that I overlooked was the my shares and case were not correct. I thought I double and triple checked that too. Sneaky little problem where my share was
\\bill\Media\movies
\\bill\Media\other

The capitalized M was the only thing holding it up... How frustrating!

I'm so glad it's working.

[dead_ferrets]

If it's any consolation Wrems, I just went through exactly the same frustration. It was so great to finally get it working but I felt like such a maroon!

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by wrems

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!

no problem... we've all been there ... It would be nice if the sagemc jar was updated so that the method that does the filtering was case insensitive but i doubt that will ever happen considering Mike has moved onto phoenix