Controlling SageTV with MyHTPC?

[White94Cobra]

I'm not sure what VNC is. I'm watching SageTV on my TV via Svideo using the PowerDVD v5 codecs with no monitor attatched.

I've been studying your GML file some more... and I'm on the verge of understanding most of it. You're doing what I used to do on startup (only I did it manually) before I had a separate HTPC sending a hot-key to switch resolutions/change monitors via the ATI control panel. I removed that, and have been basically trying to trace how things flow.

How do you find out what messages to send via the sendmessge plugin? I notice you don't actually send keypresses (that I can tell) to SageTV, but send messages.

I'll install those plugins tonight to see how it goes. Do you have Girder load on startup? It appears once Girder loads, you have it do your reslolution/monitor change, launch MediaCenter (if not already running), then launch myHTPC (and run and bring to focus if not running). Correct? Now I'm trying to figure out how you interact with all of them (I.E. what happens when you run SageTV, how you exit it and what happens, etc).

Do you have buttons assigned to launch the apps separately, or do you rely on myHTPC to launch anything?

You've got quite a config going... thanks for sharing it to the rest of us to hack/learn from.

[salsbst]

You're on the right track, White94Cobra.

1) VNC is a remote control app.... I use it to interact with my HTPC when I'm doing configuring since I don't have a keyboard/mouse plugged into the HTPC.

2) Yes, messages are Windows Messages, which tend to be more reliable than keypresses... someone, I can't remember who, provided the GML for them on Girder's site.

3) Yes, Girder is loaded at startup, it is configured to load the GML file when it starts and yes, in my case I mess with the resolution of the display (bug in Radeon drivers requires this), launch JR Media Center and then launch myHTPC (with some tweaks to make sure, or in hopes of making sure that it actually gets the focus)... it's on a delay so that other apps starting up don't interfere. SageTV is internally configured to load at startup into the system tray indepent of Girder.

4) Nothing in the GML exits SageTV as I don't want to automate that (I want it always running). Instead, I put it to sleep when I want to do something other than SageTV.

5) My remote has distinct buttons that I've assigned to jump directly to my DVD app (zoomplayer), SageTV, JR Media Center, and myHTPC. Alternatively, I can jump back to myHTPC and use the menus to switch to a different app. Zoomplayer is the only media app that I shut down when not in use. SageTV gets put to sleep and JR Media Center gets minimized. I leave myHTPC running behind my active app because it doesn't respond very will to minimization.

HTH, keep asking questions as they come up.

Regards,
Stuart

[White94Cobra]

Thanks for all your help. I have a couple of questions. First, how/where do you accept/listen for remote presses? Is it under the "task-specific"section and/or the "Application Control" section? Also, why do you have "new" and then the corresponding action for SageTV (all except Guide)?

My goal is to load Girder and myHTPC on startup (with SageTV in sleep mode). I'd like to have buttons on my remote that directly start (or bring to focus if already running) myHTPC, SageTV, BSPlayer, and PowerDVD. I may also have a button in myHTPC for those apps. Also, if I exit/sleep any app, I'd like to return focus to myHTPC. The ATI remote has a power button that I'd like to use to put SageTV to sleep, or exit any other in-focus program.

Do you like the Philips remote? I've considered getting it to replace my ATI.

The hardest part of all this will be setting it up and testing without annoying my wife.

[salsbst]

The events that capture and handle remote presses are in "Remote Control / Receiving / Phillips Media Center". They in turn raise events which are handled in several different places, all of which, I think, are in "Automation / Remote Control Responses".... that group's "Global" subgroup is never deactivated, while the subgroups "task-specific" are enabled and disabled based on which is the active task. The "manage enablement" group is the one that watches for various tasks activating or coming to the foreground and enables/disabled groups on that basis.

Also, why do you have "new" and then the corresponding action for SageTV (all except Guide)?

I'm afraid I don't understand this question.

I do like the Phillips remote.... it's great for a general HTPC.

I know what you mean about testing and configuring your HTPC... my biggest challenge is to find times when SageTV isn't recording something "important."

[White94Cobra]

Under Automation->Remote Control Responses->Task Specific->SageTV you have a bunch of commands. "Guide" appears to just be a command, but the others are groups, with a task called "new" under each one. I was just wondering what that meant.

Also, I want to use the power button on my remote to either put SageTV to sleep or exit a program (BSPlayer, PowerDVD, or myHTPC). To put SageTV to sleep, I tried adding a button called Power under the Task Specific section of SageTV and had it goto rrPOWER with no luck. Would it be possible for you to walk me through adding that command? I think a walkthrough of adding
one command would allow me to do the rest on my own.

BTW- do you have the HOME key enabled anywhere? I don't see that key enabled, but it's very usefull.

Thanks again for your assistance.

[gplasky]

Press the My TV (yellow button) on the MCE remote-it's actually in the Global group-for the Sage Home screen. The "new" command is just a command that tells it to go to Application Control group and execute the Sage command.
Easy way to add a button-
Duplicate an existing multigroup. (Like Down) Change the name to reflect what you want it to do i.e. Power. Next-map the new event to goto the command in the Application Control group like Power. (Use the browse button) Next pick the Girder event (like rrDown or whatever command you duplicated) and go to the drop down on the right of Girder and change from All to Girder Event. Press the Learn button. In their type rrPOWER. This references the name of the command in the Remote Control-Receiving-Phillips Media Center group. This is the button on the remote you want to use. Last thing is rename the event to what it now does like rrPOWER. This should work. Hope it helps. I use his file too.

Gerry

[salsbst]

Ah, I get it... I try to use groups for each action that I want to be "callable" from elsewhere in the GML so that, if the needs of that action change, I have the flexibility to work within the group to re-author the action's step(s) without messing with the "Goto" command that gets me to the callable action. When there's only one command in a command group, I often just ignore its name.

To put SageTV to sleep, I go to another application: rrWindows goes to myHTPC. rrMyMusic goes to JR Media Center. rrMyVideos goes to Zoomplayer. The GML file is set up to put all other apps into their "not being used" state when the task switches, so each of these buttons puts SageTV into sleep mode, which is, I think, what the command named Power does.

I have the "MY TV" button on the Phillips MCE Remote to (a) ensure that SageTV is awake and (b) go to the Home screen.

[White94Cobra]

Thanks for the help guys. I now have myHTPC and SageTV running great. My next task is to figure out how to run BSPlayer. I used to just associate .AVI files with BSPlayer, and when I selected a file in myHTPC, it ran BSPlayer and loaded the movie. I had mapped all of the commands in BSPlayer to be the same as SageTV so I could control it with just the ATI software. I don't think I can do this now.

Would it be possible to add a command in Girder that checks to see what the name of the foreground app is, and if it happens to be BSPlayer, enable the command-set for it? If it isn't BSPlayer, disable the command set? This command could be triggered via the taskswitch command?

[White94Cobra]

I think I got it. I added a section that continually watches for a task switch and tests whether one of 4 applications are in focus and enables or disables their command group as needed. I also added a button that sleeps Sage (the power button) and does an ALT-TAB to switch to the next window. For some reason Sage doesn't return focus to the calling program. Thanks again for your help.

[salsbst]

White94Cobra, it's odd that you had to add that section (since, if I understand correctly, you started with my GML).... I thought that "my" section of the same purpose was the reason people were using my gml.... anyway, glad you have it working. You should be able to target a window and tell it to come to the foreground and gain focus without doing alt-tab, but whatever works, works!

Regards,
Stuart

[White94Cobra]

Now that I have thing working the way I want, I will work through how to make things more efficient.

I wanted a way to always have the commands active for a program regardless of how it was called. For example, selecting a movie in myHTPC loads BSPlayer (via file extension association). As soon as BSPlayer comes to the foreground, it's controls are active. This happens if I start it from the Start menu, from myHTPC, or via a button. Even if I pause a movie and manually switch to SageTV with the mouse or keyboard, BSPlayer's controls are deactivated and SageTV's are activated. It appeared to me that your GML file only activated the controls for an app if it was called via a button on the remote or through an event called via command-line. There may be a better way to do the whole BSPlayer thing by passing parameters and such, but I just wanted a working system for now. I'll fine-tune it later once I am a bit more knowledgable.

The reason I did an ALT-TAB on SageTV's sleep is because I don't know what window might be underneath. It migth be BSPlayer, PowerDVD, or myHTPC. This way regardless of what's there, it comes to the foreground.

I'm very open to suggestions/hints on how to make things more efficient/better, I just didn't want to be such a pest with constant questions.

[IVB]

Yet another probably simple & stupid thing, but I'm at a loss for what to debug next. I've got myHTPC running fine w/TT & movies, Girder & SageTVClient running fine, all I want to do is salsabt's switch to maximize SageTVClient from myHTPC.

1) I created a command in Girder called "Switch_SageTV" that sets focus to SageTVClient. I set the target, tested it, works fine, so I know the Girder->SageTVClient part is ok.
2) In myHTPC.myTV, I set "Launch a file or executable", chose the event.exe program, parameters are Switch_SageTV 18 -silent, tried everything for Show Window.

My myHTPC skills aren't that bad - if I choose the SageTVClient.exe program, all is cool as it will startup another session. Thing is, uncompressing the db takes 20-30 seconds, and I already do that as part of startup so there's already a session running.

What could I possibly be doing wrong?

[robogeek]

IVB,

In Girder, make a MultiGroup called Switch_SageTV. In the drop down box by Learn Event, select Girder Event. Then click Learn Event. In the Girder Event box (don't select anything from the drop down list), just type in: Switch_SageTV. In the MultiGroup, add the command to open SageTVClient (just use the existing Switch_SageTV command you've alread done and tested and drag it into the new Switch_SageTV MultiGroup you created).

Keep myHTPC configured as you've described:

Launch executable
executable: c:\program files\girder32\event.exe
parameters: Switch_SageTV 18 -silent
working directory: c:\program files\girder32
Delay: 0
Show window: Hidden

Now try the button in myHTPC

Hope that works for you.

[AJ Bertelson]

Quick question.

I ues myHTPC and sageTV and they both work great. The one problem and possible deal killer with the WAF I have run into is that when I put sageTV into sleep with my remote wonder I lose the ability to navigate the myHTPC front end with the directional arrows on the remote wonder. I have to manually mouse click on the myHTPC front end and I regain the ability to use the directional arrows on the remote wonder.

How would I use girder to fix this problem.

[stanger89]

AJ,

Here's my GML that supposedly launches myHTPC when you sleep Sage and closes myHTPC when you unsleep Sage. I'll warn you all right now that this is my whole GML with my Streamzap keys learned. Also, I'm blindly posting it since I don't use myHTPC right now so I'd advise using this as a reference as opposed to just using it.

Just delete the .txt from the filename.

[AJ Bertelson]

After tinkering a litte bit with it tonight I found something out.

When I put sage into sleep and then I use the keyboard to Alt-Tab I can get back to the myHTPC front end. I will download your GML tonight and work with it tomorrow but it should be a easy fix shouldn't it?

[stanger89]

Basically I just used the setfocus command (I think) to set focus to whichever app I want focus on. I actually did a few things in there so it might look complicated to start with.

[robogeek]

Thanks AJ

Thanks to your post I finally sat down and figured that one out. I'll start out by giving credit to salsbst for posting his Girder logic on his web site (click the link in his signature at the bottom of his forum posts). His Girder logic is the basis for what I am using right now with SageTV, ZoomPlayer, and myHTPC. I don't have ALL of the Girder logic I want completely implemented yet on my setup, but I did manage to get alot of what I need working so that when I exit ZoomPlayer or put SageTV to sleep, myHTPC returns to the foreground and is able to accept commands from the remote. The method I used can probably be simplified...I tried to do it one way, had problems, and then half-assed did it another way which worked, but since it worked I didn't bother to optimize or simplify the logic or structure. So it's kinda messy...just a fair warning

I hope you know a little bit about Girder...it get's very complicated and confusing It's really to complicated to explain in detail EXACTLY how to setup Girder to accomplish this, but the basic flow of what I did was:

Monitor for the TaskSwitch and TaskCreate events. When these events happen, I am checking to see which of the 3 applications (ZoomPlayer, SageTV, and myHTPC) I use is in the foreground. The trick is, if none of these applications are in the foreground, then assume myHTPC should be brought to the foreground. First I check ZoomPlayer. If it is in the foreground, I do a GOTO to a DeadEnd command (Girder tab, select 'stop processing' from the drop down) to stop processing that line of logic and assume ZoomPlayer is the app being used since it is in the foreground. If ZoomPlayer doesn't exist, it then does the same check for SageTV. If it exists in the foreground, assume SageTV is being used and goto the DeadEnd command. If it doesn't exist, I check to see if myHTPC is in the foreground. If it is, I call the DeadEnd command and if it isn't, I call a MultiGroup that brings myHTPC to the foreground.

This particular logic has an interesting side-effect that may be helpful in preventing the wife (and others) from accessing other programs or messing with the HTPC settings and configuration In my attached logic, only ZoomPlayer, SageTV, or myHTPC are allowed to be in the foreground. If you hit the Windows key on the keyboard to try to bring up the taskbar or Start menu, it quickly goes away and myHTPC pops back up to the front As long as the wife doesn't exit myHTPC with the Exit button or Alt-F4, it will always keep one of those three programs in the foreground. Of course, once you figure out exactly how the logic works, you can fairly easily add other programs to the logic. The logic could also be altered to relaunch myHTPC to prevent using the Exit button in myHTPC or Alt-F4 to gain access to the Desktop and Start menu for an extended period of time...how long a person would have access to the Desktop/Start menu would depending on how long it takes for myHTPC to load up again.

[IVB]

ah, buenos nachos Robogeek. Now I can switch into SageTV from myHTPC just fine.

Of course, I just read your last posting of 3 minutes ago - I was previously content with hitting the "menu" button on my remote from within SageTV tp get myHTPC back [never putting the pp to sleep as then I'll have nothing to maximize/setfocus to in my Siwtch_SageTV switch]. Now I have to decide how robust I want this; damn HTPC - I'm just never done tweaking this thing, as I'm never conent with my status quo.

thanks for the 411.

[IVB]

Hey robogeek - going to start implementing your taskswitch/create logic tomorrow night on my box. Any big changes you made in the past week, or does the above post/gml still apply?