STV Import: MovieTimes Movie Listings Import v0.57 Beta

[nielm]

What is .Net?

It's run-time support for programs written in a set of languages produced by Microsoft. (like Java but different). You can download it from Windows Update.

[gplasky]

Think of .NET like the runtime components of visual basic. .NET is a programming environment. From Microsoft:

.NET technology provides the ability to quickly build, deploy, manage, and use connected, security-enhanced solutions with Web services.

From Wikipedia:

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a component of the Microsoft Windows operating system. It provides a large body of pre-coded solutions to common program requirements, and manages the execution of programs written specifically for the framework. The .NET Framework is a key Microsoft offering, and is intended to be used by most new applications created for the Windows platform.
The pre-coded solutions form the framework's class library and cover a large range of programming needs in areas including the user interface, data access, cryptography, numeric algorithms, and network communications. The functions of the class library are used by programmers who combine them with their own code to produce applications.

Gerry

[mike1961]

Gplasky - I'll bet that's it for no it is not installed. I'm guessing I should install the 2.0 instead of 1.x.

Thanks,
Mike

[mike1961]

Okay, I can now run the mtsa file on my file server and it appears to download the movie data but I don't see anything downloaded in the moviedata.xsd file. I don't know what the problem is because I have plugged in all my zip codes. Here's the last part of my log file (which does have "search aborted" in it but I'm not sure why):

[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloading Theater List for 05/17/2006 ...
[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloaded.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Completed.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloading Theater List for 05/18/2006 ...
[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloaded.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Completed.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloading Theater List for 05/19/2006 ...
[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloaded.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Completed.

[IMDB] Getting movie details ...
[IMDB] Completed.

[ImpaPosters] Searching for posters ...
[ImpaPosters] Completed.

[MediaLibrary] Searching for non-referenced media in "\\Server1\SharedZ\MovieTimes\Media\Temp\"
Media library empty! Search aborted.
[MediaLibrary] Search complete.

[MediaLibrary] Searching for non-referenced media in "\\Server1\SharedZ\MovieTimes\Media\Trailers\"
Media library empty! Search aborted.
[MediaLibrary] Search complete.

[MediaLibrary] Exporting Media Library XML to "\\Server1\SharedZ\MovieTimes\Media\moviedata.xml"
[MediaLibrary] Exporting Media Library XML Schema to "\\Server1\SharedZ\MovieTimes\Media\moviedata.xsd"

Completed.

[aperry]

Regarding some of the network drive problems some folks have been having, the MTSA author wrote this to me after I asked him about the C: problem and if he requires that...

I just did a check and I don't see any references to paths other than in the
XML configuration files in my code.

Actually, I just ran MTSA on a network drive and it failed with a .NET
security error. So it looks like the program cannot be ran on a network
drive for some reason... only on a local drive. I'll have to look into
that...

Then, shortly after that, he wrote this...

The user needs to enable full access for network
programs:

The easiest way to modify your security policy is by using the Microsoft
NET Framework Configuration utility from the control panel. You can also
run this tool from the command line by running mscorcfg.msc.

Expand the Runtime Security Policy folder
Expand the Machine policy level
Expand the Code Groups folder
Expand the All Code folder

Right-click on the LocalIntranet_Zone and choose properties. Change the
permission set to "Full Trust".

That should allow the program to run on network drives.

[mike1961]

The only thing I am familiar with running at the command prompt are exe and com extensions. Where would I run mscorcfg.msc?

I tried it on my local C drive on my other computer and it still did not work. Think it would work on a flashdrive?

Thanks,
Mike

[kricker]

for .NET 2.0 it seems you need the SDK installed to have mscorcfg.msc.

[mike1961]

Originally Posted by kricker

for .NET 2.0 it seems you need the SDK installed to have mscorcfg.msc.

Hmm, this whole thing is starting to get a little discouraging. I may wait for a new release of the exe to do the downloading. I would love to have it but it's taking an awful lot of time and troubleshooting to get it to work.

Mike

[cslatt]

You don't need the SDK installed, just go in the start menu to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\.NET Framework 2.0 Configuration and follow the steps he outlined above.

[nielm]

Mike: Whats the problem with installing it on a local drive?

[gplasky]

Mike
Install it on your server on the local drive. Your other Sage clients will still be able to use it and see the listings.

Gerry

[kricker]

Originally Posted by cslatt

You don't need the SDK installed, just go in the start menu to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\.NET Framework 2.0 Configuration and follow the steps he outlined above.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/2bc0cxhc.aspx and http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archi...23/516671.aspx...am I reading this wrong? If so I sure don't have that control panel with my .NET 2 install.

[aperry]

All right, I have posted version 0.52 of the MovieTimes Import. New in this version is:

1. The program should now correctly handle empty active and inactive theater lists. Some were having problems getting the theater list in the config screens to update correctly, and that should work now. As I mentioned previously, the MTSA author changed the way he indicates no theaters in the locations file. Getting it to work with empty elements was not as straight-forward as I thought.

2. Removed dependencies that were in the program on the C: drive (was the default path in many of the file browser popups).

3. Made some minor changes to the instructions.

Note that mtsa.zip has not changed since the last release (0.51). The changes were all in the MovieTimes-stvi.zip file (and the documentation).

[mike1961]

I upgraded to the latest version and I still cannot get the MTSA to download any movie information. But, I'm not getting errors in the log file anymore. I've tried downloading on both my local workstation's C drive as well as the server and I'm not getting any moviedata downloaded.

Interesting also because I tried installing the .net 2 and I could not find the security policy Configuration utility in the control panel. It just was not there. But, when I installed the .net 1.1 it was there. So, I installed the .net 1.1 and I changed the intranet policy to full trust and I still can't download the data. I'd really like to get this working and the update had me encouraged to continue trying. I believe if I could get that mtsa.exe program to download data, everything would work but it just isn't downloading any theatres or times and there are plenty of zip codes where it should. Is there a website I can go to and plug in the zip codes direct to verify that the information should be downloaded for the zip codes I have in my locations file? I just don't know what to do next.

Here's my information:

===============================================
Config.XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ConfigurationSettings>
<LocationFile>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\locations.xml</LocationFile>
<!-- Enter the file location where you want to store the location information. -->
<LogFile>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\log.txt</LogFile>
<!-- Enter the file location where you want to store the log file. -->
<TempFolder>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\Temp\</TempFolder>
<!-- Enter the folder location where you want to store temporary files. -->
<NumberOfDays>7</NumberOfDays>
<!-- Enter how many days into the future you would like movie listings for. Note that some countries do not support this setting. -->
<DownloadExtraDetails>True</DownloadExtraDetails>
<!-- Choose whether or not you would like to download extra movie information from IMDB.com. -->
<!-- Values: True False -->
<PosterFolder>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\Temp</PosterFolder>
<!-- Enter the folder location where you want to store movie posters. -->
<PosterQuality>High</PosterQuality>
<!-- Choose whether or not to download higher quality (but larger in size) movie posters, lower quality posters, or none at all. -->
<!-- Values: High Low None -->
<TrailerFolder>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\Trailers\</TrailerFolder>
<!-- Enter the folder location where you want to store movie trailers. -->
<TrailerQuality>None</TrailerQuality>
<!-- Choose whether or not to download higher quality (but larger in size) movie trailers, lower quality trailers, streaming (links only), or none at all. -->
<!-- Values: High StreamHigh Low StreamLow None -->
<RemoveOldMedia>True</RemoveOldMedia>
<!-- Choose whether or not you want to automatically delete old (non-referenced) posters and trailers. -->
<!-- Values: True False -->
<XmlDataFile>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\moviedata.xml</XmlDataFile>
<XmlSchemaDataFile>\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\moviedata.xsd</XmlSchemaDataFile>
<!-- Enter the file locations where you want to store the XML movie data and the associated XML Schema file. -->
</ConfigurationSettings>
===============================================
END OF MY LOG FILE

[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloading Theater List for 05/19/2006 ...
[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloaded.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Completed.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloading Theater List for 05/20/2006 ...
[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloaded.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Completed.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloading Theater List for 05/21/2006 ...
[YahooNorthAmerica] Downloaded.

[YahooNorthAmerica] Completed.

[IMDB] Getting movie details ...
[IMDB] Completed.

[ImpaPosters] Searching for posters ...
[ImpaPosters] Completed.

[MediaLibrary] Searching for non-referenced media in "\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\Temp\"
Media library empty! Search aborted.
[MediaLibrary] Search complete.

[MediaLibrary] Searching for non-referenced media in "\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\Trailers\"
Media library empty! Search aborted.
[MediaLibrary] Search complete.

[MediaLibrary] Exporting Media Library XML to "\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\moviedata.xml"
[MediaLibrary] Exporting Media Library XML Schema to "\\Server1\sharedz\MovieTimes\Media\moviedata.xsd"

Completed.

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

Ok. I grabbed the newest upload and am still not having any luck. Other people have reported success with this version so I am not sure what the problem might be.

I am running Sage 5.0.1. I use a couple of other STVi plug-ins (comskip, intelligent suggestions), but as per an earlier suggestion, I have tried importing the MovieTimes STVi into the stock SageTV3.xml and still did not have luck.

Everything seems to be working correctly with the exception that the List Movies and List Theaters screens both report that no movies are found. Other than that, the config.xml is working correctly, I successfully enter a location and the mtsa.exe is downloading the moviedata.xml, posters, trailers, etc with no problem. All of my files are in the standard C:\MovieTimes\Media directory, so the config.xml should be pointing at the right place to find everything.

Any thoughts?

I hate to be a pest, but I tried the 0.52 version this morning and still no luck. Both the List Movies and List Theaters screens are reporting no data found, even though there is stuff in my moviedata.xml.

Is there a log file or something similar I can enable to understand what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks for all of your hard work so far, this is definitely a great plug-in and I am looking forward to getting it working.

[aperry]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

I hate to be a pest, but I tried the 0.52 version this morning and still no luck. Both the List Movies and List Theaters screens are reporting no data found, even though there is stuff in my moviedata.xml.

Is there a log file or something similar I can enable to understand what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks for all of your hard work so far, this is definitely a great plug-in and I am looking forward to getting it working.

No, the only thing that gets logged is the MTSA stuff, and that seems to be working for you. Just out of curiosity, did you exit all the way out of Sage (including stopping the service if necessary) and go back in? The program doesn't "reload" variables except once per session (something I've been thinking of changing anyways to have it force a reload of the information on your hard drive whenever you go into the main menu).

Anyhow, try doing the reset of Sage like I described and let me know if that gets you going.

[aperry]

Originally Posted by mike1961

Is there a website I can go to and plug in the zip codes direct to verify that the information should be downloaded for the zip codes I have in my locations file?

The MTSA program downloads all its information from Yahoo Movies (at least in the US), so you can try entering your ZIP code there. Though if you are getting theaters showing in Sage, then that part should be working okay.

Everything appears to be okay in your config file. Like I suggested above to spacecadet, try exiting all the way out of Sage and back in (including stopping and restarting the service if you are running it).

The other thing I would try is to exit out of the config screen, and look in your locations.xml file. If there is nothing in the <Active></Active> section, or it is inconsistent with the active/inactive theaters you selected and their order, then the MTSA program will not load anything because there are no active theaters. Because of the changes that were made to the MTSA program and how it represented "no theaters" for active or inactive, that part of my stuff was broken until the most recent release (0.52). Hopefully, restarting Sage would clear that up for you.

If it still is not working, then let me know, and ZIP up and attach your config.xml and locations.xml files to a reply and I'll look at it and possibly forward it on to the MTSA author.

Sorry about the problems you're having. Unfortunately, I really don't have a way to test this configuration myself as I run and watch SageTV on the same machine. I don't have the Sage Client program.

[jlabrue]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

I hate to be a pest, but I tried the 0.52 version this morning and still no luck. Both the List Movies and List Theaters screens are reporting no data found, even though there is stuff in my moviedata.xml.

Is there a log file or something similar I can enable to understand what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks for all of your hard work so far, this is definitely a great plug-in and I am looking forward to getting it working.

Ditto for me. I get the theaters listed in the config now but when I go to the listings it still does not show them there. The locations.xml file is working and allows me to select everything in the Sage GUI and change locations. The downloads work great also. It is just on presentation in the Sage interface that it shows no thaters listed. I rebooted after install. I'll try to experiment a little further later to see if I can find any info...

So close I can taste it

[mike1961]

I can't seem to get anything to download at all - no theatres, no movie times.

Here's my locations file (I have the zip codes but nothing in the Active). Please help because I would love to get this working now that I have worked on it this long I think I'm close:

EDITED: yes, lots of theatres show when I enter the zip in the yahoo link you provided. Now I really want to get this thing working. Thanks for the help. Also, I can't even get it to download on my local C drive. I'm not even talking about Sage right now or the customization but simply the MTSA.EXE program that I run and then I check the MovieData.XSD file as well as MovieData.XML and there is no information in those files after running the mtsa.exe. I wish there were something I could try to at least get the data downloaded.

Let me emphasize that I have tried restarting Sage but the problem is with the MTSA because I have tried opening the moviedata files with notepad and there is no info that was downloaded into them that could appear in Sage.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<LocationList>
<!-- **************************************************************************************************************** -->
<!-- Country: Select the country to retrieve movie listings for. -->
<!-- Values: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, United States -->
<!-- **************************************************************************************************************** -->
<!-- Locations: Select the postal code and/or city name to retrieve movie listings for. -->
<!-- Note: Separate each value with a "|" character. -->
<!-- **************************************************************************************************************** -->
<!-- Active, Inactive: Select one or more theaters to retrieve movie listings for. -->
<!-- Note: Separate each value with a "|" character. -->
<!-- **************************************************************************************************************** -->
<LocationDetails>
<Country>United States</Country>
<Locations>91301|91320|91377|91360|91361|91362|93010|93012|93063|93064|93065</Locations>
<Active>N/A</Active>
<Inactive>N/A</Inactive>
</LocationDetails>
</LocationList>

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by jlabrue

Ditto for me. I get the theaters listed in the config now but when I go to the listings it still does not show them there. The locations.xml file is working and allows me to select everything in the Sage GUI and change locations. The downloads work great also. It is just on presentation in the Sage interface that it shows no thaters listed. I rebooted after install. I'll try to experiment a little further later to see if I can find any info...

So close I can taste it

I also tried the reboot with no luck. Let me know if there is anything else I should try.