Plugin: MizookLCD (Alternate SageTV LCDSmartie Plugin)

[cslatt]

I've released my own LCDSmartie for SageTV in case anyone would like to use it instead of AndersNolberger's excellent LCDSmartie Status Plugin. I made my own because I couldn't get precisely the output that I wanted out of Anders' plugin and I thought I would at least make mine available in case others might find a use for it. Like the other plugin, it requires nielm's GetStatus plugin to be up and running first. Unlike the other plugin mine also requires the .NET Framework 1.1 or higher.

Documentation and the download is available here: http://mizook.com/lcd/ and the download is also available through the forum download area. I will actively monitor this thread if anyone needs help or has a suggestion for additional functionality in the plugin (Though at this point I'm limited to what data I can return by what data nielm's status plugin returns.)

UPDATE 6/20/2011
Source released if anyone else wants to work on this.
http://mizook.com/lcd/mizooklcd-source.zip

UPDATE 2/13/2007
FIX: Cursor position for recordings was incorrect for anyone not living on the prime meridian.
CHANGE: Start and End Times are now expressed in local time instead of GMT
NEW: format parameter added to function8 (Get Most Important Function) to return letters instead of numbers to play nicer with the searchandreplace plugin for LCDSmartie.

[FidgetyRat]

hey nice job. That addressed some of the main reasons I disabled the old smartie plug in. I'll definitely have to add this back to the system when I get a chance.

I really love the flag options that can be used as smartie actions. Going to make the screen much more dynamic.

[FidgetyRat]

I'm having trouble figuring this whole function 8,9 thing out. Smartie is NOT very nice with the whole plugin system. A nice gui plugin would be ideal. Smartie

I tried to follow your web guide but can't seem to figure it out. This is basically what I want to do;


I have 3 tuners. I would like my main screen rotation to include (but not always be on) the screen for the tuners that are currently recording. So say tuner 1 is recording, it will add the screen for tuner 1 into the normal rotation.

Is this possible?

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

Is this possible?

I think because you're dealing with adding screens into the rotation instead of locking to a particular screen that it is actually easier. *cross fingers* I don't have Smartie in front of me to test, but I think you need actions that are something like this:

If $dll(MizookLCD.dll, 1, 1, 1) = 1 Then EnableScreen(4)
If $dll(MizookLCD.dll, 1, 1, 1) = 0 Then DisableScreen(4)
If $dll(MizookLCD.dll, 1, 2, 1) = 1 Then EnableScreen(5)
If $dll(MizookLCD.dll, 1, 2, 1) = 0 Then DisableScreen(5)
If $dll(MizookLCD.dll, 1, 3, 1) = 1 Then EnableScreen(6)
If $dll(MizookLCD.dll, 1, 3, 1) = 0 Then DisableScreen(6)

Assuming 4 is your screen for Tuner 1, 5 for Tuner 2, and 6 for Tuner 3.

[FidgetyRat]

Oh awesome. I didn't even realize enable/disable was an option in the actions. Ill give that a shot when I get home.

[FormatC:]

Plugin does not work What files do I need to run it? I have Dot net 1 and 2 installed and the VB library files and the borland library files But no matter what command or paramater I use I just get "DLL no bridge func" this box pop ups I will Post a picture below
I would really like to use this plugin oh I'm using the newest version of LCD Smartie I also tried using an older version and I get the same error

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by FormatC:

...I just get "DLL no bridge func"...

Do you have a filed called "DNBridge.dll" in your LCDSmartie directory? From what I've read on the Smartie forums, missing that DLL is usually the problem when you get errors like that.

[pjwerdna]

Originally Posted by FormatC:

Plugin does not work What files do I need to run it? I have Dot net 1 and 2 installed and the VB library files and the borland library files But no matter what command or paramater I use I just get "DLL no bridge func" this box pop ups I will Post a picture below

This may also be a case sensitivity problem...

If I put "MizookLCD.dll" I get this error

But "MizookLcd.dll" works!

I get this on a screen though, not as a popup.

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by pjwerdna

If I put "MizookLCD.dll" I get this error

But "MizookLcd.dll" works!

Ahhhh...good to know. I've updated the documentation to use the correct case.

[FormatC:]

OK I got it to work the capitalization was wrong as suggested but now I have another problem (Well the plugin works as it should but I have a LCD Smartie coding problem or maybe a problem with the DLL I don't know as sandr.dll works fine every where else in my coding) I want to replace the -1 with a stop block (Like on a VCR) and the 1 with a Record Symbol and the 0 with a play arrow I already made custom characters in LCD Smartie for my VFD (A Noritake 4 X 20 CU20045CPB-W2J HDD44780 Compatible Display) I am using the Search and replace plugin for LCD smartie. I'm very familiar with custom characters as I use the program called "CCE or Custom Character Editor" and I'm also familiar with Search and Replace as I use it in some on my other screens (Winamp, Zoom Player) but for the life of me I can't get it to work with this plugin. It says Custom Character number invalid on the VFD and on the virtual display but I know the character is good as I used the same character in another screen and when I type it directly into the LCD Smartie box I can see the character displayed on the VFD.

[FormatC:]

Here is my thread over at LCD Smartie Forums http://forums.lcdsmartie.org/viewtopic.php?t=1185
I'm still having a problem with the search and replace plugin "Cslatt" is it possible to change the -1 when stopped to something else because I think that is what is causing my problems as SANDR.dll INI file does not like a - number Thanks

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by FormatC:

is it possible to change the -1 when stopped to something else because I think that is what is causing my problems as SANDR.dll INI file does not like a - number Thanks

Try this test version: http://mizook.com/lcd/MizookLCDTest.zip

I made it so that if you pass "a" as the first parameter to function 8, it changes the results to be letters instead of number. So something like this "$dll(MizookLCD.dll,8,a,)" would return results like this:

playing = a instead of 0
recording tuner 1 = b instead of 1
recording tuner 2 = c instead of 2
etc.

nothing happening = z instead of -1

Hope that helps. I don't know much about the search and replace plugin or custom characters.

[FidgetyRat]

Also interested in this. I was planning to use a few extra plugins to format the output, especially custom "icons" (custom characters) that would show up on certain events.

[FidgetyRat]

I am having an issue with the function #7 (duration / cursor position)

During a recording, the cursor position is being reported as a negative number

-12423433.2342323423 for example.

If i use the "string" mode I get -04:05:20 even though the actual show duration is 01:00:00

I was hoping for a line on my LCD such as:


00:29:00 / 01:00:00
|####______|

But if I use the current function 7 results, my bar graph freaks because of the negative value, and if I use the string, i get the -4:05:20 issue which isn't right

Know what I am doing Wrong?

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

I am having an issue with the function #7 (duration / cursor position)

During a recording, the cursor position is being reported as a negative number
...
Know what I am doing Wrong?

Hmmm...I don't know. I do almost that exact thing on my own screen. This is my line:

$Bar($dll(MizookLcd.dll,7,0#cp,1), $dll(MizookLcd.dll,7,0#d,1), 20)

Any differences with yours? Is this an imported video or a sage recording?

What values are you getting for StartTime and EndTime? The duration isn't provided to me, I have to derive it by subtracting start time from end time. Perhaps you could look at the raw output of the Status Plugin and tell me what it shows for StartTime, EndTime and cursor position? (You can just telnet to the machine running the plugin on the appropriate port, usually 20000)

[FidgetyRat]

I tried that $Bar line from your website and all I got on my screen was

___________________________ Just a straight blank line.

My guess is the bar is using a negative value from the cp.


My only suspicion is that I am trying this with currently recording programs, not ones I am playing back. Maybe cursor position is negative during recording and positive during playback?. Ill try to post my values after work today.

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

My only suspicion is that I am trying this with currently recording programs, not ones I am playing back. Maybe cursor position is negative during recording and positive during playback?. Ill try to post my values after work today.

Aha! I've never checked cursor position for a recording before. There was a bug in the calculation for cursor position of recordings. I hadn't noticed that the GetStatus plugin returns start and end times in GMT. I've fixed the cursor position bug and switched the Start / End Time function to return local time as well. I've also updated the documentation to include the new format parameter on function 8 that was included for FormatC:

[FidgetyRat]

Sweet, thanks for looking into that. I'll have to post the rest of my screens once I finish them.

[FidgetyRat]

New issue is arising.

I can't seem to get the plugin to display the current play info from the music player. I will load up a CD and start to play, but get no values from the plugin for artist, duration or cursor.

Your website seems to indicate that that one screen will display play info for a recording / music but doesn't seem to work for me.

The plugin has a parameter for "device" 0 = now playing, 1 recorder 1. What would be used for the audio player? I assumed 0 but that also didn't work.


Other then that things are coming along great. Made some pretty fancy screens for the tuner statuses.

[cslatt]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

I can't seem to get the plugin to display the current play info from the music player. I will load up a CD and start to play, but get no values from the plugin for artist, duration or cursor.

I assume you're using some sort of plugin to play CDs in Sage - as far as I know Sage doesn't support natively playing CDs. My plugin only displays NowPlaying information for things that SageTV is directly playing itself. You might be able to find a separate smartie plugin for whatever player is actually playing the CD: ZoomPlayer/Winamp/whatever.

I just tested playing an MP3 through the standard SageTV UI and it looks fine - Episode & Show both have the Song Title, Artist has the artist, duration and cursorposition look fine and Type shows "music"