Developer Challenge: Make SageTV "Tweet"?

[Slugger]

The settings are stored in-memory until the plugin is shutdown and then that's when the twitter.properties file is written to disk.

The file is written when the app's context is destroyed by the Jetty plugin. Seems like Sage might be shutting down before the Jetty plugin cleanly shuts down, which would explain why the file isn't being written.

After you configure the plugin, restart it by updating the timestamp of the C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\jetty\contexts\sagetweet.context.xml file (open it and save it). This should force the plugin to restart and that should also force the twitter.properties file to be written to disk. If you open a ticket to remind me, perhaps I'll put a periodic write to disk of the settings in a future update.

[dougshartzer]

I did that and I now have a sagetweet.properties file in my sagetv folder.

Thanks a lot for your help!

[Slugger]

Not sure if anyone noticed the release notes for SageTV beta 6.5.17, but it introduces a new SystemMessageAPI that will give access to system error messages (failed tuners, missed recordings, etc.). Now I see some real benefits coming from the SageTweet plugin.

With access to these error messages, I can mod the Twitter plugin to tweet on fatal messages such that you can get an immediate SMS from your Sage server when a tuner fails or a recording is missed, etc.

Just throwing this out for people to ponder and give some feedback as to its usefulness (now) and any other thoughts for features, abilities, etc. Ideally, you've played with the current SageTweet and can provide some thoughts on what should be done. I wasn't really planning to do much more with this plugin, but now that there is easy API access to these types of failure alerts, I think this plugin actually can provide something quite useful.

Before anyone asks, I have no timeline for when a release with these System messages will be available. I need to nudge GKusnick to update his API package to include the new SystemMessage API and then I have to find the time to make the changes to the SageTweet plugin. Unfortunately, most of my house is packed in boxes and the A/V equipment and PCs (including Sage server) are scheduled for packing this weekend so it might be a little while before I can even tackle this, but with that said I do plan on adding these system messages to the plugin at the first opportunity.

[Peter_h]

I'll put in my thumbs up for this.

I believe I've asked if you could do this before in the SJQ thread. I would love some type of alert for error messages or problems with a tuner, recording, etc.

[Slugger]

Couldn't help myself. A special thanks to GKusnick for such a quick turn around time on generating his API wrappers for 6.5.17!! Once I got those wrappers, the rest fell into place rather quickly.

SageTweet beta v0.0.1.482 includes the ability to tweet all system messages that are posted by SageTV. This functionality requires SageTV v6.5.17 or newer to work and SageTweet now checks the SageTV version and will halt if an appropriate version of SageTV is not detected.

Screen capture of a posted system message tweet attached. I had to feed a fake system message into SageTV via an API call since there were none created/available in SageTV at the time of my testing.

To receive instant SMS messages of your SageTV tweets simply follow the Twitter feed you're using for your Sage box and enable device notifications. Doing so will give you immediate notification of critical SageTV messages.

Feedback welcomed. Enjoy!

EDIT: Deleted 481 and replaced it with 482. Seems the actual system messages generated by SageTV are going to be waaaaay too long for Twitter postings. Instead, the severity and type of message will be tweeted and users will have to visit their SageTV box for further details.

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by Slugger

Couldn't help myself. A special thanks to GKusnick for such a quick turn around time on generating his API wrappers for 6.5.17!! Once I got those wrappers, the rest fell into place rather quickly.

SageTweet beta v0.0.1.482 includes the ability to tweet all system messages that are posted by SageTV. This functionality requires SageTV v6.5.17 or newer to work and SageTweet now checks the SageTV version and will halt if an appropriate version of SageTV is not detected.

Screen capture of a posted system message tweet attached. I had to feed a fake system message into SageTV via an API call since there were none created/available in SageTV at the time of my testing.

To receive instant SMS messages of your SageTV tweets simply follow the Twitter feed you're using for your Sage box and enable device notifications. Doing so will give you immediate notification of critical SageTV messages.

Feedback welcomed. Enjoy!

EDIT: Deleted 481 and replaced it with 482. Seems the actual system messages generated by SageTV are going to be waaaaay too long for Twitter postings. Instead, the severity and type of message will be tweeted and users will have to visit their SageTV box for further details.

Wow, you work fast. I can't wait to try this out. Thanks again slugger.

[wayner]

Slugger - is there a way that you could also add functionality to SJQ to run a batch process based on system message, such as sending an email or sending a popup message in Sage to all Sage clients, assuming that the person had installed the Sage Popup addin? Or is that better accomplished in SageTweet?

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by wayner

Slugger - is there a way that you could also add functionality to SJQ to run a batch process based on system message, such as sending an email or sending a popup message in Sage to all Sage clients, assuming that the person had installed the Sage Popup addin? Or is that better accomplished in SageTweet?

I'd say SJQ doesn't really fit for this kind of functionality. SJQ scans media objects and performs tasks on them. System messages aren't media objects so without changing things, there's no way for SJQ to scan them.

<a few minutes of internal debate passes...>

After some thought, I could add system messages as another type of "media" to be scanned, but I'm going to say no at this time. System messages don't follow the template for the rest of the media objects that SJQ scans so I'd have to code exceptions for things like defining "media title", etc., etc. Not impossible, but not really where I want to take SJQ - or at least not until after the summer. What I'd suggest is opening an issue ticket and I'll reconsider this in the fall after I've moved, unpacked, etc. and am willing to take on relatively larger feature requests for my plugins (which is what this would fall under). I'd have to say, it's still 70/30 I'll reject this addition to SJQ then as well, but I'd say it's worth an issue ticket for me to consider in the fall.

Adding this functionality to SageTweet was relatively simple given that this plugin's job is to monitor and post relevant messages. System messages just became a different type of thing for it to monitor. And the "hard" part - SMS functionality - is free in that I just have to worry about posting the tweet to Twitter and Twitter does the SMS part for me.

[wayner]

OK, thanks Slugger. I just thought that with SJQ and the ability to run batch jobs or scripts you would have more flexibility in how to respond to recording failures. For example you could run a job to send a power toggle to your cable box. Similarly if you were having stability issues with a HD-PVR and you had a power switch that could be controlled from a PC you could do a power on/off reset of a HD-PVR.

[Slugger]

Yeah, I don't disagree with the use cases you describe, it's just that the way the plugin is now, it's geared towards scanning media files and performing checks and tasks on those. Actually, the idea of being able to script an email notification (for those who don't use and/or despise Twitter) or trigger some reset on hardware based on a system message is rather interesting.

The big problem is that to support this I'd have to make a rather large design change to SJQ in order to support the scanning of more than media files - and that's a tall order, a kind of SJQ 3 type of decision. Definitely no chance I'd even sit down and think about the changes required let alone start implementing anything until the fall. Typically my SageTV plugin play time runs from early October to early April with bug fixes and minor changes only during the spring/summer.

I'm considering diving in and writing a new (or let's call it an updated) version of the web server plugin in the fall that will run solely on Jetty, but it's such a large undertaking that it would probably consume most of my play time this fall. Alternatively, something like an SJQ 3 would be just about as time consuming, so it's probably one project or the other. Anyway, I digress... point is SJQ as is today isn't quite suited for dealing with System Messages and I won't be making any such changes until at least the fall.

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by Slugger

Yeah, I don't disagree with the use cases you describe, it's just that the way the plugin is now, it's geared towards scanning media files and performing checks and tasks on those. Actually, the idea of being able to script an email notification (for those who don't use and/or despise Twitter) or trigger some reset on hardware based on a system message is rather interesting.

The big problem is that to support this I'd have to make a rather large design change to SJQ in order to support the scanning of more than media files - and that's a tall order, a kind of SJQ 3 type of decision. Definitely no chance I'd even sit down and think about the changes required let alone start implementing anything until the fall. Typically my SageTV plugin play time runs from early October to early April with bug fixes and minor changes only during the spring/summer.

I'm considering diving in and writing a new (or let's call it an updated) version of the web server plugin in the fall that will run solely on Jetty, but it's such a large undertaking that it would probably consume most of my play time this fall. Alternatively, something like an SJQ 3 would be just about as time consuming, so it's probably one project or the other. Anyway, I digress... point is SJQ as is today isn't quite suited for dealing with System Messages and I won't be making any such changes until at least the fall.

What about rolling this type of functionality into the web interface? Or is SJQ closer to what would be needed?

I'm with Wayner, I would also love to see this functionality. If he hasn't submitted a bug/feature request, I'll go ahead and do it.

[Slugger]

I'm not affiliated with the current web server plugin so I won't be rolling this functionality into (any official/public release of) the web server. Not sure if nielm has any plans to do so or not.

[wayner]

In looking at how this works another way to implement this is to parse through the log file (sagetvmsgs.log) that is created. That should be fairly easy to do in a batch file or in perl or something similar. You could have a script parse this file every thirty minutes or hook it into a Sage event live every time a TV recording completes. Sorry to hijack the thread.

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by Slugger

I'm not affiliated with the current web server plugin so I won't be rolling this functionality into (any official/public release of) the web server. Not sure if nielm has any plans to do so or not.

I was actually referring to your web server plugin that you are developing.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

I was actually referring to your web server plugin.

Which one? Sage Web Lite (SWL)? If that's what you're referring to then, unfortunately, I won't be doing any more work on that plugin. As I've alluded to above, if I do any more work on a web server type plugin then it will be porting nielm's web server to a Web 2.0 app that runs entirely in Jetty (less online transcoding/streaming).

I've been eying a possible port of the web server for some time as something I'd like to tackle and I'm leaning towards making it my fall/winter Sage project. Undecided at this point given the scope of such a project, but as far as SWL goes, it's dead (except for the builds that are already on the Google Code project site).

[Peter_h]

Yeah, I was referrring to SWL.

I missunderstood that porting over neilms web interface to jetty was an entirely different project. I'm looking forward to whatever you put out. Your stuff just works.

[Brent]

One small request for a future SageTweet update:

When playing music, have the message say "listening to" instead of "currently watching"

Another even more minor suggestion:
For watching TV/movies it could be shorted to say "watching" instead of "currently watching"

The music thing seems like the more useful switch though. I really love this add-on. It's really quite useful.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by Brent

One small request for a future SageTweet update:

When playing music, have the message say "listening to" instead of "currently watching"

Another even more minor suggestion:
For watching TV/movies it could be shorted to say "watching" instead of "currently watching"

The music thing seems like the more useful switch though. I really love this add-on. It's really quite useful.

Would you mind opening up issue tickets on the project site for these, please? Neither request is time consuming so I can probably do a build some evening this week, but if you put the issue tickets in the project then I won't forget about them.

Thanks.

[Brent]

Will do. Thanks!

[farfromuman]

I wonder how hard it would be to make Sage compatible with Growl. I just got the Prowl Iphone client with push and it is very neat for system alerts or anything that needs to be pushed. At the moment I have Growl push Gmail, System Alerts and my RSS feed of Twitter from Thunderbird.

Maybe we can ask Sage to make their app directly compatible?

http://growlforwindows.com/gfw/default.aspx