| ECS-L Home Automation and Security Archives |
| Subject: From: Date: | Re: [ECS] Programming Question Bill Walters Mon, 24 Jan 2000 01:43:33 -0600 |
Michael, Er, auh, and duh.... I feel like such a dunce! OK, well, I understand a little better now.... I think. Do you also have the ability to display on any particular set of buttons, the names of movies (that you don't know in advance) based on what channel they are shown on? i.e., G5-15 HBO ??? That's really what I was trying to accomplish and when done for one channel (HBO) then extend it to the other movie channels I subscribe to on my C-BAND dish.... I hadn't even thought about setting up multiple favorite shows and having them loaded into ACE buttons! Sounds very nice! Since Mark has so heavily enhanced the TVL event, you really want to have the TV-GUIDE file up and work with it (assuming your ECS machine is "visible" in your family room. I run ACE on a small 10.4" color datalux touchscreen. It's just fine for ACE, but if I run VNC or Remote Administrator, the lines are just too small to "touch" reliably.......too bad.... but that's life. I have tested having my ECS video output piped throughout the house and displayed on TV channel 121. It's readable. Now if I can figure out some events to control it, I'd be in business.... Too many projects at once. I'll "stand-by" and let you work your magic on the event! Off to Sao Paulo, BR on Wednesday; returning Saturday.... Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael David <michael@michaeldavid.com> To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 9:35 PM Subject: RE: [ECS] Programming Question > Hi Bill! > > Feel free to call me Michael. :) > > Let me point out that I had everything described below working early on in > the TVL days. As Mark started to refine TVL, I let it sit until he was > done. I'm just now (today, in fact) getting back to it. Since my version > of TVL is substantially modified from Mark's, it's taking some time to go > through it. So, I may not have all your answers until I'm done with the > re-implementation. > > >If I remember correctly, TVL3.TMP is derrived from TVLFAV.TXT file.... > Yes, TVL3.tmp is derived from comparing the tvlfav.txt file to the tvl.txt > file. > > >Are you saying you have certain channels or ? set there? > >Are you saying that I should place HBO, HBOP, HBOPL, HBOPLP, HBOSIG, MAX, > >MAXP, MOMAX, SHOW, SHOWP and SHOW2 into the channel description of > >TVLFAV.TXT, with the leading character as - (not A,R,V,F, whatever) > I don't do anything unusual to the tvl.txt file or tvlfav.txt file. > > >Do you listen to announcements, whatever? > Yes. ECS announces the favorite shows that are about to start. Since there > are usually more than one starting, it announces up to 20 of them. > > >It's just not clear to me how you "load" your items and from where...... > Picture this: > 1) ECS reads the tvl3.tmp file (usually with several favorite shows listed) > and: > > 2) loads the times of each show into: > Pgm 1 time > Pgm 2 time > Pgm 3 time > etc. > > 3) loads the length of each show into: > Pgm 1 mins > Pgm 2 mins > Pgm 3 mins > etc. > > 4) loads the name of each show into: > Pgm 1 TV show > Pgm 2 TV show > Pgm 3 TV show > etc. > > 5) loads the names and the sat/xponder into: > Pgm 1 Sat/Xponder > Pgm 2 Sat/Xponder > Pgm 3 Sat/Xponder > etc. > > >It sounds like your doing substantially what I want to do, but you're only > >displaying one program title per button. > Correct - that way I can press the button of the name of the show, and the > satellite receiver will tune to the channel. > > >I take it that you have pre-programmed those buttons (within ACE) to change > your TV to the desired > >channel (I've done that), so you're loading up buttons in a particular > sequence based on channel ID? > No, I load the first favorite show into button 0, the second favorite show > into button 1, etc. The buttons are configured to set the state of and ECS > number-item (called New TV Program) to the number of the favorite show I > want to watch. ECS, then sets satellite/xponder accordingly. > > >Arraugh, this is so confusing! > Yes, I agree! This is perhaps the most challenging set of events in my ECS > career. > > Again, if you can wait, I should have this conversion done in the next week > or so, and I can give you more detail. (what I don't get done tonight will > have to wait until next weekend). > > Cheers! > > Michael David > michael@michaeldavid.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bill Walters [mailto:wtwalters@home.com] > Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 9:51 PM > To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > Subject: Re: [ECS] Programming Question > > > David, > > OK, sorry but it wasn't clear from your event, since there isn't anything in > it which shows how information is loaded into your "PGM Show X" items (X > being from 1 to 20). > > Dang..... I just reworded a sentence 4 times! This stuff is so confusing to > me that I can't even properly describe it! > > If I remember correctly, TVL3.TMP is derrived from TVLFAV.TXT file.... Are > you saying you have certain channels or ? set there? Do you listen to > announcements, whatever? > > Are you saying that I should place HBO, HBOP, HBOPL, HBOPLP, HBOSIG, MAX, > MAXP, MOMAX, SHOW, SHOWP and SHOW2 into the channel description of > TVLFAV.TXT, with the leading character as - (not A,R,V,F, whatever) > > It's just not clear to me how you "load" your items and from where...... It > sounds like your doing substantially what I want to do, but you're only > displaying one program title per button. I take it that you have > pre-programmed those buttons (within ACE) to change your TV to the desired > channel (I've done that), so you're loading up buttons in a particular > sequence based on channel ID? > > Arraugh, this is so confusing! > > Bill > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Michael David <michael@michaeldavid.com> > To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> > Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 8:22 PM > Subject: RE: [ECS] Programming Question > > > > Hi Bill! > > > > Actually, the show titles that are in the Pgm x TV Show items, are derived > > from processing tvl3.tmp. It just so happened that the show names you saw > > were the last that had been picked up from the last time I had TVL > enabled. > > > > So, you can grab the show names from TVL and send them to Ace Buttons from > > within ECS. Is there something else you wanted on that button beside the > > show name? > > > > > > Cheers! > > > > Michael David > > michael@michaeldavid.com > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Bill Walters [mailto:wtwalters@home.com] > > Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 7:52 PM > > To: ecs-list@netbloc.com > > Subject: Re: [ECS] Programming Question > > > > > > Hi Michael! > > > > Yes, because I don't know what the names of the shows are.... > > > > > > The idea is to have a button for HBO, HBOP, etc, etc, etc, (5 HBO's, 3 > > Showtimes, 3 Cinemax's) and have ECS "pull" the names of the shows, start > > times, run times (in fact, the line of text that is appropriate to the > > channel) from TV-GUIDE.TXT..... Mark's events have taken most of the work > > out of it, I just wanted to selectively display individual "channel" > > information on individual "buttons" in ACE. > > > > Your way works just fine if you have certain programs you want to watch > > regularly (you already know what their name is); I'm trying to put up > Movie > > Listings, whose titles change every several hours. > > > > Bill > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Michael David <michael@michaeldavid.com> > > To: <ecs-list@netbloc.com> > > Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2000 5:17 PM > > Subject: RE: [ECS] Programming Question > > > > > > > Hi Bill! > > > > > > Any special reason you are using a file to get the show names to ACE > > > buttons? Here's how I do it: > > > > > > > > > > > > >