STV Import: Anti-Favorites

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by something fishy

I'm running Sage in service mode and Sageclient.properties contains:
plugins/df/debug_level=0
plugins/df/favorite_excluder/enabled=TRUE (I've tried '=true' and indeed '=FALSE' and '=false')
plugins/df/favorite_excluder/lookahead=72
plugins/df/favorite_excluder/scan=schedule

Hi Eric,

it should contain:

plugins/df/favorite_excluder/enabled=true
plugins/df/favorite_excluder/lookahead=72
plugins/df/favorite_excluder/run_interval=60
plugins/df/favorite_excluder/scan=schedule

Strange that you are missing the "run_interval" setting. Pleas try again with the above settings, if it still doesnt work you will need to send me your STV file so that I can debug it here ...

Dirk

[something fishy]

Hi Dirk
Added the lines, no difference. Excluder works when manually triggered but I can't get it to work automatically. I'm sending the STV to you via PM

Cheers
Eric

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by Jason

Dirk-

I just read this thread and I can say that this import is great! Wow...! I was thinking however, that a GUI for this seems unnecessary... at least for SageMC. While this may be off-topic for this thread and more appropriate for the SageMC thread, could this be added to the latest Dev build of SageMC? With the appropriate dialog, from the Suggestions screen of SageMC, a new button could be added to add New Suggestions to the anti-favorites 'favorites'. Most of the other 'skins' have to add the specific plugins to get to the level that SageMC is at simply stock! This would add some extra differentiation to the SageMC skin... kind of like the built in ComSkip/SA feature!

-Jason

Hi Jason,

I dont think I will make this part of the SageMC STV, since I really don't want to 'bloat' the STV with functionality which will not be used by everyone. But regarding the 'interface' suggestion, watch out for some really good stuff coming soon ...

Dirk

[JREkiwi]

Hi Dirk, I was just playing with some Setup Options panels to change the settings for this and your Video Library Times. (I hate having to edit my properties file).

I see that you are only checking the scan interval outside the wait loop. Could you add one in the loop? Then if I change the scan interval via my options panel it will get picked up at the next scan time.

Also, I don't see where "plugins/df/favorite_excluder/scan=schedule" is used. I assume there are no other options for it currently.

Thanks for another great import

John

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Hi Dirk, I was just playing with some Setup Options panels to change the settings for this and your Video Library Times. (I hate having to edit my properties file).

I see that you are only checking the scan interval outside the wait loop. Could you add one in the loop? Then if I change the scan interval via my options panel it will get picked up at the next scan time.

Sure, I can add this. I will soon post version 2.0 (SageMC only), I think you'll like it ...

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

Also, I don't see where "plugins/df/favorite_excluder/scan=schedule" is used. I assume there are no other options for it currently.

Yes it is currently used, but only in the java code, that's why couldn't find it ... The other setting is scan=suggestions, which will not scan your scheduled recordings, but the IR suggestions (as a means to try it out without having to actually enable IR) ...

Dirk

[JREkiwi]

Originally Posted by flachbar

Sure, I can add this. I will soon post version 2.0 (SageMC only), I think you'll like it ...

You're sure making it hard to stick with the Default STV

John

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by JREkiwi

You're sure making it hard to stick with the Default STV

John

Hi John,

ohh, I just noticed your other post about nielm's dynamic menus and then it dawned on me that you don't use SageMC (I somehow misread your previous post) ... Sorry, did not intend to tease you with something you cant use ...

I simply dont have the time and motivation to port this over, but hopefully some default STV user will chime in, since the new version will be so much easier to use ...

Sorry again,

Dirk

[dflachbart]

Hi,

I just uploaded a new version 2.0 (SageMC only).

This is almost a complete re-write, and one of the major changes is that the exclude definitions are no longer stored as favorites in the Sage database, but in a custom file outside of Sage. This has several advantages:

• you won't see the cryptic 'anti-favorites' any more when browsing through your 'real' favorites
• no additional load on the Sage favorites engine any more: although the "anti-favorites" never matched, Sage still had to process them. Not sure if this was really an issue, but if you start to define hundreds and hundreds of them ...
• more flexible for development

Another major enhancement is the addition of menus to ease the creation and management of exclude definitions, so it is not necessary any more (though still possible) to mess around with cryptic keywords (see the attached pics):

- 'IR / Favorite Excluder' menu which lists all defined criteria and allows to add/edit/delete criteria, and also contains a button for the log menu. You can link to this menu, the internal name is "Favorite Excluder".

- the Options menu for a show (in any airing list) now contains a new "Create Exclude" option. For Favorite recordings, this will create an Exclude which is linked to the selected Favorite (will generate a ...-FAV.-.. definition), for all other recordings it will generate an IR Exclude definition (the selected show only serves as a 'template' for the values, but the generated definition is not linked to that show in any way). You can select the various criteria in the dialog, the values will be pre-filled from the show info of the selected recording. You can either just use the pre-filled value, or edit it manually. Once you select Ok, the corresponding exclude definition (same syntax as in v1.2) will be generated and stored in the exclude file. Note that for time it will use the "4:30 PM-5:50 PM" format, but the old one "16:30-17:30" is also still supported.

- you can also create a favorite exclude (...-FAV.-...) from the Series list, it will bring up the same dialog

- and you can create any exclude definition 'the old way' from the Excluder menu screen, the syntax of the exclude definition will be validated right away


The exclude definitions are getting stored in a file "excluder.def" in the current Sage directory, but you can specify another location with the property "plugins/df/favorite_excluder/file_dir"

As I already mentioned above, this new version will only work for SageMC. I am sorry having to exclude the default STV user, but I simply don't have the time nor motivation to port all these menus and dialogs to another STV which I do not use at all. Maybe someone of the default STV users will be up to the task, and I will be more than willing to integrate those changes into the plugin once they are ready. The old version 1.2 which still works with the standard STV is still included in the new zip file.


Dirk

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by flachbar

As I already mentioned above, this new version will only work for SageMC. I am sorry having to exclude the default STV user, but I simply don't have the time nor motivation to port all these menus and dialogs to another STV which I do not use at all. Maybe someone of the default STV users will be up to the task, and I will be more than willing to integrate those changes into the plugin once they are ready. The old version 1.2 which still works with the standard STV is still included in the new zip file.


Dirk

I was afraid that was going to happen. I saw this coming when Dirk took over the SageMC project. I did not expect him to do twice the work for something he wasn't even going to use. That is part of the reason I gave SageMC another try. I just plain don't like it. It has its pluses, but it isn't for me.

However, I do use the 1.1 version, and somehow missed the 1.2 update when it was released. Unless I am missing something, the new 2.0 zip file does not have the 1.2 files in it.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

However, I do use the 1.1 version, and somehow missed the 1.2 update when it was released. Unless I am missing something, the new 2.0 zip file does not have the 1.2 files in it.

Hi ke6guj,

I just checked, and you are right, dunno how this happened. I uploaded it again, and this time I checked the download, should be ok now ...

Dirk

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by flachbar

Hi ke6guj,

I just checked, and you are right, dunno how this happened. I uploaded it again, and this time I checked the download, should be ok now ...

Dirk

Thanks, it worked this time.

[rsagetv99]

Great plugin, very useful. I don't use IR, but have had several favorites that often record the wrong shows.

I have what might be a stupid question, but which method should I use to exclude shows from favorites. Should I set the show as watched or don't like? Does it make a difference?

[Coastal]

Hi, this looks great, but I am having some trouble getting it running. At first I thought the log was a file generated by the plug in, but on further reading it seems that I should find it the Sage GUI (along with a control to force a scan???) Can someone please elaborate?

fyi, when I installed the plug in I copied 2 jar files to the jar directory, and the xml file (renamed to stvi) to the SageTV3 directory. I then imported the stvi file, restarted Sage, and set up the anti-favorites as described.

thanks a lot!
coastal.

[MrRed]

I do not seem to be able to get the plugin to work.

My system is the latest MC on a regular width screen, with SageTV run as a service. I installed the .stvi & restarted. I get no menus activated but there are entries created in the .properties file.

I am not even sure what I am supposed to look for. Any ideas?

[ke6guj]

you can access the anti-favorites by going into "options" while having a program selected. There should be a menu option "create favorite exclude" that was added during the import.

Now, if you would like to, you can add a link to your main menu to access the "Favorites excluder" menu. You can configure one of the 3 custom menu links to point to "Favorite Excluder".

You would need to go into SageMC options and specify one of the custom menu name and custom menu screen to point to "Favorite excluder", then with the main menu open, you can enable that custom menu to show in the menu by enabling that custom menu in the "Main Menu Options"

[Coastal]

okay, no such menu...
also, in the property file I can't find any reference in the property file to this plug in.
I installed version 2. I am running Sage 5.0.1.89 basic STV plus comskip plug in. I have 2 new jar files in the jar directory and imported the xml file (renamed to stvi), and restarted Sage. What am I doing wrong please?
thanks a lot

[ke6guj]

The anti-favorites V2 is only for SageMC, not the stock STV. YOu need to either go to SageMC or else, install the V1.2 version of anti-favorites. Probably need to roll back the STV to one without V2 and then do the import again.

[JREkiwi]

Hi Dirk, I took up your challenge and modded your version 2 for use in the Default STV. Seems to work for me, although I haven't bothered changing some of the themes.

I tried a few different ways, in an attempt to not break the SageMC part, but in the end I added a new panel "Favorite Excluder Default STV" that can be added to a menu using Nilem's dynamic menus. If not using Nielm's menus it will appear under Schedule Recordings. It also has Setup/Customize entry for setting the properties.

One problem I discovered though. If you edit an existing entry and press the ESC key to get out of the Text Entry panel, the entry gets deleted. Had me baffled for a while, then I found that it happens under SageMC too.

I'll attach my modded version here, so I can be embarassed by you looking at my hack of your fine work.

John

Updated the stvi to fix some theme problems

[MrRed]

Thanks JreKIWI, it was not clear to me that SageTV MediaCenter was not SageMC. Missed something along the way.

It seems to work, but I have a problem now that I am using it. What do you do when there are '-' in the title? Do you quote(s/d) the whole title or is there a deliminator to be used?

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by rsagetv99

G
I have what might be a stupid question, but which method should I use to exclude shows from favorites. Should I set the show as watched or don't like? Does it make a difference?

I don't think it makes a difference, this should only affect the IR suggestions. I personally use "Set Watched" for my favorite excludes...

Dirk