Backing my changes to Program Guide & Parallel Recording menus ..restoring as STVi

[mkanet]

In anticipation for the next official STV, I need to backup the changes I've made to the original SageTV 5 STV (Program Guide and Parallel Recording menus only); and, import my changes to the next STV when it becomes available.

Would somebody please tell me the easiest possible way for a studio novice to export the program guide and parallel recording menus and convert them to an STVi?

Thanks,
Michael

[GKusnick]

Unfortunately, creating a working STVI is one of the most challenging steps in customizing SageTV. Exporting the menus is easy enough; gettting them all hooked back up properly to their themes on import is the hard part.

flachbar has published a Java library to try to simplify this process. I've written some similar code myself, not nearly as well documented as flachbar's, but you can find in it my SageWMP plugin if you're interested. Either package assumes a moderate degree of fluency with Java.

If your changes aren't too extensive, you may find it easier to just do them again manually. Studio includes an STV comparison command that will display exactly what you've changed; you can then go down that list and make the corresponding changes in the new default STV. (This process is a lot easier if you have a second machine with a client license so you can run two instances of Studio simultaneously.)

[BobPhoenix]

The Easiest way would be to Rename them to something else - Maybe "My ...". Then Export those two menus by going to to File>Export Selected Menus. Once that is done you would then open the new copy of SageTV 5.1 and assuming the menus haven't changed select File>Import. You now have the old Program Guide and Parallel Schedules with your changes imported. However you will not be able to select them yet. Now either create a menu entry for each in whatever screen you want them in or import NIELM's dynamic menus and create an entry for them that way. To create a real STVi is not a simple matter if you had many changes or they are imbedded between existing code. Doing it this way will at least get you your menus quick and dirty. If you want to take the time to create an STVi then your import code needs to change the STV to look like your current modifications by inserting and adding blocks of Widgets and changing existing Widget properties where necessary. If you just want to look at how other imports are written then start with some of NIELM's smaller imports and work your way up to the more extensive ones like his dynamic menus.

Just my 2cents.
BobP.

[alon24]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

flachbar has published a Java library to try to simplify this process. I've written some similar code myself, not nearly as well documented as flachbar's, but you can find in it my SageWMP plugin if you're interested. Either package assumes a moderate degree of fluency with Java.

If your changes aren't too extensive, you may find it easier to just do them again manually. Studio includes an STV comparison command that will display exactly what you've changed; you can then go down that list and make the corresponding changes in the new default STV. (This process is a lot easier if you have a second machine with a client license so you can run two instances of Studio simultaneously.)

I have also writen a few of these commands, which are heavily documented, and the working version (or a better version) should come out today or tommorow.(I must say that flachbar was the inspiration here in my book - and Nielm ofcourse).

It would offer you some nice "shortcuts" but you would have to do a lot of work on your own.

The Job entails for instance:
1. export all u'r code to xml files.
2. you need to know where to add (link) u'r code to in the STV that imports it. for that u need to write the full path (and if its very long it will take u a deecent amount of time to write it down from a screen shot)
I change al that by giving you a helping hand, in the STV add an action, call my function in it, and then just evalute the widget.
It will output to a file, the full path, and a suggested command to put in the STVi. If u use my code in u'r STVi too, then just add this command there (not all nice and rosie ofcourse) and it will save u a bundle of time.
Watch this thread for changes:
http://forums.freytechnologies.com/f...ad.php?t=18604

[mkanet]

Bob, it looks like your suggested method is the only reasonable/easiest way to do a "quick and dirty" back/restore.

However, if you dont mind, could you please explain in more detail what I need to do? You can see all my changes in the below screen shots.. Although, the changes appear to be relatively minor, I doubt I would be able to do it all again from scratch on the upcoming STV.

My first question is:
You started off saying "The Easiest way would be to Rename "them" to something. What am I renaming exactly? What specific menus am I looking for? I am guessing there should be one unique menu name for the sageTV 5.x "Program Guide" and one for the "parallel recordings".

Let's say, I export these two menus to two separate xml files and import them on top of the next sageTV stv via studio. What new, specific items would should up in dynamic menus? Will the two custom xml menus show up in the list with the file names I gave them?

Thanks so much for all your help!
-Michael

Originally Posted by BobPhoenix

The Easiest way would be to Rename them to something else - Maybe "My ...". Then Export those two menus by going to to File>Export Selected Menus. Once that is done you would then open the new copy of SageTV 5.1 and assuming the menus haven't changed select File>Import. You now have the old Program Guide and Parallel Schedules with your changes imported. However you will not be able to select them yet. Now either create a menu entry for each in whatever screen you want them in or import NIELM's dynamic menus and create an entry for them that way. To create a real STVi is not a simple matter if you had many changes or they are imbedded between existing code. Doing it this way will at least get you your menus quick and dirty. If you want to take the time to create an STVi then your import code needs to change the STV to look like your current modifications by inserting and adding blocks of Widgets and changing existing Widget properties where necessary. If you just want to look at how other imports are written then start with some of NIELM's smaller imports and work your way up to the more extensive ones like his dynamic menus.

Just my 2cents.
BobP.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by mkanet

Bob, it looks like your suggested method is the only reasonable/easiest way to do a "quick and dirty" back/restore.

Note that you will probably run into problems with linked themes using this method. I just tried to export the TVGuide from SageTV3.xml and import it again with a different name. The exported TV Guide shows up fine but is missing the header and detail info because a link to the "EPGPreview THEME" has been lost in the export process. This one is easy to fix, but I'm not sure if there might be other similar issues...


Dirk

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by mkanet

Bob, it looks like your suggested method is the only reasonable/easiest way to do a "quick and dirty" back/restore.

However, if you dont mind, could you please explain in more detail what I need to do? You can see all my changes in the below screen shots.. Although, the changes appear to be relatively minor, I doubt I would be able to do it all again from scratch on the upcoming STV.

My first question is:
You started off saying "The Easiest way would be to Rename "them" to something. What am I renaming exactly? What specific menus am I looking for? I am guessing there should be one unique menu name for the sageTV 5.x "Program Guide" and one for the "parallel recordings".

Let's say, I export these two menus to two separate xml files and import them on top of the next sageTV stv via studio. What new, specific items would should up in dynamic menus? Will the two custom xml menus show up in the list with the file names I gave them?

Thanks so much for all your help!
-Michael

The menus to rename are before you export them. Get into studio and rename "LiveTVGuide w/ Optional Preview" and "ParallelSchedules" to something else - maybe "MyLiveTVGuide w/ Optional Preview" and "MyParallelSchedules". Then export the two renamed menus by selecting them and doing a File>Export Selected Menus. Then cancel out or rename the menus back in your STV. Now as flachbar pointed out you will loose the ability to have video play in the background like your sample as well as the header. To get that back once you import the new menus go to the "LiveTVGuide w/ Optional Preview" that exists in the STV and "Set as Primary Reference" the "GridEPGTheme" theme. You are doing this so that you can copy a reference to "EPGPreview THEME" menu from it to the "GridEPGTheme" in your imported "MyLiveTVGuide w/ Optional Preview" now you have your header back and the ability to play video in the background - just tried it myself and it appears to work. Similarly for parallel schedules you would "Set as Primary Reference" the "ScheduleEPGTheme" theme in "ParallelSchedules" and copy a reference (I just did a drag and drop) of "ScheduleEPG THEME" menu to "MyParallelSchedules" "ScheduleEpgTheme" theme. This will give you back the headers and video background. I would try this on a copy of your current STV and see if you get your menus working. Hope this was detailed enough for you.

One other thing to note about this. This will carry the look of 5.0 and if they have changed it in 5.1 your Guide and Parallel Schedules will not look like the new 5.1 menus. But you will keep your changes this way. You might consider what GKusnick said and just compare the default STV with your modified one. The comparison shows you the differences and you could then try to do your modifications again from the comparison list to a copy of 5.0 and see if you can replicate your changes. Then any style changes from 5.0 to 5.1 would be maintained - just a thought.

Originally Posted by flachbar

Note that you will probably run into problems with linked themes using this method. I just tried to export the TVGuide from SageTV3.xml and import it again with a different name. The exported TV Guide shows up fine but is missing the header and detail info because a link to the "EPGPreview THEME" has been lost in the export process. This one is easy to fix, but I'm not sure if there might be other similar issues...


Dirk

True because that is a menu and is not exported but when I've done it everything else appears to go as long as it isn't a menu but is something to think about.

BobP.

[BobPhoenix]

Actually I lied. You will loose the ability to go to some menus from the "MyLiveTVGuide w/ Optional Preview". They are Music Jukebox, Library, Search Menu, SageRecordings SHORTCUTS, Setup Menu, RecordingSchedule - SHORTCUTS, Video Library and Picture Library. Since once again menus are not exported so you would need to relink these as well. And "MyParallelSchedules" will loose the ability to go to Music Jukebox, Library, Search Menu, SageRecordings SHORTCUTS, Setup Menu, RecordingSchedule - SHORTCUTS, Video Library and Picture Library so relink them as well but I think they are actually the same "Listeners" as the Guide menu so you may only have to link them once. So if you want full functionality it's not so quick any more - sorry about that.

BobP.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by BobPhoenix

You might consider what GKusnick said and just compare the default STV with your modified one. The comparison shows you the differences and you could then try to do your modifications again from the comparison list to a copy of 5.0 and see if you can replicate your changes.

I'm not sure if this is clear or not, but if you do a comparison of your customized v5.0 STV, compare it to the default v5.0 STV that you started with when you added your customizations. So, save a copy of your original default v5.0 STV.

If you compare any v5.0 STV to the default v5.1 STV, there will be more changes listed than you will want to see. (There may or may not be a lot of changes on the Program Guide menu, but any changes there will be hard to find among all the others.)

- Andy

[mkanet]

Hmmm... everything sounded good until I read about losing links and the hint from Andy that there may be far too many changes in the 5.1 STV to use the compare tool.

Maybe, this is what it will take to finally get me to switch to SageMC. I really really wish there was a SageMC version which had the ability for video options with background always on.

Thanks for all the information!

[Opus4]

I didn't say you shouldn't use the compare tool because of too many changes listed -- I simply suggested that you compare your changed STV to the default v5.0 STV that you started with. That will give you a short list of just the things that you have changed. With that info, you can then make similar changes to the default v5.1 STV... or come up with an import that you can continue to use later on.

- Andy

[mkanet]

That sounds reasonable. I will at least try to identify the changes I made when compared to the 5.0 stv.

Originally Posted by Opus4

I didn't say you shouldn't use the compare tool because of too many changes listed -- I simply suggested that you compare your changed STV to the default v5.0 STV that you started with. That will give you a short list of just the things that you have changed. With that info, you can then make similar changes to the default v5.1 STV... or come up with an import that you can continue to use later on.

- Andy