Warning: ApplicationStartedHook and Placeshifter

[nielm]

I have just got bitten by this issue and would like to let others know about it:

Do not rely on ApplicationStartedHook to start any background tasks when using Placeshifter over an internet connection.

The reason for this problem is that ApplicationStartedHook is launched when the *first* STV is loaded, and when Placeshifter is run over the internet, the *first* STV to be loaded is the SecureLogin.xml, not the users' custom STV.

So this means that ApplicationStarted Hook is triggered in SecureLogin.xml only...

This created a problem that only showed up when logging in over the internet, but I could not reproduce when logging in locally (caused lots of head banging on desk!)


Related: one should not rely on ApplicationExiting hook either, because a user can change STVs before exiting...

I am going to ask Sage for new global hooks: STVLoaded STVUnloaded which might be a better place to put STV-related initialization/shutdown routines...

[bcjenkins]

Nielm,

If you set: miniclient/authenticate_local_connections=true you should be able to replicate the internet connection experience. Right?

B

[nielm]

yes (apart from the speed)

[Opus4]

BTW: I posted some info about this initilization issue here: STV Initializations vs. ApplicationStarted hook. The same solution could be applied here for startup, but not as easily for code to run when the STV is unloaded.

- Andy

[nielm]

From the other thread...

Originally Posted by nielm

I think I wrote it so that the contents of the BeforeMenuLoad hook from the original main menu still get executed...

Ah. uh. that must have been the other nielm posting there, because this nielm had no recollection of that post, even after fixing a bug where the dynamic menu does not execute the contents of the BML hook of the original main menu...