remote question

[dvd_maniac]

I have a USB-UIRT that I just received and 2 remotes:The Hauppauge Silver & ATI Remote Wonder. What do I need to do to be able to use one of these remotes to control SageTV & Nero Showtime? I use Nero Showtime because I recode my recordings and dvd's into AVC MP4 format and SageTV does not play them. Showtime is the only player that does not stutter, skip or tear these video files. Using Cayars ver 16 STV with External Videoplayer cmd
Showtime's Hotkeys are a little complex and is nothing like SageTV. So when I remap some of the keys of the remote to use in Showtime, Sage is screwed up. Does Girder allow me to use one of my remotes to control different apps at the same time? Would that solve my problem?

[stanger89]

Yeah, girder would probably solve your problem.

[korben_dallas]

DVD,

Lemme know how Girder works out for you, since I was thinking along the same lines with Nero Showtime.

[dvd_maniac]

Korb,

I'll try it out this Wednesday and let you know...

[Opus4]

The Hauppauge remote could be configured to control whatever app is active, or you could assign buttons to switch to specific apps (removing those buttons from other use). The ini file uses the [section name] of the active app, unless you force it to use a specific app's mode. You would add a new application (Nero Showtime) to the ini file & configure the buttons to do what you want whe that app is active; then when SageTV is active it would a differnt set of button definitions. See the Hauppauge link #1, in my sig lines.

It might still be easier to use Girder to do what you want, but the Hauppauge remote can control additional apps.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Showtime uses weird combonations to achieve results. For instance the keystrokes to RW at 8x is "B" "UP" "UP" "UP" "UP" "ENTER". I have read through your instructions and I am not sure if what I need can be done with ir.exe. Would Girder be able do accomplish this complex set of keystrokes? If so, with the Hauppauge remote? And obviously from what I can tell, Girder would also allow me to control multiple apps?

[Opus4]

You can send multiple keys/commands for a single button press using irremote.ini, but that means the button is always going to send those commands for that app. It might be nicer to be able to send single commands such as "B" & then use the arrows + Enter to finish the command... but there's that little problem of not having all the letters available. I don't know enough about Girder to know if you will have the same issue in terms of having to dedicate a button for 8x RW.

Yes, there is a Girder plugin for the Hauppaueg IR receiver, but it is only for the older 34-button remote, not the newer 45 button version. It would need to be rewritten to recognize additional buttons. (Unless someone has already done that.)

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

I have the 34 button one that came with the usb2.
I have tried to add the following to the irremote. I am obviously missing something though.

[ShowTime]
FULLSCREEN=z
BACK={esc}
MUTE=q
VOLUP==
VOLDOWN=-
CHNLUP={VK_UP}
CHNLDOWN={VK_DN}
NAVUP={VK_UP}
NAVDOWN={VK_DN}
OK={enter}
REC=
STOP=s
PAUSE={space}
PLAY={enter}
REWIND={b}{up}{up}{enter}
FASTFWD={f}{up}{up}{enter}
SKIPFWD={f}{up}{enter}
SKIPREV={b}{up}{enter}
1={alt}1
2={alt}2
3={alt}3
YELLOW={ctrl}1
BLUE={ctrl}2
GRNPOWER={alt}{f4}

what else would I need to enter in to get it to recognize Nero ShowTime and use the commands? Also does the RW & FF look ok?

[Opus4]

Probably my last post this evening...

Did you add "ShowTime=" to the [Applications] section? Is "ShowTime" really the window name, or at least part of it? Is it a unique part -- meaning no other window also contains "Showtime"?

What ini did you start with? If it was one of the ones I posted, it is probably using {mode(SageTV)} in the [Default] section, forcing the mode change so SageTV control is always active & disabling auto-mode switching in the process. You will either need to remove the mode switches or add others in the needed places. (It is probably easier to remove the exiting ones -- there is one in the SageTV section too.) Keep a backup of your current ini file.

FF & REW are probably fine, though you don't need {} brackets around regular keys like 'b' -- see your STOP command.

You may have done so already, but see: "How to extend irremote-ini.txt" and "irremote-ini usage v22180.txt".

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Yes I read those as well. Thanx Andy.
I did remove the {} for b & f. Everything is working fine. I just need to master the focus issue now for both Sage and ShowTime.

Thanx again for the help.

[dvd_maniac]

Hey Andy,

after looking through the no focus instructions it is unclear to me if it will fulfill my wish. I want to be able to control Nero ShowTime & Sage without focus. I do not think that the no focus can do both simutaniously can it?

I wish the remote had a dip switch to tell it what program to call a sendmessage command to.

Any ideas?

[Opus4]

You've got at least two problems for controlling multiple programs w/o requiring focus:

1. Application Mode - the ini file automatically sends commands to the window with focus, deciding which application's section to use for button -> command conversion based on the section name & window title. You can tell it to always use a specific app section for command conversion by using the mode(<ApplicationName>) command. This is where I was referring to dedicating button(s) to switch programs -- use 1 or 2 buttons that will _always_ switch to the other program. Use 1 button: simply have that button dedicated for both apps so that it will cause a mode switch to the other app. Use 2/more buttons: Each dedicated button always starts/brings focus to a particular app & sets the mode for that app.
   
   I use the multiple button approach, but then my remote has a lot more buttons available.
   
   
2. Sending Commands - the ini can only send keys to the currently active window. To send commands to another window, you would have to either find messages that you can send or translate the keys into Windows key code messages. Alternatively, just use the dedicated button from part #1, above, to always bring the window back into focus & continue sending keys, which is what I do.

Like I said, it is possible to do this with irremote.ini, but Girder may make it easier to send keys to Windows w/o focus and/or force which program is to receive the comamnds.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Well, the remote.ini file seems to be able to do everything I need it to do so far, except for the focus 2 programs issue, and now you say that it is possible, so I think I will stay away from buying/loading/learning girder for now.

I do not need many buttons to operate, so if the Hauppauge can do this, I will stay with this also. I will just have to learn to reprogram the four colored buttons to suite my needs better.

Now, if I use two of the colored buttons; 1 to force focus on Sage and the other to focus on Showtime then I can still program the other two to seperate commands in different programs?

Is all the insructions for dedicating button to force focus on a program in the pages of your Sig? Can you point me in the right direction?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

Now, if I use two of the colored buttons; 1 to force focus on Sage and the other to focus on Showtime then I can still program the other two to seperate commands in different programs?

Is all the insructions for dedicating button to force focus on a program in the pages of your Sig? Can you point me in the right direction?

Yeah, you can customize any other buttons for each program. What I would consider is to add the two buttons dedicated to mode switching into the [Default] section & then NOT use them at all in the program sections. If a button is undefined for an app, it then looks for that button in the [Default] section, so they will always be available. Check the GRNPOWER button usage in the ini files I uploaded -- essentially you would have the button run the exe (that will run the exe or bring it into focus if already running) & then do a mode switch to that program's app section.

If you only used 1 button for this, then it would be defined in each app's section to simply run the current exe to bring it back into focus.

If the power button is used to exit/minimize/sleep the program, you would then issue a command for {mode(Default)} to force thigns back to the default section, or simply use {mode()} to turn off the forced-mode & return to auto-mode selection.

You can do all this a la mode.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Is this where I need to edit?

[Default]
OLD0=
0=
1=
2=
3=
4=
5=
6=
7=
8=
9=
TV={close(radio.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(wintv2k.exe)}
SOURCE={switch(*task*)}{shift}{tab}
MINIMIZE=
FULLSCREEN={alt}{space}x
RESERVED=

; close current active window; disabled for now
;GRNPOWER={sys(0xF060)}
;GUIDE={run(epgdemo.exe)}
GO={gomenu()}
;GO={run(hcwGo\hcwGo.exe)}
MENU={switch(*task*)}{shift}{tab}

;;these 3 buttons are not offical yet
RED={close(radio.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(wintv2k.exe)}
GREEN={close(wintv2k.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(radio.exe)}
;;YELLOW={close(radio.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(..\vtplus\vtplus32.exe)}TEXT={close(radio.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(..\vtplus\vtplus32.exe)}

;;default mappings to drive apps that use APPCOMMANDS on Win2000/XP
MUTE={app(0x80000)}
CHNLUP={app(0x330000)}
CHNLDOWN={app(0x340000)}
VOLUP={app(0xa0000)}
VOLDOWN={app(0x90000)}
REC={app(0x300000)}
STOP={app(0xd0000)}
PAUSE={app(0x2f0000)}
PLAY={app(0x2e0000)}
REWIND={app(0x320000)}
FASTFWD={app(0x310000)}
SKIPFWD={app(0xb0000)}
SKIPREV={app(0xc0000)}

[Opus4]

Yes -- and then don't use those 'global' buttons in your app sections, or copy the exact same definitions to each app's section.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

So if I wanted to use the red button to open(or focus to SageTV) then I would change the following line from:

RED={close(radio.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(wintv2k.exe)}

to what?

RED=???

sage path is C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\SageTV.exe

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

So if I wanted to use the red button to open(or focus to SageTV) then I would change the following line from:

RED={close(radio.exe)}{sleep(750)}{run(wintv2k.exe)}

to what?

RED=???

No, the command "???" won't accomplish much.

Did you see the existing GRNPOWER lines I added to the ini file samples & referenced in a post above? It is something like:

GRNPOWER={run(D:\APPS\FREYTE~1\SageTV\SageTV.exe)}{mode(SageTV)}

That's really all you have to do -- run the exe & set the mode. Of course, this assumes that the program is written so that if its exe is run again, it simply brings the existing instance into focus rather than running it again.

sage path is C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\SageTV.exe

I think this is documented somewhere, but you have to use filenames w/o spaces, so use the short versions of some of those dirs.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

Hi Andy,

I am ALMOOOOSSSSTTTT there. I got Sage focus to work. However, ShowTime is giving me a problem. Says application not found.
I put this in for the Green button:

GREEN={run(C:\PROGRA~1\Ahead\NEROSH~1\SHOWTI~1.exe)}{mode(ShowTime)}

Now the path to ShowTime.exe is:
C:\Program Files\Ahead\Nero ShowTime\ShowTime.exe

and I have ShowTime in the [Applications] section and remote works fine in ShowTime. I can't seem to find my mistake. Maybe I am tired.

[dvd_maniac]

nevermind I got it.

Changed SHOWTI~1.exe to ShowTime.exe and it worked. I tried for over 1 hour to figure it out, get fustrated and post you, then 2 seconds later fix it....