TV Listings Update

[Fatman_do]

I'll bundle what he has so far probably Sunday so there won't be any install issues.

I just haven't had a lot of free time lately to keep up. Thanks everyone for pitching in.

[roy]

Roy,
Thanks for the update. I can't get TV listings 2.5 to work with CS3. It works with the Blue skin but not with CS3. I've installed the files from your update but it still crashes. I get an exception: Object reference not set to instance of Object. The last thing in the details was GetRenderList(). I am using GBPVR version 1.2.13 and I've attached my logs.

Sorry, can't help. That's a pretty generic error that I find often means a file is missing somewhere.

[Fatman_do]

It looks like roy is going to look into the latest release that allows gradient colors again. I'll hold off until he gets this up to his liking then.

Thanks roy for helping out.

[roy]

Attached zip file has the contents of my TV Listings folder for CS3 skin (Rox theme), set up to use the new TV Listings 2.5b plugin in Legacy mode. Legacy mode was provided by the plugin author per requests to use the old grid colors and recording status/genre color schemes.

So the program grid should look like the attached image.

[roy]

OK, now that we have Legacy mode sorted, we can work on the new image mode for the program grid. I kind of like the arrow images to indicate when a show extends off the grid. I'll keep playing with it, to try and find a color scheme that I like. Need images that are pleasing, yet show the status/genre colors vividly.

It seems like this could end up being another area of customization for CS3, as it involves custom images for the grid. Image creation is not my strength though. :eek: Bueller? Anyone? (Hairy?)

[Hairy]

I gotta say I've never really used the TV listings plugin, so I've always left it to greater minds than I to sort out .

I've had a quick look this morning (it might take me a little while to get up to speed) and it appears to use small images repeated (like on a web site) to build the graphical elements to the grid, is that right? Is there anyway to have the best of both worlds and have the scaled images and the solid colours? or is it only either or?

Either way I think the best bet is to stick with black as the base colour. You could bevel it or add a glass effect, by way of the scaled graphics or maybe bodge it like in the "Reflect TV Guide" formatting and add a fixed screen mask.

I've never really done those small web style graphics before, but I'm willing to have a mess about and see how I get on .

[Hairy]

I've messed around with the layout a little, just to get an idea of how the skin is formatted. Have a look and see what you think.

I couldn't get the "@statusHighlighting" setting to play ball, maybe I'm missing something simple.

[roy]

I've had a quick look this morning (it might take me a little while to get up to speed) and it appears to use small images repeated (like on a web site) to build the graphical elements to the grid, is that right?

Yes, but this is also provided which I have not played with at all:
<!-- this would be the place to define a static background image for the grid -->
<CompositeImage name="Listings" size="80,56"/>
but I think I like individual images more than one static grid image.

Is there anyway to have the best of both worlds and have the scaled images and the solid colours? or is it only either or?

Legacy mode allows for gradient colors, without images. Standard mode is now the images, which are colorized by the recording status and genre colors. Explanation by the plugin author alibert is in this post.

Either way I think the best bet is to stick with black as the base colour. You could bevel it or add a glass effect, by way of the scaled graphics or maybe bodge it like in the "Reflect TV Guide" formatting and add a fixed screen mask.

I agree. I think I will like the image method better which provides the arrow images, but also, the genre colors in legacy mode are not gradient. With a colorized gradient image they are.

I've never really done those small web style graphics before, but I'm willing to have a mess about and see how I get on .

You're the man

[roy]

I've messed around with the layout a little, just to get an idea of how the skin is formatted. Have a look and see what you think.

I couldn't get the "@statusHighlighting" setting to play ball, maybe I'm missing something simple.

@statusHighlighting is the image for the status colors in the timeline, no concern.

Images of interest are the programme_left_, _middle_ and _right_ series.

Attached is my latest set of images and skin file with legacy mode set to false, in this line:

Code:

<Placement name="Listings" loc="13,15" size="84,63" rows="7" guideMinutes="180" scrollMinutes="60" showNavigation="false" showStatusColor="true" showStatusIcon="true" legacyMode="false" brightenCurrentShowsPercent="16" borderWidth="1" />

These seem to show the recording status and genre colors fairly well. They were just screen captured from legacy mode, :o I'm sure you can do better .

[Hairy]

Roy,

I've attached my first go at it (I'm stressing first go here people ). Check it out and see what you think. I think we can get the left/right arrows more polished/slick, but for now I just roughly copied the idea thats there.

I have to say that from my very primitive initial tinkering I really like the way alibert has implemented this, I think with a little tinkering this could look very slick. And it's infinitely more professional than the bodge I used for the default TV Guide formatting with Reflect

alibert may have won a convert