ExternalDisplay New Release - (MediaPortal MiniDisplay Port)

[ralphy]

When playing around with External Display, I noticed two other issues:

• My display doesn't get completely dark when exiting gbpvr, but rather siwtches to the lowest brightness level
  
• Whatever the date format in config.xml might be (here DD. mmmm, I think), it gets displayed as e.g. march 1
  

The first issue might relate to kindt nick's problem - see below
The second issue is that if you want to use a different time format, you need to change the xml file that defines what is displayed.

• #date will give the date in the format specified in the config panel
  
• #shorttime will give the time in the format specified in the config panel
  
• #time will give the MMMd, HH:mm format.
  

This took a while to find out what was going on, as I'd forgotten all about this one!

Hi Ralphy,
It's just as if ExternalDisplay does not read "ExternalDisplay_iMONLCD.xml".

This is possibly correct based on the logs. When you go into advanced configuration, you need to click 'ok' to save th advanced configuration. The ExternalDisplay_iMONLCD.xml file will then appear. Does the file actually exist?

I'll dig around a little more, but maybe this is a start.

The reason for the non-blank display and restart of frontview is because the shutdown is trapping an error. I might have to put in some logging to find out exactly what is going on ... please bear with me.


On the clean install crashing. This is because for some reasons the CommonGBPVRUtilities.dll file was omitted from the new installer. I'll post a new version when I sort out these other problems, but in the meantime, installing this dll into the GBPVR folder will solve that configuration crash. Sorry.

[kindt nick]

This is possibly correct based on the logs. When you go into advanced configuration, you need to click 'ok' to save th advanced configuration. The ExternalDisplay_iMONLCD.xml file will then appear. Does the file actually exist?

Indeed, I've deleted the file and went to the advanced configuration and pressed "OK". Net the file was regenerated.
Also I've checked if ExternalDisplayConfig really creates the xml file with the correct values and not just with the default one. It really does set the correct values.

I've attached the rarred "C:\Program Files\Devnz\GBPVR\Plugins\ExternalDisplay\"-directory

Could you check weither the name of the xml file, "ExternalDisplay_iMONLCD.xml"n, is indeed correct? And also the location where it should be. Maybe you've got another one on you harddrive and Externaldisplay reads out the other one.
I don't know, I'm just guessing.

Thx,
Nick

[iwan]

The first issue might relate to kindt nick's problem - see below

...snip...

This is possibly correct based on the logs. When you go into advanced configuration, you need to click 'ok' to save th advanced configuration. The ExternalDisplay_iMONLCD.xml file will then appear. Does the file actually exist?

I'll dig around a little more, but maybe this is a start.

So in my case there should be some file named 'ExternalDisplay_noritake_T_series.xml' ?
Ah, found it - it's located in gbpvr's main directory. Seems to have been updated correctly tonight.

I noticed a couple of lines like <Property Value = "#currentmodule" \> in ExternalDisplay's .xml-file. Does this mean what I think it does, i.e. will ExternalDisplay be able to show the currently selected module ?

[ralphy]

I've attached the rarred "C:\Program Files\Devnz\GBPVR\Plugins\ExternalDisplay\"-directory

Could you check weither the name of the xml file, "ExternalDisplay_iMONLCD.xml"n, is indeed correct? And also the location where it should be. Maybe you've got another one on you harddrive and Externaldisplay reads out the other one.
I don't know, I'm just guessing.

Thx,
Nick

Nikc, looks ok - do you still have the same problems with shutdown or did the saving of the advanced config file sort this out?

I noticed a couple of lines like <Property Value = "#currentmodule" \> in ExternalDisplay's .xml-file. Does this mean what I think it does, i.e. will ExternalDisplay be able to show the currently selected module ?

Unfortunately, PVRX2 doesn't make this information available to plugins (or at least it didn't when I looked at this and asked twelve months ago). But when it does, this plugin will be able to process it! As you have probably gathered, it's a MP feature.

Iwan, is the plugin working for you now (ie reading the config file and shuttdown down with blank display properly?). Also looks like I forgot to change some of the minidisplay code, and it's putting the config files for some drivers in the GBPVR folder and others in the plugins\externaldisplay folder. This should not be a problem for the plugin, 'coz it will look for them in the same place it saved them. I should tidy this up though.

[kindt nick]

Nikc, looks ok - do you still have the same problems with shutdown or did the saving of the advanced config file sort this out?

Nope, nothing of the advanced configuration works for me.
Tried reinstalling again, but nothing helps.

[iwan]

Unfortunately, PVRX2 doesn't make this information available to plugins (or at least it didn't when I looked at this and asked twelve months ago). But when it does, this plugin will be able to process it! As you have probably gathered, it's a MP feature.

This would be great thing to have - specifically I'd like to be able to pick a couple of songs to play whithout having to turn on the screen.

Iwan, is the plugin working for you now (ie reading the config file and shuttdown down with blank display properly?).

Well, it's working, but doesn't blank the display when shutting down
Please find logs attached (entered GBPVR and exited immediately).

[kindt nick]

Hi Ralphy,

I took another look at the logs and it seems that ExternalDisplay does read the xml.
I've you open the pvrx2.exe.log from the rarred directory "2. errorlogswith imon 7.2 installed" of the logs I've attached previous, you can see that in the beginning that all the correct options are loaded.

But if you look at the end of the file you'l see an error during shudown:

2009-03-01 20:10:33.484 ERROR [4] MiniDisplay.Run(): CAUGHT EXCEPTION: System.NullReferenceException: De objectverwijzing is niet op een exemplaar van een object ingesteld.
bij ProcessPlugins.ExternalDisplay.Drivers.iMONLCDg.CloseLcd()
bij ProcessPlugins.ExternalDisplay.Drivers.iMONLCDg.CleanUp()
bij ProcessPlugins.ExternalDisplay.DisplayHandler.Stop()
bij ProcessPlugins.ExternalDisplay.GBPVRExternalDisplayTask.Run()

Ps: "De objectverwijzing is niet op een exemplaar van een object ingesteld" roughly translated into English means "The object reference has not been set to a copy of an object"

Is this something where you can work with?

[ralphy]

iwan / kindt nick

Please bear with me as I expect to be out of touch for a while..... Sorry ...

[iwan]

iwan / kindt nick

Please bear with me as I expect to be out of touch for a while..... Sorry ...

No problem, the important stuff does work very well, i.e no more crashes when exiting pvrx2.

[kindt nick]

No problem, the important stuff does work very well, i.e no more crashes when exiting pvrx2.

Hi, Iwan,

what did you do to prevent crashes on exit?

Thx,
Nick

Ps: Ralphy, no problem besides, I'm renovation. So untill next friday it's kinda hard to test/use my htpc...