send channel chanes via winLIRC??

[chef Paula]

Hi there, i've been using NextPVR for a couple of years now, and have been impressed with all it does and can do.
Until recently, i was using it on a Win7 PC (64bit), using NPVR 4.2, capturing video & sound from a satellite STB thru a HDPVR2, and blasting channel changes via IR Server Suite thru an MCE blaster. All worked flawlessly,  although i seem to remember IRSS being a bitch to get going.
Unfortunately, my satellite STB has now been repalced, and the one i have seems to use IR codes that IR Server Suite cant learn. (Not sure why but it's IR command Learning feature times out with nothing learned on every single key on the new STB's remote).
HOWEVER, i have been able to successfully "learn" the remote with WinLIRC. Having compared the file that WinLIRC created with the .IR files IRSS created, i dont think i can convert the WinLIRC code file for the new STB's remote to a set of .IR files that IR Server Suite can use to blast.
SO, i need to find a way to tell NextPVR to blast via the WinLIRC instead.
I have WinLIRC blasting perfectly manually (via WinLIRC itself when its open in a window), but can't figure how to send the command to it from NextPVR.
I did see some very old reference to this on the old GBPVR pages (from 2006), in which a usesr had posted  "channels.js" java script to do exactly what i need, but unfortunately, the uploaded file is no longer linked.
There's also a post with an autoit scipt that would seem to do what i need, posted in 2016 on here by a user called Drake3:
  https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?tid=55961
but i dont seem to be able to compile the script correctly, although in honesty, i have no idea what i'm doing with Autoit.
So, please can anyone help, either to compile the script featured in that thread and help me with what argument to use in my NextPVR channel changer config , or to point me toward another way to get NPVR to trigger WinLIRC to blast the 3 digits?

I've spent days trawling the internet, and it seems like there's a million other solutions out there if i had different blasting equipment (USBUIRT/Iguana etc) or a different STB, but im stuck.

Thanks for any help/advice/insights any of you can offer.

[sub]

NextPVR can be configured to call whatever executable or batch file you like, passing in the channel number. As long as you can get your script/executable working from. the command line, it's relatively straight forward to configure NextPVR to call it when changing channels with your HDPVR2.

When specifying the command line in NextPVR, you can have the following to send a zero-padded three digit channel number:

{channel_d2}{channel_d3}{channel_d4}

You can just insert that into whatever command line you specify, and NextPVR will replace it with the channel number whenever it runs it.

[ElihuRozen]

I compiled it for 64-bit since that is what you said you have.  Since you did not specify an IP address, I left it at 127.0.0.1. That means this will work only on the host where WinLIRC is running.  If you want to use a different IP address, either specify it here and I will hard code it or we can change the logic to allow it to be passed in to the script.

[Graham]

... As long as you can get your script/executable working from. the command line ...

The channel changed executaable runs in the same user account as the NextPVR Recording service ... It's safest to use full file paths in all of your commands ... C:\SomeFolder\SomeProgram.exe ... and not just ... SomeProgram.exe ...

[chef Paula]

Thank You all for the very helpful replies.
I'm sure i'm almost there,  just dont seem to be triggering the blast when NPVR changes channel.

So , when i go into NextPVR settings, and select devices, and go into Device Setup, i've changed the Channel changer for a few of my testing channels so that in the first drop down option (Changer) it still says "Executable"  as per my previous blasting setup.  - I've changed the Executable path to show "C:\WinLIRC\Drakeblast.exe" (i put the drakebkast executable that ElihuRozen very kindly compiled into the same folder as WinLirc's files. - i assume this is correct but am not sure?) 
and then have tried with various things in the "arguments" line, such as zero-padded three digit channel number:
{channel_d2}{channel_d3}{channel_d4} 
(as posted by sub this morning), but also trying:
-channel {channel}
which is the argument that i used to use in NextPVR to succesfully send blasts to IRServerSuite.
However, regardless of which argument i use, the blaster never actually gets triggered, so im not sure where i've gone wrong.
I have WinLIRC configured, and working by itself, but my new "drakeblast" channel changing config isnt calling WinLIRC to do the blasting.
Have i missed something obvious?
If winLIC is configured for the remote and can blast the digits happily when i open it with a mouse, surely i can't be far off from having NPVR call it to do the same thing?
Any ideas?

Thank You

[Graham]

So , when i go into NextPVR settings, and select devices, and go into Device Setup, i've changed the Channel changer for a few of my testing channels so that in the first drop down option (Changer) it still says "Executable"  as per my previous blasting setup.  - I've changed the Executable path to show "C:\WinLIRC\Drakeblast.exe" (i put the drakebkast executable that ElihuRozen very kindly compiled into the same folder as WinLirc's files. - i assume this is correct but am not sure?) 
and then have tried with various things in the "arguments" line, such as zero-padded three digit channel number:
{channel_d2}{channel_d3}{channel_d4} 

I don't know about the specific bits of software tha you are using so what follows migh need adjustment ... The value in ... Executable ... needs to be the name of the program that sends the IR signal to the IR blaster hardware ... C:\WinLIRC\Drakeblast.exe

The executable path is ... C:\WinLIRC\ ... and the Arguments are ... the channel number.

Does Drakeblast.exe change channels when run from a Command Prompt?

[chef Paula]

Forgive the stupid answer, but, i dont know how to make drakeblast.exe change channels from the command prompt. I dont actually know what to type at the command promtp to "give" drakeblast a number to try and blast.
(From your reply, i'm confident that my channel changer config in NextPVR device setup/channel settings is correct )

Thanks

[chef Paula]

OK, so i figured out how to communicate with drakeblast via command prompt.
Unfortunately, it does not blast from command prompt. Neither does WinLIRC's own transmit.exe, (although i'd read that transmit.exe doesn't work, hence the need for the drakeblast.exe)
No error messages from drakeblast.exe at command prompt, so it seems to be doing its part, but the call isn't triggering winLIRC.
I wish i hadnt bought this sat box now, but i did, and i'm stuck with it

[mvallevand]

Can you communicate with WinLIRC using telnet on port 8765?

Martin

[chef Paula]

I'm gonna sound real stupid again now, but, how would i attempt that?