EPGExtra - new tool adds date, ratings, repeat, CC, Stereo to program descriptions.

[reboot]

Something very suspicious.
I've been trying to get I-XMLTV working, and getting an error.
Just tried this, get the same error.
A DOS box opens, up comes the error, I hit OK, and close the DOS box.
WTF?

[ubu]

Interesting....this new tool does almost the same thing as ZapTools except it adds the info directly to the description itself....this tool is similar to I-xmltv that was recently written.

These tools do work.....the only thing that I don't like about them, as compared to Zaptools, is that you must pre-configure what you want to see....ZapTools (which does only benefit the Enhanced Web Admin) pulls in most everything and then you can turn on/off the display options at will via the Web Admin....The Web Admin is coded to recognize the ZapTools extneded data and then display it (or not) based on the configuration settings.

Zaptools does not benefit GBPVR native guide in anyway so these other tools do help with that aspect.

It does however give you more flexability in the Web Admin.

When I wrote the original EPGMovieDate (the very simple forerunner of EPGExtra) I was amazed to find that the Enhanced Web Admin utility had already solved my problem for web users but not, strangely, for those using their TV to peruse the TV Guide. Since it seemed to me that most GBPVR users, by definition, would want to use their TV to get program information I decided to write a tool to to fill the gap.

Since Zaptools had already done the heavy lifting pertaining to extracting the extra data from Zap2it, I decided to require users to run zapimport before running EPGMovieDate, allowing my code to simply read the zapdb tables.

However, for EPGExtra, I have dropped the dependency on zaptools for several reasons. Firstly, it is irritating, when downloading a new plugin/utility to find that you have to download additional components to make it work. Since the additional plugin/utility may have a different author (and, therefore, a different realease cycle), it's hard to know if the two components will work together correctly and, if not, two separate support threads will be required. Secondly, more moving parts means a more complex installation. Thirdly, people seemed to be experiencing some problems with the current release of Zaptools' support for the 97.7 dual database strategy. Since simplicity of installation was one of my primary goals I wanted to avoid the manual editing of xml files that Zaptools requires of its users. Fourthly, reading the Zap2it xml file directly makes execution swifter and requires less disk space.

In my earlier post, regarding I-xmltv, I pointed out that its broader feature set and greater congurability came at the cost of complexity of implementation. The same seems to be true of Zaptools and WebAdmin. Clearly, EPGExtra is not trying to solve some of the problems that both these tools address. It does not offer a lot of configuration options but it is based on the premise that most people would want a base set of additions to their TV-Guide (I used Tivo as a model for this) without having to mess with them much. For those adventurous enough to add parameters to their single line batch file invocation, each additional field can be supressed. I wouldn't have thought changing the line "EPGExtra > EPGExtra.log" to read "EPGExtra -norepeat -nostereo > EPGExtra.log", for instance, would prove excessively challenging for most people. If so, they can use the vanilla version and learn to love it.

Web Admin has the advantage of "owning" its user interface so can support "dynamic" attribute display. Both EPGExtra and I-xmltv are working within the confines of the existing GPBPVR database and program guide UI so cannot affect run-time behaviour. (OK - I could write a replacement TV Guide but I'm probably a bit too lazy for that!)

[Jim_]

ubu, this is your thread and I just dropped in earlier to voice my support.

I’ve never put anything on the wiki before, and wanted to get a few people using it to make sure it was problem free (see reboot’s "wiki" installed error above) before asking for a spot.
If it causes any problems I just won't post it, either way I get paid the same…..

[madcat]

Hey,

Just tried to install this, however it crashes because the zap2it.xml is not there:

Code:

Reading program data from Zap2it.xml.....

Unhandled Exception: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to
an instance of an object.
   at EPGExtra.EPGTweakEngine.epgTweak(EPGExtraOptions execOptions)
   at EPGExtra.EPGTweakEngine..ctor(EPGExtraOptions execOptions)
   at EPGExtra.EPGExtra.Main(String[] args)

I checked, and it did put the "true" in the config for "SaveZap2it...". I restarted everything (except the PC), but this file is not created (anywhere).

What am I doing wrong?

[ubu]

ubu, this is your thread and I just dropped in earlier to voice my support.
But I didn’t realize my setup procedure was that complicated.
I’ve never put anything on the wiki before, and wanted to get a few people using it to make sure it was problem free (see reboot’s "wiki" installed error above) before asking for a spot.
If it causes any problems I just won't post it, either way I get paid the same…..

Hey - I don't think your setup procedure is that complicated. My point was simply that there are the more technically oriented folks out there who appreciate a lot of options and are happy tweaking them (myself included) and those who prefer a no-brainer install and instant-gratification. I was trying to make the case for there being a place for both I-xmltv and EPGExtra since they address slightly different needs and maybe different kinds of user.

Your tool does a bunch of things (incremental EPG update, support for XMLTV formats other than Zap2it, choice between sub-title and description for field display, etc., etc.) that EPGExtra doesn't even dream about doing. It's very cool. (I plan on installing it just for the incremental update feature alone). And testing it via the forums is a fine strategy. You'll probably get more "guinea pigs" if you put it on the wiki, though.

And thanks for your voice of support.

[ubu]

Hey,

Just tried to install this, however it crashes because the zap2it.xml is not there:

Code:

Reading program data from Zap2it.xml.....

Unhandled Exception: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to
an instance of an object.
   at EPGExtra.EPGTweakEngine.epgTweak(EPGExtraOptions execOptions)
   at EPGExtra.EPGTweakEngine..ctor(EPGExtraOptions execOptions)
   at EPGExtra.EPGExtra.Main(String[] args)

I checked, and it did put the "true" in the config for "SaveZap2it...". I restarted everything (except the PC), but this file is not created (anywhere).

What am I doing wrong?

The "SaveZap2it" element tells GBPVR to save the Zap2it.xml file the next time it runs a scheduled EPG update. If you try to run EPGExtra again before GBPVR has done an EPG update, the file won't have been created so you will get this error. The first time you run EPGExtra it sets the "SaveZap2it" element to "true" and displays the message "You can run EPGExtra again after the next GBPVR EPG update". This is also mentioned on the wiki page and in the readme file.

However, you should have got a more friendly error message than the one you've included. I've changed this to read:

Code:

C:\Zap2it.xml does not exist. GBPVR must run an EPG update to create this file.

which is slightly more helpful than "NullReferenceException". I'll update the wiki presently.

BTW - If you just can't wait for the next scheduled EPG update, you can always use the Update EPG button in the GBPVR config app and then run EPGExtra when it has completed.

[ubu]

For digital OTA programming is there information available to identify HD broadcasts? I didn't see that listed above. It would be nice to know from the guide.

Not sure. Don't have HD myself so I've never looked. I'll check it out. I can see it would be really important if you do have an HDTV.

[David]

Not sure. Don't have HD myself so I've never looked. I'll check it out. I can see it would be really important if you do have an HDTV.

More important because I don't. I would rather record an analog version at lower resolution.

[OPaul]

Is it possible to change the format for this? So for instance, the release date is after the description instead of before?

[madcat]

Sorry, no go. Whatver I did, there is no zap2it.xml file.
I ran the update EPG from the tray icon, I waited a day, I ran the XML update command, Nada...

Any idea?