SchedulesDirect Guide Data Parse Errors w/ GBPVR v1.0.16

[wlj]

Hello,

I'm in the process of upgrading from GBPVR v0.99.12 w/ Zap2It to v1.0.16 w/ SchedulesDirect. SchedulesDirect is providing bad HTML entities in its guide data, and GBPVR v1.0.16 throws an exception on the first such error encountered. The net result is that I am unable to load guide data into GBPVR using the in-built SchedulesDirect guide capability.

I have updated GBPVR with the patches included in the v1.0.16 survival guide thread.

The specific error message thrown by GBPVR is:

Code:

Error UpdateEPG()'ing: System.Xml.XmlException: An error occurred while parsing EntityName. Line 28340, position 12.
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(Exception e)
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(String res, String arg)
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseEntityName()
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseEntityReference()
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Read()
   at System.Xml.XmlTextReader.Read()
   at GBPVR.Backend.Common.Zap2itEpgReader.x7174d5399cba81ee(IEpgUpdateProgressCallback x421ce789b9741187, DateTime xdc88f59e43b65f7f, DateTime x33db96d2cea26583)
   at GBPVR.Backend.Common.Zap2itEpgReader.LoadChannels(IEpgUpdateProgressCallback callback)
   at GBPVR.Backend.Common.xbdfb880686f2538b.x52e8ddd0b9bc8c68(xda34526142ca690b x347261624b519e9a, IEpgUpdateProgressCallback x421ce789b9741187)
   at Config.xca74b9c9b310df0b.xcba1f05fb5a46d5f()

Line 28340 of the guide data file is:

Code:

<surname>O&se.</surname>

Additionally, other malformed entities also exist in the file about a dozen additional times:

Code:

<role>The Morning Show With Mike &am</role>

Is it possible to either:

1. Update GBPVR to gracefully handle malformed HTML entities and continue to load the guide data?
   
2. Run a batch file (e.g., which calls HTML Tidy) in between when the guide data is downloaded from SchedulesDirect and actually loaded by GBVPR?
   

Please advise.

Thanks,
-Bill

[sub]

This is a bug on the Schedules Direct (TMS) side of things. It is supplying invalid XML. The Microsoft XML parser GB-PVR uses will fail to load invalid XML data, which is the correct thing to do in this situation.

You'd be best to post this info on the Schedules Direct forum so they can contact TMS to fix the data. After a quick look on the forums now, I think another user is having the same problem in some other app: http://forums.schedulesdirect.org/viewto...?f=5&t=281.

I'm sure it'll be fixed pretty quickly, but best to post your comments anyway.

[toomanyhandles]

Speaking of scheduledirect guide issues, is anyone else seeing duplicate entries for a given "cell"?

For example, in the guide, "The Closer" shows up in its 9pm time slot on the correct channel (31) but also overlaid onto the (correct data of the) 9pm time slot for a different channel (44). So the cell with the problem has 2 items overlaid upon each other in the GBPVR TV guide.

If I open up the problem cell for channel 44, only its information shows, and it is correct. This is the only thing I find curious with regard to GBPVR, I'd expect it to have the duplicate titles when I open up the cell for channel 44 to see the more detailed item.

Repeating program items for the Closer pick up the incorrect channel 44 over the correct one.

I assumed this was an issue with Schedules Direct data but hadn't reported it yet, I just noticed it this morning when I started setting up repeat recordings. It happens often enough that I'm pretty careful to checking pending items. I don't think my wife's sewing program should be taped off of the CourtTV channel, so it's pretty easy to spot!

If there's a reason to include any logs or guide information here I can do that. Is anyone else seeing this? I don't see obvious errors or problems loading the guide, perhaps I'm not checking the right log to see small issues.

[sub]

bill, can you possible zip and attach the xml file? The schedules direct guys wanted a copy of it.

[djpandemic]

I don't know if this is related, but here is what I'm getting when I try to update my EPG

[wlj]

Sub,

Thanks for your response!

This is a bug on the Schedules Direct (TMS) side of things. It is supplying invalid XML. The Microsoft XML parser GB-PVR uses will fail to load invalid XML data, which is the correct thing to do in this situation.

I don't disagree that Schedules Direct is supplying invalid data. If possible, it seems like making GB-PVR a bit more resilient when handling bad data would be worthwhile. HTML Tidy, for example, does a great job of identifying and cleaning up bad data.

bill, can you possible zip and attach the xml file? The schedules direct guys wanted a copy of it.

Sure. See attached. Here are the errors that HTML Tidy reports:

Code:

line 28340 column 11 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&se."
line 59670 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 59687 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 59704 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 59721 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 63990 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 64007 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 64024 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 64041 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 64058 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"
line 64075 column 34 - Warning: unescaped & or unknown entity "&am"

Thanks for your help,
-Bill

[sub]

I don't know if this is related, but here is what I'm getting when I try to update my EPG

This is just because you havnt applied the patch from the sticky 'v1.0.16 survival guide' thread.

[sub]

I don't disagree that Schedules Direct is supplying invalid data. If possible, it seems like making GB-PVR a bit more resilient when handling bad data would be worthwhile. HTML Tidy, for example, does a great job of identifying and cleaning up bad data.

I'm all for not loading broken data. You never know how broken it'll be, so its better to only load data you know to be correctly formed.

I honestly dont think this will be a big problem though. The data is coming from the same TMS source as it did in the past with zap2it, and we had three or four reports of these sorts of minor format problems in the couple of years zap2it existed, and the data was fixed pretty quickly. At that rate, its probably not work doing anything.

[wlj]

I'm all for not loading broken data. You never know how broken it'll be, so its better to only load data you know to be correctly formed.

I honestly dont think this will be a big problem though. The data is coming from the same TMS source as it did in the past with zap2it, and we had three or four reports of these sorts of minor format problems in the couple of years zap2it existed, and the data was fixed pretty quickly. At that rate, its probably not work doing anything.

Sub,

Good news -- it looks like the bad Schedules Direct data has now been corrected.

Should this problem crop up again during an automatic guide data update, will GB-PVR retain the last good set of guide data and keep working/recording until the next scheduled guide update?

Thanks for your quick responses.

-Bill

[sub]

Should this problem crop up again during an automatic guide data update, will GB-PVR retain the last good set of guide data and keep working/recording until the next scheduled guide update?

Yes, it wouldnt have processed this data, and the previous data would still be in place.