Thread: Some progress on the application...

radioSHARK is scriptable since the 2.0beta is out.
See here....
As I am using a touchscreen at home, radio integration would be sooooo good to save those big old tuners.
Thanks.
Still, would someone provide a functioning binary, PLEASE... It doesn't seem to load any modules. Seems as not only I have that problem...

So here is the set of binaries (application + modules that do not depend on my hardware), with System menu module fixed.

http://homepage.mac.com/jirka.jirout...y-20050730.zip

Regarding my hardware, currently I use:
Mac mini 1.4GHz, 512MB RAM
CarNetix P1900 with extra +5 V output
Griffin PowerMate as controller
6.5" industrial open-frame LCD
LEVEL GB060 GSM/GPS module (also has 8 I/O lines)
Conrad C-Control II module on the application board (a microcontroller system, programmed in C-like language and providing many functions like ADC, I/O lines, I2C and CAN bus etc.) to interface with my car's engine
DS1821 (One-Wire bus) temperature sensors connected to the GB060 and therefore permanently available also for queries over GSM etc.
DS1621 (I2C) temperature sensors only available when car is in use (A/C compressor, air outlets etc.) connected to the C-Control II for advanced A/C control)
iButton identification keys (One-Wire bus)
Keyspan 4 port USB-RS232 adapter
2 generic USB hubs
small 8 port Ethernet switch
iSight can be mounted on the windshield or on the roof (using magnetic holder)

Sony CD-XA 900 head unit with IR and wire remote controls
Audison 2ch amplifier for subwoofer
Audison 4ch amplifier for speakers
do-not-know-brand A/V hub (4 A/V inputs, 3 A/V outputs) for routing the signals.

I also have a 17" flip-down LCD installed, but since I replaced the old PowerMac with Mac mini, this is only hooked to a DVD player at the moment. I will either figure out how to set up the Mini for dual-head or buy another one (it should fit nicely into the bookshelf).

I have looked at the RadioShark software again... Since I will not have the device for few more weeks, I will just post my findings in case someone else wants to play around...

1. When you run the RadioShark application (I have 1.0.5), two processes are actually run. The /Application/RadioShark.app which handles the GUI and the /Library/Application Support/radioSHARK/radioSHARKServer.app that seems to be handling the communication with the device itself and the audio stream, that comes from it.

2. The RadioSHARKServer.app uses a well-documented MTCoreAudio framework. Documentation for this framework is actually included within the RadioSHARKServer's bundle. Try to look at: file:///Library/Application%20Suppor...on/in dex.html if you have the software installed or here: http://aldebaran.armory.com/~zenomt/macosx/MTCoreAudio/ if you do not.
A big question still is, whether the software uses this framework also to send the commands to the device, or whether it uses a separate USB connection to do this. If everything is done using this framework, then it should be very easy to just control the RadioShark from custom application, without the original front-end running at all.
This framework could actually be very usefull to anyone who wants to manipulate the audio devices and streams (ie. playing an external audio from USB adapter thru computer's output etc.)

Even if the framework approach does not work, controlling the original front-end application does. The names (and addresses) of the buttons can relatively easily be retrieved using gdb. Just attach it to the application and then type: po [[[NSApp frontWindow] contentView] subviews] to get the list of all the controls in the main window. After that, you can get the names of buttons by sending them -title message.

GREAT! Thanks...
But I cannot add modules (other than the countdown module), the buttons are greyed out... Any ideas?

Originally Posted by mini_velvetred

GREAT! Thanks...
But I cannot add modules (other than the countdown module), the buttons are greyed out... Any ideas?

You can only add (in setup, this means *create*) modules, that have been designed and built as multi-instance. Most modules are created automatically at startup and can be placed into slots immediately (select slot, then Apple+5, choose, confirm).

The logic is, that while it is useful to have two or more countdown timers or distance counters, I cannot imagine a reason to have let's say two clocks (since the "Current time" module does not support time zones yet) or two MP3 players (since you can only play one song at a time).

Yeah, figured that out... I should have read everything before complaining - sorry for that.

Some ideas fro modules (keep in mind these come out the fact that I am running my touch panel at home as a home stereo rather than in a car):
- radioShark (that has been proposed already, again, I would suggest you to have a look at the 2.0beta software, the latest contains a widget)
- disk copy - do a simple 1:1 copy of the inserted CD. the background here is that if someone gives me a CD I like (I am not starting discussions about the contents of this CD though), I can make a quick copy
- burn CD from current playlist - support of the iTunes function for that
- shuffle on/off - you NEED to support this in your iTunes control, PLEASE...
- embed widgets - as widgets can be run within safari, it would be great to call them from within the application...

just a few thoughts.

I will have the radioShark module within 48 hours of the purchase of the hardware. I know I can do it, I know at least two ways how. I just need the box to test and debug the module.

The Shuffle function for MP3 player is on the to-do list. But first I have to figure out few remaining issues with storing the actual position. Polling iTunes using AppleScript is not really such a great approach :-|

Widgets are no technical problem at all. It is 15-minute work - just using WebView from WebKit will do the trick. I just do not know how this should look like as most of the widgets do not fit the standard module size. But perhaps if the css is modified, the widgets could be actually made to display their contents in a module. OK, I will do it.

I will have a look at the CD functions probably some time in mid-August. These are certainly no priority, but should not be difficult.

OK, so the widgets module is more or less done (a first version, that is). The binary is attached to this post, i will post the source as soon as I have removed all the debug notes and cleaned it up a bit. Few general notes on usage:

The module is called JJDWModule and it is a multi-instance module, which means you have to create instance(s) in setup, before you can actually use it. Technically it is just a WebView, for which you can specify the URL, so it will work not only with widgets, but with any contents referenced by an URL (picture, web page, movie). Given the limited space it has on the screen, I really doubt it would be that useful for normal web contents. On the other hand if you have your own web server, you can easily create customized contents and then use this module to display that content in your car (this is similar to web pages optimized for smartphones, PDA's etc except the module size is even more limiting than displays of these devices. Hmm, that could be quite interesting...

Step-by-step guide - let's take radioShark widget in /Library/Widgets/ as an example.

1. download and unzip the module, place it in the same folder as your TatraApp executable
2. Run TatraApp
3. Press Apple+S to go to setup
4. in the list of module types, select "JJDWModule" then click "Add module" button.
5. Select the newly added button
6. Type "SHARK" into the "name" field
7. Type "file:///Library/Widgets/radioSHARK.widget/radioSHARK.html" into the "path" field. Note that this has to be the path to the html file within the bundle, not the widget bundle itself.
8. click "Apply", close setup window
9. Place the newly created "Shark" module into one of the slots.

Final notes:
1. The widget should take care of its refresh, as there is no support for requesting an explicit refresh of the contents of the WebView (yet?). The same applies for optimized html pages you may want to display - their refresh needs to be specified in their header.
2. The widget can not use the simplified GUI provided by the host application. You will need a mouse or a touch screen if your widget requires user input.
3. At the moment, the background is always white. I will look into some cleaner solution probably later this coming week.