FrontRow Remote

**pepsibobby** · 03-07-2006, 11:45 AM

if you can get it working i am willing to run and play with it, in order for testing purposes

**Mahalis** · 03-07-2006, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by sti robot

Yeah, that'll work perfectly...and setting transparency is really easy too.
In applescript its:
set alpha value of window "your window name here" to 0.8

The rest of the interface is pretty darn simple to set up too (assuming that frontrow is easily scriptable...I don't know I don't own it).
1) draw up the interface in interface builder
2) link all the buttons up to an AS in xcode with unique names and all.
3) on clicked
if the name of theObject is "menu" then
tell application front row to show menu
else if the name of theObject is "pause" then
tell application front row to pause
etc....
etc...
end if
end tell

Front Row isn't scriptable, unfortunately, but the sending-key-codes route would probably work. I think the only problem would be getting a window to sit on top of Front Row - AFAIK, it makes itself frontmost when it appears, and the code to put something on top of a frontmost application is probably icky. Hiding the menu bar is muchly easy though.

**sti robot** · 03-08-2006, 08:40 AM

nah, making something topmost is easy...try running the osx dashboard with my keyboard script...see it still works.

set level of window "x" to 3

and the rest of the levels are:
Window-Level constant Value
NSNormalWindowLevel 0
NSFloatingWindowLevel 3
NSSubmenuWindowLevel 3
NSTornOffMenuWindowLevel 3
NSModalPanelWindowLevel 8
NSDockWindowLevel 20
NSMainMenuWindowLevel 24
NSPopUpMenuWindowLevel 101
NSScreenSaverWindowLevel 1001

for more info see:
http://bbs.applescript.net/viewtopic.php?pid=51369

**sti robot** · 03-08-2006, 08:49 AM

It looks like you guys'll have something working before I even get my internet connection at home (which is hopefully tonight). If not tell me and I'll see if I can whip something up.

**CArringt** · 03-08-2006, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by MacMobile

I do not own Front Row either but if you want to try it:
http://www.andrewescobar.com/frontrow/
I have "tried" all version of Front Row and this version is the first one I had trouble with. I lost all items (icons) on the right side of the menu bar. It is a problem with SystemUIServer which is suppose to run all the time but it was crashing and restarting. I reinstall the 10.4.5 Combo update and now everything works.

Franco

I Currently have this version also and it works perfectly. i also expierinced the exact same problem, but only when i tried to delete the package off of the desktop.

Can anyone test and make sure we are able to run a program on top of front row, with an invisible menu. i understand it is possible on the dashboard. but i'm worried about being able to do it with front row

**CArringt** · 03-08-2006, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by Mahalis

Front Row isn't scriptable, unfortunately, but the sending-key-codes route would probably work. I think the only problem would be getting a window to sit on top of Front Row - AFAIK, it makes itself frontmost when it appears, and the code to put something on top of a frontmost application is probably icky. Hiding the menu bar is muchly easy though.

This is gorgeous! i'm so excited. i'm at work right now but how is the picture layered? meaning what are or would be the boundries of each button?

**Mahalis** · 03-08-2006, 04:08 PM

Yeah, it's layered... I've just been posting merged versions of the .psd.

I'm not sure how the actual click regions can be set up... non-square buttons are not something I've encountered before. Anyone know how to handle them?

**MacMobile** · 03-08-2006, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by CArringt

Can anyone test and make sure we are able to run a program on top of front row, with an invisible menu. i understand it is possible on the dashboard. but i'm worried about being able to do it with front row

Yes, I have tried CCarProject and it stays on top of FrontRow. I am still looking for the source code of CCar 0.7. I have all code from 0.8 but I wanted to take a look at 0.7

**Mahalis** · 03-08-2006, 04:17 PM

Yeah, just tested it. Setting the window's level to NSScreenSaverWindowLevel keeps it on top of Front Row, though the cursor does, conveniently, stay hidden.
This should be really really simple to set up... I'll try my hand at it tonight or tomorrow, if someone else doesn't finish it first.

**CArringt** · 03-08-2006, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by MacMobile

Yes, I have tried CCarProject and it stays on top of FrontRow. I am still looking for the source code of CCar 0.7. I have all code from 0.8 but I wanted to take a look at 0.7

I'm not 100% but i know i have a version of that on my mac at the house. i'll check it out when i get home.

Do you know what part of the code controls that?

And CCarProject was written in Cocoa, right? That's what i want to write this in