FrontRow Remote

CArringt · 03-05-2006, 09:30 PM

WebPage
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Newest Version
Here Updated 3/20/06

How to install newest version of Front Row (with Bonjour)
Here

Click Here for crappy video footage

Currently Incorperating:

-Bluetooth Phone Support
--Dial, Answer, End, Ignore Call
--Send, Reply Text Message
--Pause/Play on Incoming/End Call
--Display Caller Id on top of FrontRow
--Announce Incoming Caller

-My Rating System
--Rate Movie/Music 1-5 Stars with out exiting FrontRow or FrontRow Remote

-Itunes
--Rate Songs
--Chanse EQ settings on the fly

- Project
- ScreenShots
- Suggest a Feature
- Suggested Features
- Forums
- Help Please place your crash logs here

sti robot · 03-06-2006, 07:01 AM

I can do this fairly quickly too...but (and there is always a but) I just moved into a new house like 2 days ago so you all are going to have to wait like a week till I get an internet connection and finish moving stuff in.

In the meantime contact the user MacUsers he wants the same sort of thing. Also, It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a larger picture of the remote or mock up something in paint/photoshop/whatever of what you want.

CArringt · 03-06-2006, 04:39 PM

well i can't do any photo shop work till i get home from work but this is kind of what i'm wanting to do.

the same style of interface but i think it would work better on the left side closest to the driver.

And the Controls would need to mimic the apple remote in order to get the full potential of front row. meaning
+

l<< >ll >>l

-

Edit: well i can't get theses stupid arrows to line up the way i want but maybe you understand. Edit

And the buttons would function as i described in the first post.

You would still need to place a "menu" button some where like the bottom left of the touch screen. have it toggle between the show controls button and the menu button. meaning if the controls are up then the square shows "Menu" and functions as the "menu" button would on the remote. if the controls are hidden then the box should still be barely visable but not some thing that distracts. from the screen

dorkmanMini · 03-06-2006, 09:11 PM

That looks pretty cool if someone could get it to work with the touch screen and operate like the remote or IPOD interface. Would be a nice thing to hold us over till a nice interface is made for the MAC.

Mahalis · 03-06-2006, 10:32 PM

My attempt at the interface... it would probably be invisible until the mouse moved (or touchscreen was touched), then fade in and become clickable.
If anyone wants to use it, let me know, but I may be trying my own hand at this idea.

CArringt · 03-06-2006, 11:18 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Mahalis

My attempt at the interface... it would probably be invisible until the mouse moved (or touchscreen was touched), then fade in and become clickable.
If anyone wants to use it, let me know, but I may be trying my own hand at this idea.

That is awesome!! looks great!!! The only thing that i might change is to invert the colors of the controls. Notice in the pic that the empasis is on the function symbols and not on the circle it's self. The outline of the control needs to be obvious and eye catching but not distracting. i'm amazed at how quickly ya'll can photoshop stuff up so quickly.

Major props to Mahalis

Anyways can you make it almost transparent. like the one in the video ipod shot.

I really think whatever you make needs to take as little away from the actual screen as possible. i love the "invisible till touched or mouse motion" idea. great thinking.

The only part i'm not sure is going to be that easy is

1. keeping front row up and running with another program essencially ontop of it.

2. and keeping the grey menu bar at the top from showing up?

Does anyone know if these are possible?

Also don't forget to figure a place for the "menu" button. that is a major part of the front row controls.

sux89 · 03-06-2006, 11:31 PM

I found this post from a while back......will it help you with the grey menu bar at the top?

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=68320

CArringt · 03-07-2006, 06:12 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by sux89

I found this post from a while back......will it help you with the grey menu bar at the top?

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=68320

Yes it does! one down and one to go!

sti robot · 03-07-2006, 07:08 AM

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

(oh and i'll make it...but right now i'm trying to get an internet connection at home from comcast and they have to be one of the worst companies ever...charged us for a month after we cancelled at our old residence...have our address wrong in their database...had us signed up and paying for digital even though I repeatedly told the idiot I only wanted basic plus regular cable...took about 10 calls to get someone on the phone who could actually be of some help...the list goes on. Sorry for the rant.)

MacMobile · 03-07-2006, 07:58 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by sti robot

....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)....

I could not find the dictionnary of Front Row but since it can be control by keyboard all my script to control Front Row look likes:

tell application "System Events"
key code 123 -- LEFT Arrow
end tell

or I can send the Key code to the Front Row process,
like this script

tell application "System Events"
tell application "Front Row" to activate
key code 53 using {command down} -- escape
end tell

The first script is not sent to Front Row because I want it to work in all application. I use voice command and PowerMate to control my Mini and sometime it is nice to have access to keyboard short cut by voice.
There is one problem I found but I am not sure about it.
Sometime, even if I see Front Row on the screen, it seems there is another application in the front, so my script is sent to the other one. I just need to tap the screen and then the script is send to Front Row.

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

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

Quote: 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

Quote: 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