StreetDeck Input Plugins (Remotes, Steering Wheel Controls, etc.)

god_of_cpu · 01-25-2006, 10:38 PM

StreetDeck allows you to use almost any device to control the interface with through input plugins.

Configuring Installed Input Plugins
The default StreetDeck install includes a couple plugins for different input devices. One is for a phidget encoder which is a small rotating knob that can be bound to any of StreetDeck's functions. We will use the phidgets encoder to demonstrate configuring StreetDeck for use with an input device.

To configure a plugin, from within the StreetDeck applcation, click the gear button in the upper right of the screen to go to the main settings screen, then goto "General" | "Input Options" | "Input Plugins"

This will show a list of installed plugins similar to the following.
Name: PluginList.JPG
Views: 3595
Size: 20.8 KB

Name: PluginList.JPG
Views: 3595
Size: 20.8 KB

Select the plugin that corresponds to the device you want to configure, in this case, "Phidgets Encoder Plug-in (1.0)". This will show a list of functions that StreetDeck supports that can be bound to any of the input devices events. To program the device, check the enabled check box, then scroll through the list of StreetDeck functions in the list and click on one you want to bind a input device event to. When prompted, trigger an event on the device by rotating the knob or pushing a button. The events captured should now be shown in the list and you have now successfully bound the function to that event. Click save and begin using you new input device with StreetDeck.
Name: Plugin.JPG
Views: 3673
Size: 19.3 KB

Name: Plugin.JPG
Views: 3673
Size: 19.3 KB

Installing Input Plugins
If a plugin for your device did not come with StreetDeck, there is still hope, you can check the StreetDeck website for additional plugins or develop one for yourself using the open StreetDeck input plugin API. StreetDeck also natively supports the Girder 2 plugin format for input events only and will work with most input plugins developed for girder, when the plugin is placed in the StreetDeck plugin directory.

To manually install a plugin, download the plugin (dll) file from the internet and simply place it in the StreetDeck plugins folder found in My Documents\StreetDeck\Plugins\Input After the plugin is copied to the folder, StreetDeck should be restarted and if the plugin was successfully loaded, it will show up in the loaded plugins list.
Name: Folder.jpg
Views: 3589
Size: 30.9 KB

Name: Folder.jpg
Views: 3589
Size: 30.9 KB

aforget · 11-25-2006, 01:27 PM

StreetDeck does not create a C:\Documents and Settings\<Current User>\Application Data\StreetDeck\Plugins directory. Is there another place where StreetDeck is expecting to find plugins?

Also, in the config.xml file, there is a section called <girderplugins /> . How do we set this up?

And finally, can we get the source code to your phidgetEncoder plugin? How about the source code for a sample girder plugin?

Thanks!

aforget · 11-28-2006, 05:17 PM

Thanks for editing the post and clarifying the path.

The Phidgit Encoder plugin does not seem to be recognized by StreetDeck. Do we have to manually run regsvr32 to register the associated dll or should the Phidgt Encoder plugin just be available during an out of the box install?

god_of_cpu · 12-10-2006, 10:10 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by aforget

Thanks for editing the post and clarifying the path.

The Phidgit Encoder plugin does not seem to be recognized by StreetDeck. Do we have to manually run regsvr32 to register the associated dll or should the Phidgt Encoder plugin just be available during an out of the box install?

You shouldn't have to register anything, its not a COM plug in. If it doesn't show up, its probably because its missing some dependency.

sharpmat007 · 01-22-2007, 12:55 PM

Chuck, I have your steering wheel control software and it works perfect. I have all 6 buttons on my steering wheel able to be programmed to a key. Which keys do you bind to your buttons for streetdeck? I bound my right side buttons to volume up/mute/down, but I can seem to find a setup for the left side that works in all modules. For example, when in the radio module I would like to either scan or jump through presets, when in launchcast skip song or jump through presets, when in music, skip forward/back, etc. I did find the rotate through modules in the keyboard inputs which would be nice to have on one button.
Am I missing something as maybe you addressed this in the plugin, but mine refuses to show up in streetdeck. Do I need girder to be setup and if so do you have a gml file you used?

Also, on the rotate through modules...can the list of modules it rotates through be modified? It doesnt go to launchcast.

geekinsc · 03-18-2007, 03:34 PM

Just FYI to get the Infiniti SWC or the Phidget Encoder plugin working you need to install the libraries from www.phidget.com

http://www.phidgets.com/modules.php?...q=getit&lid=18

BlueF · 05-18-2007, 09:41 AM

*Nevermind* Figured it out.

Rather than mapping a phidget action to a keyboard letter, which shows up at the top of the phidget config list, you have to scroll down a ways to find the desired SD command by name. A bit confusing, at first attempt, by I'm all up and running with my Phidget Volume knob. Yeah! Now to integrate this into my dash cleanly...

BlueF · 08-08-2007, 01:29 AM

Another question:

Installing a new CarPC, fresh copy of Windows and StreetDeck 1.1.0.0. Everything is working well *except* the phidget encoder plugin.

Verified the device still works on the previous CarPC.
Verified the Phidget software is installed (device is recognized there).
Verified the plugin is located in ..\StreetDeck\PlugIns\Input\

Nothing shows up when I go to Settings -> General -> Input -> Plugins

Appreciate any suggestions. Being as I have this working on my old CarPC, can't figure out for the life of me what is missing.

Thanks in advance!

Edited to include latest SD log file.

BlueF · 08-17-2007, 03:35 PM

I've just performed a full system reinstall. No change. : (

RedGTiVR6 · 08-20-2007, 10:27 AM

According to an email from Chuck:

Quote: Originally Posted by god_of_cpu

Nothing has changed with the StreetDeck input plugins recently. If the plugin doesn’t load its normally because its missing a dependency or for some reason the phidgets dll doesn’t load.

BlueF · 08-21-2007, 11:12 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by RedGTiVR6

According to an email from Chuck:

Thanks for your reply!

I did consider a possible missing dependency. To that end, I installed the software found on Phidget.com, to no avail. For what it's worth, the link geekinc provided for Phidget libraries no longer works. I can't recall for sure, but that link may have been to different software than is now available on Phidget's website.

I also considered the phidget encoder dll was not loading correctly, which is when I attached a log file in my message above. In fact, the phidget dll is failing to load.

WARNING: CPluginBag::GetPlugin - Could not load plugin (C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\StreetDeck\Plugins\Input\Input`sEncoder. dll)!
WARNING: UV_GetFolderList - The system cannot find the path specified.00000003

I'm hoping that may indicate the next step to trouble-shoot this issue.

RedGTiVR6 · 08-21-2007, 11:26 AM

http://www.dependencywalker.com/

Can you run this program on the .dll and let me know what you find.

BlueF · 08-21-2007, 03:05 PM

That did the trick. What a fantastic program!

Turns out the missing link, pun intended, Phidget has recently updated their libraries. That must be why the link geekinc posted above is no longer valid.

At any rate, when I ran Dependency Checker I found phidgetencoderplugin.dll was looking for phidget20.dll. The Phidget library I installed -- downloaded a few weeks ago from Phidgets.com -- contains phidget21.dll. Going back Phidgets.com, there is actually a link to the previous version, what they call Flash Legacy libraries, otherwise known as ver20.

Installed up the legacy phidget library set, rebooted, and now I can see the phidget encoder plugin in StreetDeck. Taking my CarPC out to the car to verify the phidget itself is works correctly when I'm done with this post. Have no reason to think it wont.

Thanks much for the help. Just got back from a 16 hour drive yesterday and I'll tell ya, controlling the volume on screen is a far cry from the convenience of using a phidget volume knob (encoder).

Happy Camper.... er, CarPCer!!

RedGTiVR6 · 08-21-2007, 03:14 PM

Glad you got it figured out.

BlueF · 08-21-2007, 03:16 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by geekinsc

Just FYI to get the Infiniti SWC or the Phidget Encoder plugin working you need to install the libraries from www.phidget.com

As of July 07, Phidget updated their library (to version to 2.1).
StreetDeck's phidgetencoder DLL (as of SD ver 1.1.0.0) requires phidget's 2.0 libary.

As of today's post date, the legacy ver 2.0 phidget library can be found here:
http://phidgets.com/downloads/Phidget20Flash.zip