[DragonFly]

In the early days of XBMC (for Windows that is) it was a real pain to get scripts/plugins to work. Most scripts/plugins would simply fail altogether or just display their indexes but then fail to display content.

With the increasing popularity of XBMC for Windows, fortunately most authors altered/enhanced their scripts/plugins to work on this platform. With the latest releases (from 179xx on, I think), things are back to square one..........Most working scripts/plugins fail again or crash XBMC, due to path changes. (special://home/)

Yet, installers like "SVN Repo Installer" or "XBMC Zone Installer" (which itself doesn't work) have those scripts/plugins in their repository as if they are suppose to work.

So a couple of questions:

• Are scripts/plugins provided by the above mentioned installers supposed to work on ALL platforms and if so is this tested before they are released?
  
  
• If not, at least let the author of the scripts/plugin mention tested platforms in his comment in the "default.py" as a rule. Or have the installer mention something. This to prevent to install a script/plugin that eventually crashes XBMC (it happens a lot..........)
  
  
• What can the inexperienced user (or someone with moderate scripting skills) do to make scripts/plugins work that display the "Special://home/plugins/xxxx/xxxx/default.py" error.
  
• Can the user find the erroneous line in the script and alter it with the correct one. In other words: what to find and replace? Can someone explain this in layman terms.
  

To recap, getting scripts and plugins to work today gives an even worse headache than before. Even the latest script/plugins fail on the Windows platform. Let their finally be some uniformity.

[jmarshall]

Perhaps if you take it upon yourself to test some out and specify which ones don't work then the scripters can take this on board and fix them.

Cheers,
Jonathan

[Nuka1195]

i've never had a script/plugin fail in windows.

[fanaticffwd]

maybe he is reffering to the streaming part of it. like most mms:// streams doesn't work under windows giving a lot of "too many items fail"

at least for me that's the only issue I have with XBMC and plugin/scripts on windows.

[DragonFly]

Perhaps if you take it upon yourself to test some out and specify which ones don't work then the scripters can take this on board and fix them.

Cheers,
Jonathan

That doesn't answer any questions, but I already did.........see http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=39022.

@Nuka1195 and fanaticffwd. Script/Plugins used to fail due to streaming incapability’s like MMS (which still doesn't work on every platform) but most where adapted.

Nowadays scripts/plugins just present me the Special://home/plugins/xxxx/xxxx/default.py error and if I'm lucky I can quit XBMC but on many occasions XBMC crashes or hangs.

If you're saying that your scripts/plugins work for you (on windows, I presume) then in has to with something in the underlying OS. I'm running on a plain XP Pro SP2, with a clean installed XBMC.

It does make a little difference if I use the "-p" option or not. For instance the latest youtube plugin provided by the SVN Repo Installer" gives an immediate error when using the "-p" option, but shows an index without the "-p" (all plugins placed in the appropriate directories off course)

[fanaticffwd]

well I ain't no expert. Just a reagular user

But for me running on vista XBMC rev 19261 the youtube plugin works for me. using it alot to watch HD music videos.

The plugin/scripts I used today are
Youtube plugin & script
XBMC earth
Nat Geo
NBC Universal

All works great

Real bummer is XOT is not working on windows.

[Temhil]

The problem is right know Python APi in XBMC is changing a lot. Don't forget XBMC is still in development, and consequently some scripts/plugin are up to date with XBMC and works, some not, and so doesn't work.
The team Passion-XBMC added to the script Installer Passion-XBMC (which also allow to install script/plugin/skin) a add-on manager which allows to remove, rename and delete script/plugin/skin so it make easier to remove something that doesn't work.
But for sure it doesn't fix your problem, just be patient next release of XBMC is coming and hopefully everything will be stabilized soon.

[Nuka1195]

if the youtube plugin fails immediately and you have version 1.4.5. then your version of xbmc is too old.

and i test on win xp pro sp3 and windows 7 r7000

[DragonFly]

The problem is right know Python APi in XBMC is changing a lot.

So, now we are experiencing scripts/plugins that won't work because:

• They never have on Windows (because of streaming inconsistencies), resulting in the “too many consecutive failed items” error. This error's been there from day one.
  
• You’re living in the wrong country
  
• Have other issues with the Python API
  
• Don't use the new path convention yet
  

The latter brings me to my 3rd question in the start post. Can the end-user find the erroneous lines which causes the Special://home/plugins/xxxx/xxxx/default.py error and replace it with the correct one?

Granted, Installer Passion-XBMC script provides much more information/author's comment on script/plugins than any other "installer". However, to avoid crashes within XBMC the header should provide information on tested platforms. Information like "Runs on the latest XBMC" just don't cut it.

@Nuka1195. Using the latest build and using the Youtube plugin (1.45) provided by the "SVN Repo Installer", which results in the dreaded special://home/plugins/xxxx/xxxx/default.py error. However, the "Installer Passion-XBMC script" provides a version dated 07-03-09 (no further comments), which seems to be version 1.4.3, that does work.

@fanaticffwd. As the author of XOT says" Streaming and Windows XBMC just doesn't work that well. Stick to Linux and Xbox for streaming for the moment." This really clarifies the state that XBMC for windows is currently in.......

[Nuka1195]

if 1.4.3 works then as i said your xbmc is too old.

update your xbmc, you really can't expect scripters to support old versions of xbmc they don't use do you.

your blanket statement about scripts never working on windows isn't helpful or true.

jmarshall has a blog that specifies what the special::// paths are and there old values. search for special://.

the easiest thing to do is update your xbmc.

[DragonFly]

if 1.4.3 works then as I said your xbmc is too old.

• Please read properly........... I said I'm using the LATEST build. Yesterday that was 19295. I always use the latest build for testing purposes.
  
  
• I never said that scripts are never working. A lot scripts/plugins do. I've tested extensively (although some time ago) see http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=39022. It's just that nowadays a given script/plugin taken from the SVN Repo Installer or otherwise often result in an error or a UI hang.
  This is not a grudge against XBMC. I try to make scripts/plugins working
  
  
• I know what the new paths are. I just need to know what strings to find in the code the replace with "special://"
  

[Nuka1195]

[WINDOWS] When will script/plugins ever work?

i took that and other comments by you that they never work for you anymore.

and as jmarshall said debug log. i don't see one in this thread. don't redirect me to another thread for one.

can't tell you what you need without one. as far as changing scripts. if you have the latest xbmc svn, then no need to change anything.

[Temhil]

Hi DragonFly,

Just to tell you don't forget, all of this: XBMC and scripts and plugin are done by volunteers. They spend a lot of time doing it for free and for sharing with other. So that means of course you won't have always professional service even if we try to do our best.

For the installer, I uploadind manually everything on the server, file and description, it is a very long and painful process until we link the script to the webiste. I am unfortunately not always up to date, especially those day with a lot of script/plugin release, but currently I cannot aford to spend too much time on it. But don't worry, we will still doing it.
You seems little bit upset in your post about the situation, ok there are some pb with some script/plugin but as I said currently XBMC is still in dev, and all the script/plugin done are bonus, so don't worry be happy!

[DragonFly]

Thanks Temhil,

I personally want to thank all the authors of scripts and plugins. It's what gives XBMC the extra "WOW" factor. I'll gracefully admit that when having one of those great scripts/plugins finally working and then have it fail after another SVN release of XBMC, is a little frustrating.....

I know one can't always expect professional service, that why I asked what the end user possibly could do to the alter some code.

Anyway, thanks for your input.