[RELEASE] XBMCFlix-o-mate

If you are having problems about standard XBMCFlicks functionality or general Netflix functionality in XBMC, please post your questions in the appropriate theads and leave this thread simply for XBMCFlix-o-mate. Thank You!

XBMCFlix-o-mate is a helper to the popular XBMCFlicks Video Add-on.

XBMCFlix-o-mate picks up where XBMCFlicks leaves off in that it provides you a way to access all of the common Netflix commands using hotkeys. This will allow you to use your keyboard or remote (with a 3rd party program like EventGhost) to control most of the major aspects of watching Netflix on your XBMC installation.

Technically XBMCFlix-o-mate is not an add-on for XBMC as it does not plug directly into XBMC or use the standard XBMC add-on format. It is a set of stand-alone files that will help you to automate your Netflix viewing after launching a video with XBMCFlicks.

XBMCFlix-o-mate is coded using AutoIt and Sikuli and should work across all screen resolutions.

XBMCFlix-o-mate has been tested with the latest available version of XBMCFlicks for EDEN available here and XBMC EDEN using Confluence (default skin) and IE.

Watch the video below!:
(NOTE: Video was done for first release, program is since updated to work with new Netflix GUI!)




Download HERE (version 2.1b - 5/27/12)

v.2.0b+ UPDATED FOR NEW NETFLIX GUI!

Instructions are provided in RTF document inside download.

P.S. - Also check out my minor mod to XBMCFlicks which fixes/tweaks some minor annoyances. Not directly related to XBMCFlix-o-mate.

Changelog

Version 2.1b – 5/27/2012

• Added all AutoIt script settings to external .INI file to allow for easier version upgrades
• Added hotkey (C+A+S+B) to rewind currently watched show to the beginning (restart)
• Added hotkey (C+A+S+F) to bring Netflix active and fullscreen
• Added AutoLogin option to automatically login to the "Member Login" screen if presented
• Added Modal options to keep Netflix on top of all other Windows
• Debug option in INI file writes to LOG file for AutoIt. No compiled debug copies required, simply change debug option in INI file
• Total overhaul on how Netflix windows are detected, activated, and closed
• Only spawned browser windows are now closed on Netflix exit (prevents other IE windows from being forcibly closed)
• IE is now only tested/(supported) browser
• Removed some function from Sikuli script (will only impact Linux functionality - see documentation)
  

Version 2.0b – 5/18/2012

• Updated to new Netflix GUI - This includes lots of under-the-hood-changes, including multiple graphic sets for different resolutions.
• Removed Previous Episode functionality (not supported in Netflix GUI)
• Removed manual Full Screen toggle (Show will ALWAYS display in full screen)
• Added Settings.myButtonTimeout value to allow increasing the time XBMCFlix-o-mate waits for buttons to appear in order to interact with Netflix.
• Fixed problem where in non-debug mode the mouse cursor movement was slowed down as opposed to jumping right to click on hot-spots.
  

Version 1.5b – 5/13/2012

• Fixed some issues with certain resolutions and optimized scan regions for supported resolutions.
• Fixed issue with AutoAdvance option not going into Full Screen after episode advance.
• Fixed issue where previous versions of running scripts and supported programs were not terminated or were terminated incorrectly.
• Minor debugging changes
  

Version 1.4b - 5/4/2012

• Added volume control (toggle mute, volume up, volume down) via direct control of the Netflix volume bar
• Added Auto Advance option. Configure XBMCFlix-o-mate to automatically advance to the next episode
• Added new mechanism for triggering Auto Full Screen. CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+Q hotkey no longer needed to reset the "newLaunchFlag." This will enable those using XBMCFlix-o-mate with only the XBMC remote to take advantage of the Auto Full Screen feature
• Cleaned up and added more debug info to the Sikuli script to aid in troubleshooting
• Prevented startup behavior from killing all other instance of Sikuli on the system. Targeted specifically to XBMCFlix-o-mate instance of Java
• Changed placement of Hotkey definitions in script to make them easier to modify
• Updated documentation
  

Version 1.3b - 4/23/2012

• Optimized AutoIt code for readability and simplicity
• Added more debug info and checks for existence of Java, Sikuli files, and Sikuli script. Should now work in more diverse scenarios, and give more productive errors when encountering exceptions
• Fixed issue where subtitle toggling may have not properly worked
• Added warning if script cannot properly terminate spawned java processes
  

Version 1.2b - 4/20/2012

• Optimized Sikuli code for efficiency (thanks RaiMan of Sikuli dev team!), no major functional changes, but possible quicker reaction time and more reliable performance.
• Added beta-beta support for Linux systems
• Modified AutoIt script to detect OS architecture (32/64-bit) and set default program paths accordingly.
• Added option to AutoIt script to use a portable Java installation (portableapps.com) for users who do not wish to install Java, or have to have a version of the JRE other than 6 on their systems.
• Modified AutoIt script to deal with script being located in directory paths containing spaces
• Modified AutoIt script to deal with launching script from another directory
• Modified AutoIt script to find and kill any previous running copies of XBMCFlix-o-mate
• Added new custom Icon for system tray
• Added more debugging options as well as compiled console debug copies of XBMCFlix-o-mate.exe
• Updated documentation that refered to XBMCFlicks plugin as XBMCFlix.
  

Version 1.0b - 4/16/2012
Initial Release

F.A.Q.

How do I setup the program, why isn't it working, how do I do X,Y, or Z?
Chances are 90% of everything you need is in the documentation provided with the download. Please read it thoroughly before asking any questions.

Will this allow me to use a remote control with Netflix?
This app allows you to use hotkeys (like CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+N) to control Netflix GUI operations, like moving between episodes or toggling full screen, subtitles, etc. You will need to use a 3rd party application that can map your remote control to those hotkeys (e.g. EventGhost, LIRC).

Does this work on a Linux or OSX based XBMC install?
Yes...or at least it should...or at least most of it should. It has not yet been tested but the Sikuli language that the majority of the tool is developed in is java based and supported on Linux and OSX. If you are interested in getting it to work, download and try it...I'm willing to help troubleshoot errors to get it functional. Remember this is a helper to XBMCFlicks...which requires Silverlight(Moonlight) to function properly. If you can't even get XBMCFlicks to work, you shouldn't bother with this. The included docs have instructions for Linux, but OSX users should be able to figure it out based on those as well.

More to come (based on your questions)...

Hey, thanks for taking the time to create this script. I was happy to see that it makes use of Sikuli, which is something I've been playing around with in the past. Quick question though, is it possible for you to change the path of where the 32-bit launcher is looking for the sikuli jar file? It's searching for it under C:\Program Files (x86)\Sikuli X\ whereas it is installed under C:\Program Files\Sikuli X\ on my system (32-bit Windows 7).

Hey...thanks for being the first person to comment on the script!

Yes, you can change this. If you use the XBMCflix-o-mate.au3 script there is a section at top to define some user variables. Just open it with the AutoIt editor (or any text editor) and find:

$SikuliDir = "c:\Program Files (x86)\Sikuli X"

You can then edit this as necessary.

You can then either continue to use the .au3 script to launch the program, or you can re-compile it into an .EXE with the AutoIt editor (Tools > Compile).

I will take this into account and do a check for system architecture for the next release...I took for granted that I was on x64 when writing it!

Awesome. I'm glad I saw your post. It gave me a reason to start using XBMCFlix again. I made the change to the .au3 script and recompiled. I then launched the new .EXE and it began running and is visible in the taskbar. However I'm having another issue. It seems that the sikuli script is not being launched. I have both the .exe and the sikuli scipt in the same directory as per instructions. I know that the script works on my machine because I was able run it through the Sikuli IDE and it worked perfectly.

EDIT: I figured out the problem thanks to the debug mode you implemented. Seems that if the path to the script (ie. WorkingDir) has a space in it, it is being truncated for whatever reason. I placed both files in another directory and all is well. Once again thanks.

Thanks...I'm going to test now with a space and hopefully implement a fix...I have already incorporated the architecture check.

Please post back once you have used it a bit and let me know how it has been working for you.

Ok cool. Will do.

Hello, I seem to have an issue with getting this to work. I followed the instructions very carefully over and over, so thats why I am posting here. I attempt to launch the .EXE and AutoIT successfully launches, but javaw.exe does not. I have ensured I am running 32-bit JRE 6, as well as 32-bit Sikuli. All directories are default, and my XBMC-O-Mate folder and xbmc--mate.exe reside on the root of my C: drive to eliminate any pathing issues. I am running Windows 7 64-bit with IE9, thanks!

Dodger -

Please confirm you have the following:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\java.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\javaw.exe

If you do not have the files in those locations, then something is up with your Java install. If you have them in an alternate location let me know.

You can also right-click on the .au3 file and choose Edit Script.
The Press F5 to run the script from there. If there is a problem with it not being able to find your java, it should list some error.
You can provide me what it shows in the output window in the bottom.

thanks

UPDATE: Be sure to download the latest version posted above and try it out before going any further...I think it should fix your issue.