Sending on-screen notifications using the JSON API

Hi All,

This is regarding the conversation going on at

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...id=1090501

where a add-on showing tweets *about* what you are currently watching would be very nice to have. To that end I am doing some research regarding potential ways of sending an on-screen notification while media is playing. I have been reading the JSON docs at

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=JSON-RPC_API

but I could not find anything related to on-screen notifications, only notifications to do with how XBMC is operating. Does anyone know if the JSON API supports this?

Thanks!

Fred.

I don't see a notification call (similiar to the old http api Notification() function) in the JSON descriptions either. If you are planning on making an addon though you can always use the xbmc python module to use the builtin notification function. Several addons already do this, the call would be


Another possibility would be to use the XBMC EventServer to send the notification, if you had to send it from a source outside of XBMC. The Maraschino project has a nice python based XBMC Client library that includes send notification functionality using the event server. Not sure where the original library came from, or if it was coded from scratch for that project but it might be worth a look:

https://github.com/mrkipling/maraschino/...cclient.py

Would either of these fit your project needs?

In the (unstable) version 5 of the JSON-RPC API which is part of the current master you can use GUI.ShowNotification() to display notifications in XBMC. The wiki page for JSON-RPC API v5 hasn't been updated yet but if you want to see what has changed since Eden has been released, you will always find the latest changes here: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=98551 (just scroll far enough down).

Thanks for the great suggestions! I will evaluate all options - I am indeed planning on making an add-on so might try the built in method first.

Thanks again,

Fred.

I was kicking this idea around myself and came up with a few options. Instead of using notifications (which would give off a DING! every time you called it), here's what I had in mind:

1. Create a service addon . The service runs in the background waiting for xbmc.Player.isPlaying() == True. Once it's true, use twython (a pure python twitter implementation) to grab tweets based on the title of the playing content. Create a WindowXMLDialog that the service displays when the onscreen menu is NOT being shown. This has the advantage of skinners being able to override the xml with something that looks good with their skin

2. Create a fake subtitle file which contains the tweets

(2012-05-03 00:52)Bstrdsmkr Wrote:  I was kicking this idea around myself and came up with a few options. Instead of using notifications (which would give off a DING! every time you called it), here's what I had in mind:

1. Create a service addon . The service runs in the background waiting for xbmc.Player.isPlaying() == True. Once it's true, use twython (a pure python twitter implementation) to grab tweets based on the title of the playing content. Create a WindowXMLDialog that the service displays when the onscreen menu is NOT being shown. This has the advantage of skinners being able to override the xml with something that looks good with their skin

2. Create a fake subtitle file which contains the tweets

I like option 1) - worth looking into! I did not notice a "ding" when notifications came through (for example, when receiving an SMS and using the XBMC android remote) but that might have been down to the theme I am using.

Cheers,

Fred.

Just FYI - The 'ding' associated with the built in XBMC notification is set per skin and can easily be turned off or removed altogether if people find it irritating. That being said a lot of skins have a very small place for the notifications making them hard to read.

The ding also is only available if navigation sounds works as well.. Which at the moment, a lot of Linux systems it does not. Hopefully once AudioEngine gets merged they will.

(2012-05-04 05:22)giftie Wrote:  The ding also is only available if navigation sounds works as well.. Which at the moment, a lot of Linux systems it does not. Hopefully once AudioEngine gets merged they will.

I certainly hope it will stay broken for me
I find it annoying as hell

(2012-05-04 05:22)giftie Wrote:  The ding also is only available if navigation sounds works as well.. Which at the moment, a lot of Linux systems it does not. Hopefully once AudioEngine gets merged they will.

I certainly hope it will stay broken for me
I find it annoying as hell