[izprtxqkft]

It seems pretty obvious most developers have abandoned this forum, github is not really a place to ask questions about the code.

So, where does one go to actually discuss the code?


More specific questions than general Kodi operation such as...

How does one add a skin variable?
What is the start and endpoint for this code segment?
When you call this function from here where is that code located?

Reverse engineering this massive project is far harder than writing code for it so why is it so difficult to ask these questions?

[PatK]

It seems pretty obvious most developers have abandoned this forum

Maybe this thread; but not Kodi. Developers have real lives and don't have a lot of time to pander to every whim of those not inclined to make themselves comfortable with the provided wiki's, or read the entire forum each single day. This is why moderators exist to point out various aspects that might bring some light to various issues, if there is enough interest or noise in the message base, one of the mods may approach a developer to weight in on the subject. I don't want to make excuses and there are sections of this forum that are available to just development. Alternate discussion areas are slack, and github for team members only, but I can assure you that there is much activity by the posts in all areas and in all interests.

Reverse engineering this massive project is far harder than writing code

I've heard this before, for some of the contributors the devs have retired, no longer available or they just have no time to articulate the code. This can happen with long running programs that have past the test of time and are as large as Kodi with many specialty areas, not to mention the cross-platform and language contributions. Check out Google Summer of Code/2022 (wiki) and you will see the opportunities for involvement. From the tone of your question it appears that you are looking for code mentorship. Development Tools (wiki)

[Hitcher]

How does one add a skin variable?
What is the start and endpoint for this code segment?
When you call this function from here where is that code located?

As this is skin code you need to check the Skinning forum.

More specifically check the Changes to the skinning engine for Kodi... pages and search for the term you're looking for to see when it was added to the skinning engine, and also the link to the pull request and discussion.

Variables were added to Jarvis -

2015-07-06 Allow escaping of variables

similar to $ESCINFO[], we now have $ESCVAR[] to escape variables.


git commit: https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/commit/c0e5...772e22fe79
pull request: 7219 (PR)

[izprtxqkft]

Developers have real lives and don't have a lot of time to pander to every whim of those not inclined to make themselves comfortable with the provided wiki's, or read the entire forum each single day.

i understand that and try to have patience but after a more than reasonable waiting period for an answer to how code functions when i am unable to locate a wiki i get the impression i am asking in the wrong place - it is more or less consistent most of the time i ask something beyond the wiki

From the tone of your question it appears that you are looking for code mentorship. Development Tools (wiki)

sort of but less involved, asking "where in the code does kodi read this" or "where in the code does it need to be if i add that" - these answers would shorten how long i have to back trace (reverse engineer) and start adding


the post here comes after the crickets in this post https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=373827

jjd was kind enough to respond but doesn't have the answers to provide them

concerning android development it seems to be black box, either you know how it works or you reverse engineer how it works - a quick link to a line of code saying "that happens here" or a link to a wiki explaining it would have saved days


im quite adept in coding of many languages and im familiar with many platforms but my deficit is not knowing kodi's structure

As this is skin code you need to check the Skinning forum.

thanks but i dont believe the skinning forum will be able to help me introduce a new variable in the cpp code, i feel thats more how to use existing variables

ill check the other link for a direction to go

[izprtxqkft]

actually hitcher the component needed is in settings - https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/tree/master/xbmc/settings

i found a single reference to it for the android side in xbmcapp.cpp - https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/blob/master...p.cpp#L299


still, i had to spend time locating that and it still doesnt help me understand its use

[izprtxqkft]

Consider joining the official Kodi developer forums or mailing lists. These platforms provide a dedicated space for detailed technical questions, including topics like adding skin variables, code segment details, and function calls. Engaging with the developer community directly can offer valuable insights and assistance in navigating the complexities of the project.

the developer 'forums' are what is devoid of developers, there is no mailing list, i know what the platforms are 'supposed' to provide, i know what engaging with developers can offer that's why i asked

useless bot

[scott967]

The only real help is via the doxygen stuff https://xbmc.github.io/docs.kodi.tv/master/kodi-base/
The project grew over time without AFAIK an attempt to document the architecture. Most current active devs work on just certain areas they had/have interest and if you follow the issues and prs on github you can get a feel for active areas of interest.  As you might expect linux based platforms probably have the most currency while for example iOS and Android are more dependent on just a couple devs.

There's more folks doing python addons and skinning, so those forums might be a bit more responsive.

scott s.
.