[POC] Skype VoIP Addon proof of concept

Hello,

After a day of tinkering, I finally imported Skype4Py on xbmc python and I think now it is possible to continue with the actual coding of the addon. Unfortunately the addon is as non-portable as it gets because python 2.4 does not have some libraries that are needed and you have to compile them yourself. I worked on x64 linux so I can only assist on this platform...

Stuff needed:
python 2.4
Skype4Py
dbus-python
pygobject

Everything should be the latest, except pygobject which does not compile under python 2.4 so you have to use an earlier version (I used 2.14)

now:
1. Download python, ./configure with --enable-unicode=ucs4 and make install. This will be installed in /usr/local so it won't wipe your current python installation
2. Download dbus and pygobject and configure and "make install" them. Be sure that python2.4 is the default because if it's not, you will compile them for 2.6
3. take the libraries from /usr/local/lib/python2.4/site-packages/ and install them on xbmc (on your addon or globally on xbmc)
4. build Skype4Py and manually copy it from the build directory to the xbmc installation
5. If everything went well, you can import skype4py and use skype()

Right now xbmc still crashes for no reason if I try to read the friends list or something, but I think I will iron out these things

I will continue developing this addon, but unfortunately I have minimal experience in coding addons on xbmc, so I will need some help and a lot of time to make something useful

Also, I could use some help on where to upload the actual addon so others can play with it

I am really happy that someone is creating this. I would love to hear any updates you have. I am running windows 7 at the moment on an ION, but more than happy to move over to linux if theres the chance of getting this working.

Are you just looking at audio at the moment, or video as well?

mjjstorey Wrote:I am really happy that someone is creating this. I would love to hear any updates you have.

+1

Just a few questions though. Why is it not possible to code this in the current version of python to make it more palatable to us noob-again windows converts? Also, once complete, could you not code the nessecary libraries and moves, makes and installs into a single run-once shell script?

I know nothing about python, have no time to learn, nor resources to offer, but i can offer testing help on an Ubuntu Lucid x86.

Keep up the good work knowing that there will be many that will be waiting for something like this to come along..

anwmalos Wrote:I will continue developing this addon, but unfortunately I have minimal experience in coding addons on xbmc, so I will need some help and a lot of time to make something useful

Awesome!

Consider joining forces (or at least aligning GUI / OSD notifications / look&feel) with eoin, who is developing a Google Talk / Google Video addon

... also see http://forum.xbmc.org/tags.php?tag=skype and http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=xbmc+skype4py to join forces with other people who've tinkered with this in the past...

Any developments on this? I was also trying to come up with some Skype integration into XBMC through scripting but I'm getting some problems. The first one is that Skype shouldn't be running when XBMC starts, otherwise XBMC crashes due to an error accessing the sound device (maybe Skype locks it, I don't know...). I was able to send messages and place calls through an XBMC script, however XBMC crashes anytime I call Skype.Friends to get the list of friends. Any idea?

Thanks

with no log, no info, we can't tell...

Regarding the problem with Skype.Friends, the xbmc.log doesn't report anything strange...XBMC just crashes (Maybe a D-BUS thing?)...

Regarding the sound device, I get the following error:

ALSA lib pcm_dmix.c:1008:(snd_pcm_dmix_open) unable to open slave

But I don't think this leads to a XBMC crash.

Thanks

By the way, I'm using XBMC Live 9.11.

OK, I found out what was the problem that led to the XBMC crash. The folder where I store the scripts was set with wrong permissions and the .pyo files couldn't be created. At least I suppose that was the problem since now it doesn't crash anymore. The problem I'm facing now is regarding the call window that skype opens whenever I place a new call. I would like to hide it but I can't find a way to do that...

Any suggestion?

Thanks