Changes to skinning engine for Eden (and beyond)

`Black Wrote:Where do they appear?

Settings > System > Input Devices > Peripherals
(that will open DialogPeripheralManager.xml)

on this dialog is a 'settings' button which will open DialogPeripheralSettings.xml

Dumb question - this is for usb discs or remotes or some other peripheral?

pecinko Wrote:Dumb question - this is for usb discs or remotes or some other peripheral?

Multiple new features coming online

Remote controls that have custom features (Nyxboard Hybrid for example has a flip action, so when you flip the remote, what do you do with it etc...)

Custom hardware, (for instance USB - HDMI CEC Adapter) which allow you to control other hardware from inside XBMC

and for other devices going forward, maybe a harmony remote with a custom feature we can tap into

pecinko Wrote:Dumb question - this is for usb discs or remotes or some other peripheral?

Previous page -

Hitcher Wrote:...

I'm guessing it's for the USB - HDMI-CEC Adapter

Hitcher Wrote:Previous page -

Thanks, spot on, but its not just for that device. We would welcome suggestions for other devices that have unique features we don't take advantage of yet.

you can also configure hardware that is not sold by pulse-eight of course, e.g. the keymap when you insert a generic HID device (keyboards, etc.).

Added new mechanism: Skin Variables

It allow defining custom "infolabels" - skin variables to avoid duplicating similiar controls that differs only by visibility condition and label/texture

How to use:

1. We need to define our variable (important - we do it in includes.xml or other xml that is included there)
   
   Code:
   

   <variable name="var_name" [type="text"]>
  <value condition="condition_1">value 1</value>
  <value condition="condition_2">$INFO[some_infolabel]</value>
  <value>default value</value>
</variable>
   var_name - name of variable - will be used to access its value
   [type="text"] - this mark type of the variable (it's "text" by default so You can ommit it) - in future I plan to add "numeric" and "boolean" types
   Variable checks conditions going from top of the list: if condition_1 is true then variable will have value "value 1". If it's false it go to next line. If condition isn't specified, we simply use given value.
2. Use it in our control:
   
   Code:
   

   <control type="label">
  <label>$VAR[var_name]</label>
  [ ... ]
</control>

Here's more "real world example": Confluence using Skin Variables to display codec icons

Just a heads up. As of today's nightly build, changes in this commit are now required to load the fonts of your skin:
https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/commit/c64e.../addon.xml

Malard Wrote:We would welcome suggestions for other devices that have unique features we don't take advantage of yet.

How about home automation systems integration devices for example turning lights ON and OFF when a movie begins and ends?

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=39550

There are already plenty of lighting control scripts for XBMC but they do not have a common API or GUI interface in all skins.

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=110392
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=111527
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=111053
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=90034
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=82160
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=42874

So maybe this peripheral manager could be the shared interface the settings of those type of light control devices as well?

I can recommend TellStick from Telldus Technologies which could be used as a reference device since it support most recovers.
http://www.telldus.se
http://developer.telldus.se
http://www.telldus.se/products/compability
https://github.com/eirikh/TellSticker/tr...r/Contents

This lighting control is not the same as for Ambilight/AmBX/Atmolight controller device, although that would be very cool too

Another idea is to move the support for external LCD/VFD control settings to peripheral manager, as kind-of relates to remotes.

Other suggestion is for PVR interaction that I think was already asked for here http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=109387

HA will come in the future, but VFD stuff is exactly where the peripherals system will come into its own in the near future