Firefly profile tutorial

[fivestar]

Is there a config file for the Firefly software? I'm trying to figure out where the info about the sound scheme is stored. I'd like to be able to shut off remote sounds without having the user go into the interface. It must be in the registry or an ini file someplace.

Greg

[FreeMind]

Originally Posted by OOZnOZ

How can I turn off the decriptions for specific buttons?

I'm using a profile for Powerpoint. But when I push the {Right} button to advance to the next slide, I get a "powerpoint: Next" message.

I've tried removing the description (description=""); I still get a message: "powerpoint: ".

I've changed my profile from:
<Actions Button="Right" Description="Next">
<KeyAction ActivationState="DownRepeat" Keys="{right}" Sleep="0" />
</Actions>
to:
<Actions Button="Right" Description="">
<KeyAction ActivationState="DownRepeat" Keys="{right}" Sleep="0" />
</Actions>


This distracts from the slide show presentation.

How can I turn it off the description for a specific button (like right and left)?

However, I'd like to be able to see the discripton for keys such as "1", "2"... in case I need to go to a specific slide. (I'd like to see that I'm keying in the numbers correctly.)

Thanks

Hey, im new to this, but how to make he description for when your using your control is by changing the ShowOSD="True" to "False"

How to make to this to the individuel settings i dont know. i havnt played around, but when you got this info it may help you to play around by yourself.

[FreeMind]

Originally Posted by fivestar

Is there a config file for the Firefly software? I'm trying to figure out where the info about the sound scheme is stored. I'd like to be able to shut off remote sounds without having the user go into the interface. It must be in the registry or an ini file someplace.

Greg

Yes there is, its located in this directory

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SnapStream\Firefly

the file is "Firefly.xml" change the sound line to: <Sound Current="None.xml" />

if you want to change other things the has to do with sound, go into the "sound" catalog.

[TheSmJ]

I'm trying to run an application from within the Beyond TV viewer that will start a program, and then give BTV viewer back focus. So far I can get the other application to start, but I can't seem to figure out how to return focus to BTV.

Here's what I'm running from within BTV-SnapStream-3.4.xml:

<Actions Button="A" Description="Toggle Secondary">
<PlaySoundAction ActivationState="Down" Sound="Select"/>
<LaunchAction ActivationState="Up" Program="C:\windows\ScrPlayer.exe - Shortcut" Arguments="" Description="Secondary Monitor Off"/>
<SwitchAppAction Text="Beyond TV" Class="WindowsForms" File="BTVD3DShell.exe" State="" IfAlreadyShowing="" />

</Actions>



What am I doing wrong?

[Marshall_110]

deleted

[GeorgeH]

aaronmielke ---

Thank you for the tutorial.

I needed to make some changes and the tutorial made it easy.

[rhrunner87]

Alright, I don't know why anyone has not posted this earlier, because it was fairly easy to do, but to switch active windows, you can use CTRL+ESC which works better as a map to a button. Whereas, CTRL+Tab would require two dedicated buttons, one for CTRL and one for TAB. Anyways, Ctrl+Esc will cycle through open windows and serve it's purpose.

I mapped mine to the D button and labeled it "Next Window"

<Actions Button="D" Description="Next Window">
<KeyAction Keys="%{ESC}" />
</Actions>

Just copy and paste that into global and you're good to go.

[James23]

hmm interesting question. I think the short answer is no, but let me verify and get back to you. what's your use case? I'm curious to know more about how you are using multiple remotes with the same PC.

[johnhkc]

I want to send CTRL+F12 to my application and I modified Global.xml like this:

<Actions Button="D" Description="SleepyTime">
<SpecialKeyAction Type="Down" Key="ControlKey" />
<SpecialKeyAction Type="Down" Key="{f12}" />
<SpecialKeyAction Type="Up" Key="ControlKey" />
<SpecialKeyAction Type="Up" Key="{f12}" />
</Actions>

I get the "Global: SleepyTime" OSD message but nothing happens. If I use a wireless keyboard and hti CTRL+F12, it works fine. What am I doing wrong?

[WildParadise]

msdn link doesn't work anymore, someone has the list?

johnhkc, if you press ctrl+f12 on the keyboard have you found a way to exit suspend mode with the remote?

[DaystromM5]

I found the new page for SendKeys commands. This link should work fine.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...83(VS.85).aspx

[billybob777ca]

Does anyone know what I need to put for the Windows key. On pretty much all new keyboards there is a Windows key. There are hot keys you can use in combination with this key. I.e. Show Desktop Win+D. I'd like to put this in my profile. How can I specify this key sequence.

BTW, the remote is very impressive, the configuration just gives you so much power.

[mados123]

I tried mapping the "Video" button on the Firefly remote to Boxee and I have Windows 7, MCE pointed to the rest of the buttons, including the Firefly button itself. When I replaced "Video" with:

<Actions Button="Video" Description="Boxee">
<LaunchAction ActivationState="Down" Program="C:\Program Files\Boxee\BOXEE.exe" Arguments="-fs -p" />
<PlaySoundAction ActivationState="Down" Sound="Select" />
</Actions>

it would open Windows Media Player. When I opened the global.xml file by double clicking it and IE opened, it showed Windows Media Player under Actions button, Video. When I opened it up via notepad or wordpad, it shows the modified Video button as Boxee. Under Beyond Media Basic, it says the Video button is Windows OS default. When I changed that to None, it showed no Video button under Global. Any way to make the Boxee changes stick? I made these changes after shutting Firefely down. Any ideas? Thanks!

EDIT: By placing the mapped button in the Default.xml rather than the Global.xml, it worked as desired. I do remember reading somewhere that it goes from Default to Global so I guess it makes sense in my situation.

[WillieWilliams]

Originally Posted by pdaughe

Okay, you guys must be chuckling because I'm just "discovering" the Firefly (it seems I have this thread all to myself!) Honestly, one of the things that impresses me about the Snapstream solutions is that when I go to do something, I find I can! For example, changing the channels of the FireFly remote so one doesn't interfere with the other -- it's so easy -- I don't take those kinds of features for granted.

Back to the FireFly. So HOW does one program ONE KEY on the remote that will "walk through" all opened applications?

The solution made me laugh -- I've been using Windows since Windows 3.0 and I just learned something yesterday I never knew!

If you have, for example, four opened, maximized Windows on your computer, how do you "walk" through them, switching to each application, one after the other, in a round-robin fashion?

(imagine each application running full-screen, no task bar showing, so don't answer: "click on the task bar silly", and remember, the ultimate goal is to do it with one repeated key press on the FireFly).

Alt-tab doesn't do it. Alt-tab toggles between the two most-recently applications to have focus (don't answer: alt-tab-tab, etc. -- that's not a one-key sequence that is easily programmable).

The answer: Shift-alt-tab. I never knew that!

With the simple insertion of a "+" sign, I now have ONE KEY on the FireFly remote that walks through all opened applications. Thank you Snapstream!

P.S. By the way, you may be reading this post and wondering: why do I care?

You may not. In my case, the HTPC is used by several people in our home, and our home, like our American culture, is interrupt driven. One constructive criticism I have of the Snapstream muti-media solution is that it is too "sequential."

For example, Live TV is playing. My wife wants to check the weather. What does one have to do? Or, my daughter runs in while we're watching American Idol and wants to quickly check when a show starts at the Star Theater. What does one have to do?

I've never understood the Beyond Media/Beyond TV integration issue. In my opinion, the products are already TOO integrated (the desire for a "Link" capability for Beyond Media is different than product integration). Sitting at the keyboard, I can alt-tab away from Live TV (Live TV keeps running) and check the weather in Beyond Media. I can't do that with the remote though, not by default.

Back in the DOS days, one had to close one application to launch another; there was no task switching provided by the operating system. Inherent in the very design of Windows (alt-tab, shift-alt-tab) is the ability to perform multiple units of work concurrently, where the state of each unit of work is fully preserved when switching from one to the other.

By exploiting the versatility of the FireFly system, I can now press one key to to step through all opened applications. For me, that is a BIG wow factor!

Am I all alone in my thinking???

Sincerely,

Paul

Can you please post the code you used to get this to work?

I'm trying:

  <Actions Button="D" Description="Alt Tab">
    <SpecialKeyAction ActivationState="Down" Type="Down" Key="RMenu" />
	<SpecialKeyAction ActivationState="Down" Type="Down" Key="{TAB}" />
	<SpecialKeyAction ActivationState="Up" Type="Up" Key="{TAB}" />
	<SpecialKeyAction ActivationState="Up" Type="Up" Key="RMenu" /> 
  </Actions>

But it doesn't do anything.

My issue is really:
1. Beyond TV Link loads fine.
2. If I open PowerDVD, it loads fine.
3. If I go back to Beyond TV Link, I can't get back to PowerDVD as it is underneath BTL on the screen and I have to VNC to the machine to control it.

Any thoughts on cycling through open programs?

[danzman]

I Have the following data:
ClassName: TDJMasterForm
Filename: D:\0000DjMaster_DualMode\DJMasterTM.exe
WindowText: POGEE Technologies -- Mp3 DJMaster

I managed to modify the music button in FF to activate the program
After I activate the program I need to map the FF buttons to the application. The application responds to the the following keys:

ALT-P to play; ALT-S to stop; ALT-N for next; etc

I copied one of the profiles and modified it as follows:

<ProfileType="SnapStream.Firefly.Core.Profile"Name="DJMasterTM"ShowOSD="True">
<IdentifierClassName="TDJMasterForm"WindowText="POGEE Technologies -- Mp3 DJMaster"FileName="" />

I Tried the following to map the buttons:

<ActionsButton="Right"Description="Right">
<SpecialKeyActionType="Down"Key="AltKey" />
<SpecialKeyActionType="Down"Key="N" />
<SpecialKeyActionType="Up"Key="AltKey" />
<SpecialKeyActionType="Up"Key="N" />
</Actions>
<ActionsButton="Left"Description="Left">
<SpecialKeyActionType="Down"Key="AltKey" />
<SpecialKeyActionType="Down"Key="B" />
<SpecialKeyActionType="Up"Key="AltKey" />
<SpecialKeyActionType="Up"Key="B" />
</Actions>
.
.
etc...

Should I do the mapping like so:
<ActionsButton="Next"Description="Next">
<KeyActionKeys="%n"OnRepeat="True" />
</Actions>
<ActionsButton="Previous"Description="Previous">
<KeyActionKeys="%b"OnRepeat="True" />
</Actions>
<ActionsButton="Down"Description="Down">
<KeyActionKeys="%w"OnRepeat="True" />
</Actions>
etc...

Can you help?