Is a static home menu (no scrolling) possible?

happyfirst · 2007-10-28, 04:04

Well I'm back to try media portal again after 2yrs but already the home screen is driving me nuts and I may have to move on to the next program.

2yrs ago I tried it out and it was just too unstable for me or my family to use. Here I am two years later and the same annoying behaviour from 2 YEARS ago is still present and if anything a show-stopper now.

Now I'm experimenting again to see if it's more stable but my server will now be in the kitchen driven by an ELO touchscreen. All the other pcs would be clients. And what would stop me dead in my tracks? The most annoying scrolling home menu. It's next to impossible to select anything on the home screen. Even setting the server up using a mouse, it's still hard. The very first screen that anybody will use and it stops me cold.

I searched to find a way to turn it off but I haven't found anything yet. If anything, it seems this annoys a lot of people. And too think it's been there for over 2 years. I found one post that mentioned going into the home plugin to turn off scrolling but I don't see any option there.

Am I missing something?

1) Is there a way to just have a set of static buttons?
2) Is there a way to turn off scrolling?

Seems like this software is meant to only be used from a remote control?

Muschi · 2007-11-07, 20:30

think we need this...

TFT TouchScreen Interface Improvement for HTPC user

happyfirst · 2007-11-07, 20:49

Yup, I agree. I had found that originally when trying to find a fix for my issue. If all goes well with getting media portal setup (HD is my main snag now), the main media portal server will have a 15" ELO touchscreen interface in the kitchen for most likely accessing everything BUT the tv part. Maybe just the guide to schedule a recording. The kids like using it for music and videos. Wife like the news and weather. But at first, it was totally useless. We were stuck at the home page and couldn't get past it. I was almost going to have to give up as quickly as I'd gotten started.

I've since dug into the code and now have my own customized version. I'm still trying to improve them. At some point I can submit them if they want.

1) The scrolling menu control now supports a noscroll option that I can set into the skin file. That coupled with increasing the number of buttons to show and I now have a perfectly useable home screen.
2) I customized the topbar skin to have a context menu button (right click) at the bottom right of the screen.
3) I customized the FullScreenVideoWindow (and MyMusicVideos) code to support a LeftClickBackEnabled so that now when the kids are watching video, they can just touch the screen to go back to the prior screen. Before we had to keep a keyboard out to do certain things.

I still need to give the scrolling menu control the ability for specific up/down buttons should there be more buttons than can be displayed on the menu. Plus, if somebody did launch TV, I need a way back from that screen but I haven't dug into that one yet. Hopefully that will just be a skin mod since it already has a popup bar when you touch the screen.

Paranoid Delusion · 2007-11-07, 21:11

Quote:

Seems like this software is meant to only be used from a remote control?

Yes it is.

Do you use a mouse\keyboard to control your hifi\DVD\TV, no you use a remote.

jburnette · 2007-11-07, 21:15

You could use a skin like Monochrome, Revision, Core, or foofooraw. None of those use a "spinning" home menu.

happyfirst · 2007-11-07, 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by jburnette

You could use a skin like Monochrome, Revision, Core, or foofooraw. None of those use a "spinning" home menu.

Thanks but I need a 4:3 skin for the touchscreen. However, I will still try out those skins on my dev pc to see how they do.

jburnette · 2007-11-07, 21:46

Project Mayhem 3 and foofooraw are both 4:3 skins that may work for you. If nothing else, you could just copy the menu from either of those (or any of the 16:9 skins that may work for you) and create a custom home for blue2 with a non-spinning menu.

happyfirst · 2007-11-07, 22:10

I downloaded monochrome and tried that but it's still the same 'scrolling' menu in that the menu items move up or down so they are very hard to select using a mouse and almost impossible with a touchscreen.

I customized my local version so that the menu items are static. They don't move up or down. And you just click/touch the menu items.

jburnette · 2007-11-07, 22:13

If you switch to the basic home screen I don't believe they scroll at all. I may be wrong on that, though.

happyfirst · 2007-11-07, 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by jburnette

If you switch to the basic home screen I don't believe they scroll at all. I may be wrong on that, though.

How do I switch to the 'basic' home screen?

2007-10-28, 04:04	#1 (permalink)
happyfirst Portal Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 21 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Is a static home menu (no scrolling) possible? Well I'm back to try media portal again after 2yrs but already the home screen is driving me nuts and I may have to move on to the next program. 2yrs ago I tried it out and it was just too unstable for me or my family to use. Here I am two years later and the same annoying behaviour from 2 YEARS ago is still present and if anything a show-stopper now. Now I'm experimenting again to see if it's more stable but my server will now be in the kitchen driven by an ELO touchscreen. All the other pcs would be clients. And what would stop me dead in my tracks? The most annoying scrolling home menu. It's next to impossible to select anything on the home screen. Even setting the server up using a mouse, it's still hard. The very first screen that anybody will use and it stops me cold. I searched to find a way to turn it off but I haven't found anything yet. If anything, it seems this annoys a lot of people. And too think it's been there for over 2 years. I found one post that mentioned going into the home plugin to turn off scrolling but I don't see any option there. Am I missing something? 1) Is there a way to just have a set of static buttons? 2) Is there a way to turn off scrolling? Seems like this software is meant to only be used from a remote control?

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2007-11-07, 20:30	#2 (permalink)
Muschi Portal Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 69 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Country:	think we need this... TFT TouchScreen Interface Improvement for HTPC user

2007-11-07, 20:49	#3 (permalink)
happyfirst Portal Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 21 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Yup, I agree. I had found that originally when trying to find a fix for my issue. If all goes well with getting media portal setup (HD is my main snag now), the main media portal server will have a 15" ELO touchscreen interface in the kitchen for most likely accessing everything BUT the tv part. Maybe just the guide to schedule a recording. The kids like using it for music and videos. Wife like the news and weather. But at first, it was totally useless. We were stuck at the home page and couldn't get past it. I was almost going to have to give up as quickly as I'd gotten started. I've since dug into the code and now have my own customized version. I'm still trying to improve them. At some point I can submit them if they want. 1) The scrolling menu control now supports a noscroll option that I can set into the skin file. That coupled with increasing the number of buttons to show and I now have a perfectly useable home screen. 2) I customized the topbar skin to have a context menu button (right click) at the bottom right of the screen. 3) I customized the FullScreenVideoWindow (and MyMusicVideos) code to support a LeftClickBackEnabled so that now when the kids are watching video, they can just touch the screen to go back to the prior screen. Before we had to keep a keyboard out to do certain things. I still need to give the scrolling menu control the ability for specific up/down buttons should there be more buttons than can be displayed on the menu. Plus, if somebody did launch TV, I need a way back from that screen but I haven't dug into that one yet. Hopefully that will just be a skin mod since it already has a popup bar when you touch the screen.

2007-11-07, 21:15	#5 (permalink)
jburnette Portal Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Kentucky Age: 23 Posts: 731 Thanks: 135 Thanked 98 Times in 54 Posts Country: My System	You could use a skin like Monochrome, Revision, Core, or foofooraw. None of those use a "spinning" home menu.

2007-11-07, 21:46	#7 (permalink)
jburnette Portal Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Kentucky Age: 23 Posts: 731 Thanks: 135 Thanked 98 Times in 54 Posts Country: My System	Project Mayhem 3 and foofooraw are both 4:3 skins that may work for you. If nothing else, you could just copy the menu from either of those (or any of the 16:9 skins that may work for you) and create a custom home for blue2 with a non-spinning menu.

2007-11-07, 22:10	#8 (permalink)
happyfirst Portal Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 21 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	I downloaded monochrome and tried that but it's still the same 'scrolling' menu in that the menu items move up or down so they are very hard to select using a mouse and almost impossible with a touchscreen. I customized my local version so that the menu items are static. They don't move up or down. And you just click/touch the menu items.

2007-11-07, 22:13	#9 (permalink)
jburnette Portal Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Kentucky Age: 23 Posts: 731 Thanks: 135 Thanked 98 Times in 54 Posts Country: My System	If you switch to the basic home screen I don't believe they scroll at all. I may be wrong on that, though.