Improved Weekly / Daily recording algorithm

[dvdfreak]

Originally Posted by THDBASED

I really hope so too, living in Belgium this is really needed...
Any word on the timeframe? So when it your code would be ready to integrate?

I'm from Belgium too, and yes, with our erratic TV schedules this is indeed really needed

The code is currently ready enough for the MP side of things to be started on. So in other words, change the TV Guide GUI from the tv plugin to use the new scheduler service. Write a new GUI for scheduling programs, displaying the upcoming recordings, etc...

I lack the free time to work on this full speed, so it's very hard to give a timeframe. But if someone's reading this who posesses the necessary MP GUI/plugin and C# skills to help out on this, the help is more than welcome! All the backend stuff is starting to work nicely, not to say it too still needs work of course

[THDBASED]

Well I think the time couldn't be better to integrate this or plan this. In the GFX forum they are planning a total redesign of the myTV section. I think you should contact the devs or make a thread in GFX forum that lists the things that should be integrated in the layout so your new recording code could work.

[dvdfreak]

Originally Posted by THDBASED

Well I think the time couldn't be better to integrate this or plan this. In the GFX forum they are planning a total redesign of the myTV section. I think you should contact the devs or make a thread in GFX forum that lists the things that should be integrated in the layout so your new recording code could work.

Yes, especially the scheduling screen could need some work to offer all the new recording possibilities.

On the other hand, while the scheduler service will offer a lot more possibilities, it's not always necessary to expose all of these immediately. For example, it will be possible to select on what day of the week to record, a schedule that records all gameshows on Monday and Wednesday only for instance. But for a first version, do we already want to do all the work to let the user select any day in the week, or will we keep it on Working Days, Weekends for starters?

Not to say I'm pro any of these two choices, just want to point out that we have the freedom to choose just how much we want to redo the GUI.

[THDBASED]

Do you have a diagram or even a simple text file which has the basic options there are available. I don't have that much time right now but when I have I might have a crack at it trying to work something out layout wise...

[dvdfreak]

Originally Posted by THDBASED

Do you have a diagram or even a simple text file which has the basic options there are available. I don't have that much time right now but when I have I might have a crack at it trying to work something out layout wise...

These are the rules that are defined right now. Since this is work in progress rules may be added or modified of course, but it will give you a good idea:

public enum ScheduleRuleType
{
    TvChannels, // Record on the given channel(s).
    Time, // Record at the given start/stop time.
    AroundTime, // Record the timeslot closest to the given start time (usually combined with TitleEquals and DaysOfWeek).
    BetweenTimes, // Record a program when its start time is between the two given times.
    DaysOfWeek, // Record on these days of the week.
    TitleEquals, // Record program with the given title.
    SubTitleEquals, // Record program with the given sub-title.
    TitleStartsWith, // Record program who's title starts with the given text.
    TitleContains, // Record program who's title contains the given text.
    DescriptionContains, // Record program who's description contains the given text.
    CategoryEquals, // Record programs from this category.
    DirectedBy, // Record program directed by given name.
    WithActor, // Record program which has the actor by the given name.
    SkipRepeats, // Only record first-run (non-repeat) programs if the argument to this rule is true.
    GuideProgram // Record the program with the given ProgramGuideId (if found, usually combined with TitleEquals and Time).
}

The arguments to these rules are as follows:

• TvChannels - one or more GUIDs of TV channels
• Time - date/time of the program
• AroundTime - start-time of the program
• BetweenTimes - start time and end time to define a range
• DaysOfWeek - a flags enum that combines the days of the week, e.g. ScheduleDaysOfWeek.Monday|ScheduleDaysOfWeek.Frida y
• TitleEquals, SubTitleEquals, TitleStartsWith, TitleContains, DescriptionContains - a single string
• CategoryEquals,DirectedBy,WithActor - one or more strings (logical OR)
• SkipRepeats - bool
• GuideProgram - GUID of the program in the TV guide

All these rules can be combined to narrow down exactly what you want to record.

Hope this is clear enough?

[dvdfreak]

Just wanted to draw attention to the alpha version of the TvScheduler that has been uploaded to:

http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/ru...ce-t26158.html

It's work in progress and doesn't do a lot yet (it's all backend stuff), but the foundation is there. Someone could for example write an EPG viewer for it, or adjust the existing TV Guide program in MediaPortal to use the TvScheduler guide service.