Extension Installer V2 (2 Viewers)

[Mashenden]

I thought I was offering ideas. As a plugin developer a MP branded installer app would be valuable to me if it provided tighter integration with MediaPortal itself. Browsing for new plugins in the GUI or config, auto updates, installing plug-ins without having to restart MediaPortal. I guess I am alone in this request though.

No, you are not alone. I think that would be great. Most imprtant thing being all developers should start using one approach to make it consisient, though.

 

[catavolt]

I thought I was offering ideas. As a plugin developer a MP branded installer app would be valuable to me if it provided tighter integration with MediaPortal itself. Browsing for new plugins in the GUI or config, auto updates, installing plug-ins without having to restart MediaPortal. I guess I am alone in this request though.

No, you are not alone. I think that would be great. Most imprtant thing being all developers should start using one approach to make it consisient, though.

+1 - now there are at least 3

 

[Dadeo]

+1 Make that 4! I thought we were headed in that direction!

Dukus, even if you require a separate program to install, update or uninstall, I think it is the interface we are all asking to be integrated similar to the way the Extensions Plugin currently works.

I am using MP 1.0.2. When I use the Extensions Plugin in MP it allows me to switch to a View of online, local plugins or updates avaialble. I then have the option to Uninstall, Reinstall, or Update the plugin. Once I choose one, I get a message saying this will be done on next restart. On restart, it calls the Extension Manager and executes the option I have chosen. I find this method acceptable. Can this not be done in MP Config as well Dukus?

I definitely agree a fairly strait forward solution is needed for skinners, although I thought MPI already covered this ground.

Nope, it sure didn't! You had to be a rather advanced developer. Even Harley could not manage it and used an NSIS installer for XFace which inspired the one we did for aMPed.

There is an MPInstaller tab hidden in the plugins page of the config screen. The whole page has a big white blank area with a single active button called "Install". When clicked it asks for an MPI file.

I am confused! What I see in MPInstaller tab -> see screenshot. What I was hoping was that it would work at least like the Extensions plugin, and not, as you pointed out, just asking for an installer package and most often telling me the package is invalid!

 

[framug]

just asking for an installer package and most often telling me the package is invalid!

This problem exists since a long time.
Problem is only in the MP config tab.
If you launch MPIinstaller in MediaPortal folder (at least, for desinstall), it's working fine.
Regards.

 

[pilehave]

I just tried the installer and I have NO IDEA how to use it. It is not very intuitive, to say the least

Lots of textboxes and selectlist, but no description of what to with them. Even the old extensionmaker was easier to use, sorry. Hope you can iron out the userinterface

 

[dukus]

I try to make a wizard for skin makers to be easy to create a simple package and for advanced usage try to make a wiki page.....

 

[pilehave]

For a skin I only need:

- skin-structure (xml-files, sounds, graphics in the media-folder)
- fonts
- one plugin -> process-folder, but that shoud be possible already with the current setup

The installer should check MediaPortalDirs.xml and get the path for skins from there. And then it must be able to register fonts with Windows, the current installer can't do that in Windows Vista or Windows 7.

That's all I need + a nice short wizard to get the need info

 

[MadMac66]

For me from User perspective I am unsatisfied until now. I only have two choices:
1. I'm the lucky "look-every-day-for-updates-and-new-skins/plugins". Okay, I go to www.team-media-portal.com and read the news about new and updated skins and plugins. But this is geek-driven.
2. I'm the normal couch potatoe who installed once MP and only use the old installer maybe once a month or even less. Going this way I only see a few updates and only a very few new skins. So I'm missing maybe the "killer-plugin of the year" or the "best ever made skin" because it doesn't show in the installer.

So looking the the 1st way means download the new item and install as zip (I've learned how to use it and maybe break my MP because of incompatibilities not solved) or using the installer, wondering why it doesn't support my skin. Most of the time I'm able to fix it anyway because I'm with MP since early days and learned it the hard way by re-installing MP about 30 to 40 times. BUT THIS IS NOT THE COMMON WAY TO USE MP. Or at least it hinders it to become more mainstream.

Okay, the 2nd way is how the mainstream works. Has anybody of you tried to install a "Full featured" MP with many plugins? This sometimes is hardcore. First you have to manually download all the needed / wanted plugins and skins. Some of them still lack of good instruction and you have to browse through the whole site to find everything. And more annoying: Some came as MPEI or MPE some as ZIP and some in both flavors meaning I as a normal user have to decide which version to use or both of them (and some don't even use versioning)? hard to decide.

Therefor a common well integrated installer inside MP is very important to spread MP as a whole to the community. We as the users don't care about whether installer type 1, 2 or 3 is the best. But until now there is no installer which makes it possible to do the job. And if I have a common interface showing me what the plugin does or how the skin will look like this will help much and to go to the top if I can switch to "advanced install" to see the new / modified / deleted files this installer comes close to be perfect.

So I very much appreciate Dukus approach to create THE installer for MP because when I want to update/upgrade MP or look for new stuff I simply want to run the installer and see everything and when I choose an item to be installed/updated/removed I want to click on that item and everything should be done in the background. I don't want to look into every skin to delete/update the files. This was one of the reasons why apple got the nimbus to be that user friendly...

And as a dev I only want to have one way to spread my work as easy as possible and never the less make sure not to break something. My personal experience with installers was that of course you can use stuff like NSIS or MSI to get things for YOUR PART of software done but only with a centralized installer you can make sure that ALL dependencies of ALL parts of MP (main core, Plugins and skins) are covered.

But of course maybe I'm wrong

MadMac66

 

[pilehave]

Very well said MadMac66!

 

[fripsy]

I'm with MadMac66,

I guess the best way to force the new "Dukus" installer to be used, is to only accept skins and plugins for MP1.1.0 and/or MPII as MPEI in the skins/plugins section of the site.
Sure this will be ennoying for the devs in the beginning... and it puts a lot of weight on Dukus' shoulders, as he has to make sure that every possible installation is covered.

So if Dukus needs help from us (users AND devs), please don't let him down.

I, for the moment, am looking into the remository thing...