Extensions: A GUI Plugin for MediaPortal's MPEI Installer (3 Viewers)

[huha]

Duplicate Versions with mpei installer

I will need your help as I do not understand what i am doing wrong in upgrading a plugin with the mpei installer, which results in the behavior Dl3toroxp has described

I am doing the following steps when providing a new plugin version:

1) I copy the TvWishList.xmp2 from the last version folder to the newest version folder
2) In TvWishList.xmp2 i am changing the version number in Extension information to the newest number e.g.: 1.2.0.17
3) I am updating the version description and the Update URL and the Online location to the new name e.g.
http://huha-mediaportal-plugins.googlecode.com/files/TvWishList.Ver.1.2.0.18.xml
http://huha-mediaportal-plugins.googlecode.com/files/TvWishList.Ver.1.2.0.18.mpe1
4) next I am updating the plugin files in groups & files
5) Then i am building the .mpe1 file in the Build section (named as in Step3)
6) Then i am generating the new .xml file (named as in Step3) by clicking the Generate XML button in "Generate Update XML"
7) Then I am uploading to Google Code the .xml file and the .mpe1 file
8) Finally I am pushing the "Publish" button

What am I doing wrong here?

 

[ltfearme]

huha, you only ever need one update.xml. Each version change you make will generate a new versioninfo in the update.xml.

Do these steps:
1. Increment Version
2. Change Release Date
3. Update Change Log section
3. Save
4. I recommend Close and Re-Open project (think there is a bug with generating update info if not done)
5. Click on Generate

Never click on Publish more than once! Its the same product just a different version, only if you have a new plugin/skin would you ever click on that button.

What should remain static is the following:

1. Update.xml file name/location
2. GUID

Now you can have multiple versions in the same update.xml.

Once you have clicked generate your ready to notify everyone:

1. Upload your MPEI package
2. Upload your modified update.xml

I may have missed something, this is off the top of my head.

 

[Dadeo]

Thanks ltfearme

I tried to make this clearer when I recently updated the MPE Maker Online Updates wiki page.

Note this has nothing to do with the Extensions plugin, MPE Maker issues should really be reported in the main Skin and Plugins Installer thread

 

[huha]

ltfearme, Dadeo,
thanks a lot for your help!

So in order to get my project back on track i will
1) delete all my .xml files at google code (which included the different version numbers).
2) Create a new TvWishlist.xml with the generate XML button
3) Upload TvWishlist.xml at google code
4) publish once again and then never again hit the publish button

Future updates will be done only by uploading a new TvWishlist.xml (and new mpe1 file) at google code without changing the name of the xml file

 

[Dadeo]

Sounds good huha. Since it will be a 'new' filename (TVWsihtlist.xml) the first time you add it will be like a new extension, so it will take a day or so to get approved and added to the online extensions.txt, whicih is the file from which MPEI grabs online update info.

BTW you are not alone - there are still some extensions I see using MPEI in our downloads repository that do not show up in MPEI, so I think several other developers are also not clear about the process yet. Hopefully your question will help clarify it for them too. So thanks for bringing it up.

 

[huha]

Dadeo, ltfearme,
i am wondering if it would be possible to generate the update.xml automated from the information on the website of the MP repository for each plugin and periodically poll for updates of the repository?

Update: i just realized that the Mp repository has already a field for uploading the update.xml file.
What i do not understand is that i have to input the online url location in the TvwishList.xmp2 file before building the .mpe1 file and before generating the update.xml file.
Do i have to enter the general MP repository entry here for both of them like
https://www.team-mediaportal.com/extensions/television/tvwishlist?

Or do i have to place a dummy file first and use the url of those files assuming that the link will never change

 

[Dadeo]

Hi huha - you don't HAVE to add it to the Repository. That field is for plugins that do not have a Google Code or other SVN/site to upload the update.xml. Since you use google code for your update.xml you can just update it there in future and changes will automatically display in MPEI and Extensions plugin.

However, you are correct that the first time you create a project file/new update.xml it is a bit awkward,

1. Upload the update.xml file somewhere (repo or google code for example) if you want to get the exact URL
2. In MPE Maker, add the onlne location/url, and generate the update.xml,
3. Upload the new update.xml with the new info (both Repo and Google Code retain the same url/link)
4. At this point you can install it locally using your mpe1 file and check it all out in MPEI if you want
5. Once you are happy with it, go back to MPE Maker and publish it (users won't see it until you publish it)

You only have to do all that the first time. After that you can just update the update.xml either in Repo/Google code or wherever and the changes will appear in MPEI as soon as users update online data.

There has been some discussion of trying to grab the data from the repo and I know dukus looked at it - there are some issues (but don't ask me what, I barely understand it all!). However, it is something I hope will get looked at for MP 1.3.. The current system is not ideal, but remember when dukus first developed MPEI the new Repo did not exist, AND there were very few testers. If you follow the MPEI thread you will see Migue even had trouble getting testers for the changes for 1.2.0 (mainly version compatibility). MPEI has come a long way already, and I think it still has potential to improve a lot more. Now that more and more extensions are starting to use it I think we can push for more improvements . Plugin developers are already capable coders and could easily submit patches to help improve it.

 

[huha]

Dadeo,
thanks, this was the missing piece and i think i am understanding now.
You have a fixed link address in the MP repository like
https://www.team-mediaportal.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=117&cf_id=24
which is always pointing then to the latest download file and probaly something similar for the update.xml file.

I will try to move from Google code to the Mp repository as i like the repository very much and i have to
upload the plugin then only once (I was doing both paths in parallel in the past)

I think the team did a great job on the mpei installer/maker and the repository and i was not aware that the two of them could be combined so easy.

 

[Dadeo]

Yes it is a fixed link for both download and update.xml in Repo. Of course if you have google code svn then the update.xml link can be fixed as well.

However, the only limitation with the fixed link in the repository is that you can't preserve previous download links yet (high is looking into a way.) So if you retain a previous version of your extension in update.xml ( by just generating it again in MPE Maker) both the new version and the previous version will be pointing to the same download link . Of course, there is not often a need to retain links to the old download files, and you can always just delete the update.xml before you generate a new one so it does not retain the previous version info if you prefer.

Not only does MPEI work with the Repo nicely, but there is even a website view in the Extensions plugin where you can see all the Repo listings/info while using MP with your remote. Now we just need to get a rating dialog that posts the rating to the Repo .

 

[Edalex]

Dadeo, so downloading from MP website view is working for you, am I right?
Coz only "Online" view worked for me.