For people who want to use their Creative Remote control for controlling Windows applications like MediaPortal, Winamp etc., information has come out on the Creative Soundblaster forum on how to manually edit the remote control's setup files in order to make it work like you want with any application.
First go to the Creative startup folder Creative\Creative Entertainment Center\Entertainment Center Settings and make sure you
have checked all the three boxes ("Enable Remote Control", "Enable Remote Control when windows starts up", "enable control of windows applications" and that you have selected Creative RM-1800 at the drop down menu.
In the directory " X:\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Entertainment Center\KeyMap " you will find files that the remote uses for controlling the various windows applications. By modifying these with a text editor like Notepad, you can customize your remote control.
For each modification, you will mostly need to know two values, the "KeyEvent" and the "KeyEventRemap", and follow a template that all the key files in that folder folllow. The first is a number assigned to each button of the remote that also represents that button, and the latter is the decimal value of the keyboard key that the button will simulate and send to the application in focus when it is pressed. The keyboard key sent will have to be the keyboard shortcut of the application that performs the action you want.
For Keyevents download and look at this picture http://www.echoofsilence.co.uk/100_0236.jpg .
For keyevent remaps you can use the list below
Tab=9
Enter=10
Select/Enter=13
Alt=18
Caps Lock=20
ESC=27
Space=32
Page Up=33
Page Down=34
End=35
Home=36
Left=37
Up=38
Right=39
Down=40
0=48
1=49
2=50
3=51
4=52
5=53
6=54
7=55
8=56
9=57
a=65
b=66
c=67
d=68
e=69
f=70
g=71
h=72
i=73
j=74
k=75
l=76
m=77
n=78
o=79
p=80
q=81
r=82
s=83
t=84
u=85
v=86
w=87
x=88
y=89
z=90
Start Button=91
Start Button=92
Right-click=93
F1=112
F2=113
F3=114
F4=115
F5=116
F6=117
F7=118
F8=119
F9=120
For additional values try here http://api.farmanager.com/en/winapi/virtualkeycodes.html . Note that the values provided there are hexademical, so you will first need to convert them to decimal using Windows Calculator in Scientific View mode (from that page I got the Function button values which I have used successfully for controlling the MediaPortal application. Alternatively download http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios123/123cgcr/fun_r/cfrappen.pdf and use the decimal values provided.
To communicate to you the method without too much words I will use an example.
Let's say we want to control winamp and make the Previous button on our remote control work like the previous button on Winamp.
We first need to ensure that the .key file in "...\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Entertainment Center\KeyMap" is named after the application's name. The default "Winamp v1.x" is problematic and so even if we modify that file correctly, we won't be able to control winamp. We can either rename the file by dropping the "v1.x" from its filename and then proceed to modify it or we can create our own text file from scratch, save it in the above directory named after the application it is meant for (in our case Winamp) and then change its extension to "key" (The latter method can also be followed in order to make new key files for controlling applications that don't have key files by default).
Let's say we do the first. After renaming the file, we right-click on it, choose "open with" and then choose the text editor of our choice (e.g. Notepad). After the file is loaded in our text editor, we follow the template we are presented with but we make the necessary chages. After opening the winamp .key file we are presented with something like:
[RC Key Map Information]
Name=Winamp Main Window
Version=1.30
By=Creative Technology Ltd.
Company=Creative Technology Ltd.
Copyright=Copyright (C) 2000 - 2001 Creative Technology Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Comments=
[KeyEvent6901]
KeyName=NA
Notification=2
KeyEventRemap=0
HandleByApp=1
......
so to do what we have set out to do, we have to add to that (consulting our reference material) this:
[KeyEvent6916]
KeyName=Previous Track
Notification=-1
KeyEventRemap=90
HandleByApp=1
In which "KeyEvent6916" stands for the Previous button on our remote and "KeyEventRemap=90" stands for "z" which is the keyboard key that will be sent to winamp when we press the Previous button on our remote. And since for winamp "z" is the keyboard shortcut for going to the Previous song, we have achieved our goal.
Note that you have to be cautious so that there are not multiple entries for the same KeyEvent because if there are you might run into problems.
In our example, if we find in the file
[KeyEvent6916]
KeyName=Previous Track
Notification=2
KeyEventRemap=40044
HandleByApp=1
we will have to delete it. You can generally delete all entries that do not work.
Also note that usually the "Notification" and "HandleByApp" values have to be set to "-1" and"1" respectively (this is what we did in our example because we couldn't control winamp when these were set to "2" and "1" like they were by default ). But if for some reason it doesn't work, change them to "2" and "1" and try again.
Also note that after you make all the necessary modifications, the application you want to control has to be in focus in order for the remote control to work on it.
Also note that you don't have to make edits for buttons which already work the way you want. You see, there is the "Default.key" file, a file you MUST NOT delete and you are advised not to alter, which can be perceived as the default settings applicable to all applications, whereas the other key files can be perceived as customized settings for each application which override the default ones.
You can find the original creative thread here: http://forums.creative.com/creative...essage.id=41756&view=by_date_ascending&page=1
Please note that this stuff is experimental, discovered by X-Fi users and so not everything works for sure. (You might also want to backup the files before you edit them)
First go to the Creative startup folder Creative\Creative Entertainment Center\Entertainment Center Settings and make sure you
have checked all the three boxes ("Enable Remote Control", "Enable Remote Control when windows starts up", "enable control of windows applications" and that you have selected Creative RM-1800 at the drop down menu.
In the directory " X:\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Entertainment Center\KeyMap " you will find files that the remote uses for controlling the various windows applications. By modifying these with a text editor like Notepad, you can customize your remote control.
For each modification, you will mostly need to know two values, the "KeyEvent" and the "KeyEventRemap", and follow a template that all the key files in that folder folllow. The first is a number assigned to each button of the remote that also represents that button, and the latter is the decimal value of the keyboard key that the button will simulate and send to the application in focus when it is pressed. The keyboard key sent will have to be the keyboard shortcut of the application that performs the action you want.
For Keyevents download and look at this picture http://www.echoofsilence.co.uk/100_0236.jpg .
For keyevent remaps you can use the list below
Tab=9
Enter=10
Select/Enter=13
Alt=18
Caps Lock=20
ESC=27
Space=32
Page Up=33
Page Down=34
End=35
Home=36
Left=37
Up=38
Right=39
Down=40
0=48
1=49
2=50
3=51
4=52
5=53
6=54
7=55
8=56
9=57
a=65
b=66
c=67
d=68
e=69
f=70
g=71
h=72
i=73
j=74
k=75
l=76
m=77
n=78
o=79
p=80
q=81
r=82
s=83
t=84
u=85
v=86
w=87
x=88
y=89
z=90
Start Button=91
Start Button=92
Right-click=93
F1=112
F2=113
F3=114
F4=115
F5=116
F6=117
F7=118
F8=119
F9=120
For additional values try here http://api.farmanager.com/en/winapi/virtualkeycodes.html . Note that the values provided there are hexademical, so you will first need to convert them to decimal using Windows Calculator in Scientific View mode (from that page I got the Function button values which I have used successfully for controlling the MediaPortal application. Alternatively download http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios123/123cgcr/fun_r/cfrappen.pdf and use the decimal values provided.
To communicate to you the method without too much words I will use an example.
Let's say we want to control winamp and make the Previous button on our remote control work like the previous button on Winamp.
We first need to ensure that the .key file in "...\Program Files\Creative\Sound Blaster X-Fi\Entertainment Center\KeyMap" is named after the application's name. The default "Winamp v1.x" is problematic and so even if we modify that file correctly, we won't be able to control winamp. We can either rename the file by dropping the "v1.x" from its filename and then proceed to modify it or we can create our own text file from scratch, save it in the above directory named after the application it is meant for (in our case Winamp) and then change its extension to "key" (The latter method can also be followed in order to make new key files for controlling applications that don't have key files by default).
Let's say we do the first. After renaming the file, we right-click on it, choose "open with" and then choose the text editor of our choice (e.g. Notepad). After the file is loaded in our text editor, we follow the template we are presented with but we make the necessary chages. After opening the winamp .key file we are presented with something like:
[RC Key Map Information]
Name=Winamp Main Window
Version=1.30
By=Creative Technology Ltd.
Company=Creative Technology Ltd.
Copyright=Copyright (C) 2000 - 2001 Creative Technology Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Comments=
[KeyEvent6901]
KeyName=NA
Notification=2
KeyEventRemap=0
HandleByApp=1
......
so to do what we have set out to do, we have to add to that (consulting our reference material) this:
[KeyEvent6916]
KeyName=Previous Track
Notification=-1
KeyEventRemap=90
HandleByApp=1
In which "KeyEvent6916" stands for the Previous button on our remote and "KeyEventRemap=90" stands for "z" which is the keyboard key that will be sent to winamp when we press the Previous button on our remote. And since for winamp "z" is the keyboard shortcut for going to the Previous song, we have achieved our goal.
Note that you have to be cautious so that there are not multiple entries for the same KeyEvent because if there are you might run into problems.
In our example, if we find in the file
[KeyEvent6916]
KeyName=Previous Track
Notification=2
KeyEventRemap=40044
HandleByApp=1
we will have to delete it. You can generally delete all entries that do not work.
Also note that usually the "Notification" and "HandleByApp" values have to be set to "-1" and"1" respectively (this is what we did in our example because we couldn't control winamp when these were set to "2" and "1" like they were by default ). But if for some reason it doesn't work, change them to "2" and "1" and try again.
Also note that after you make all the necessary modifications, the application you want to control has to be in focus in order for the remote control to work on it.
Also note that you don't have to make edits for buttons which already work the way you want. You see, there is the "Default.key" file, a file you MUST NOT delete and you are advised not to alter, which can be perceived as the default settings applicable to all applications, whereas the other key files can be perceived as customized settings for each application which override the default ones.
You can find the original creative thread here: http://forums.creative.com/creative...essage.id=41756&view=by_date_ascending&page=1
Please note that this stuff is experimental, discovered by X-Fi users and so not everything works for sure. (You might also want to backup the files before you edit them)
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