macro programming for safe standby (1 Viewer)

[NickName]

one last thing i noticed and would like to ask about:
after the script is run, it takes a couple of seconds until the tv is turned off and mp is back at the homescreen. i noticed that if i press the standby button on the remote too soon, there sometimes are some troubles when i start it up again, like mp can´t connect to the tvserver at first(works after about half a minute and then it starts tv automatically).
does this happen to you too/how do you avoid it?(i´m thinking of adding a "wait for x seconds" command to the macro so it waits until mp has finished turning the tv off before going to standby...)

Hmm... I don't use the TV server (yet) as I can't get it stable enough for my wife and kids :-(
I try the TV server every few weeks but no joy yet but that's fine, it's Beta and MP TV Engine v2 is great anyway

There is a delay in turning the TV off but my script doesn't do that. It depends on the hardware being used, how many channels are being recorded, Timeshifting = ON, etc.
My script simply checks if it is at the Home screen and if it isn't, it presses "Escape" every 1 & half seconds until it is back at the Home screen. It does this for up to 2 minutes at which point it gives up as something must be wrong.
Once it detects the Home Screen, it presses 'B' to turn off Timeshifting.

As far as going into standby too soon, why not create a PC_Suspend Event like I mentioned, that way the TV is turned off when the PC is in the process of being suspended. That avoids any delays by using 'pauses'. It happens when it is ready, not before and not after.

Good luck,

Nick Name.

 

[daHive]

umm, troubles...

can´t get any macros to work inside mp
all the buttons of the remote work normally when i assign an action, but as soon as i map a macro to one of them, nothing happens?

i installed both the plugin and the replacement driver as suggested in the help/documentation of th plugin.

i also tried the pc_suspend event: when it happens a macro that runs your script and then puts the pc into standby is called. it just takes mp to the homescreen and doesn´t put the pc into standby; if i run just your script on the pc_suspend event, the pc will just go into standby without waiting for your script.

 

[NickName]

You can assign Actions but not Macros? That sounds like you still have MS driver loaded? Have a look in Control Panel->System Properties->Hardware->Device Manager->Universal Serial Bus Controllers->eHome Remote->Properties->Driver
If Driver says Microsoft then you don't have the MCE Replacement Driver installed.

Did you run the Install.bat in the "C:\Program Files\MCE Replacement Driver\" folder?
I had to do this to install the driver but then I got "double-clicking" happening. I rebooted and that was fixed.

Have you tried using the built-in PowerScheduler plugin for shutting down/suspending at the Home screen?

I can't really comment on why your Macro doesn't work. Is this an MCE Replacement Driver Macro or an external one you created? If it is an MCE Replacement Driver macro, maybe tick the box (Wait till exit) where my script is called. That way my script will run and finish before it tries the 'suspend'.
If it is a macro you created, send it to me and I'll have a look.

Hope this helps,

good luck,

Nick Name

 

[daHive]

hi again,

i made sure the mce replacement driver is installed(it says author "and-81" ).
now i also tried running the install.bat but that didn´t work("couldn´t update..."-error) - i figure that was because it´s already installed?

unfortunately the power scheduler plugin doesn´t work as it´s supposed to either, it goes to "preparing for standby..." but hangs there and doesn´t actually put the pc to sleep.

the macro was created with the mce replacement plugin, ticking the "wait till exit" box didn´t help either.

still, thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[NickName]

Hi daHive,

It will return the error "couldn't update" if the MCE replacement tray program is running. However if the driver said "and-81" then you aren't running the MS driver, bummer. I say bummer as I am little lost as to what the issue is.
There is however a handy tool that fix PCs that won't standby properly (like mine).
It's called the "MCE Standby tool" and you can get it here:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~hveijk/mst/indexe.htm
I would highly recommend you try this freeware tool as it fixed my PC.
P.S. XP can have issues trying to standby/suspend but this should fix it for you

Good luck,

Nick Name,

 

[daHive]

thanks, i´ll try that standby tool, maybe it´ll help with the powerscheduler plugin.

in the meantime i´ve also started another thread about the macro problem, in which i also posted all the logfiles. there seems to be something wrong, as an error is occuring in the logs when i´m calling up a macro with a button press. i don´t know what exactly this error means though...

 

[Mercurial]

Hi Nickname,

I have had a play around with this piece of script, it works very nicely. I use an Imon remote and it is no bother to set up. I have made a little change that has been useful on the latest SVN. I have the MyKeys plugin activated, which allows the 'h' key to be used to go straight to the home screen. With this active your script can be changed to send 'h' instead of 'ESC'. It goes to the home screen in one hit then.
I mentioned it being useful for the latest SVN - there appears to be a small bug on DVD that returns you to the resume dialog when you stop the DVD playing (in hand on Mantis I think). Your script gets around this by going to the home screen first then stopping. I have temporarily assigned the script to my 'STOP' button on my remote and worked around the bug until it is fixed.

Thank you for pointing me in the direction of Autoit. I use Macroscheduler at work , this costs to much to warrant its use at home. Autoit is very similar in concept and free

 

[NickName]

Hi Nickname,

I have had a play around with this piece of script, it works very nicely. I use an Imon remote and it is no bother to set up. I have made a little change that has been useful on the latest SVN. I have the MyKeys plugin activated, which allows the 'h' key to be used to go straight to the home screen. With this active your script can be changed to send 'h' instead of 'ESC'. It goes to the home screen in one hit then.

Hi Mercurial,

Glad you liked the script.
I originally used the MyKeys plugin in my script but sadly (as MyKeys uses regular keys) it plays havoc when using the Wikipedia plugin (typing a search phrase) or when trying to create & save a Playlist in the Music screen, other than that, MyKeys is great.

Cheers,

Nick Name