RMIR: Prototype IR function in RM

[mathdon]

Neat, I'll replace it and use it tomorrow. Thank you!

Three quickies:

Not that quick, actually .

1. Since Jan.25, I've collected 43 dll files, 19KB each, in my LocalSettings\Temp. To me they look like they're some java trash/cache. Are they? If yes, why?
Example filename: hidapi-jni-328902149940308517291.dll

I was not aware of these temp files, but with your prompting I have had a look and I see that I have 460 of them . RM and RMIR look for all the interfaces they support. One of these is CommHID, the interface needed for XSight remotes. This uses a free library that provides a Java API for USB HID devices called hidapi-1.1.jar. This contains native code libraries for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. I have no control over how it works and it appears that it copies the relevant dll (for Windows) to this temp folder. At the end of the RMIR session this will be trash. There may be a way of making RMIR delete it when it closes, but I don't know how.

2. On RMIR device tab is a Import Raw button. Its microhelp says that it's for IR-formatted or clipboard device upgrade. Paste works, though makes it into one ugly line. But the OK button is shaded out.

I think you will find that the Protocol Code box header says something like "Protocol required but not available". The OK button is grayed out when the remote does not have the protocol built in and neither is it supplied in this code box. I have tested it and the OK button is enabled, and works correctly, when the protocol is provided.

The Protocol Code box imports lines separately but the Upgrade Code concatenates them. I have fixed this but won't post a new version just for that. It should be OK in the next version I post.

3. Into RM, I wanted to paste from KM just the functions list and OBC+subdevice or just Hex, plus the Notes corresponding to the functions. I don't have Notes on every function.
Hex and all that is fine to paste, but RM mangled my Notes because it skipped blank cells. It also skips KM's blank rows, but that's not important.

KM is an Excel spreadsheet, I believe. It seems as if there is a mismatch between how Excel exports data and how RM imports it. I have little understanding of how copying via the clipboard works. This was written by Greg, so perhaps he can help.

[ElizabethD]

Alpha 28a .jar version looks fine to me.

Re: 1-temp files: When RMIR runs, it puts 5 files into \temp. When RMIR closes, those files vanish, at which point just the random named file stays behind.
I'll just clean it out. I noticed those files first time when I ran CCleaner which I do every few days.

Re: 2-the OK button. I'm working on it. Hmmm, I'm trying to provide a replacement protocol and so far it's warfare. I'll be back on this one.

Re: 3-pasting. When hex is blank, but there are notes and a function name, that also causes misalignment. If Greg gets back here, I can post a KM file.

[mathdon]

Re: 1-temp files: When RMIR runs, it puts 5 files into \temp. When RMIR closes, those files vanish, at which point just the random named file stays behind.
I'll just clean it out. I noticed those files first time when I ran CCleaner which I do every few days.

Since my last post, I have investigated this further. I have downloaded the source code for hidapi-1.1.jar and I see that this temp file is supposed to be deleted on exit. It may even work in Linux and Mac OS X, but it does not in Windows. This is because the temp file is a dll. I found this thread in a Java forum that explains this issue with dll files.

I am currently doing other investigations on the web to see if I can resolve the issue. Again, watch this space .

[ElizabethD]

Don't waste your time on my account. It was just an observation. CCleaner or manual delete takes care of it. At least on XP.
The link does mention difficulties deleting .dll files in 2003 - so they haven't fixed it in twelve years, heh? Funny process of not releasing the file locks or something. It might have to do with no admin rights, but I'd rather get some trash than have java messing with privileges.

[mathdon]

I would like to sort this out as it affects everyone, not just you and me. However, I think it may defeat me. It appears that I need to use a Custom Class Loader so that I can unload the dll before RMIR exits. This tutorial is supposed to help, but I cannot make it work. Whenever I try to use a custom class loader, I get an UnsatisfiedLinkError when I try to download a remote that needs this interface.

Liz, I'm not expecting you to understand this any better than I can, but perhaps someone with deeper knowledge of Java than me can help.

Edit: I have got round the issue by not using a temporary dll at all, but instead checking for hidapi.dll (or equivalent for another OS) in the appropriate RMIR library folder, and if it does not exist then copying the required dll or equivalent from hidapi-1.1.jar to this folder with its standard RMIR name. There is now nothing to delete, it just stays there along with jp12serial, decodeIR etc. and is re-used without further copying in future instances of RMIR.

[mathdon]

@Liz
I think everything is now fixed in RMIR v2.03 Alpha 28 build 3. As with Alpha 28a, this is just a jar file to replace the one in Alpha 28.

See my edit in the post above about the temp files. For the copying from KM, I realized I could test just by copying suitable values from an Excel spreadsheet, without needing to download KM. It looks to me as if the omission of blank lines when copying to Device Editor Functions was deliberate. It makes sense if you are doing a block copy of multiple columns, with all the data you need being in that block, as a blank line is then a blank entry. However, I suspect you were copying column by column, in which case missing out blank entries causes misalignment. I have now modified it (I hope) so that blanks are always copied. So copying column by column will retain alignment, but if you copy a block containing blank lines, you will now get those blank lines included in the copy.

Liz, you did realize that you can copy multiple columns, provided you are copying a rectangular block of cells? I first tried this and had no alignment problems, as it was only completely blank rows that were missed. I realized then that you had probably copied column by column and that gave me the behaviour you described.

BTW You will see that the version format is now a little different. Instead of Alpha 28b, it is now Alpha 28 build 3. This new format is to allow the build number to change when the jar file is unchanged but something else, such as DecodeIR or the RDFs, has been updated.

[3FG]

Graham,
With either Alpha 28 or Alpha 28 build 3, when the Device Upgrade Editor is opened a message appears on the Main window reminding us to not modify anything while the DUE is open. In the work I was doing today with a OARUSB04G, typically once this message is displayed, it stays on the main window after the DUE is closed, subsequently obscuring download/upload messages. This isn't too much of a problem with many remotes, but the Simpleset remotes provide no visual indication when RMIR is finished communicating.

[mathdon]

With either Alpha 28 or Alpha 28 build 3, when the Device Upgrade Editor is opened a message appears on the Main window reminding us to not modify anything while the DUE is open. In the work I was doing today with a OARUSB04G, typically once this message is displayed, it stays on the main window after the DUE is closed

Sorry about that. Please try RMIR v2.03 Alpha 28 build 4. The message was turned off in the WindowClosing() function and I had only tested it by closing the Device Upgrade Editor with the red X box. This worked and I had assumed that WindowClosing() would run also when it was closed with the Open or Cancel buttons. Apparently this is not so, so it now turns off the message explicitly with these buttons too. This appears to solve the problem.

[ElizabethD]

@Liz
I think everything is now fixed in RMIR v2.03 Alpha 28 build 3. As with Alpha 28a, this is just a jar file to replace the one in Alpha 28.

Great. Will replace soon with what you just posted for 3FG today.

However, I suspect you were copying column by column, in which case missing out blank entries causes misalignment. I have now modified it (I hope) so that blanks are always copied. So copying column by column will retain alignment, but if you copy a block containing blank lines, you will now get those blank lines included in the copy.

Liz, you did realize that you can copy multiple columns, provided you are copying a rectangular block of cells? I first tried this and had no alignment problems, as it was only completely blank rows that were missed. I realized then that you had probably copied column by column and that gave me the behaviour you described.

Yes, I was trying to do something which is impossible using normal means, and column by column was one of many failed trials. I could not copy multiple columns because the headings are in different sequence. I'll check the paste behavior after I get the new file. And thank you for your work

[ElizabethD]

Still on 28a with .jar replacement I put in on Jan28.

On page 49 was a problem that .IR file would not open in RMIR and it was because FAV had <none> for device. That you fixed in, I believe, alpha 27c, maybe b. Half of a problem remains.

RMIR opened the .IR file just fine. I saved as .RMIR. And now that won't open (Task error). I believe the reason is again no device. Indeed, when using Notepad, comparing with a file that does load, I added DeviceIndex=0 or 3 to the [FavScan] section, now RMIR opens it just fine.
http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... e_id=13124
Clearly, once I figured it out, I can put in a Fav device in RMIR file (and IR as well), but thought I should report it anyway.

[mathdon]

@Liz
Please try RMIR v2.03 Alpha 28 build 5. This should load your .rmir file as it is. There is no need to set a Fav device as far as RMIR is concerned. If one is not set then there is no DeviceIndex entry in the [FavScan] section of the .rmir file. What was happening was that RMIR was not handling the default correctly for some remotes.

[ElizabethD]

v2.03 Alpha 28 build 5

Graham,
1. \Temp directory is nice and clean. Amazing that you managed to defeat java to do this.
2. Pasting selected columns containing blanks no longer misaligns the data
3. File with no default for Fav loads properly.

Thank you

[Thomas]

Graham,
I have been lurking, finally installed the alpha 28/5 and have it working with my two favorite remotes, RCRP05B and RS15-100.

A minor niggle -- the RDF folder for this build does not include the latest extender version 3.02 for these remotes:

Radio Shack 15-100, 15-133, 15-134, 15-135
RCA RCRP05B
Insignia (both backlit and non-lit)
Atlas 3000 and 3033 (both variants)
[Thanks Uncle Miltie!]

It was easy enough to recover them from the old RMIR install, but at some point it would be nice to make them available in the download. So far, I have not encountered any bugs, my previous collection of rmir and rmdu files are working okay.

Thomas

[mathdon]

A minor niggle -- the RDF folder for this build does not include the latest extender version 3.02 for these remotes:

Radio Shack 15-100, 15-133, 15-134, 15-135
RCA RCRP05B
Insignia (both backlit and non-lit)
Atlas 3000 and 3033 (both variants)

I am aware of this. What is in the RDF folder in the zip package is what is in the official RDF repository. I was hoping someone else would remove the spurious spaces in those RDFs that you yourself pointed out, and would then upload them (even though I think that RMIR can now handle them as they are). One way or the other, I will see that they get into the next build.

Edit: I have dealt with these RDFs myself and issued build 6 of RMIR v2.03 Alpha 28 containing them - see this post for how to get it. Note that the update for this build is not where build 5 was, but is instead posted along with a new complete package for build 6 on SourceForge.

Thomas, please note that the JP1.3 Common Extender RDFs in build 6 contain a correction that is missing from your files. Recently 3FG made a mass update to many RDFs but the Common Extender ones missed this update as they were not in the main repository. I have incorporated this update into these new versions.

[Thomas]

Got it! Thank you for the heads-up.
Tom