RM Layout tab feature requests - phantom and reverse display

[Capn Trips]

In the vein of never being satisfied with this wonderful program , here are two pie-in-the-sky requests:

(1) Is there a way to display the various "phantom" buttons on the "Layout" tab alongside or below the picture of the remote? This would obviate the need to switch back and forth between this display and the button assignment page when developing one's keymap.

(2) Currently, the little windows above the "Available functions" section on the upper right display the function assigned to a button when you select a particular button on the remote image. Is there a way to have this work in reverse, as well, i.e if you position the cursor over a function (or click on it), for it to display what button(s) has(have) that function assigned? This would reduce the need to search through many buttons to determine where a particular function has been assigned, if you have forgotten (or, as above, switching tabs to locate where you assigned a function).

The program is wonderful and works fine without these enhancements, but I'm just trying to make the product even MORE user-friendly!

[cdhixson]

Two months ago, I asked for the same thing you listed in your second request. Here is a link to my message.

RemoteMaster UI enhancement

[gfb107]

OK, I guess two requests for a feature is enough for me to look into it.

I may come back asking for feedback on some ideas.

[gfb107]

Here's what I've come up with for showing the button(s) a particular function has been assigned to.

1. When you click on a function, it will be highlighted by making it look pressed in.
2. Any buttons that have been assigned that function will be filled in with a special color instead of the standard yellow (which means a function has been assigned to that button). Any suggestions for what that color should be?

[Capn Trips]

1. When you click on a function, it will be highlighted by making it look pressed in.
2. Any buttons that have been assigned that function will be filled in with a special color instead of the standard yellow (which means a function has been assigned to that button). Any suggestions for what that color should be?

That would certainly work for me - any color will do, just to distinguish it clearly from yellow, so how about red or blue - whichever will be more distinctive?

[Nils_Ekberg]

I like this approach. Circled in light blue should work well

[gfb107]

The problem with red and blue is that some remotes have buttons that are red or blue. I need a color that is not only easily distinguised from yellow, but also isn't used by the actual buttons on any remotes.

While I'm working on implementing this, I've been using magenta, which although not my favorite color, does seem to meet all requirements.

[Nils_Ekberg]

I just went through all the remotes and yellow, green, red, black, and blue are common button colors on a lot of remotes. One (Replay) even has a buttons with white outlines so these are the colors we need to stay away from.

We already have a conflict on the yellow. And in fact the yellow for assigned and orange for mapped kind of run together.

I guess magenta is the way to go.

[gfb107]

The other request, for putting phantom buttons on the layout panel, is a bit tougher.

The simplest way to handle this (for me) is to have the phantom buttons added to the image and map files for the remote. No other changes to RM would be required. Sorry Nils.

They could be drawn somewhere on the image that is outside the picture of the remote. This would probably require enlarging some of the images to make room for drawing the phantom buttons. The decision of where to put them could be made on a remote-by-remote basis. They could be added in rows along the top/bottom or in columns along the right/left side.

[gfb107]

Changing the colors used on the Layout panel is trivial. I suppose if I want to get fancy I could even allow the user to choose the colors to use for each attribute. Here are the current attributes and their colors:

Code: Select all

Selected - wide white border
Mapped  - orange border
Assigned - yellow fill
Assigned selected function - magenta fill

The available simple colors are:
black
blue
cyan
dark gray
gray
green
light gray
magenta
orange
pink
red
white
yellow

[Nils_Ekberg]

Greg, how about adding an area at the bottom of the layout panel where you could list all the phantom buttons (any button not assigned on the image) with a little circle next to it to drop a function into.

By the way, I could pretty easily add like 6 phantoms at the bottom of the images if necessary based on what is in the RDF. Basically I could add anything that is not a button and is not an extender function like X_, T_ etc.. Just take a little time is all.

[gfb107]

Nils,

I might be able to do something in code to automatically add any buttons that don't have corresponsing shapes in the map file.

Just to see what might be involved, I took a look at the 6131 extender RDF, to get a feel for how many would have to be added, and what I could use to figure out what buttons to add.

What I found is that the RDF doesn't make enough use of button restrictions. For example, the RDF allows functions to be mapped onto all of the extender function buttons. See how they show up on the Buttons panel as buttons that can be assigned functions? They also show up as allowed targets for keymoves and macros in IR. These should all have the AllBind restriction applied.

Here's how the RDF looks now:

Code: Select all

...
X_SAT=$5F,T_SAT,V_SAT,O_SAT,
X_TV=$63,T_TV,V_TV,O_TV,
X_PVR=$67,T_PVR,V_PVR,O_PVR,
X_VCR=$6B,T_VCR,V_VCR,O_VCR,
X_DVD=$6F,T_DVD,V_DVD,O_DVD,
X_AUD=$73,T_AUD,V_AUD,O_AUD,
X_DEV7=$77,T_DEV7,V_DEV7,O_DEV7,
X_DEV8=$7B,T_DEV8,V_DEV8,O_DEV8,
X_Cancel=$7F

And here's what it should be:

Code: Select all

...
X_SAT=$5F:AllBind,T_SAT,V_SAT,O_SAT,
X_TV,T_TV,V_TV,O_TV,
X_PVR,T_PVR,V_PVR,O_PVR,
X_VCR,T_VCR,V_VCR,O_VCR,
X_DVD,T_DVD,V_DVD,O_DVD,
X_AUD,T_AUD,V_AUD,O_AUD,
X_DEV7,T_DEV7,V_DEV7,O_DEV7,
X_DEV8,T_DEV8,V_DEV8,O_DEV8,
X_Cancel

Note that I removed a bunch of assigned key codes since these are all sequential and it allowed me to specify the button restriction only once.

[Nils_Ekberg]

I can do that Greg.

Some of them are done. For example try the 8910/9910/HTPro RDF. I guess I never got through all of them.

I should have them done soon so watch for me to post them so you can do your magic any time after that.

[mikemcgo]

Since all the image files will need to be updated to include the Phantom buttons, would this be a convenient time to consider mapping out the keysets (as mentioned here: http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewt ... highlight= )?
If it is doable, having it be something you can toggle on or off would be great.

Keep up the good work,
Mike

[Nils_Ekberg]

Since all the image files will need to be updated to include the Phantom buttons, would this be a convenient time to consider mapping out the keysets (as mentioned here: http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewt ... highlight= )?
If it is doable, having it be something you can toggle on or off would be great.

Keep up the good work,
Mike

I think the answer is pretty much the same. We could do it on a few of the remotes that have physical logical groupings by just adding some lines to box in the button grouping like your graphic. On those where the buttons are all over the place it would be difficult if not impossible purely from a graphics approach.

There is the possibility that it could be done in RM using the button grouping from the button maps in the RDF and highlight the groupings in different colors but I think that would be a big effort but Greg would have to speak to that. Plus we are running out of colors.