Use Operating System wide keybindings for 'Next Slide', 'Previous Slide'...

tomzi

OpenLP should reserve specific keys operating system wide to allow for certain functions.

This
would be a most useful and important feature, especially when the
service started already and you need to do something else on the same
computer, like researching a picture to display or adding new songs,
changing whatever is needed.

These dedicated, 'reserved' keys would ALWAYS
.) goto the 'next slide'/previous slide,
.) blank the screen...
 no
matter if I am in the Windows Explorer, or Browser or whatever other
program or even if I currently change a song within OpenLP

Multiple keys should be mappable to one action:
eg for 'next slide':
.) the '6' or '8' on the number block
.) the wireless presenters 'right' button
.) Or even if I use a second 'mini' keyboard or numberblock just for navigation of the slides
a.s.o

This
way I could, in every situation or state of the computer or focus of
the current window, control the presentation. Or even more important the
preacher or the person using the presenter is always in control of his
slide, no matter if the technician who uses OpenLP has its focus on
OpenLP or uses another program at the moment...

I know about the 'remote' control feature of OpenLP, which is cool, but just not enough for this reasons:
.) I'll have to find the browser window with the 'remote' control first and the click next -> toooo slow
.) The preacher does not have this 'remote control', he ususally uses the wireless presenter.

I know this is possible by reserving USB devices for certain programs, like Virtualbox does it, or similar ways.
 
This feature would be soooo needed - for some technicians

VideoPsalm

Hi Tomzi,

FYI, a presenter 'Right' button simulates the keyboard 'Right' button, and it is not possible to know at the program level (OpenLP) which 'Right' button got hit, the keyboard one or the presenter one.

tomzi

Well, the thing is it is apparently possible to directly read data from USB devices, look eg

https://github.com/rene-aguirre/pywinusb

Look into the examples section: How to listen to a PNP event, and reading from the device

Another example:

http://wiki.wxpython.org/MonitoringWindowsUsb

And there are others on the internet.
So I guess it would be possible to Make OpenLP read from a second Keyboard or from a presenter since the all have different HID ID's

What do you think?

wogster

The problem with this kind of thing, it's Operating System specific, so you essentially need a specific driver to do it, and hardware support code can be really ugly, especially if your not used to writing it.   Not only this, but Windows has a nasty habit of making it so that different versions require different drivers, meaning when new versions come out, there is no support until the driver is updated. Linux drivers just need a recompile to work with new versions, something they fixed a decade ago.

tomzi

Well, I have no clue, but what I read from https://github.com/rene-aguirre/pywinusb support, which is apperently widely used does not need driver support (although early versions seemed to use it), which seems to make it pretty universial to use.

But as I said, it would be something to try out and test. At least try to start and mess with the examples in https://github.com/rene-aguirre/pywinusb/tree/master/examples on Windows and Linux and you quickly find out how 'easy' it works.

The additional features OpenLP would need, would be:

• Some dialog that will list all USB HID devices (keyboards, presenter...) connected
• Show a list of available Actions (like 'Next slide') that should be mapped. Now OpenLP listens to all/one USB device that has been selected above.
• If the user klicks on the 'presenter' or the external Numpad. OpenLP registers
  
  target_vendor_id, target_product_id and the key being pressed
• And now OpenLP starts some thread that constantly listens for input for the specified USB devices and starts the action.
  

The merits/advantages would be a great user interface improvement and would also look great on the feature list of OpenLP. Which other presenter software could list such a feature?

tomzi

I just found out pywinusb only supports windows so far. But that's a start at least, isn't it. That would satisfy maybe half the users of OpenLP until a solution for Linux... is found.

Wouldn't that be great?!

There are some other projects:

http://www.libusb.org/
http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/pyusb/

raoul

Insofar as cross-platform support, unless something external is specifically platform-bound (PowerPoint to Windows), if it doesn't work on all 3 major platforms, we don't implement it.

tomzi

I think this would be just very sad not to implement. I am pretty certain, that it would be possible to write an api, that has three different implementations on all platforms, that would work just fine. And it would be a great feature (of course, like many others) that would improve usage a lot
Wouldn't you agree?

raoul

You're welcome to help us develop it!

tomzi

I know, I know, it easy for me to ask for a feature and easy for you to say 'You are welcome to help'. In reality though, it would take me 10x longer to figure out how to write and cleanly implement something in a foreign language like python (coming from Java).

I (as many others) see myself more on the QA side. I hope to help everyone by spending time to figure out, where the bugs are and how to improve user experience. (for this project at least)

Maybe if I get the hang of it, I'll some day in the future have a look at python. But for the time being I hope I can help you otherwise Like eg. finding out which libraries might be helpful (as I researched above) - don't know if that helps at all....

raoul

Python is easier than you think, though you'd have to unlearn some of what you learnt for Java. And besides, you'd probably get the job done quicker despite the learning curve because you're passionate about it, and we have lots of other more pressing features to deal with.

We'll add it to the list of features, just don't expect it any time soon.

tomzi

I was already considering learning a little bit of python, just because I want to support OpenLP somehow. But there's is not enough time in the world and developing at home after a whole day at work developing is just not that high of a priority at the moment.... We'll see

Until then I keep posting

By the way should Bugs and Feature requests all go in this Discussion group, or are there other more suitable places?

raoul

Don't worry, I know all about it, this is not my day job. I get home at 6pm (after having left for work at 7am) and then I have to help look after my two sons, get them fed and washed and into bed, and spend some time with my wife. And in between all of that I tutor the next door neighbour's son every evening too. :-)

Have you read the FAQ yet?

VideoPsalm

I love to develop at work and after work even more!
It is great to code in C# for VideoPsalm after work.

GrayFrost

What about using a Midi controller? I know OpenLP would need to be developed to deal with this, but I think this would be cross platform?

I've used the Korg Nano stuff with Screen Monkey in the past and this seems to do what you're after i.e. you could be working in another program, hit a button on the controller and so long as the application is configured correctly to 'listen' for the Midi inputs it will respond with grabbing the focus.

just a thought, but it would be cool to see it as I've been trying to think of a use for the controller!

thanks

Jack

raoul

@GrayFrost, that sounds cool, but I don't know of anyone on our team who has a midi controller to test it out with.

raoul

Of course you could hook into the OpenLP remote API with another program.

GrayFrost

oh that's a shame  

GrayFrost

Hi Raoul - is there any documentation on the remote API? I've had a little look but can't find anything other than the stuff about the normal web & android remote

Jack

googol

Hello,

You can view the doc here: http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~openlp-core/openlp/trunk/view/head:/openlp/plugins/remotes/lib/httpserver.py#L30

Note, the API is going to change soon as we are adding https and password protection soon.

Regards

GrayFrost

Cool , cheers googol. That seems straight forward enough, I just need to link it all together now ;-)

4GIVn

I agree with the need for a system "next button". I would like to be able to change the background video at the same time as the verse change, but the video change requires using the mouse over the taskbar VLC icon so the "next" button doesn't work in openLP.