Re-purposing the TV Portal Button

[Black Hole]

Given a choice I would rather repurpose the TV Portal button to do something more useful...

If you have no intention of using iPlayer, you don't even need iplfix.

...I don’t have a clue how to do that

Easy! To re-purpose the button, see here: https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/ir-web-based-remote-control.2437/post-39107, and the wiki here: https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/WebIf_Remote_Controller (see Customise... Use Custom Map File).

 

[Luke]

Given a choice I would rather repurpose the TV Portal button to do something more useful but as I don’t have a clue how to do that I think I will just avoid pressing it.

Looks like I don't know either.
I installed the ir package and rebooted. Then went to diagnostics in the webif and selected the file editor.
There is a list in the file editor that includes /mod/boot/ir3.map. I opened that and then located the line that mentioned PORTAL.
I edited that line from "4b:4bORTAL" to "4b:6c:was PORTAL is now SLOW" and saved it..
As the HDR was soon to start recording, instead of just rebooting I pulled the plug and then restarted it.
Once it finishes recording I'll try a normal re-boot but at the moment the Portal button is still trying to Portal instead of being the same as the go slow button.

 

[Black Hole]

this option must be enabled using WebIF >> Settings >> Settings for IR Package >> Use Custom Map File.

There's also a file size limit on the map file, so you could try pruning everything which does not relate to buttons you actually want to map.

4b:4bORTAL

That's why we have CODE, ICODE, and PLAIN tags.

 

[prpr]

Did you enable use of the Custom map file?
It would be nice if there was a Webif option to disable the Portal, but I suspect that will need a code change in ir rather than just a WebIf mod.

 

[prpr]

There's also a file size limit

Like Ted Lowe's comment about the time limit? "There is a time limit... but nobody knows what it is."

 

[Black Hole]

is there a limit to the length of the macro?

50

The lookup table is just 256 bytes, with one slot for each original function.

Foreign codes are in their own linked list

beta 1.20 is there now, and it should be a lot better in terms of macro handling (and log messages).

...but 1.20 was an abortion and withdrawn.

What I know is the diagnostic logs showed the self-documenting map file listed HERE was too large (for the sake of clarity I defined all the buttons, whether changed or not).

 

[Luke]

Did you enable use of the Custom map file?

Thanks. That was it. I'd worked it out for myself and came back to post what I had missed and it was OK now, but you spotted it, so thanks.

It would be nice if there was a Webif option to disable the Portal, but I suspect that will need a code change in ir rather than just a WebIf mod.

Would that be an option to edit the map file to change, or insert, the 4b mapping to 4b::Portal disabled?

 

[Black Hole]

you spotted it, so thanks.

What about me? I got there first

 

[prpr]

Would that be an option to edit the map file to change

I was kind of thinking of something not involving the map file, like the swap Info and List buttons option, which I think works independently of the map.

 

[Black Hole]

which I think works independently of the map.

It does.

 

[ManOnABox]

I was thinking of repurposing the TV Portal button so it directly opened up a USB drive for quick access to videos on a usb stick... as a newbie to all this is this possible or would I be wasting my time? Would rather find out now before I waste a lot of time trying to achieve the impossible.

 

[Black Hole]

I was thinking of repurposing the TV Portal button so it directly opened up a USB drive for quick access to videos on a usb stick

The fundamental problem with macro functions is the lack of certainty where things are in the menu system at any particular time, relative to where you last left it. From boot, we know what the default state of the menus are, but if you interact with the menus at all they remember where you last were so a macro has no baseline to work from.

Let's think about this:

The operations required are: MEDIA BLUE RIGHT OK OK, but that presumes you only have one connected USB drive to choose from, and that the storage setting was currently "HDD". Anything else, and the navigation goes wrong. Run the macro again and you'll be on "Network" (ie searching for DLNA servers on your home network).

So no, I don't think it's practical. Edit: see subsequent posts.

That's not to say you can't disable the TV Portal button entirely if you want, or you could give it a make-over using the new-portal package.

 

[xyz321]

MEDIA BLUE LEFT LEFT RIGHT OK OK would be a better option but still it relies on one USB being connected.

 

[Black Hole]

MEDIA BLUE LEFT LEFT RIGHT OK OK would be a better option but still it relies on one USB being connected.

You might be onto something there, I didn't realise the media storage options don't wrap around (when the other menus do!).

Having got to the USB devices, is there a need to actually choose which one in the macro? No. The PORTAL button could land you at the list of USB drives (or in my case, virtual drives and mounts), and the MEDIA button could then get you back to the HDD:

PORTAL -> EXIT MEDIA BLUE LEFT LEFT RIGHT OK​

​

MEDIA -> EXIT MEDIA BLUE LEFT LEFT OK​

Network would still be accessible using the blue button from within the media menus, and the TV Portal would remain accessible via MENU (whether pimped up or not).

So no, I don't think it's practical.

I was wrong - this is doable after all, in fact I rather like it.

 

[ManOnABox]

Thanks Black Hole.
Probably should have started a new thread as the moderator suggested but this one kind of ran along a bit quicker than expected.

 

[Black Hole]

Probably should have started a new thread as the moderator suggested but this one kind of ran along a bit quicker than expected.

I have asked for the thread to be split, that was a note to the mod not from (and prpr isn't a mod, neither am I).

I've got it working for you, here's what you do:

1. If not installed already, install the ir package.
   
   
2. WebIF >> Diagnostics >> File Editor >> Commonly edited files >> /mod/boot/ir3.map; whatever is in there already* replace with (copy & paste):

   4b:16,6f,1e,12,12,14,13:PORTAL -> USB MEDIA
   6f:16,6f,1e,12,12,13:MEDIA -> HDD MEDIA

   ...then click Save.
   
   * I presume nothing, but if there is something in there you will need to consider how to integrate these new definitions.
   
   For information: the hex codes correspond to key commands, "4b" being PORTAL for example, and the ":" separates the fields into Input:Output:Comments. The sequences correspond with definitions in post 17. The complete table of key codes is available here: https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/ir-web-based-remote-control.2437/post-143300
   
   
3. WebIF >> Settings >> Settings for ir package >> Options >> Use custom map file? = YES
   
   
4. WebIF >> Diagnostics >> Reboot System >> Restart the Humax now...

After the reboot, the new functionality should be active on the MEDIA and PORTAL buttons: MEDIA shows you the HDD My Video content*, and PORTAL shows you the USB devices. Unlike "normal", the navigation no longer remembers where it was and always returns to the root level. MEDIA no longer exits from the media menus, so it becomes necessary to use the EXIT button (always good policy anyway).

* Unless you've switched to "music" or "photo" via the yellow button.​

There may be some hiccups if there is a delay in the unit responding to the 6f command (MEDIA) in the macros, but I found this is only immediately after boot. The macros could be edited to include specific delays in the command execution if found necessary.

 

[ManOnABox]

Thanks for the above. Have copied and over pasted the text into the Ir3.map file, rebooted and tested. Not going quite to plan! When I now press either the TV Portal button or media button the Humax reboots. Any suggestions?
All other buttons still working fine.

 

[Black Hole]

When I now press either the TV Portal button or media button the Humax reboots. Any suggestions?

Ow! Now why doesn't that happen for me? I'm on ir 1.21, webif 1.4.9-6, CF 1.03.12/3.14 (but these might well be beta versions not generally available).

It's typical the the HDR-FOX can crash when it gets "sensory overload" (too many handset inputs while it's busy). The only thing I have to suggest at the moment is to try inserting delays at strategic points in the macro expansion: "f1" is 1 second, up to "fe" for 14 seconds (1-9,a-e). Try one after the 6f, or even after the 16.

 

[MymsMan]

The thread splitting seems to have gone awry - with a closed thread containing just two posts

I found a while ago that trying to put more than one button push in a replacement action via the map file was a certain way of causing a Humax crash.
@f123 was looking into immediately before his long absence

Basically using a real Humax remote it is virtually impossible for an aged human to push the buttons quickly enough not to generate a repeated button push - other remotes may not suffer the same problem.

 

[Black Hole]

The thread splitting seems to have gone awry - with a closed thread containing just two posts

The thread didn't get split - the OP created a new thread and thereby muddied the waters. The thread has been locked pending getting it sorted out.

I found a while ago that trying to put more than one button push in a replacement action via the map file was a certain way of causing a Humax crash.
@f123 was looking into immediately before his long absence

Basically using a real Humax remote it is virtually impossible for an aged human to push the buttons quickly enough not to generate a repeated button push - other remotes may not suffer the same problem.

Maybe the OP's handset buttons are flaky and emitting multiple key presses?