[vdr] Re: tech patch for vdr 1.1.24

[Stefan Reinauer <stepan@suse.de>]

* Reinhard Walter Buchner <rw.buchner@freenet.de> [030212 16:18]:
> > For other components it's more useful. For example addon fonts
> > should really go into plugins, so that plugins like vdrmail don't
> > need a patch against vdr to work, when they bring their own fonts.
> 
> This, too, doesn't work. How would I go about using small fonts
> globally (one of my mods) out of a plugin? Lets say Klaus uses
> fontOsd for the main menu (well he does ;o)) A plugin will never
> be able to reach this code to switch it into a fontOsd2 (small
> font). The VDR code ALWAYS dominates the plugin code.
 
Now, that's just a matter of providing the right data structures.
A plugin has to register a new font with a unique font name, whereas
vdr keeps a list of known fonts. Any plugin could then ask for a font
with a certain name and decide to use another font, if the font is
not provided, or refuse to work, if using another font does not make
sense. That should be pretty trivial to implement.

> Similar situation for the colors. Klaus defines these in osdbase.h
> and he enumerates them. How can a plugin divide the channelinfo
> OSD into two parts (Elchi style) and change the colors or the
> transparency (another one of my mods). It can't.

But it might make sense to put the main functionality in vdr, and
let the plugin provide the information. So, basically vdr could ask
a plugin for the bitmap and color to show, when it's started, and
then ask whether the image should be displayed light or dark, when
you switch to a new channel. 

> I changed the cursor behaviour of VDR. Standard VDR has hard
> stops at the end of a menu. My mod allows  you to flip back to
> the end or beginning of a menu by just pressing the down or up
> key once more (an option which I *never* want to miss again
> ;o)). This, of course, also works on multiple page menus such
> as the channels or schedual menu.

Oooh.. I desperately want this!
Agreed, this will not make sense in a plugin.

[..]
> Last example ;o)): I modded the timers. Now you can:
[..] 

Not everything is possible or makes sense in a plugin. 
But otoh, I do not want to recompile XFree, when I add
a new font there. Why then vdr?

> Let's face it, most mods, including mine, dig deep into
> the main VDR code and there is no way a plugin can reach
> this level (it isn't supposed to, if I figure the concept right

This might also mean that the plugin interface is not where it 
should be yet. 

> ;o)) I realize there will be some problems with e.g. DXR3
> (actually this is the ONLY plugin which won't work out of
> the box)

Having non-dvbcard output is a very promising feature of vdr.
What functionality is missing in the DXR3 plugin to cope with
your mods?
 
> In order to be able to do what you are asking, would mean
> to turn VDR completely modular. Klaus won't do this and
> I agree with him here (it was discussed quite a while ago)
> See the ML archives.

Not completely, but there are examples which would make sense.
- providing more information to input plugins (like dvd, mplayer, tech)
- make output plugins fully work (DXR3,.. more to come?)

> However, what I am doing differently than the old patches
> is to make *all* changes setupable. This allows everyone
> to customize their VDR the way *they* want it. Plus if
> you don't like a certain function the next day, you don't
> need to repatch a vanilla VDR. You just turn it off in the
> setup ;o))

A good idea, but be careful that it's easily findable.
First time I played with the "Elchi Style" I was kind of 
confused.. "verbose channel info" or something similar
would maybe fit better, as it describes, what it does, not
what it's called by the author.. :)

> I can't say exactly (unplanned things like Reiserfs happen ;o)),
                                             ^^^^^^^^
Oh yes.. :/ this one is less funny sometimes...

Keep up with your nice work!  


Regards,
   Stefan


-- 
The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be
regarded as a criminal offense.                      -- E. W. Dijkstra


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